Obituary: J.G. Ballard

British science fiction writer J.G. Ballard (1930-2009), known for his dystopian novels and short stories, passed away on April 19th.   Although he once described himself as "a man of complete and serene ordinariness," his works have been considered some of the most imaginative and prescient of the twentieth century.  Read John Clute's Indy obit here.

Ballard's stories frequently explore landscape and cities of the near future:  The Wind from Nowhere (1961); The Drowned World (1962); The Drought (1964); Concrete Island (1974); and The High Rise (1975).  These titles and many more may be found in Tulane's University's Howard-Tilton Memorial Library.

Image above:  Cover, J.G. Ballard's The Drowned World, Penguin pbk edition, 1965.  To see more Penguin SF covers, click here.