FOOTPRINTS ON SAND is a selection of short stories, verse, non-fiction, and excerpts drawn from almost every facet of the de Camps' diverse writings - fantasy, science fiction, children's stories; poems fabulous, romantic, and pragmatic; notes on prehistory, the evolution of weaponry, the development of imaginative fiction, the origins of engineering; of Atlantis, Conan, and magic. Included in this book is a section of tributes from such friends and admirers as Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, Lin Carter, Robert A. Heinlein, Patricia Jackson, Andrew Offutt, and George Scithers. On August 12, 1939, a New York school teacher, Catherine A Crook, married a young science fiction writer, otherwise unemployed, named L. Sprague de Camp. They have since collaborated on six non-fiction books, two anthologies of science fiction, and two sons. Catherine de Camp has herself written two books on money management, and has edited an anthology of children's science fiction. She spends much of her time editing and revising her husband's work, handling the family finances, and dealing with publishers, tax collectors, and ticket and passport offices. L. Sprague de Camp began writing full time in 1938 after leaving the Fowler-Becker Publishing Co., and since then has authored more than 80 books, hundreds of magazine articles, and vast numbers of short stories and poems. The de Camps live in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and when not writing, reading, or traveling, spend time listening to classical music, gardening, occasionally sailing, and horseback riding.