Robert Silverberg (b.1935) has written over fifty science fiction and nonfiction books. He was born in New York and attended Columbia University. His favorite subjects are archaeology, space exploration, and military history. Lost Cities and Vanished Civilizations, from which this selection was taken, is an example of his nonfiction work that draws upon his interest in archeology. Needle in a Timestack is one of his works of science fiction. Silverberg, who has also written under the name of Walker Chapman, won the World Science Fiction "Hugo" award in 1955.