Mary Catherine Gnaedinger (September 28, 1897 – July 31, 1976) was an American

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

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 ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

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 ...

Education and Career

Born in Brooklyn, New York as Mary Catherine Jacobson, she attended the

Columbia University School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism sc ...

. After stints as a society reporter for the ''

Brooklyn Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

'' newspaper and work for publishing company

E. P. Dutton E. P. Dutton was an American Publishing, book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton ( ...

, she spent several decades of her career working in science fiction.

Personal life

Mary Jacobson married Louis Beverley Nichol Gnaedinger (1898-1977), a Canadian from

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, on September 22, 1919. They probably met at the Columbia University School of Journalism, since both attended at the same time. They had one child, Arthur Beverly Gnaedinger (''b.'' April 13, 1920). Louis B. Gnaedinger was a business reporter for the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

and other papers. The couple divorced, date unknown.

Editorial Work in Science Fiction

In her career as an editor, Mary Gnaedinger became the editor of the science fiction and fantasy magazines ''

Famous Fantastic Mysteries ''Famous Fantastic Mysteries'' was an American science fiction and fantasy pulp magazine published from 1939 to 1953. The editor was Mary Gnaedinger. It was launched by the Munsey Company as a way to reprint the many science fiction and fanta ...

'' in 1939 and ''

Fantastic Novels ''Fantastic Novels'' was an American science fiction and fantasy pulp magazine published by the Munsey Company of New York from 1940 to 1941, and again by Popular Publications, also of New York, from 1948 to 1951. It was a companion to ''Famous ...

'' in 1940, as well as ''

A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine ''A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine'' was an American pulp magazine which published five issues from December 1949 to October 1950. It took its name from fantasy writer A. Merritt, who had died in 1943, and it aimed to capitalize on Merritt's popu ...

''. She is known as the first female lead editor of a science fiction publication. Gnaedinger was known for ardently interacting with her readers, basing the stories she printed in the magazines she edited on their requests, and commonly praising their knowledge of science fiction. In his obituary of Gnaedinger published in 1977, fantasy and science fiction author

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...

wrote: Copies of ''Famous Fantastic Mysteries'' and ''Fantastic Novels,'' including issues edited by Mary Gnaedinger, can be found in the City Tech Science Fiction Collection.

Career Timeline

* 1933, June: joined Newsstand Publications (aka Graham Publications) to edit ''Romantic Love Secrets'' * 1934, July: after ''Romantic Love Secrets'' folds, joins Munsey as Amita Fairgrieve's asst. ed. on ''All-Story Magazine'', a love pulp * 1936, March 11: spoke at Brooklyn's First Presbyterian Church on "Religion and Magazine Fiction""University Nights," ''

Brooklyn Times-Union The ''Brooklyn Times-Union'' was an American newspaper published from 1848 to 1937. Launched in 1848 as the ''Williamsburgh Daily Times'', the publication became the ''Brooklyn Daily Times'' when the cities of Brooklyn and Williamsburg were un ...

'', March 7, 1936. * 1939, October: editor of Munsey's new pulp ''

''; it lasts until June 1953 with Gnaedinger editing * 1940, May: adds ''

'' to her responsibilities * 1940, October: adds ''Sea Novel Magazine'' to her responsibilities; it folds after two issues * 1941, April: ''Fantastic Novels'' combined with ''Famous Fantastic Mysteries'', i.e., cancelled * 1941, May: takes over ''Crack-Shot Western''; it folds after October issue * 1941, October: adds ''Cowboy Movie Thrillers'' to her responsibilities; it lasts four issues * 1942, October:

Popular Publications Popular Publications was one of the largest publishers of pulp magazines during its existence, at one point publishing 42 different titles per month. Company titles included detective fiction, detective, adventure novel, adventure, Romance nove ...

purchases Munsey magazines, retaining Gnaedinger * 1942, December: adds ''Love Novels Magazine'' to her responsibilities; it lasts until September 1954 * 1943, May: takes over air-pulp '' Battle Birds''; it folds after May 1944 issue * 1948, March: ''Fantastic Novels'' is revived with Gnaedinger editing * 1948, October: adds '' Captain Zero'' to her responsibilities; it last three issues, November 1949 to March 1950 * 1951, July: adds ''.44 Western'' to her responsibilities * 1953, May: edits four titles, ''Love Novels'', ''Detective Story'', ''Rangeland Romance'', ''15 Range Romances''

External links

References

1897 births 1976 deaths American magazine editors Pulp magazines Women magazine editors {{US-writer-stub