Joseph Schlossel (21 December 1902 - 1 December 1977) was a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

writer, a pioneer of the

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...

genre.

E. F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" s ...

in his bibliographic work ''Science-Fiction: The Early Years'' describes Schlossel's work as "crude and amateurish", but notes that it anticipated further developments. Despite his poor storytelling skills, he was credited by showing "tremendous inventiveness in his adventures, with intergalactic wars and invasions on an immense scale." Mike Ashley states that "Schlossel's writing was basic but his imagination and vision made him one of the more significant contributors to the early SF Magazines".SF Encyclopedia
/ref> Weird tales 192501

Schlossel was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1902. He was raised in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and became a tailor, his father's line of work. His first story was published in ''

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...

'' in 1925, where his next two stories appeared. Beginning in 1926, his remaining work was sold to ''

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 ...

''. After the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

set in, he left his trade, took employment in

metal plating Plating is a surface covering in which a metal is deposited on a conductive surface. Plating has been done for hundreds of years; it is also critical for modern technology. Plating is used to decorate objects, for corrosion inhibition, to improv ...

, and stopped writing. He died in 1977. His work usually carried the byline "J. Schlossel". None of his stories have appeared in book form, although two were reprinted in later sf magazines.Se
ISFDB bibliography
/ref>

Short fiction

*Invaders from Outside (1925) *Hurled into the Infinite (1925) *A Message From Space (1926) *The Second Swarm (1928) *To The Moon by Proxy (1928) *Extra-Galactic Invaders (1931)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlossel, Joseph American science fiction writers American short story writers American male novelists American male short story writers