Edward Elmer Smith (E. E. Smith, E. E. "Doc" Smith, Doc Smith) (1890 - 1965) was an American food engineer (specializing in doughnut and pastry mixes) and early science fiction author, best known for the Lensman and Skylark series. He is sometimes called the father of space opera. Smith's novels are generally considered to be the classic space operas, and he is sometimes called the first of the three "novas" of twentieth century science fiction (with Stanley G. Weinbaum and Robert A. Heinlein as the second and third nova). In this book: Triplanetary Skylark Three The Galaxy Primes Spacehounds of IPC Subspace Survivors The Vortex Blaster