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''Planet Stories'' was an American
pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material ...
science fiction magazine A science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard-copy periodical format or on the Internet. Science fiction magazines traditionally featured speculative fiction in short story, novelette, nove ...
, published by
Fiction House Fiction House was an American publisher of pulp magazines and comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s. It was founded by John B. "Jack" Kelly and John W. Glenister.Saunders, David"JACK BYRNE (1902-1972),"Field Guide to Wild American P ...
between 1939 and 1955. It featured interplanetary adventures, both in space and on some other planets, and was initially focused on a young readership. Malcolm Reiss was editor or editor-in-chief for all of its 71 issues. ''Planet Stories'' was launched at the same time as ''
Planet Comics ''Planet Comics'' was a science fiction comic book title published by Fiction House from January 1940 to Winter 1953. It was the first comic book dedicated wholly to science fiction.Benton, Mike. ''Science Fiction Comics: The Illustrated History'' ...
'', the success of which probably helped to fund the early issues of ''Planet Stories''. ''Planet Stories'' did not pay well enough to regularly attract the leading science fiction writers of the day, but occasionally obtained work from well-known authors, including
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
and
Clifford D. Simak Clifford Donald Simak (; August 3, 1904 – April 25, 1988) was an American science fiction writer. He won three Hugo Awards and one Nebula Award. The Science Fiction Writers of America made him its third SFWA Grand Master, and the Horror W ...
. In 1952 ''Planet Stories'' published Philip K. Dick's first sale, and printed four more of his stories over the next three years. The two writers most identified with ''Planet Stories'' are
Leigh Brackett Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American science fiction writer known as "the Queen of Space Opera." She was also a screenwriter, known for '' The Big Sleep'' (1946), '' Rio Bravo'' (1959), and '' The Long Go ...
and
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...
, both of whom set many of their stories on a romanticized version of Mars that owed much to the depiction of Barsoom in the works of
Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...
. Bradbury's work for ''Planet'' included an early story in his ''
Martian Chronicles ''The Martian Chronicles'' is a science fiction fix-up novel, published in 1950, by American writer Ray Bradbury that chronicles the exploration and settlement of Mars, the home of indigenous Martians, by Americans leaving a troubled Earth that ...
'' sequence. Brackett's best-known work for the magazine was a series of adventures featuring
Eric John Stark Eric John Stark is a character created by the science fiction author Leigh Brackett. Stark is the hero of a series of pulp adventures set in a time when the Solar System has been colonized. His origin-story shares some characteristics with feral ...
, which began in the summer of 1949. Brackett and Bradbury collaborated on one story, "Lorelei of the Red Mist", which appeared in 1946; it was generally well-received, although one letter to the magazine complained that the story's treatment of sex, though mild by modern standards, was too explicit. The artwork also emphasized attractive women, with a scantily clad damsel in distress or
alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
princess on almost every cover.


Publication history

Although science fiction (sf) 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 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 undergoing its first boom.Malcolm Edwards & Peter Nicholls, "SF Magazines", in Clute & Nicholls, ''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', pp. 1066–1068. Fiction House, a major pulp publisher, had run into difficulties during the Depression, but after a relaunch in 1934 found success with detective and romance pulp titles. Fiction House's first title with sf interest was '' Jungle Stories'', which was launched in early 1939; it was not primarily a science fiction magazine, but often featured storylines with marginally science fictional themes, such as survivors from
Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...
. At the end of 1939, Fiction House decided to add an sf magazine to its lineup; it was titled ''Planet Stories'', and was published by Love Romances, a subsidiary company that had been created to publish Fiction House's romance titles. The first issue was dated Winter 1939. Two comics were launched at the same time: '' Jungle Comics'' and ''Planet Comics''; both were published monthly, whereas ''Planet Stories'' was quarterly, and it is quite likely that the success of the comics funded the early issues of the pulps.Ashley, ''Time Machines'', pp. 151–152. Malcolm Reiss edited ''Planet Stories'' from the beginning, and retained editorial oversight and control throughout its run, though he was not always the named editor on the masthead; when other editors were involved, his title was "managing editor".Malcolm Edwards, "Planet Stories", in Clute & Nicholls, ''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', p. 937. The first of these sub-editors was Wilbur S. Peacock, who took over with the Fall 1942 issue and remained until Fall 1945, after which he was replaced by Chester Whitehorn for three issues, and then by Paul L. Payne, from Fall 1946 to Spring 1950. With the Summer 1950 issue the editorship passed to
Jerome Bixby Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby (January 11, 1923 – April 28, 1998) was an American short-story writer and scriptwriter. He wrote the 1953 story " It's a Good Life", which was the basis of a 1961 episode of ''The Twilight Zone'' and was included ...
, who was already editing ''Jungle Stories''. Soon thereafter ''Planet Stories'' switched from a quarterly to bimonthly schedule. Bixby lasted a little over a year; Malcolm Reiss took over again in September 1951, and three issues later, in March 1952, Jack O'Sullivan became editor. A contemporary market survey records that in 1953, payment rates were only one to two cents per word; this was substantially less than the leading magazines of the day.de Camp, ''Science-Fiction Handbook'', pp. 102–103.de Camp, ''Science-Fiction Handbook'', pp. 114–115. ''Planet Stories'' returned to a quarterly schedule beginning with the Summer 1954 issue, but the pulp market was collapsing, and the Summer 1955 issue was the final one.


Contents and reception

Fiction House apparently made the decision to launch ''Planet Stories'' so quickly that there was little time for Reiss to obtain new stories, so he worked with
Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various ...
and other authors' agents to fill the first issue. The results were unremarkable, but Reiss was energetic, and was able to improve the quality of fiction in succeeding issues, though he occasionally apologized to the readers for printing weak material. The magazine was exclusively focused on interplanetary adventures, often taking place in primitive societies that would now be regarded as " sword and sorcery" settings, and was aimed at a young readership; the result was a mixture of what became known as
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 ...
and
planetary romance Planetary romance is a subgenre of science fiction in which the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds. Some planetary romances take place ag ...
s— melodramatic tales of action and adventure on alien planets and in interplanetary space. ''Planet Stories'' relied on a few authors to provide the bulk of its fiction in the early years, with Nelson Bond providing eight lead stories, some of them novels. Fourteen more were written by
Ray Cummings Ray Cummings (born Raymond King Cummings) (August 30, 1887 – January 23, 1957) was an American author of science fiction literature and comic books. Early life Cummings was born in New York City in 1887. He worked with Thomas Edison as a ...
and Ross Rocklynne; and
Leigh Brackett Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American science fiction writer known as "the Queen of Space Opera." She was also a screenwriter, known for '' The Big Sleep'' (1946), '' Rio Bravo'' (1959), and '' The Long Go ...
was also a regular contributor, with seventeen stories in total published over the lifetime of the magazine. The letter column in ''Planet Stories'' was titled "The Vizigraph"; it was very active, with long letters from an engaged readership. It often printed letters from established writers, and from fans who would go on to become well known professionally:
Damon Knight Damon Francis Knight (September 19, 1922 – April 15, 2002) was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He is the author of "To Serve Man", a 1950 short story adapted for ''The Twilight Zone''.Stanyard, ''Dimensions Behind th ...
's letters are described by sf historian Mike Ashley as "legendary"; and
Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Gr ...
commented in a letter in the Summer 1950 issue that Ray Bradbury "certainly gets some original ideas, if not good ones".Ashley, ''Transformations'', p. 47. The editors put a good deal of effort into keeping the letter column friendly and lively; contemporary writer and editor
Robert 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 ...
recalls that "Reiss was sincere and urbane; Wilbur eacockenjoyed taking his coat off and being one of the crowd".Ashley, ''History of the Science Fiction Magazine, Vol. 2'', p. 58. Despite the focus on melodramatic space adventure, the fiction in ''Planet Stories'' improved over the next few years, largely due to the work of Brackett and Bradbury. Both writers set many of their stories on a romanticized version of
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
that owed much to the Barsoom of
Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...
. Brackett's writing improved during the 1940s from formulaic pulp adventure to a more mature style, and she became the most accomplished writer of planetary romances of her day. She wrote a well-received series of stories featuring adventurer
Eric John Stark Eric John Stark is a character created by the science fiction author Leigh Brackett. Stark is the hero of a series of pulp adventures set in a time when the Solar System has been colonized. His origin-story shares some characteristics with feral ...
, which began in the Summer 1949 ''Planet Stories'' with "Queen of the Martian Catacombs". Her work had a strong influence on other writers, in particular Gardner F. Fox,
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 ...
and
Marion Zimmer Bradley Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (June 3, 1930 – September 25, 1999) was an American author of fantasy, historical fantasy, science fiction, and science fantasy novels, and is best known for the Arthurian fiction novel ''The Mists of Avalon'' an ...
, Brackett later argued that "the so-called space opera is the folk-tale, the hero-tale of our particular niche in history".Thomas D. Clareson, "Planet Stories", in Tymn & Ashley, ''Science Fiction, Fantasy and Weird Fiction Magazines'', pp. 476–481. Also arguing in support of ''Planet Stories'', science fiction critic
John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part o ...
has commented that "the content was far more sophisticated than the covers".Clute, ''Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia'', p. 101. Bradbury's work for ''Planet Stories'' included two of the stories that he later incorporated into ''
The Martian Chronicles ''The Martian Chronicles'' is a science fiction fix-up novel, published in 1950, by American writer Ray Bradbury that chronicles the exploration and settlement of Mars, the home of indigenous Martians, by Americans leaving a troubled Earth th ...
'', including "The Million Year Picnic"; only one other story in the series had appeared before this.de Forest, ''Storytelling in the Pulps, Comics and Radio'', p. 76. He also collaborated on a story with Brackett, "Lorelei of the Red Mist", based on an idea of hers, which appeared in the Summer of 1946. His stories for ''Planet'' demonstrate his reservations about the advance of technology, in particular "The Golden Apples of the Sun" (November 1953), and "A Sound of Thunder" (January 1954, reprinted from the June 28, 1952 issue of ''
Collier's Weekly ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Colli ...
''). Bradbury's work in ''Planet Stories'' is regarded by one pulp historian, Tim de Forest, as "the magazine's most important contribution to the genre". Several other well-known writers appeared in ''Planet Stories'', including
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
,
Clifford Simak Clifford Donald Simak (; August 3, 1904 – April 25, 1988) was an American science fiction writer. He won three Hugo Awards and one Nebula Award. The Science Fiction Writers of America made him its third SFWA Grand Master, and the Horror ...
,
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 Conscie ...
,
Fredric Brown Fredric Brown (October 29, 1906 – March 11, 1972) was an American science fiction, fantasy, and mystery writer.D. J. McReynolds, "The Short Fiction of Fredric Brown" in Frank N. Magill, (ed.) ''Survey of Science Fiction Literature'', Vol. 4 ...
and Damon Knight. Asimov's story, originally titled "Pilgrimage", appeared in 1942; Asimov had been unable to sell the piece elsewhere, and rewrote it numerous times for different editors, adding a religious element at John Campbell's request, and removing it again when Malcolm Reiss asked for further changes. Reiss bought it but changed the name to "Black Friar of the Flame".Asimov, ''In Memory Yet Green'', pp. 313, 326. Jerome Bixby, who took over as editor in 1950, was a published writer and was knowledgeable about sf, though he had primarily written
western fiction Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 20th century and ...
. In his short tenure he did much to improve the magazine, persuading the established writers to produce better material and finding unusual variations on the interplanetary adventure theme such as
Poul Anderson Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until the 21st century. Anderson wrote also historical novels. His awards include seven Hugo Awards and ...
's "Duel on Syrtis" in March 1951, about an Earthman tracking an alien on Mars, and
Theodore Sturgeon Theodore Sturgeon (; born Edward Hamilton Waldo, February 26, 1918 – May 8, 1985) was an American fiction author of primarily fantasy, science fiction and horror, as well as a critic. He wrote approximately 400 reviews and more than 120 sh ...
's "The Incubi on Planet X", about aliens who kidnap Earth women.Ashley, ''Transformations'', pp. 11–12. After Bixby's departure in 1952, ''Planet Stories'' major contribution to the genre was the discovery of Philip K. Dick, whose first sale, "
Beyond Lies the Wub "Beyond Lies the Wub" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was his first published genre story, originally appearing in ''Planet Stories'' in July 1952.Damien Broderick, ''Transrealist Fiction: Writing in the ...
", appeared in the July 1952 issue. Dick went on to sell another four stories to ''Planet Stories'' over the next two years, including "James P. Crow", in which a human suffers discrimination in a world of robots. ''Planet Stories'' clearly targeted a young readership, and the simultaneous launch in 1939 of ''Planet Comics'' may have been instrumental in attracting young readers to science fiction, but Ashley suggests that it is more likely that ''Planet Stories'' attracted experienced readers of the genre who "still yearned for the early days of sf". Critic and sf historian Thomas Clareson has commented that "''Planet'' seemed to look backward towards the 1930s and earlier", an impression that was strengthened by the extensive use of interior artwork by
Frank 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 ...
, who had been the cover artist for the early Gernsback magazines in the 1920s. Paul's distinctive style was strongly associated with the early years of the field. The cover art was also melodramatic, with beautiful women—sometimes human, sometimes princesses from other planets—and threatening aliens. The subheading on the cover read "Strange Adventures on Other Worlds – The Universe of Future Centuries" until the end of 1946.See the individual issues. For convenience, an online index is available at Although almost every story that appeared in ''Planet'' could be described as space opera, there was some variety of approach to the basic themes. Earth was sometimes threatened, but more often the action took place on other worlds, bringing Earthmen into local conflicts. This often involved beautiful native princesses, though the romantic storylines were stereotyped. Some respite from these depictions of women was provided by Leigh Brackett, who described her own heroines as "usually on the bitchy side—warm-blooded, hot-tempered, but gutty and intelligent" (with "bitchy" intended as a compliment).Carter, ''Creation of Tomorrow'', p. 186. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, it was in ''Planet Stories'' that a reader was most likely to come across a female character who could fight, instead of merely being fought over.Carter, ''Creation of Tomorrow'', p. 189. Sex itself had long been taboo in the pulp magazines, but some stories in ''Planet'' depicted sexuality more directly than the competing magazines would. The readers were not always accepting; one reader in a letter in 1949 supported "jettisoning the taboos",Carter, ''Creation of Tomorrow'', p. 192. but a letter writer in 1946 objected to "Lorelei of the Red Mist", saying that he needed "a pint of
Listerine Listerine is an American brand of antiseptic mouthwash that is promoted with the slogan "Kills germs that cause bad breath", Named after Joseph Lister, who pioneered antiseptic surgery at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in Scotland, Listerine was ...
to wash the dirty taste out of my mouth". The cover artwork generally emphasized sex as well, with what sf author and critic Harry Harrison sardonically referred to as "sexual dimorphism in space": heavy, functional spacesuits for the men, and transparent suits through which
bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features two triangles of fabric on top that cover the breasts, and two triangles of fabric on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but exposing the navel, and the back coverin ...
s or swimsuits could be seen for the women.Harry Harrison, "Machine as Hero", in Holdstock, ''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', p. 97.
Hannes Bok Hannes Bok, pseudonym for Wayne Francis Woodard (, ; July 2, 1914 – April 11, 1964), was an American artist and illustrator, as well as an amateur astrologer and writer of fantasy fiction and poetry. He painted nearly 150 covers for various s ...
contributed much of the interior artwork, and the covers were often by Allen Anderson during the early years. Later,
Kelly Freas Frank Kelly Freas (August 27, 1922 – January 2, 2005) was an American science fiction and fantasy artist with a career spanning more than 50 years. He was known as the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists" and he was the second artist inducted b ...
became a frequent cover artist. One of the best artists to work on ''Planet'' was Alexander Leydenfrost, whose work, according to Clareson, "epitomized much of what ''Planet Stories'' represented in the 1940s", though his cover artwork was less impressive than his black-and-white interior illustrations.Jon Gustafson and Peter Nicholls, "Alexander Leydenfrost", in Clute & Nicholls, ''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', p. 718. Artist and sf historian David Hardy has described Leydenfrost's black and white illustrations as "almost
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...
ian in his use of light and shade".David Hardy, "Art and Artists", in Holdstock, ''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', p. 126.


Bibliographic details

The editorial succession at ''Planet'' was:Ashley, ''Transformations'', p. 336.Ashley, ''Time Machines'', p. 247. * Malcolm Reiss: Winter 1939 – Summer 1942. * Wilbur S. Peacock: Fall 1942 – Fall 1945. * Chester Whitehorn: Winter 1945 – Summer 1946. * Paul L. Payne: Fall 1946 – Spring 1950. *
Jerome Bixby Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby (January 11, 1923 – April 28, 1998) was an American short-story writer and scriptwriter. He wrote the 1953 story " It's a Good Life", which was the basis of a 1961 episode of ''The Twilight Zone'' and was included ...
: Summer 1950 – July 1951. * Malcolm Reiss: September 1951 – January 1952. * Jack O'Sullivan: March 1952 – Summer 1955. ''Planet Stories'' was a pulp-sized magazine for all of its 71 issues. It was 128 pages for most of its existence, and was priced at 20 cents. With the November 1950 issue the page count was cut to 112, and the price went up to 25 cents. The page count was reduced to 96 for one issue in March 1952, but then returned to 112 until Summer 1954, when it was again reduced to 96 pages for the last five issues. ''Planet'' began as a quarterly. A brief attempt was made to switch to a bimonthly schedule in 1943; a March and May issue appeared, but the next issue was titled Fall 1943, inaugurating another quarterly period. The Fall 1950 issue was followed by November 1950, and this began a bimonthly period that lasted until May 1954, which was followed by a Summer 1954 issue. A quarterly schedule resumed until the end; unusually, the winter issue that year was dated Winter 1954/55, rather than with a single year. The volume numbering was consistent throughout the magazine's publication, with five volumes of 12 issues and a final volume of 11, but there were three errors in the volume numbering printed on the spine (though not on the masthead): issue 5/10 was given as 5/8 on the spine; issue 5/11 was given as 6/3 on the spine; and issue 6/11 was given as 6/12 on the spine. A British reprint edition appeared between March 1950 and September 1954; the issues were numbered but not dated, and were heavily cut, with only 64 to 68 pages."Planet Stories", in Tuck, ''Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Vol. 3'', pp. 582–583. There are twelve issues known; a thirteenth has been rumored but not seen by any sf bibliographers. The publisher was Pembertons, though some sources indicate that Streamline Publications was the publisher of the first issue. Issues 7 and 8 of the British edition also contained nonfiction material reprinted from '' Startling Stories'' and ''
Thrilling Wonder ''Wonder Stories'' was an early American science fiction magazine which was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. It was founded by Hugo Gernsback in 1929 after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, ''Amazing Stor ...
''. A Canadian edition was published by American News Co., from Fall 1948 to March 1951 (a total of twelve issues); these were identical to the corresponding U.S. editions.


Related publications

In the summer of 1950 Fiction House launched a companion magazine to ''Planet''. It was titled '' Two Complete Science-Adventure Books''; the policy was to print two novels in a single magazine. It appeared three times a year and lasted until the spring of 1954.Ashley, ''Time Machines'', pp. 193–194.Ashley, ''Transformations'', p. 351. In 1953 Fiction House launched a reprint magazine, ''
Tops in Science Fiction ''Tops in Science Fiction'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine launched in 1953. The publisher, Love Romances Publishing, created it as a vehicle to reprint stories from ''Planet Stories''. It was unsuccessful and only lasted for t ...
'', selecting the contents from the backfile of stories that had appeared in ''Planet''. It only lasted for two issues, the second of which received almost no distribution.Ashley, ''Time Machines'', p. 224.Ashley, ''Transformations'', p. 45. A derivative anthology, ''The Best of Planet Stories'' #1, appeared in 1975 from Ballantine Books, edited by Leigh Brackett, containing seven stories reprinted from between 1942 and 1952. It was intended to be the first of a series, but no further volumes appeared.


See also

*
History of science fiction The literary genre of science fiction is diverse, and its exact definition remains a contested question among both scholars and devotees. This lack of consensus is reflected in debates about the genre's history, particularly over determining its ...


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* *
Issues of ''Planet Stories''
via the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
{{short description, 20th-century American pulp science fiction magazine Pulp magazines Science fiction magazines established in the 1930s Defunct science fiction magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1939 Magazines disestablished in 1955 1939 establishments in the United States 1955 disestablishments in the United States