Science Fiction
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  • A brief history of Science Fiction & Pulp Magazines
    • Astounding Stories of Super-Science changed name in 1938 to Astounding Science Fiction. The earlier stories had mostly consisted of action and not very much science. When John W. Campbell Jr. started edit the magazine he instantly demanded stories of higher quality.
    Within a few years SF became a subculture with authors, editors, and fans. The stories in this subculture shared assumptions, themes and langugage. The whole subculture and not just the stories became "Science Fiction".

    When the atomic bomb were used in a way that sf hade predicted, Science Fiction got more promotion and found many new readers. Science Fiction was seen as serious literature, perhaps because one thought that sf could predict the future.

    Several anthologys with stories from "Astounding" where published and two new magazines were started: "Galaxy" (1950) and "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction" (1949).
    Both of these magazine had a more humanitarian and satiric view on the classic themes.
    New themes were created and many of the authors that would become famous, started out publishing stories in these magazines.

    - Themes

    Books at Amazon.co.uk (Europe):
    Science-Fiction : The Gernsback Years : A Complete Coverage of the Genre Magazines Amazing, Astounding, Wonder, and Others from 1926 Through 1936

    Books at Amazon.com (USA):
    Science-Fiction : The Gernsback Years : A Complete Coverage of the Genre Magazines Amazing, Astounding, Wonder, and Others from 1926 Through 1936

    http://hem.passagen.se/gumby/
    Calle Åsman [emsworth [at] gmx [dot] net]