Seventy-three-year-old Allen Lewis has loved science fiction and fantasy for more than six decades. Though he only began to collect books in the late 90's, he has now made a collection worth $750,000.

For years, the collection had its home at Lewis' basement in Sioux Falls, the largest city of South Dakota. Now, the University of Iowa is going to receive his most prized possession, which consists of 17,500 sci-fi and fantasy books.

It is not only the quantity of the books that makes this collection unique, as it also boasts hard bound editions, first editions, first prints and signed copies. There are about 30,000 signatures from authors and editors Lewis meets in conventions.

KDLT News reported that even Lewis' family has contributed to the collection. If he can't get a book signed, his wife, or even his granddaughter, will get it for him. Unfortunately, a basement can only hold so many books. As the collection grew to be massive, Allen has ran out of room and has decided to donate the collection.

The University of Iowa is home to a big collection of books from the late 1800's and early 1900's. Since there are not many modern books in the university, Lewis has found the right place to donate his modern collection.

Lewis and his family is keeping about 150 books from the collection. Meanwhile, they also hope for a school or an organization to receive their bookshelves, which held thousands of their beloved books for many years.

Before Allen Lewis' collection, another significant collection of sci-fi material has been donated to the University of Iowa Libraries. In 2012, a collection of pulp magazines, fanzines and science fiction books originally owned by James L. Hevelin has been received by the university, io9 notes.

Hevelin's collection is considered to be very significant as it covers about one hundred years of material. It is known to be a detailed documentation of the United States' science fiction and fan culture during the 20th century.

In the early 1900's, Hevelin has began collecting pulp magazines from newsstands and from attending science fiction conventions. Pulp magazines have been popular only until the 1950s. Nowadays, these magazines are considered rare, and resources are limited.

Also included in the Hevelin collection are extremely rare fanzines. These are publication of individuals or groups that include discussions about books, films, politics and other matters.

Experts consider these fanzines as a key that would open more studies about pop culture in the 1900's. Recently, the university announced the digitization of the fanzines.

As the university acquires more sci-fi material, it slowly grows to become home to major studies about science fiction culture and history of the 20th century.