''Dynamic Science Stories'' was an American pulp magazine which published two issues, dated February and April 1939. A companion to '' Marvel Science Stories'', it was edited by Robert O. Erisman and published by Western Fiction Publishing. Among the better known authors who appeared in its pages were

L. Sprague de Camp Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...

and

Manly Wade Wellman Manly Wade Wellman (May 21, 1903 – April 5, 1986) was an American writer. While his science fiction and fantasy stories appeared in such pulps as ''Astounding Stories'', '' Startling Stories'', '' Unknown'' and '' Strange Stories'', Wellman ...

Publication history and contents

Although science fiction had been published 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 ...

'', a

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, magazin ...

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. In 1938 Abraham and Martin Goodman, two brothers who owned a publishing company with multiple imprints, launched ''Marvel Science Stories'', edited by Robert O. Erisman. In February of the following year they added ''Dynamic Science Stories'' as a companion magazine intended to run longer stories. The contents were typical pulp science fiction, with few memorable stories. Science fiction historians Joseph Marchesani and Mike Ashley identify only three stories of quality: Nelson S. Bond's "The Message from the Void" (published under the pseudonym "Hubert Mavity");

's "Ananias"; and

's "Insight".Ashley (2000), p. 136. The cover for the first issue was painted by

Frank R. Paul Frank Rudolph Paul (; April 18, 1884 – June 29, 1963) was an American illustrator of pulp magazines in the science fiction field. A discovery of editor Hugo Gernsback, Paul was influential in defining the look of both cover art and interior i ...

, a popular cover artist recently returned to the science fiction field;

Norman Saunders Norman Blaine Saunders (January 1, 1907 – March 7, 1989) was a prolific 20th-century American commercial artist. He is best known for paintings in pulp magazines, paperbacks, men's adventure magazines, comic books and trading cards. On occasi ...

provided the second cover. ''Dynamic'''s sister magazine, ''Marvel Science Stories'', often published stories with more sexual content than was usual for science fiction magazines of the day, but, although ''Dynamic'''s advertising included books offering sexual advice, the magazine's actual content was more traditional pulp material.Lavine (2008), p. 307. The magazine only lasted two issues, though it is not known whether this was because of poor sales or if the cancellation was "a reflection of the whim of the publisher", in Ashley's words.

Bibliographic details

The publisher of ''Dynamic Science Stories'' was Western Fiction Publishing Co., based in Chicago, with editorial offices in Radio City, New York. There was one volume of two numbers. Both issues were in pulp format, 112 pages long, and priced at 15 cents. There was a British reprint edition of the first issue; it appeared in 1939 and was undated. The editor of both issues was Robert O. Erisman, who was not credited in the magazine.Marchesani (1985a), pp. 198–199.

References

Sources

* * * * * *

External links

* {{good article Defunct science fiction magazines published in the United States Fantasy fiction magazines Pulp magazines Magazines established in 1939 Magazines disestablished in 1939 Science fiction magazines established in the 1930s Magazines published in Illinois Magazines published in New York (state)