FOR ADULTS ONLY
July 18, 2017 10:44 AM Subscribe
355 issues of sci-fi golden age magazine Galaxy are now available at The Internet Archive
Changing the Playing Field: H.L. Gold & 'Galaxy Science Fiction'
Where did science fiction come from? A primer on the pulps.
The Golden Age of Science Fiction: A Pulp Primer, Pt. 2
Our Pulp Fiction Heritage- "Galaxy began publication in 1950 in digest format, and along with Fantasy and Science Fiction was part of the literary reaction to the pulp roots of science fiction. The two magazines intended to make the genre better written with stronger literary values. Galaxy's early covers were designed in an L format, with a white trim around the painting, which contrasts with the pulpy, sensationalistic covers on Startling and Thrilling Wonder Stories. The rear cover of the first issue -- in this case a significant paratext -- was headlined: "You'll Never See It In Galaxy." The things you'll never see in Galaxy include the clichéd themes of space opera, or westerns in space, with "hyperdrives" and "six gun fights." Galaxy was a magazine for serfans, "serious fans," who wanted adult themes and intelligent ideas. Horace Gold's first editorial, "For Adults Only," pointed out that everything about the magazine: from the cover, the interior illustrations, and the design, were designed to break from the juvenile focus of some pulp magazines. Fans would not be ashamed to be seen with an issue of Galaxy."
Changing the Playing Field: H.L. Gold & 'Galaxy Science Fiction'
Where did science fiction come from? A primer on the pulps.
The Golden Age of Science Fiction: A Pulp Primer, Pt. 2
Our Pulp Fiction Heritage- "Galaxy began publication in 1950 in digest format, and along with Fantasy and Science Fiction was part of the literary reaction to the pulp roots of science fiction. The two magazines intended to make the genre better written with stronger literary values. Galaxy's early covers were designed in an L format, with a white trim around the painting, which contrasts with the pulpy, sensationalistic covers on Startling and Thrilling Wonder Stories. The rear cover of the first issue -- in this case a significant paratext -- was headlined: "You'll Never See It In Galaxy." The things you'll never see in Galaxy include the clichéd themes of space opera, or westerns in space, with "hyperdrives" and "six gun fights." Galaxy was a magazine for serfans, "serious fans," who wanted adult themes and intelligent ideas. Horace Gold's first editorial, "For Adults Only," pointed out that everything about the magazine: from the cover, the interior illustrations, and the design, were designed to break from the juvenile focus of some pulp magazines. Fans would not be ashamed to be seen with an issue of Galaxy."
Are we sure it's legal this time? The last time we did this, the archive was pulled down within two days.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 11:07 AM on July 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 11:07 AM on July 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
It's been out of print nearly 40 years, The Pluto Gangsta. Maybe there's a current copyright holder that would get this removed, but that seems less likely than with Nintendo Power. Fingers crossed. Sweet find, the man of twists and turns!!
posted by Trinity-Gehenna at 11:38 AM on July 18, 2017
posted by Trinity-Gehenna at 11:38 AM on July 18, 2017
Beautiful, thanks.
posted by Palindromedary at 12:01 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by Palindromedary at 12:01 PM on July 18, 2017
I'll never forget my excitement when I finally amassed enough money to subscribe to Galaxy. Galaxy was the real deal; sure I read F&SF, but it was a little to artsy for my taste, too much fantasy. But Galaxy was hard core. The best SF writing and most consistent.
posted by charlesminus at 12:19 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by charlesminus at 12:19 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
When I was 8 or 9, we bought a second hand copy of 'Galaxy:Thirty Years of Innovative Science Fiction".
This was basically my introduction to SF, and it included Fritz Leiber, Damon Knight, Robert Sheckley, Margaret St Clair, Cordwainer Smith, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Harlan Ellison, Ursula K. Le Guin and Fredrik Pohl.
This is the first SF I read, and I was spoiled for life.
posted by signal at 12:57 PM on July 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
This was basically my introduction to SF, and it included Fritz Leiber, Damon Knight, Robert Sheckley, Margaret St Clair, Cordwainer Smith, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Harlan Ellison, Ursula K. Le Guin and Fredrik Pohl.
This is the first SF I read, and I was spoiled for life.
posted by signal at 12:57 PM on July 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Hahahaha! Look at those covers with rockets landing on their tails!
Wait. Oh shit.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 1:38 PM on July 18, 2017 [10 favorites]
Wait. Oh shit.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 1:38 PM on July 18, 2017 [10 favorites]
I really wish there was a way to zip all that goodness up, and download it all at one time.
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 2:11 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 2:11 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Just reread Schmitz's "The Second Night of Summer".
I thought it held up remarkably well -- even though I am by now so familiar with his work that the elements of any given scene are like top layers of palimpsests the deeper strata of which are elements with a strong family resemblance and ramify into a number of other stories across his career.
posted by jamjam at 2:27 PM on July 18, 2017
I thought it held up remarkably well -- even though I am by now so familiar with his work that the elements of any given scene are like top layers of palimpsests the deeper strata of which are elements with a strong family resemblance and ramify into a number of other stories across his career.
posted by jamjam at 2:27 PM on July 18, 2017
Boy, the future of the past sure is white.
posted by Metro Gnome at 2:36 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Metro Gnome at 2:36 PM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
God, that was a great magazine. Fantasy and Science Fiction was my favorite, but Galaxy was a close second. (I have boxes full of issues of both from the '50s and '60s in my basement.) Thanks for the post!
posted by languagehat at 3:21 PM on July 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by languagehat at 3:21 PM on July 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
Argh, that Liptak article (the second link) pisses me off—he doesn't even mention F&SF, and pretends Galaxy was the only competition to Campbell's Astounding. Screw him.
posted by languagehat at 3:24 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by languagehat at 3:24 PM on July 18, 2017
Wow. I got a small collection of Galaxy, Analog and F&SF issues from the late 60s and early 70s, but among all the good fiction, the reviews and the art I expected, there was also a comic, maybe 4-5 pages long, about how in the near future, the Revolution against Nixon would fail and protesters would be put into camps. My first pass through this archive didn't find it, but does this sound familiar to anyone else?
posted by maudlin at 3:29 PM on July 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by maudlin at 3:29 PM on July 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
I had all of them at one point. (Also IF) Then I moved and had to get rid of them. I don't regret it; the paper was yellow and crumbling and I could no longer read them without them falling apart. Cool to have them available.
posted by Peach at 8:07 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by Peach at 8:07 PM on July 18, 2017
Ack - misspoke. I only had the sixties and seventies ones.
posted by Peach at 8:13 PM on July 18, 2017
posted by Peach at 8:13 PM on July 18, 2017
Hey, anyone recall an issue (I think Fand SF) cover illustrated with a robot painter, painting a picture from memory of a city -- looking out over a large crater? No story in the magazine connected with the cover.
Been looking for that since.
posted by hank at 10:27 PM on July 18, 2017
Been looking for that since.
posted by hank at 10:27 PM on July 18, 2017
Related and new today at Open Culture:
A Huge Archive of Amazing Stories, the World’s Oldest & Longest-Running Science Fiction Magazine (Since 1926)
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 7:46 AM on July 19, 2017 [4 favorites]
A Huge Archive of Amazing Stories, the World’s Oldest & Longest-Running Science Fiction Magazine (Since 1926)
posted by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 7:46 AM on July 19, 2017 [4 favorites]
THIS IS SO COOL!
But a question: has anyone tried reading these magazines in a downloaded form like epub? I would probably die of happiness if I could read these on an ereader like a Kobo, but my experiments with downloading epub versions haven't gone very well. There's no real table of contents (that the ereader recognizes), which makes it really hard to ship around in a magazine.
posted by Kevin Street at 5:57 PM on July 19, 2017
But a question: has anyone tried reading these magazines in a downloaded form like epub? I would probably die of happiness if I could read these on an ereader like a Kobo, but my experiments with downloading epub versions haven't gone very well. There's no real table of contents (that the ereader recognizes), which makes it really hard to ship around in a magazine.
posted by Kevin Street at 5:57 PM on July 19, 2017
The epub (and other text formats) look like they're just OCR from the scanned images without much cleanup. Adding a table of contents wouldn't be difficult, but like proofreading the text, it requires human effort.
If you've got a large enough ebook reader they're probably readable as PDF (though it'd still be a squint even on a Kobo Aura One.)
posted by asperity at 9:41 PM on July 19, 2017
If you've got a large enough ebook reader they're probably readable as PDF (though it'd still be a squint even on a Kobo Aura One.)
posted by asperity at 9:41 PM on July 19, 2017
Thanks, asperity.
posted by Kevin Street at 11:08 AM on July 20, 2017
posted by Kevin Street at 11:08 AM on July 20, 2017
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posted by googly at 10:59 AM on July 18, 2017 [3 favorites]