This December 7th marks the 108th birth anniversary of one of the great science fiction, mystery, and film writers of the twentieth century: Leigh Brackett. Known as the Queen of Space Opera, Brackett was also the screenwriter for such film classics as The Big Sleep, El Dorado, Rio Bravo, and The Empire Strikes Back. A huge influence on a young Ray Bradbury, who once completed one of Brackett’s novels in a pinch, her work has also touched Monalisa Foster, whose Baen Books debut Threading the Needle owes a debt to Brackett, as Foster writes in her introduction.

So to celebrate, we’re offering discounts on Baen Books’ Leigh Brackett back catalog: The Solar System series and The Eric John Stark series. (And to spread even more holiday cheer, we’re discounting Edmund Hamilton’s books in the latter series, for good measure.)

And be sure to keep an ear out for the Baen Free Library’s upcoming salute to Brackett, later this month.