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Astounding Science Fiction
Astounding Stories of Super-Science;
Astounding Science-Fiction;
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact;
Analog;
Astounding Stories
John W. Campbell
(editor),
1930
New York (City)
:
Publishers' Fiscal Corporation
,
1930-1931
Z989522
1930
periodical
science fiction
(69 issues)
Popular and influential American science fiction magazine, which ran from January 1930 (under the title Astounding Stories of Super-Science) through to October 1960, when its title was changed to Analog. It underwent other minor name changes throughout its history. The longest-running continuously published science-fiction magazine, Astounding focuses on the science and technology aspects of science fiction ('hard science fiction').
Of the original incarnation of the magazine, Mike Ashley writes:
'It is with Astounding that science fiction's fate became sealed. Astounding was first and always a straight adventure pulp magazine. It had no intention of educating through science [...]. Whilst both Science Wonder Stories and Amazing Stories were publishing their share of poor science fiction, their ideals in the field had remained noble. Astounding's never were. Its aim was to tap into the popularity of science fiction and make what profit was possible'. (The Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950, Liverpool University Press, 2000, p.69).
After the shift in publishers to Street & Smith in 1933, though, Ashley notes that the magazine gained an editor (F. Orlin Tremaine) who
'expanded Astounding to be a magazine with hardly any apparent editorial taboos. In addition Tremaine was a conscientious and skilled professional editor, and Street & Smith was one of the oldest and most venerable of all magazine publishers with a large distribution network and sound financial backing' (The Time Machines, p.85).
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Astounding Science Fiction [British Edition]
1939
London
:
Atlas Publishing and Distributing Company
,
1939-1963
Z1831499
1939
periodical
(7 issues)
The British version of Astounding Science Fiction differed quite markedly from the US publication between 1939 and 1963. Known as "British Reprint Editions", these were published by the Atlas Publishing and Distributing Company under license from U.S. publisher Street and Smith. Although all of the stories had previously appeared in the American version, typically two to four months earlier, each issue comprised a different and unsystematic selection. Up until 1953 the British edition was also much slimmer, with fewer features - including serials, editorials, factual articles and letters. The covers were rarely the same, with the British editions almost always redrawn from the corresponding American edition (the differences were often subtle, however).
As with the American magazine, the British Reprint Edition underwent a gradual change of title from Astounding to Analog, albeit a few months later. The first US issue to be completely devoid of the Astounding logo was October 1960, with the corresponding British issue published in February 1961.
The final British Reprint Edition of Analog was the August 1963 issue. After this the American version (published by Condé Nast Publications) was imported directly into the UK.
