''Dynamic Science Fiction'' was an American

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

which published six issues from December 1952 to January 1954. It was a companion to ''

Future Science Fiction ''Future Science Fiction'' and ''Science Fiction Stories'' were two American science fiction magazines that were published under various names between 1939 and 1943 and again from 1950 to 1960. Both publications were edited by Charles Hornig fo ...

'', and like that magazine was edited by

Robert W. Lowndes Robert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes (September 4, 1916 – July 14, 1998) was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of ''Future Science Fiction'', ''Science Fiction'', and ''Science Fiction Quarterl ...

and published by

Columbia Publications Columbia Publications was an American publisher of pulp magazines featuring the genres of science fiction, westerns, detective stories, romance, and sports fiction. The company published such writers as Isaac Asimov, Louis L'Amour, Arthur C. Clar ...

. Stories that appeared in its pages include "The Duplicated Man" by Lowndes and

James Blish James Benjamin Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his ''Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel ''A Case of Conscienc ...

, and "The Possessed" by Arthur C. Clarke. It was launched at the end of the pulp era, and when publisher

Louis Silberkleit Louis Horace Silberkleit (; 17 November 1900 – 21 February 1986) was an American publisher of magazines, books, and comic books; together with Maurice Coyne and John L. Goldwater, he co-founded MLJ Magazines (later known as Archie Comics), and ...

converted ''Future'' to a digest format in 1954, he decided not to do the same with ''Dynamic'', simply cancelling the magazine.

Publishing history and contents

Although science fiction had been published in the United States before the 1920s, it did not begin to coalesce into a separately marketed genre until the appearance in 1926 of ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...

'', a

published by

Hugo Gernsback Hugo Gernsback (; born Hugo Gernsbacher, August 16, 1884 – August 19, 1967) was a Luxembourgish–American editor and magazine publisher, whose publications including the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publ ...

. By the end of the 1930s the field was booming. Between early 1939 and mid-1940 publisher Louis Silberkleit launched three sf pulp magazines: ''Science Fiction'', ''

Future Fiction ''Future Science Fiction'' and ''Science Fiction Stories'' were two American science fiction magazines that were published under various names between 1939 and 1943 and again from 1950 to 1960. Both publications were edited by Charles Hornig fo ...

'', and ''

Science Fiction Quarterly ''Science Fiction Quarterly'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine that was published from 1940 to 1943 and again from 1951 to 1958. Charles Hornig served as editor for the first two issues; Robert A. W. Lowndes edited the remainder. ...

''. All three had ceased publication by the end of World War II, killed by a combination of falling sales and wartime paper shortages. In 1950 and 1951 Silberkleit revived ''Future Fiction'', and ''Science Fiction Quarterly'', and the following year he launched ''Dynamic Science Fiction'', with the first issue dated November 1952.Ashley (2005), p. 44. All three of the magazines were edited by Robert W. Lowndes, who had also edited most of the earlier issues for Silberkleit. In mid-1953 Silberkleit cut rates and slowed down payment to contributors as a result of falling circulation. By this time Silberkleit was experimenting with the digest format for ''Science Fiction Stories'', and he soon cancelled ''Dynamic Science Fiction'', leaving only ''Science Fiction Quarterly'' in pulp format. Silberkleit initially paid reasonably good rates, and Lowndes was able to obtain some good quality material. Some of the stories include Arthur C. Clarke's "The Possessed" (March 1953);

Lester del Rey Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science ...

's "I Am Tomorrow" (December 1952), and

and Lowndes' novel ''The Duplicated Man'' (August 1953, with Lowndes' name concealed by a pseudonym, "Michael Sherman"). Lowndes also published nonfiction, including two long critical essays by

James E. Gunn James Edwin Gunn (July 12, 1923 – December 23, 2020) was an American science fiction writer, editor, scholar, and anthologist. His work as an editor of anthologies includes the six-volume '' Road to Science Fiction'' series. He won the Hugo ...

, "The Philosophy of Science Fiction" (serialized in the March and June 1953 issues), and "The Plot Forms of Science Fiction" (serialized in the October 1953 and January 1954 issues). These four articles formed Gunn's Master of Arts thesis; Gunn subsequently became a prominent science fiction critic.

Bibliographic details

Robert W. Lowndes was the editor of all six issues of ''Dynamic Science Fiction'', which remained in pulp format throughout its run. It was priced at 25 cents throughout, and was 128 pages for the first four issues, and 96 pages for the last two.Ashley (1985), pp. 196–98. Three issues were reprinted in the U.K. by

Thorpe & Porter Thorpe & Porter (widely known as T & P) was a British publisher, importer, and distributor of magazines and comic books. At first, the company was known for repackaging American comics and pulp magazines for the UK market. Later on, it became a pu ...

, of Leicester. These were dated January, June and November 1954, and were pulp format. They were priced at 1/- and were 96 pages. They correspond to the U.S. issues from June 1953, December 1952, and January 1954 respectively. There are no anthologies of stories drawn solely from ''Dynamic Science Fiction,'' but in the 1960s Ivan Howard edited several anthologies for Silberkleit's publishing imprint,

Belmont Books Belmont Books, also known as Belmont Productions, was an American publisher of genre fiction paperback originals founded in 1960. It specialized in science fiction, horror and fantasy, with titles appearing from 1961 through 1971. The company pub ...

, with contents drawn solely from Silberkleit's magazines. These included:Rhoades (2008), p. 72. * Six of the seven stories are from ''Dynamic Science Fiction'', mostly from the first issue. * Four of the eight stories are from ''Dynamic Science Fiction.''

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

* {{Good article 1952 establishments in the United States 1954 disestablishments in the United States Defunct science fiction magazines published in the United States Fantasy fiction magazines Magazines established in 1952 Magazines disestablished in 1954 Pulp magazines Science fiction magazines established in the 1950s Columbia Publications Science fiction magazines disestablished in the 1950s