Schmitz was born 1911 in Germany of American parents. They spent WW I in the United States, and then returned to Germany. Schmitz came back to the US permanently in 1938 as WW II loomed. During the war he served in the Air Force in the Pacific. After the war he made his home in California where he lived until his death in 1974. Schmitz's first story, "Greenface," was published in 1943, but his career as a writer really didn't begin until the early 50's. Most of his work appeared between 1960 and 1974. When he died in 1981, Schmitz left a body of work of eight novels, several collections and fifty stories.

Schmitz was best known for the fact that he wrote stories featuring strong, believable, effective female lead characters, in an era when many science fiction stories -- even those by the greats such as Heinlein and Asimov -- rarely even acknowledged the existence of women. Two of Schmitz's recurring female characters are Telzey Amberdon, one of the most powerful telepaths in the galaxy, and Trigger Argee, a crack shot who's a top agent of the galaxy's Federation of the Hub.

Most of Schmitz's books have been out of print since the 80's, but Baen Books recently began releasing newly edited anthologies of Schmitz's novels and short stories.

Books by James H. Schmitz:

Agent of Vega & Other Stories (1960). The original Agent of Vega is a collection of four stories based on material originally published 1949-51 in Astounding Science Fiction Magazine. It was subsequently published as a book several times. The stories center about Iliff, a seasoned agent who is an expert trouble-shooter in the employ of the powerful but over-extended Psychology Service.

The Baen Books re-release of Agent of Vega & Other Stories includes additional short stories.

A Tale of 2 Clocks (a.k.a. Legacy) (1962). A Tale of 2 Clocks is a Trigger Argee adventure that involves con games, corrupt governors, deadly rivalries between departments of the same government, and, of course, the long arm of the mob. Even in our future among the stars, some things never change -- except that the governors run (and ruin) planets, the rivalries are fought with spacecraft and energy bolts, and the mobsters smuggle real illegal aliens and make their getaways with subspace portals. It's all just another day in that bastion of galactic peace and democracy, the Federation of the Hub -- and somebody has to clean up the mess! Secret agent Trigger, scout adventurer Heslet Quillan, and Holati Tate, master of intrigue, battle the criminal element on its own interstellar turf...and make the future a little safer for the rest of us. Recently released by Baen Books as part of the anthology Trigger and Friends.

The Universe Against Her (1964). The Universe Against Her consists of two stories which can be regarded as the first two Telzey Amberdon adventures. The first of the two stories describes how a young Telzey first learns about her telepathic ability. The second stories involves Telzey working to gain greater control over her new-found talent and struggling to avoid being a tool of the powerful Psychology Service. Recently released by Baen Books as part of the anthology Telzey Amberdon.

The Witches of Karres (1967). Probably Schmitz's most popular book, The Witches of Karres was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1967 (it lost to Heinlein's The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress). It was also judged one of the four best science fiction novels of the year at the 25th World Science Fiction Convention. The first part of the novel was originally a short story by the same name published in 1949.

Captain Pausert, young master of the old pirate-chaser "Venture," seems to have a knack for selling cargos around the fringes of the Empire. He's so ahead of the game that he has time to rescue three child slaves, only to find out that they are three "witches" of Karres with awesome psi powers.

The Demon Breed (1969). The Demon Breed was first published as a two-part story, entitled "The Tuvela." The novel revolves around Nile Etland, a scientist on the remote water world of Nandy-Cline, encounters mysterious "demons" seeking to take over the universe.

Recently reissued as part of the anthology The Hub: Dangerous Territory.

The Telzey Toy (1971). Collection of short stories about Telzey Amberdon. The title story finds Telzey Amberdon with a double. Both the original Telzey and the duplicate are ensnared by an evil industrialist. In one of the short stories, Telzey Amberdon meets Trigger Argee. Recently reissued by Baen Books as T'NT Telzey & Trigger.

The Lion Game (1973) . The Lion Game consists of two long stories about Telsey Amberdon which follow directly after the The Universe Against Her. In the first story, Telsey sneaks off from her friends during a camping trip to investigate a distress call. In the second story, Telsey finds herself hunted by the master minds she foiled in the earlier story, and she ends up travelling to another planet to confront them at the source.

Recently released by Baen Books as part of the anthology Telzey Amberdon.

Eternal Frontier (1973). Earth's colonists have spread throughout the cosmos, and have almost divided into two separate species. One is the Swimmers, who have adapted to living in zero-gravity, and regard themselves as the next step in evolution, and those who prefer to live on the surface of a planet as little better than apes. The latter group, the Walkers, are not about to say farewell to the planets they grew up on, and think the Swimmers are not so much advanced as deranged.

Crowell, born a Swimmer but now a Walker by choice, is caught in the middle as the two sides seem headed for war. Then he discovers the true cause of the altercation: a hidden alien race moving behind the scenes to provoke a war so that they can pick up the pieces after the two sides have obliterated each other. And if Crowell cannot head off the war and convince both sides of the existence of the real enemy, both branches of the human race may be headed for untimely extinction.

The Baen Books reissue contains the novel Eternal Frontier along with a collection of Schmitz's lesser known short stories.

The Best of James H. Schmitz (1991). Contains nine classic Schmitz stories, including "Grandpa," "Balanced Ecology," and "The Second Night of Summer." With an introduction by Janet Kagen. Also includes a bibliography, cover art by Kelly Freas, and interior illustrations by Merle Insinga.

Recent releases with new titles:

Telzey Amberdon (2000). Reissue of The Universe Against Her and Lion Game.

T'NT Telzey & Trigger (2000). Reissue of The Telzey Toy.

Trigger and Friends (2001). Reissue of the Trigger Argee adventure A Tale of Two Clocks (a.k.a. Legacy), as well as several short stories.

The Hub: Dangerous Territory (2001). Contains the novel The Demon Breed and several short stories.