CINXE.COM

<!doctype html>     <html class="no-js" lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <title>SFE: Amazing Stories</title> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1"> <meta name="description" content="Welcome to the fourth edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction." /> <meta name="keywords" content="" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">  <script> window.ga=window.ga||function(){(ga.q=ga.q||[]).push(arguments)};ga.l=+new Date; ga("create", "UA-24275979-1", "auto"); ga("send", "pageview"); </script> <script async src="https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js"></script>  <link rel="icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/css/style.css?v=1"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/css/media-queries.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/cookie.css"> <script src="/static/js/libs/modernizr-2.0.6.min.js"></script> <style media="screen" type="text/css"> ::-moz-selection { background: navy !important; } html, body { margin:0; padding:0; height:100%; } #container { min-height:100%; position:relative; } #header { background:#ff0; padding:10px; } #body { padding-bottom:15px; /* Height of the footer */ } #footer { position:absolute; bottom:0; width:100%; height:15px; /* Height of the footer */ background:#6cf; } </style>  </head> <body style="overflow-x: hidden;"> <div id="container"> <div id="body"> <div id="minorNavWrapper"> <nav id="minornav" class="clearfix"> <ul class="clearfix" style="font-weight: bold;"> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/about-us">About us</a></li> <li><a href="/random.php">Random</a></li> <li><a href="/contact.php">Contact</a></li> <li><a href="/donate.php">Donate</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div id="mainNavWrapper"> <nav id="mainnav"> <ul class="clearfix"> <li class="home"><a title="Home page" href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/"><img id="sfeLogoSmall" src="/static/img/sfe.png" alt="SFE: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction"><img id="sfeLogo" src="/static/img/logo.png" alt="SFE: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction"></a><span class="logoArrow"></span></li> <li class="section-all"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/0">All entries</a></li> <li class="section-themes"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/theme">Themes</a></li> <li class="section-authors"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/everyone">People</a></li> <li class="section-media"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/media">Media</a></li> <li class="section-culture"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/category/culture">Culture</a></li> <li class="section-news"><a href="https://sf-encyclopedia.com/news/">News</a></li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div id="main"> <div class="colsWrapper clearfix"> <div class="column mainCol clearfix" style="background-color:white !important;"> <fieldset id="globalSearch"> <form name="srchenter" method="post" action="/search.php"> <select name="catfilter" class="searchFilter" style="width: 132px" title="Select entry category for headword or global search"> <option value="">Search all entries</option> <option value="chk">Checklist titles</option><option value="art">Art</option> <option value="author">Author</option> <option value="award">Award</option> <option value="character">Character</option> <option value="comics">Comics</option> <option value="community">Community</option> <option value="critic">Critic</option> <option value="editor">Editor</option> <option value="fan">Fan</option> <option value="film">Film</option> <option value="game">Game</option> <option value="house name">House Name</option> <option value="international">International</option> <option value="music">Music</option> <option value="people">People (media)</option> <option value="prelim">Prelim</option> <option value="publication">Publication</option> <option value="publisher">Publisher</option> <option value="radio">Radio</option> <option value="theatre">Theatre</option> <option value="theme">Theme</option> <option value="tv">TV</option> </select> <input name="search" type="text" value="" style="margin: 0 0 5px 0; width: 155px !important;" onFocus="this.select()" onClick="this.select()" onHover="this.select()" class="searchText" id="defaultOpen">  <input type="submit" value="Headwords" class="button primary" style="margin: 5px 0 0 0;; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px">  <input type="submit" name="glob" value="Global search" class="button primary" style="margin: 5px 0 0 0; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px"> <input type="text" name="eofmode" value="" hidden> <div style="display:none;"> <p style="margin: 0px; float: left;"><input type="radio" name="tomeselect" value="sfe" checked> <i>Search SFE</i>   <input type="radio" name="tomeselect" value="eof"> <i>Search EoF</i></p> <p style="margin: 0px; float: right;"> <input type="checkbox" Name="noxref">  <i>Omit cross-reference entries</i>  </p> <script> document.srchenter.search.focus(); document.addEventListener("keydown", function(event) { if (event.code == "PageDown" || event.code == "ArrowDown" || ( !event.getModifierState("NumLock") && (event.code == "Numpad2" || event.code == "Numpad3"))) { document.srchenter.search.blur(); } }) </script> </div> </form> </fieldset> <article class="entryArticle content STeditorial"> <header class="entryHeader icon-publication"> <h1 class="entryTitle">Amazing Stories </h1> </header><p class='tagLine'>Entry updated 8 July 2024. Tagged: Publication.</p><div class="browsingBtns"> <span> <input class="button PNI previous" type="button" onclick="window.location.href='/next.php?id=p&entry=amazing'" value="Prev" /> </span> <span> <input class="button PNI next" type="button" onclick="window.location.href='/next.php?&entry=amazing'" value="Next" /> </span> <span> <input class="button PNI incoming" type="button" onclick="window.location.href='/incoming.php?entry=amazing'" value="About This Entry" title="What links to the entry; contributor initials explained; how to cite; other information" /> </span> </div><p style='float:right; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:10px; position: relative; top: 3px;'> <a href='/gallery.php?id=110066exp.jpg' target='_blank'> <img src='https://x.sf-encyclopedia.com/gal/thumbs/110066exp.jpg' alt='pic'></a></p> <p>"The magazine of scientifiction", with whose founding Hugo <a href="/entry/gernsback_hugo">Gernsback</a> announced the existence of sf as a distinct literary species. It was initially a letter-sized <a href="/entry/sf_magazines">SF Magazine</a> issued monthly by Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing Company as a companion to <a href="/entry/science_and_invention">Science and Invention</a> and <i>Radio News</i>, first issue dated April 1926, and was the first magazine to publish science fiction exclusively. The original title survived to 2005, through a succession of publishers, and was subsequently resurrected by a new publisher (Steve <a href="/entry/davidson_steve">Davidson</a>) who acquired the title in 2011 and relaunched online in July 2012.</p> <p>The publication regime of <i>Amazing Stories</i> saw great changes even in its early years. Gernsback lost control of Experimenter Publishing Company in 1929 and the magazine was acquired by B A Mackinnon and H K Fly, who primarily after its companion title <i>Radio News</i>. The name of the company was modified more than once, becoming Radio-Science Publications in 1930 and Teck Publications in 1931; but these name changes were cosmetic, as they operated under the overall umbrella of Bernarr <a href="/entry/macfadden_bernarr">Macfadden</a>, who was himself listed as publisher and owner from December 1931; he did not interfere with his editors. Arthur H Lynch was named as editor of the May-October 1929 issues, but his primary role was to edit <i>Radio News</i>. Gernsback's assistant, T O'Conor <a href="/entry/sloane_t_oconor">Sloane</a>, who had remained with the magazine, continued as managing editor and from November 1929, was granted full editorship. The magazine adopted the standard <a href="/entry/pulp">Pulp</a> format with the October 1933 issue. The title was sold in 1938 to <a href="/entry/ziff-davis">Ziff-Davis</a>, who installed Raymond A <a href="/entry/palmer_raymond_a">Palmer</a> as editor (June 1938). Palmer assumed a radically different editorial policy, concentrating on action-adventure fiction, much of it "mass-produced" by a stable of authors using <a href="/entry/house_names">House Names</a>. Howard <a href="/entry/browne_howard">Browne</a> became editor in January 1950 and the magazine became a <a href="/entry/digest">Digest</a> with the April/May 1953 issue. After a brief period with Paul W <a href="/entry/fairman_paul_w">Fairman</a> as editor (June 1956-November 1958) – during which time the title was changed to <i>Amazing Science Fiction</i> (March 1958) and then <i>Amazing Science Fiction Stories</i> (May 1958) – Cele <a href="/entry/goldsmith_cele">Goldsmith</a> took over, using her married name of Cele Lalli from August 1964; she ran the magazine until June 1965, when the title, which had changed back to <i>Amazing Stories</i> in October 1960, was sold to Sol <a href="/entry/cohen_sol">Cohen</a>'s Ultimate Publishing Co. For some years thereafter the bulk of the magazine's contents consisted of reprints, with Joseph <a href="/entry/ross_joseph">Ross</a> acting as managing editor (from August 1965). Harry <a href="/entry/harrison_harry">Harrison</a> became editor in December 1967, but a period of confusion followed as he handed over to Barry N <a href="/entry/malzberg_barry_n">Malzberg</a> in November 1968, who was in turn soon replaced by Ted <a href="/entry/white_ted">White</a> in May 1969. White eliminated the reprints and remained editor until October 1978, when Sol Cohen sold his interest in the magazine to his partner Arthur Bernhard; White's last issue was February 1979. Elinor Mavor, using the pseudonym "Omar Gohagen" (May 1979-August 1980) and then her own name, became editor until the September 1982 issue. But in March 1982 – by which time it had again become <i>Amazing Science Fiction Stories</i> and had been combined with its long-time companion <a href="/entry/fantastic">Fantastic</a> (from the November 1980 issue) – the title was sold to TSR Hobbies, the marketers of the <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> <a href="/entry/role_playing_game">Role Playing Game</a>, who installed George H <a href="/entry/scithers_george_h">Scithers</a> as editor, his first issue being November 1982. Scithers was replaced in September 1986 by Patrick Lucien Price. <i>Amazing</i>'s circulation hit an all-time low in 1984 and recovery was slow, but a surge in sales in 1990 prepared the ground for the magazine to be relaunched in May 1991 in a large-sized <a href="/entry/slick">Slick</a> format, with the original masthead restored. Kim Mohan took over as editor at the time of the image-change, and <i>Amazing</i> once again became monthly rather than bimonthly. Publication was temporarily suspended with the December 1993 issue – dated Winter 1994 – as <i>Amazing</i> was continuing to lose money. It resumed with a Spring 1994 issue, now in digest-format, but only two further digest issues were published that year, the last being marked as Winter 1995. The magazine was reborn in Summer 1998, again in <a href="/entry/slick">Slick</a> format, still edited by Kim Mohan but now published by Wizards of the Coast, from Renton, Washington, which had bought TSR, Inc in 1997. The magazine sported a <a href="/entry/star_trek">Star Trek</a> cover and included a new <i>Star Trek</i> story by A C <a href="/entry/crispin_a_c">Crispin</a>, the first of a number of television <a href="/entry/tie">Ties</a> that would develop over successive quarterly issues alongside standalone fiction by many leading writers. In this guise <i>Amazing</i> reached its 600th issue in February 2000. However it ceased again in Summer 2000, but was resurrected as a monthly in September 2004. Now published by Paizo Publishing, under license from Hasbro, Inc. (who took over Wizards of the Coast in 1999), <i>Amazing</i> retained its slick format and again emphasized movie and television tie-ins. It was initially edited by David Gross but Jeff Berkwits was brought in as the new editor. He was only able to oversee the final three issues before financial restraints once again saw <i>Amazing</i> mothballed, its final issue, March 2005 (#609) being released only online. In 2011 long-time fan Steve <a href="/entry/davidson_steve">Davidson</a> set about securing the title to <i>Amazing Stories</i>, which Hasbro had allowed to lapse, and in July 2012 released the first of two pre-launch issues.</p> <p>In its first two years <i>Amazing</i> used a great many reprints of stories by H G <a href="/entry/wells_h_g">Wells</a>, Jules <a href="/entry/verne_jules">Verne</a> and Edgar Allan <a href="/entry/poe_edgar_allan">Poe</a> (considered by Gernsback to be the founding fathers of sf) alongside more recent pulp stories by Edgar Rice <a href="/entry/burroughs_edgar_rice">Burroughs</a>, Garrett P <a href="/entry/serviss_garrett_p">Serviss</a>, A <a href="/entry/merritt_a">Merritt</a> and Murray <a href="/entry/leinster_murray">Leinster</a>. The artwork of Frank R <a href="/entry/paul_frank_r">Paul</a> was a distinctive feature in this period. Original material began to appear in greater quantity in 1927/8, when Miles J <a href="/entry/breuer_miles_j">Breuer</a>, David H <a href="/entry/keller_david_h_m_d">Keller</a> and Jack <a href="/entry/williamson_jack">Williamson</a> published their first stories in <i>Amazing</i>. Gernsback's purpose had been to publish fiction that stimulated minds into pursuing scientific endeavour. The works of Burroughs and Merritt, however, proved highly influential, taking the fiction in <i>Amazing</i> along the route to exotic pulp adventure rather than promoting its educational value. <a href="/entry/space_opera">Space Opera</a> made a spectacular advent when the first <a href="/entry/buck_rogers_in_the_25th_century">Buck Rogers in the 25th Century</a> story, "Armageddon – 2419 A.D." (August 1928) by Philip Francis <a href="/entry/nowlan_philip_francis">Nowlan</a> appeared in the same issue that E E "Doc" <a href="/entry/smith_e_e">Smith</a>'s <i>The Skylark of Space</i> (August-October 1928; <b>1946</b>) began serialization. Sloane maintained Gernsback's policy of favouring didactic material that was sometimes rather stilted by pulp-fiction standards, but extravagant serial novels – notably Smith's <i>Skylark Three</i> (August-October 1930; <b>1948</b>), Edmond <a href="/entry/hamilton_edmond">Hamilton</a>'s "The Universe Wreckers" (May-July 1930) and Jack Williamson's <i>The Green Girl</i> (March-April 1930; <b>1950</b>) maintained the balance. From 1930 <i>Amazing</i> faced strong competition from <a href="/entry/asf">Astounding</a>, whose higher rates of pay secured its dominance of the market. Moreover Sloane worked at a glacial pace frequently holding on to manuscripts for several years so that by the mid-thirties <i>Amazing</i>'s content felt staid and old-fashioned compared to <i>Astounding</i>'s. The most popular stories in <i>Amazing</i> during the mid-1930s were the Professor Jameson series by Neil R <a href="/entry/jones_neil_r">Jones</a> though there was fiction of comparatively more lasting value by David H <a href="/entry/keller_david_h_m_d">Keller</a>, S P <a href="/entry/meek_s_p">Meek</a> and P Schuyler <a href="/entry/miller_p_schuyler">Miller</a> alongside, it has to be said, some of the worst examples of creative writing by Hendrik Dahl Juve (1899-1990), Henry J Kostkos (1900-1977) and Joseph W <a href="/entry/skidmore_joseph_w">Skidmore</a>. By 1937, even though little more than a decade old, <i>Amazing Stories</i> looked an antiquated relic.</p> <p>When Ray Palmer took over the ailing magazine in 1938, with editorial offices shifted to Chicago, he attempted to boost circulation in several ways. He aimed at a younger audience, obtaining several stories from Edgar Rice <a href="/entry/burroughs_edgar_rice">Burroughs</a>, and encouraged Burroughs imitators like Robert Moore <a href="/entry/williams_robert_moore">Williams</a>, and went for outright adventure stories from writers who could no longer find a market at <i>Astounding</i> such as Eando <a href="/entry/binder_eando">Binder</a>, Raymond Z <a href="/entry/gallun_raymond_z">Gallun</a> and Edmond <a href="/entry/hamilton_edmond">Hamilton</a>. He also introduced a companion magazine <a href="/entry/fantastic_adventures">Fantastic Adventures</a>. By the mid-1940s Palmer elected to support a series of <a href="/entry/paranoia">Paranoid</a> fantasies by the obsessive Richard S <a href="/entry/shaver_richard_s">Shaver</a> with insinuations that Shaver's theories about evil subterranean forces dominating the world by superscientific means were actually true. However, the bulk of <i>Amazing</i>'s contents in the Palmer era consisted of lurid formulaic material by a local group of Chicago-based writers which included Chester S <a href="/entry/geier_chester_s">Geier</a>, William L <a href="/entry/hamling_william_l">Hamling</a>, Berkeley <a href="/entry/livingston_berkeley">Livingston</a>,William P <a href="/entry/mcgivern_william_p">McGivern</a>, David Wright <a href="/entry/obrien_david_wright">O'Brien</a>, Don <a href="/entry/wilcox_don">Wilcox</a> and Leroy <a href="/entry/yerxa_leroy">Yerxa</a> contributing under their own names and a coterie of <a href="/entry/house_names">House Names</a>, most notoriously Alexander <a href="/entry/blade_alexander">Blade</a>. Palmer himself was a frequent pseudonymous contributor.</p> <p>By late 1947 Palmer was moonlighting, setting up his own company to publish <i>Fate</i> magazine, and William L Hamling was effectively editor of the magazine until he also left to establish his own company and publish <a href="/entry/imagination">Imagination</a>. This left <i>Amazing</i> in the hands of Howard <a href="/entry/browne_howard">Browne</a> whose real interest was in the companion mystery and detective magazine. He threw out the Shaver material and minimized the productivity of the fiction factory whilst interesting Ziff-Davis in converting <i>Amazing</i> into a <a href="/entry/slick">Slick</a> magazine. This did not happen because of restraints imposed by the entry of America into the Korean War, but Browne did endeavour to publish better quality material by Isaac <a href="/entry/asimov_isaac">Asimov</a>, Charles <a href="/entry/beaumont_charles">Beaumont</a>, Fritz <a href="/entry/leiber_fritz">Leiber</a> and Clifford <a href="/entry/simak_clifford_d">Simak</a>. With the success of a digest-format <a href="/entry/fantastic">Fantastic</a>, <i>Amazing</i> was also converted to the digest size in April 1953 and for a year or two Browne had a significant budget and was able to acquire some superior material by Arthur C <a href="/entry/clarke_arthur_c">Clarke</a>, Philip K <a href="/entry/dick_philip_k">Dick</a>, Richard <a href="/entry/matheson_richard">Matheson</a> and Theodore <a href="/entry/sturgeon_theodore">Sturgeon</a> amongst others. However this was the time of the science-fiction boom with considerable competition amongst the digest magazines. <i>Amazing</i>'s sales did not respond sufficiently so the budget was reduced and Browne reintroduced the fiction-factory approach, leaving most of the editorial work to his assistant and successor, Paul W <a href="/entry/fairman_paul_w">Fairman</a>. The stories were produced on a regular basis by a small group of writers including Harlan <a href="/entry/ellison_harlan">Ellison</a>, John W <a href="/entry/jakes_john">Jakes</a>, Milton <a href="/entry/lesser_milton">Lesser</a>, Henry <a href="/entry/slesar_henry">Slesar</a>, Robert <a href="/entry/silverberg_robert">Silverberg</a> and Randall <a href="/entry/garrett_randall">Garrett</a>, the last two often in collaboration.</p> <p>In 1958 Fairman moved on to edit <i>Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine</i> (see Ellery <a href="/entry/queen_ellery">Queen</a>), and was succeeded by his assistant, Cele Goldsmith. Under her editorship <i>Amazing</i> improved dramatically, publishing good work by many leading authors. Notable contributions included Marion Zimmer <a href="/entry/bradley_marion_zimmer">Bradley</a>'s first <b>Darkover</b> novella, <i>The Planet Savers</i> (November 1958; <b>1962</b> dos; exp <b>1976</b>), Harlan Ellison's first sf novel, "The Sound of the Scythe" (October 1959; rev as <i>The Man with Nine Lives</i> <b>1960</b> dos), and Roger <a href="/entry/zelazny_roger">Zelazny</a>'s <a href="/entry/nebula">Nebula</a>-winning "He Who Shapes" (January-February 1965; exp as <i>The Dream Master</i> <b>1966</b>). Zelazny was one of several writers whose careers were aided in their early stages by Goldsmith; others include Piers <a href="/entry/anthony_piers">Anthony</a>, Ben <a href="/entry/bova_ben">Bova</a> (who did a series of science articles), David R <a href="/entry/bunch_david_r">Bunch</a>, Thomas M <a href="/entry/disch_thomas_m">Disch</a> and Ursula K <a href="/entry/le_guin_ursula_k">Le Guin</a>. Following the reprint era under the initial tenure of Sol <a href="/entry/cohen_sol">Cohen</a>, Ted <a href="/entry/white_ted">White</a> renewed the attempt to maintain a consistent standard of quality; although handicapped by having to offer a word-rate payment considerably less than that of his competitors, he achieved some degree of success. The special 50th-anniversary issue which he compiled appeared on time but bears the cover date June 1976, owing to scheduling difficulties. White was able to help develop new writers like Roger Ebert (1942-2013) – later best known as a Pulitzer-winning film critic – George Alec <a href="/entry/effinger_george_alec">Effinger</a>, Gordon <a href="/entry/eklund_gordon">Eklund</a>, Thomas <a href="/entry/monteleone_thomas_f">Monteleone</a> and John <a href="/entry/shirley_john">Shirley</a> as well as publish solid material by John <a href="/entry/brunner_john">Brunner</a>, Jack <a href="/entry/dann_jack">Dann</a>, Pamela <a href="/entry/sargent_pamela">Sargent</a>, Bob <a href="/entry/shaw_bob">Shaw</a> and George <a href="/entry/zebrowski_george">Zebrowski</a>.</p> <p>When Sol Cohen handed <i>Amazing</i> over to his business partner Arthur Bernhard, there was good reason to believe that the magazine's days were numbered. White left and was succeeded by Elinor Mavor who, like Cele Goldsmith, proved herself more than capable at producing a good magazine after her initial teething troubles, but she was always restricted by both the budget and Bernhard's lack of vision. With its sale to TSR, who trademarked the title in 1982, it was hoped that the financial backing and entrepreneurship of that company would yield significant benefits. George <a href="/entry/scithers_george_h">Scithers</a> brought to the magazine several of the writers he had helped develop at <a href="/entry/asimovs">Asimov's</a>, notably John M <a href="/entry/ford_john_m">Ford</a>, Barry <a href="/entry/longyear_barry_b">Longyear</a>, Paul J <a href="/entry/mcauley_paul_j">McAuley</a> and Somtow Sucharitkul (see S P <a href="/entry/somtow_s_p">Somtow</a>) and he and his successor, Patrick Lucien Price, continued to encourage new authors including Kristine Kathryn <a href="/entry/rusch_kristine_kathryn">Rusch</a> and J Michael <a href="/entry/straczynski_j_michael">Straczynski</a>. It was in <i>Amazing</i> that the word <a href="/entry/cyberpunk">Cyberpunk</a> was coined in the title of Bruce <a href="/entry/bethke_bruce">Bethke</a>'s story "Cyberpunk" (November 1983). Fellow cyberpunk Paul <a href="/entry/di_filippo_paul">Di Filippo</a> also became a regular contributor.</p> <p>Despite the editor's efforts, the magazine received almost no promotion or financial regeneration. It did not directly benefit either financially or commercially when Stephen <a href="/entry/spielberg_steven">Spielberg</a>'s company created the television series <i>Amazing Stories</i> (see <a href="/entry/amazing_stories_tv">Amazing Stories</a>) in 1985, the money from licencing the name went into the company's accounts overall and were not invested into the magazine. When, in May 1991, it was converted into a slick magazine with new editor Kim <a href="/entry/mohan_kim">Mohan</a>, there were hopes that this was the boost the magazine needed. Production values were high. The new slick packaging was much more attractive than any of <i>Amazing</i>'s previous incarnations, and arguably the most attractive of any sf magazine. Mohan succeeded in presenting good material by the best of the new generation of writers as well as celebrating <i>Amazing</i>'s past in an appealing concoction of artwork, reminiscences and other features. Despite this, sales did not respond and the cost of production became prohibitive. Despite the two later attempts between 1998 and 2005, <i>Amazing</i> failed to regenerate, though no one could argue that it went in a blaze of glory.</p> <p>Its new website incarnation under Steve <a href="/entry/davidson_steve">Davidson</a> (from July 2012) boded well for his initial enthusiasm, together with astutely forging a link with the original magazine by bringing in former editors Barry <a href="/entry/malzberg_barry_n">Malzberg</a>, Patrick L Price, Joseph <a href="/entry/ross_joseph">Ross</a> and Ted <a href="/entry/white_ted">White</a> as an Editorial Advisory Board. Davidson has even revived the Experimenter Publishing Company for his multi-faceted online approach to the magazine, which is just one aspect of the world of science fiction (see <a href="/entry/online_magazines">Online Magazines</a>). Although a little fiction has appeared, the <i>Amazing</i> website [see <b>links</b> below] functions chiefly as a multi-contributor blog of commentary on current happenings in sf/fantasy and <a href="/entry/fandom">Fandom</a>. Two "pre-launch" online issues – chiefly comprising nonfiction and reprints – were posted, dated Summer 2012 and August 2012. Further issues with a more traditional balance of stories and nonfiction are <i>Amazing</i> #610 dated April 2014, in ebook form; <i>Amazing Stories Special Edition</i>, numbered #611 and released as a 2016 webzine (no month given) with Ira <a href="/entry/nayman_ira">Nayman</a> as editor; and a return to print with the Fall 2018 issue, released in August with Ira Nayman still editor. Contents include a reminiscence of <i>Amazing</i> by Robert <a href="/entry/silverberg_robert">Silverberg</a>, new fiction by Julie E <a href="/entry/czerneda_julie_e">Czerneda</a>, Kameron <a href="/entry/hurley_kameron">Hurley</a>, Paul <a href="/entry/levinson_paul">Levinson</a>, Allen <a href="/entry/steele_allen">Steele</a>, Lawrence <a href="/entry/watt-evans_lawrence">Watt-Evans</a> and others, a reprinted story by Rudy <a href="/entry/rucker_rudy">Rucker</a>, and nonfiction departments. A quarterly schedule was intended: two printed issues appeared under Nayman's editorship in 2018, three in 2019 and one each in 2020 and 2021. Further financial difficulties have been caused by NBC failing to honour its 2017 agreement to pay for the right to continue its use of the name for the <a href="/entry/amazing_stories_tv">Amazing Stories</a> television series. In November 2022 Lloyd <a href="/entry/penney_lloyd">Penney</a> was announced as the new editor and Steve Davidson stepped down as both acting editor and publisher, the latter role being taken over by the magazine's creative designer Kermit Woodall.</p> <p><i>Amazing Stories</i> remains significant as the magazine that started it all as the first periodical dedicated to science fiction in 1926, but apart from three brief quality periods under Howard <a href="/entry/browne_howard">Browne</a> in 1953-1954, Cele <a href="/entry/goldsmith_cele">Goldsmith</a> from 1959 to 1965 and Ted <a href="/entry/white_ted">White</a> from 1969 to 1978, and a period of sustained effort under George <a href="/entry/scithers_george_h">Scithers</a>, Patrick L Price and Kim <a href="/entry/mohan_kim">Mohan</a>, <i>Amazing</i> was never a field leader – and, unfortunately, under Ray <a href="/entry/palmer_raymond_a">Palmer</a> and Paul W <a href="/entry/fairman_paul_w">Fairman</a>, the magazine actually damaged the image of science fiction. It was thus something of a Jekyll and Hyde, ever anticipating the next transformation.</p> <p><i>Amazing</i> had three UK reprint editions, 1946 (1 undated issue, pulp), 1950-1953 (24 undated issues, pulp) and 1953-1954 (8 undated issues, digest). There was also a Japanese (see <a href="/entry/japan">Japan</a>) edition, really a series of anthologies, which saw seven issues between April and July 1950 selecting from both <i>Amazing Stories</i> and <a href="/entry/fantastic_adventures">Fantastic Adventures</a>. Anthologies based on <i>Amazing Stories</i> include <i>The Best of Amazing</i> (anth <b>1967</b>) edited by Joseph Ross, <i>The Best from Amazing Stories</i> (anth <b>1973</b>) edited by Ted White, <i>Amazing Stories: 60 Years of the Best Science Fiction</i> (anth <b>1985</b>) edited by Isaac <a href="/entry/asimov_isaac">Asimov</a> and Martin H <a href="/entry/greenberg_martin_h">Greenberg</a>, <i>Amazing Stories: Vision of Other Worlds</i> (anth <b>1986</b>) edited by Greenberg, and a number of others edited by Greenberg. In addition, between 1995 and <i>Amazing</i>'s revival in 1998, Kim <a href="/entry/mohan_kim">Mohan</a> compiled two anthologies which he regarded as a continuation of the magazine: <i>Amazing Stories: The Anthology</i> (anth <b>1995</b>) and <i>More Amazing Stories</i> (anth <b>1998</b>). For the more recent <b>Best of Amazing Stories</b> sequence of retrospective anthologies, see the entries for its editors Steve <a href="/entry/davidson_steve">Davidson</a> and Jean Marie <a href="/entry/stine_jean_marie">Stine</a>. [MA/PN/BS/DRL]</p> <p><b>see also:</b> <a href="/entry/longevity_in_publications">Longevity in Publications</a>.</p> <h2>Editors</h2> <ul class="x"> <li>Hugo <a href="/entry/gernsback_hugo">Gernsback</a>, April 1926-April 1929</li> <li>T O'Conor <a href="/entry/sloane_t_oconor">Sloane</a>, May 1929-April 1938</li> <li>Raymond A <a href="/entry/palmer_raymond_a">Palmer</a>, June 1938-December 1949 (though William L <a href="/entry/hamling_william_l">Hamling</a> took on the role from March 1947)</li> <li>Howard <a href="/entry/browne_howard">Browne</a>, January 1950-August 1956</li> <li>Paul W <a href="/entry/fairman_paul_w">Fairman</a>, September 1956-November 1958</li> <li>Cele <a href="/entry/goldsmith_cele">Goldsmith</a> Lalli, December 1958-June 1965</li> <li>Joseph Wrzos (see Joseph <a href="/entry/ross_joseph">Ross</a>), August 1965-October 1967</li> <li>Harry <a href="/entry/harrison_harry">Harrison</a>, December 1967-September 1968</li> <li>Barry N <a href="/entry/malzberg_barry_n">Malzberg</a>, November 1968-March 1969</li> <li>Ted <a href="/entry/white_ted">White</a>, May 1969-February 1979</li> <li>Elinor Mavor, May 1979-September 1982</li> <li>George H <a href="/entry/scithers_george_h">Scithers</a>, November 1982-July 1986</li> <li>Patrick L Price, September 1986-March 1991</li> <li>Kim Mohan, May 1991-Summer 2000</li> <li>David Gross, September-December 2004</li> <li>Jeff Berkwits, January-March 2005</li> <li>Steve <a href="/entry/davidson_steve">Davidson</a>, July 2012-2014</li> <li>Ira <a href="/entry/nayman_ira">Nayman</a>, August 2016-November 2022</li> <li>Lloyd <a href="/entry/penney_lloyd">Penney</a>, November 2022-current</li> </ul> <h2>Awards for fiction</h2> <ul class="x"> <li>January-February 1965: Roger <a href="/entry/zelazny_roger">Zelazny</a>, "He Who Shapes" – novella <a href="/entry/nebula">Nebula</a></li> <li>March-May 1971: Ursula K <a href="/entry/le_guin_ursula_k">Le Guin</a>, <i>The Lathe of Heaven</i> – novel <a href="/entry/locus_award">Locus Award</a></li> <li>Winter 1999: Leslie <a href="/entry/what_leslie">What</a>, "The Cost of Doing Business" – short story <a href="/entry/nebula">Nebula</a></li> </ul> <p><b>further reading</b></p> <ul class="x"> <li>Lloyd <a href="/entry/penney_lloyd">Penney</a>, editor. <em><a href="/sfeshop.php?field-keywords=Amazing+Stories+Best+of+2023&field-author=Penney+Lloyd" class="link-amazon" target="_blank">Amazing Stories: Best of 2023</a></em> (Hillsboro, New Hampshire: The Experimenter Publishing Company, <b>2018</b>) [anth: stories from <em>Amazing</em>: <b>Best of Amazing Stories</b>: pb/Ron <a href="/entry/miller_ron">Miller</a> and Tom Miller]</li> </ul> <p><b>links</b></p> <ul class="x"> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://amazingstoriesmag.com/"><em>Amazing Stories</em> online</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://amazingstoriesmag.com/blog/"><em>Amazing Stories</em> blog</a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.philsp.com/mags/amazing_stories.html">Galactic Central illustrated checklist</a></li> </ul> <p><b>previous versions of this entry</b></p> <ul><li><a href='https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/amazing' target='_blank'>Internet Archive</a></li></ul><br /><br /></article></div> <div class="sideBarsWrapper"> <div class="sideBarsColsWrapper clearfix"> <div class="column sideBar12 clearfix"> <div class="columnForm"><aside id="blogFeed" class="widget"> <div class="content STeditorial clearfix"> <h2>Recently visited entries<span style="background:url(/images/thingSFE2.png) !important"></span></h2><ul style='width: 50%; float: left;'> </ul> <p align=center style="float:right; padding-top:20px; padding-bottom:20px;">ISSN 3049-7612<br /> <a href="/facts.php?id=logo"> <img src="/images/VitMan.gif" width=150 height=150 title="Click for larger version of this SFE logo"></a><br /> <b><a href="/donate.php"><img src="/images/Paypal-Donate.gif" WIDTH="92" HEIGHT="26" BORDER="0" /></a><br /><a href="/">Home/Welcome page</a></b></p><div style="margin-bottom:10px;"></div></div> </aside><aside id="blogFeed" class="widget"> <div class="content STeditorial clearfix"> <h2><i>SFE</i> Special Features<span></span></h2><p style="margin-top: 10px;"><input type="button" value="What’s New" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/whatsnew.php'">  Latest entries; <a href="/updated.php">latest updates</a></p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="In Memoriam" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/timeline.php?rip'">  Recent deaths</p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="On This Day" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/today.php'">  Anniversaries; also <a href="/timeline.php">Timeline</a></p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="Gallery" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/gallery.php'">  <i>SFE</i> Picture Gallery; <a href="/gallery.php?list&new">What’s New</a></p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="Shopping" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/sfeshop.php'">  Affiliate settings</p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="Random" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/random.php'">  Show a random <i>SFE</i> entry</p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="SFE Facts" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='/facts.php'">  Bar charts, awards and more</p> <p style="line-height:1.6em;"><input type="button" value="Entry Data" style="width: 150px !important;" class="button primary" onclick="window.location.href='https://sf-encyclopedia.com/incoming.php?entry=amazing'">  Incoming links, who wrote it, etc</p> <p style="margin-bottom:15px;"><a href="/searching">Search help</a> | <a href="/rss.php" target="_blank">RSS feed</a> <img src="/static/img/external.gif"> | <a href="/fe/"><i>Encyclopedia of Fantasy</i></a> <img src="/static/img/external.gif"></p><div style="margin-bottom:10px;"></div></div> </aside><aside id="connect" class="widget"> <div class="content STeditorial clearfix"> <h2>Connect with <i>SFE</i> <span></span></h2> <ul> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="/donate.php">Donate towards <i>SFE</i> expenses</a></h3> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="/contact.php">Send email feedback to the <i>SFE</i> editors</a></h3> </li> <li style=" display:none;"> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://twitter.com/john_clute" target="_blank">John Clute on Twitter [X]</a></h3> <a href="https://twitter.com/john_clute" class="twitter-follow-button">Follow @john_clute</a> <script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </li> <li style=" display:none;"> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://twitter.com/sfencyclopedia" target="_blank"><i>SFE</i> on Twitter [X]</a></h3> <a href="https://twitter.com/sfencyclopedia" class="twitter-follow-button">Follow @sfencyclopedia</a> <script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sf-Encyclopedia/138995776178949" target="_blank"><i>SFE</i> on Facebook</a></h3> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/john.clute.5" target="_blank">John Clute on Facebook</a></h3> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/sfencyclopedia.bsky.social" target="_blank"><i>SFE</i> on BlueSky</a></h3> </li> <li> <h3 style="text-align: left !important;"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@SF_Encyclopedia" target="_blank"><i>SFE</i> on Mastodon</a></h3> </li> </ul> </div> </aside> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="cookieConsent"> <div id="closeCookieConsent" onclick="hidepopup()">x</div> This website uses cookies.  <a href="/cookies" target="_blank">More information here</a>. <a class="cookieConsentOK" onclick="setcookie()">Accept Cookies</a> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> function hidepopup() { document.cookie = "hidecookiepopup=yes; path=/"; // session only document.getElementById("cookieConsent").style.display = "none"; } function setcookie() { document.cookie = "cookiesOK=yes; max-age=31536000; path=/"; // 1 year document.getElementById("cookieConsent").style.display = "none"; } var cookiestring = document.cookie; // document.getElementById("connect").innerHTML = cookiestring; // TEST only if ( cookiestring.indexOf("cookiesOK=yes") == -1 ) { if ( cookiestring.indexOf("hidecookiepopup=yes") == -1 ) { document.getElementById("cookieConsent").style.display = "block"; } } </script> <div id="footer" style="background:#fff; padding: 5px;"> <footer id="globalFooter" class="clearfix"> <div id="credit">Website design by Ansible Editions </div> <div id="credit" style="float: left !important; padding-left:20px;">Site and <i>SFE</i> content © 2011-2024 John Clute & David Langford</div> </footer> </div> </div> </body></html>