Astounding Science Fiction Vol. 36, No. 2 (Oct., 1945). Cover Art by William Timmins
[Here is a summary of an article by Nathan Vernon Madison, Virginia Commonwealth University. The full article is at www.pulpmags.org/database_pages/astounding_stories.html]
Clayton Publishing Co. released the first issue of Astounding Stories in January 1930. It attracted many SF fans and pulp readers, which aided Astounding’s first three years of survival, until its cancellation during the height of the Great Depression in March 1933. The departure was short-lived because pulp industry giant Street & Smith purchased the title and re-launched it in October 1933. The stock adventure stories that had appeared previously were replaced, with what editor F. Orlin Tremaine dubbed “thought-variants:” stories that were just as interesting and exciting, but also held some scientific or technological truth at their core.
In May 1938, John Wood Campbell, a writer and assistant editor under Tremaine, took over the editorship of Astounding Stories; Cambell would hold this post for thirty-three years—a remarkable tenure in itself—during which time he helped shape science fiction literature for many more decades to come. It was in this period that Campbell discovered such SF mainstays as Lester del Rey, Theodore Sturgeon, Clifford Simak, Isaac Asimov, and L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard's dianetic theories were introduced to readers of the magazine in May 1950.
Honoring Tremaine’s "thought-variants," Campbell wanted stories that were "from the view of a man involved in the events . . . rather than . . . a story of a gadget," as Lester del Rey described Campbell's approach. As Campbell wrote in an editorial, "It is the man, not the idea or machine that is the essence [of SF]." Campbell paid top dollar, on time, to his authors. This practice guaranteed that not only seasoned SF veterans but also budding hopefuls often submitted their manuscripts to Campbell's editorial offices first. Astounding's letters section, "Brass Tacks," also served as an important venue for communication and discussion within the emerging, organized SF fan community.
Campbell changed the magazine's title to Astounding Science Fiction in 1938, and later to Analog Science Fact & Fiction in 1960. In November 1992, the logo was revised to read "Fiction and Fact" rather than "Fact & Fiction," but Analog is the name by which the magazine is still known to this day. The magazine is included in the library of the International Space Station; and in 2011, it became the longest running continuously published magazine dedicated to the SF genre.
Astounding Science Fiction Vol. 36, No. 2 (Oct., 1945). Cover Art by William Timmins
[Here is a summary of an article by Nathan Vernon Madison, Virginia Commonwealth University. The full article is at www.pulpmags.org/database_pages/astounding_stories.html]
Clayton Publishing Co. released the first issue of Astounding Stories in January 1930. It attracted many SF fans and pulp readers, which aided Astounding’s first three years of survival, until its cancellation during the height of the Great Depression in March 1933. The departure was short-lived because pulp industry giant Street & Smith purchased the title and re-launched it in October 1933. The stock adventure stories that had appeared previously were replaced, with what editor F. Orlin Tremaine dubbed “thought-variants:” stories that were just as interesting and exciting, but also held some scientific or technological truth at their core.
In May 1938, John Wood Campbell, a writer and assistant editor under Tremaine, took over the editorship of Astounding Stories; Cambell would hold this post for thirty-three years—a remarkable tenure in itself—during which time he helped shape science fiction literature for many more decades to come. It was in this period that Campbell discovered such SF mainstays as Lester del Rey, Theodore Sturgeon, Clifford Simak, Isaac Asimov, and L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard's dianetic theories were introduced to readers of the magazine in May 1950.
Honoring Tremaine’s "thought-variants," Campbell wanted stories that were "from the view of a man involved in the events . . . rather than . . . a story of a gadget," as Lester del Rey described Campbell's approach. As Campbell wrote in an editorial, "It is the man, not the idea or machine that is the essence [of SF]." Campbell paid top dollar, on time, to his authors. This practice guaranteed that not only seasoned SF veterans but also budding hopefuls often submitted their manuscripts to Campbell's editorial offices first. Astounding's letters section, "Brass Tacks," also served as an important venue for communication and discussion within the emerging, organized SF fan community.
Campbell changed the magazine's title to Astounding Science Fiction in 1938, and later to Analog Science Fact & Fiction in 1960. In November 1992, the logo was revised to read "Fiction and Fact" rather than "Fact & Fiction," but Analog is the name by which the magazine is still known to this day. The magazine is included in the library of the International Space Station; and in 2011, it became the longest running continuously published magazine dedicated to the SF genre.