In April 1977 at the annual Nebula Awards banquet, the Science Fiction Writers of America honored Clifford D. Simak by giving him the Grand Master Award in recognition of the outstanding contributions he has made to the field throughout his career. (Only Robert A. Heinlein and Jack Williamson had previously received the award.) Simak's career began with the publication of "The World of the Red Sun" in the December 1931 issue of Wonder Stories. With eleven new titles published in the 1970s, and more books coming, his career is still flourishing nearly fifty years later.

Clifford Donald Simak was born on the farm of his grandfather, Edward Wiseman, in the township of Millville, Wisconsin. The farm stood on top of a high bluff overlooking the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers. Simak readily acknowledges that he has transformed that geographical area into an idealized, mythical landscape which he has...