Linwood Vrooman Carter was delivered into this world on June 9, 1930. Born in Florida, he served overseas during the Korean War, came back to the States and launched himself into the ranks of SFF fandom. Lin made himself ubiquitous in that realm and started getting his fiction published professionally. The legendary SFF editor at Ace Books, Donald A. Wollheim, was a major factor during those early years. In fact, the two of them even collaborated on a few stories.

Carter’s success with the publication of his first Thongor novel, The Wizard of Lemuria, and his role in the Lancer Conan volumes brought him to the attention of Lester Del Rey at Ballantine Books. Ballantine had capitalized on the Tolkien Boom—initiated by Wollheim at Ace Books—and was looking to expand on that by cheaply reprinting vintage fantasy, especially fantasy written by British authors. The endeavor was dubbed 'The Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series'.

Lin Carter, one of the few legitimate scholars of fantasy literature on the planet at that point, was chosen by Lester Del Rey to edit the project. Dunsany, Morris, Cabell, Poul Anderson and others were enshrined in the BAFS under Lin's editorship. In the minds of many, Carter's helming of the BAFS remains his finest hour. In fact, the argument has been made that Carter and the BAFS established what we now consider 'canonical fantasy' in the Anglosphere.

I first truly appreciated Carter-as-Editor when I bought a used copy of DAW's The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 3. In that one volume, I was introduced to the fantasy of Charles R. Saunders, Karl Edward Wagner, George R. R. Martin and others. In addition, Lin reviewed all the significant fantasy publications of the previous year. A classic anthology. One among several in that series.

The next year, my mom bought me a boxed set of Fritz Leiber...and a hardcover edition of Flashing Swords! #1 with a classic Frazetta cover. Carter had formed SAGA (the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America) and this was the first fruit of that. Leiber, Vance and Anderson. Good enough for me.

Personally, I've always preferred Lin's YBFS anthologies for DAW Books to his 'Flashing Swords!' volumes, but both series were worthy. I should also mention that Carter did a fine job editing the 'Weird Tales' revival books from Zebra.

Anyway, this blog entry is a day late and needs posted. Lin Carter was never one to gainsay a toast. Raise your glasses and mead-horns in honor of one of the greatest editors in the history of fantasy literature, sword-brothers!