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The purpose of this library
To have fun with bibliography and book collecting, and to share the knowledge and the adventure. The website is updated on an almost daily basis, so there is always new material to be found.
Geographical definitions
For the purpose of defining the extent of this library the widely-accepted delineation of Asian regions and nations is followed:
Central: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
East: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Tibet
North: Russia, Kazakhstan, Siberia
South: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka (also the geographical region known as Pashtunistan)
Southeast: Borneo, Brunei, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia (including Western New Guinea), Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
West: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
However clear cultural boundaries blur at some borders, eg. the western borders of Russia mostly as a result of Russian influences upon the rest of the Soviet Union. Ukraine, one of the original constituent republics of the USSR from 1922 to 1991, is largely seen as a Eurasian nation as opposed to a geographically Asian one, however Ukrainian authors of speculative fiction (several of whom also wrote in Russian) identified as Soviet and featured in anthologies alongside Russian authors. Therefore for the purposes of this library speculative fiction from the Ukraine and the Ukranian diaspora is also included.
The library's 'rules of inclusion'
General
All books, magazines, webzines, academic journals and fanzines of interest are included here. When a title is not present in the library archive the details refer to the first edition (or first English-language edition) where possible, when a title is present in the library it is annotated in yellow Library edition with the correct details for that edition.
Novels, collections and short fiction chapbooks
• Speculative fiction novels, collections and short fiction chapbooks by Asian writers are automatically eligible for inclusion in the library, as are
such by writers of the Asian diaspora living outside of Asia. This is the central purpose of the library and no preference is shown for writers
residing within Asia.
• Speculative fiction novels, collections and short fiction chapbooks by non-Asian authors, set or partially set in Asian locations or predominantly
featuring aspects of Asian cultures, are eligible for inclusion. Titles featuring a single Asian protagonist/antagonist in a non-Asian setting
(such as Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, M. J. Engh's Arslan, Greg Bear's Beyond Heaven's River or Paul J. McAuley's Four Hundred
Billion Stars) are generally not included, although exceptions are made for series that also include Asian locations, such as Natasha Pulley's
'The Watchmaker of Filigree Street' series.
• Speculative fiction novels, collections and short fiction chapbooks about fictional countries within (or islands surrounding) Asia, by Asian or
non-Asian writers, are eligible for inclusion.
Anthologies
• When themed or unthemed speculative fiction anthologies have contents either in whole or in part from Asian writers, such anthologies are
eligible for inclusion. General anthologies not themed in any way on Asia and with less than half of contents provided by Asian writers may still
appear here for reference purposes, but have a lower priority for collection. Collected fiction, poetry, essays or interviews by Asian authors, or
relating by subject to Asia, are highlighted in white among non-related works for ease of reference.
Magazines, webzines, academic journals and fanzines
• When magazines, webzines, academic journals or fanzines have contents either in whole or in part relating to Asian speculative fiction, they are
eligible for inclusion. For reference purposes this website will still include details of individual issues if they contain such contents despite being
absent from the library itself. Collected fiction, poetry, essays or interviews by Asian authors, or relating by subject to Asia, are highlighted in
white among non-related works for ease of reference.
Special considerations
• While not strictly conforming to the 'rules of acquisition' outlined above, some works are nevertheless included in the library because of their
importance to the genre while referencing Asia or Asian activities in other speculative ways. Examples are The Man in the High Castle by Philip
K. Dick and The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin. Reasons for inclusion are given in the Notes for each publication.
• While the library currently has no Special Collections, it does also attempt to include complete speculative fiction of non-Asian authors who were
(or are) given permanent residency status within Asian countries: past examples are Arthur C. Clarke and Lafcadio Hearn. The library collects
their speculative and non-fiction publications only, and reasons for inclusion are given in the Bibliographic Comments for each author.
Biographies of such authors are also collected and listed here under the biographer's own name (for example Neil McAleer’s authorised
biography of Arthur C. Clarke) and appear under Non-fiction.
Corrections are always welcome!
Pride is taken in accuracy, but with a data-heavy project like this occasional errors are inevitable particularly regarding ethnicity, heritage and the anglicisation of names. If you see something that isn't right please contact the library at the email address found here.
Links
Alongside each title listed here, where possible links are provided to:
• Amazon UK – where you can purchase either a print or digital edition of the book. Buying via this link earns the Big Sky Library a commission.
• Apple Books – where you can purchase a digital edition of the book. Buying via this link earns the Big Sky Library a commission.
• Goodreads – links to the edition illustrated, and where you can find content details and reviews of the book as well as links to other editions.
• ISFDB – Where you can find extensive bibliographic details for the edition illustrated as well as complete bibliographies for the author(s).
With Gratitude...
• To fellow ISFDB editors past and present for aggregating so much data, and without whose contributions significant parts of this project would
have been impossible.
• To the writers and fans of speculative fiction who help to steer this project in the right direction with suggestions and corrections.
“All that is not given is lost.”
The Big Sky Library website is designed and maintained by Peter Young. Best viewed using Firefox or Safari.
The Big Sky Library is being developed on an ongoing basis as a bibliographic resource for all speculative fiction available in English from and about Asia and the Asian diaspora.
Based in Liverpool, England, the library currently holds well over 1,500 titles. While it functions as a private collection, it is accessible for research purposes and enquiries are always welcome.
