Astounding Science Fiction

Astouding Science Fiction (ASF), now Analog, is the longest-running SF prozine and, more than any other prozine, was responsible for the formation of modern sf.

In the ’30s, ASF was just another sf adventure prozine, though it did have high points like Murray Leinster's Sidewise in Time and a number of stories by Don A. Stuart (John W. Campbell), which made it the leader in the field. That changed, when Campbell was hired as editor in 1937, and by the end of 1938, he was publishing a markedly higher grade of sf.

And it got better. Starting in 1939, Campbell discovered and published work by new writers such as Heinlein, Asimov, de Camp, van Vogt and Clement, as well as some of the greatest works of earlier writers such as Jack Williamson, Henry Kuttner, C. L. Moore and others. Modern SF grew from those roots.

The lettercolumn, “Brass Tacks,” engendered much early fan correspondence; it was the battleground of the First Staple War and printed the first Tucker Death Hoax. In the 1930s, a person who wrote letters to “Brass Tacks” was called a “Brass Tacker.”

A book review column, “The Reference Library,” started in the 1940s and continues today. The most notable writers were P. Schuyler Miller (October 1951–1974) and Tom Easton (1979– 2009).

After the war, ASF was no longer the unchallenged leader, with new prozines, like F&SF and Galaxy, starting, which took the new standard of sf writing that Campbell had pioneered and expanded on it.

In the 1950s and ’60s, ASF appeared somewhat tired, partly because the competition had so improved, and partly because Campbell had become a bit of a crank, pushing silly pseudoscience (Psi, the Dean Drive, Dianetics, Hieronymus Machines, etc.) along with sf.

After Campbell's death, Ben Bova took over as editor and reinvigorated the magazine without changing its basic identity. Stanley Schmidt continued the tradition, but ASF now seems to be caught in the general shrinkage that has diminished all of the prozines.

Origins

Astounding was initially published by Publisher's Fiscal Corporation, which became Clayton Magazines in March, 1931. Clayton Magazines, Inc., New York City, was founded by William Mann Clayton (1884 - 1946).

Clayton, a successful publisher of several pulp magazine titles (Snappy Stories, a men's magazine which was launched in 1912) considered starting an SF title in 1928: According to Harold Hersey, one of his editors at the time, Hersey had "discussed plans with Clayton to launch a pseudo-science fantasy sheet." Clayton was unconvinced.

The following year, however, Clayton decided to launch a new magazine, mainly because the sheet on which the color covers of his magazines were printed had a space for one more cover. He suggested to Harry Bates, a newly hired editor, that they start a magazine of period adventure stories. Bates proposed instead an SF pulp, to be titled Astounding Stories of Super Science, and Clayton agreed.

Years	Editor	Notes
Jan, 1930	Harry Bates	Astounding Stories of Super-Science first published by Clayton
Feb, 1931	Harry Bates	Retitled Astounding Stories
Oct, 1933	Harry Bates	Now published by Street & Smith
Dec, 1933	F. Orlin Tremaine	New editor
Dec, 1937	John W. Campbell	New editor
Mar 1938	John W. Campbell	Retitled Astounding Science Fiction
Nov 1943	John W. Campbell	Switch to digest size.
Aug 1959	John W. Campbell	Now published by Conde Nast
Feb 1960	John W. Campbell	Title begins to change to Analog Science Fact/Science Fiction
Oct 1960	John W. Campbell	Title change to Analog Science Fact/Science Fiction complete
Mar 1963	John W. Campbell	Switch to large size.
Apr 1965	John W. Campbell	Return to digest size, title reversed to changed to Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact.
Jan 1972	Ben Bova	New editor
Dec 1978	Stanley Schmidt	New editor
1980	Stanley Schmidt	Now published by Davis Publications
1992	Stanley Schmidt	Now published by Dell Magazines
1996	Stanley Schmidt	Dell Magazines sold to Crosstown Publications, owners of Penny Publications
2012	Trevor Quachri	New editor

Name Changes

Astounding (ASF) changed its name to Analog (or, more properly, Analog Science Fiction and Fact in 1960. (Campbell had always disliked the name "Astounding" and had planned on dropping it in 1938, but was forestalled when another (short-lived) magazine used his planned name of "Science Fiction".)

The variants Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, Science Fiction & Fact, Science Fiction and Fact all seem to depend on the masthead layout, the current form is Science Fiction and Fact.

See:

• Internet Archive copies of Astounding.
• Official website.
• Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (Astounding).
• Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (Analog).
• Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction (2018).

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Publication

1930—

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