Astounding (magazine)

Astounding Stories was a seminal science fiction magazine that first appeared in 1930. By the late 1930s it had become the leader in its field, and is often considered the forum where modern science fiction was created. The magazine has undergone several name changes, most importantly in 1938 to Astounding Science-Fiction, and then in 1960 to Analog Science Fact & Fiction. It is currently published under the name Analog Science Fiction and Fact.

The Clayton Astounding (1930 - 1933)

Astounding Stories of Super-Science was initially published by Publisher's Fiscal Corporation, which later became Clayton Magazines. The first issue appeared in January 1930 under the editorship of Harry Bates. This incarnation of Astounding was a pulp magazine in every sense of the word, printed on thick, poor quality paper with untrimmed edges, adorned by lurid covers, and offering uncomplicated space adventure stories. After the first year of publication, the original name Astounding Stories of Super-Science was shortened to Astounding Stories. Clayton went out of business in early 1933, and the last Clayton Astounding was dated March 1933.

The Tremaine Years (1933 - 1937)

Following the demise of Clayton, Astounding Stories was bought by Street & Smith, who started to issue their own version of the magazine in October 1933 with F. Orlin Tremaine as editor. Under Tremaine's control, Astounding became a much more serious publication that its previous incarnation. Tremaine introduced the concept of the 'thought variant' story, encouraging authors to come up with genuinely new science fiction ideas rather than recycling the old adventure plots. In 1934, Astounding became one of the first fiction magazines to print a major work of non-fiction, in the form of Charles Fort's Lo!, which was serialized in eight parts between April and November (this was not the first appearance of Lo!, which had been published in book form three years earlier). By the time Tremaine relinquished editorship in 1937 Astounding had gained a reputation in science fiction fandom as the leading magazine of its time.

The Golden Age (1937 - 1949)

Following 8 years of publication under two different editors, the magazine's helm was assumed by John W. Campbell, who took over from the October 1937 issue. The period of Campbell's editorship between the late 1930s and late 1940s is often referred to as "the golden age of Astounding", or even "the Golden Age of Science Fiction". It is almost certainly true that a larger proportion of the fiction published in the magazine during these years has subsequently been reprinted in book form than is true of any of the other science-fiction magazines of this period or even of later periods of Astounding itself.

One of Campbell's first editorial acts, in March 1938, was to retitle the magazine Astounding Science-Fiction. He brought an unprecedented insistence on placing equal emphasis on both words of "science fiction." No longer satisfied with gadgetry and action alone, Campbell demanded that his writers think out how science and technology might really develop in the future - and, most important, how those changes would affect the lives of human beings.This new sophistication soon made Astounding the undisputed leader in the field.

Perhaps Campbell's most important achievement during the 1940s was to nurture the careers of a number of young and often previously unpublished writers by offering copious amounts of feedback and encouragement, even if accompanied by a rejection slip. Among Campbell's most important 'discoveries' of this period were Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein and A. E. Van Vogt.

The Transitional Years (1950 - 1959)

Campbell continued at the helm of Astounding throughout the 1950s, but the magazine's style and reputation altered somewhat during this period. Part of this was due to the emergence of Astounding's first serious competitors like The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Galaxy Science Fiction, and the boom in paperback originals, which meant that Astounding was no longer the only place to find top-quality science fiction. A second reason was Campbell's increasing interest in what can be described as fringe science, in particular psionics and antigravity-type devices such as the Dean drive. However, this reflected a shift in subject matter rather than quality, and such topics were always dealt with in a serious and rational way.

Many historically important stories and articles continued to appear in the pages of Astounding during the 1950s. Tom Godwin's The Cold Equations - sometimes listed as one of the top dozen or so best science fiction short stories - was published in the August 1954 issue. It generated more response mail than any story the magazine had ever printed. Writer L. Ron Hubbard published the first article on his Dianetics concepts, which would soon expand into Scientology, in the magazine in May 1950. ^*

The Birth of Analog (1960 - 1971)

Throughout his editorship of Astounding, Campbell felt the title of the magazine was too "sensational" or "juvenile" to reflect what it was actually doing. He addressed this as far back as 1946 by de-emphasizing the word "Astounding", printing it in narrow script above the bold words "SCIENCE FICTION". However, this was not enough, and he renamed the magazine Analog in 1960. Over the course of the year the title logo was changed; the large initial "A" stayed the same while the letters "stounding" were faded down and the letters "nalog" faded up on top of them. Bibliographers often abbreviate the magazine as ASF, which can of course stand for either title. The word "and" was sometimes replaced in the logo by a pseudo-mathematical symbol comprising a horizontal right-pointing arrow piercing an inverted U-shape. The symbol, apparently invented by Campbell, was said to mean "analogous to."

Ben Bova's Analog (1972 - 1978)

After Campbell died suddenly in 1971, Ben Bova took over as editor starting with the January 1972 issue. He remained in this capacity until November 1978. He won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor for 5 consecutive years, 1973 through 1978. (The award did not exist before 1973.)

Analog today

Bova was succeeded as editor by Stanley Schmidt at the end of 1978, and Schmidt remains editor to this day. Schmidt has been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor for 26 consecutive years, 1980 through 2005, without ever winning it, quite possibly a record in futility in any genre of awards-giving.

Due to the economics of the magazine publishing industry (i.e. not much money in the budget), Analog frequently prints material from previously unknown authors, and has launched the careers of popular contributors within the genre (e.g. Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game in the 1970s, and early work by Harry Turtledove in the 1980s.)

Each year, Analog conducts a readers' poll—called the Analytical Laboratory, or AnLab—to determine the favorite stories, articles and cover art published in the magazine in the previous year. Many recipients of the AnLab Award have gone on to receive the much-coveted Hugo Award.

Summary of Editors

Harry Bates, January 1930 - March 1933
F. Orlin Tremaine, October 1933 - October 1937
John W. Campbell, Jr., October 1937 - December 1971 (his death)
Ben Bova, January 1972 - November 1978
Stanley Schmidt, December 1978 to present

External link

Analog Science Fiction and Fact official web site

United States magazines | Science fiction magazines

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