Wonder Stories

Wonder Stories is an early American science fiction magazine. It was published under several titles from 1929 to 1955. Hugo Gernsback started the magazine after he had lost control of his first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories.

Air Wonder Stories and Science Wonder Stories were merged in 1930 as Wonder Stories. The magazines were not financially successful, and in 1936 Gernsback sold Wonder Stories to Ned Pines at Beacon Publications, where, retitled Thrilling Wonder Stories, it continued for nearly 20 years. The last issue was dated Winter 1955, and the title was then merged with Startling Stories, another of Pines' science fiction magazines.

The editors under Gernsback's ownership were David Lasser, who worked hard to improve the quality of the fiction, and, from mid-1933, Charles Hornig.

Publication history
Gernsback era
+Air Wonder Stories Jan  Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec1929      1/1 1/2 1/3 1/4 1/5 1/619301/7 1/8 1/9 1/10 1/11       Volume and issue numbers of Air Wonder Stories.  The editor was DavidLasser throughout.

Gernsback's new magazine, Amazing Stories, was successful, but Gernsback lost control of the publisher when it went bankrupt in February 1929.

+ Science Wonder Stories Jan  Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec1929     1/1 1/2 1/3 1/4 1/5 1/6 1/719301/8 1/9 1/10 1/11 1/12       Volume and issue numbers of Science Wonder Stories.  The editor was DavidLasser throughout.

Gernsback claimed that science fiction was educational.Gernsback, editorial in Air Wonder Stories, July 1929, p. 5, quoted in Bleiler, Gernsback Years, p. 542.

 Jan  Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec1930     2/1 2/2 2/3 2/4 2/5 2/6 2/719312/8 2/9 2/10 2/11 2/12 3/1 3/2 3/3 3/4 3/5 3/6 3/719323/8 3/9 3/10 3/11 3/12 4/1 4/2 4/3 4/4 4/5 4/6 4/719334/8 4/9 4/10 4/11 4/12 5/1  5/2 5/3 5/4 5/519345/6 5/7 5/8 5/9 5/10 6/1 6/2 6/3 6/4 6/5 6/6 6/719356/8 6/9 6/10 6/11 6/12 7/1 7/2 7/3 7/4 7/5  7/61936 7/7  7/8        Issues of Wonder Stories from the merger of Science Wonder and AirWonder to the acquisition by Beacon Publications, indicating editors: Lasser(blue, 1930–1933), and Hornig (yellow, 1933–1936)

In 1930, Gernsback decided to merge Science Wonder Stories and Air Wonder Stories into Wonder Stories. Ashley, Time Machines, pp. 70–71.

The first issue of the merged magazine appeared in June 1930, still on a monthly schedule, with Lasser as editor.Ashley, Time Machines, p. 237.Ashley, Time Machines, p. 254.

+Science Wonder Quarterly andWonder Stories Quarterly Winter  Spring Summer Fall1929   1/119301/2  1/3  1/4  2/119312/2  2/3  2/4  3/119323/2  3/3  3/4  4/119334/2    Science Wonder Quarterly (first three issues) andWonder Stories Quarterly (all subsequent issues).  Theeditor was David Lasser throughout.

Wonder Stories had a circulation of about 25,000 in 1934.Ashley, Time Machines, p. 51.Ashley, Time Machines, pp. 85–86.

Thrilling Wonder Stories
   Spring  Summer  Fall Winter Jan  Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec1936       8/1  8/2  8/31937 9/1  9/2  9/3  10/1  10/2  10/31938 11/1  11/2  11/3  12/1  12/2  12/31939 13/1  13/2  13/3  14/1  14/2  14/3194015/1 15/2 15/3 16/1 16/2 16/3 17/1 17/2 17/3 18/1 18/2 18/3194119/1 19/2 19/3 20/1  20/2  20/3  21/1  21/21942 21/3  22/1  22/2  22/3  23/1  23/21943 23/3  24/1  24/2  24/3  25/1  194425/2   25/3   26/1   26/2  194526/3   27/1   27/2   27/3  Issues of Thrilling Wonder Stories from 1936 to 1945.  Editors are Mort Weisinger(green, 1936–1941), Oscar Friend (pink, 1941–1944), and Sam Merwin (purple,1945).  Underlining indicates that an issue was titled as a quarterly (e.g. "Winter1944") rather than as a monthly.

Pines' magazines included several with "Thrilling" in the title, such as Thrilling Detective and Thrilling Love Stories.Ashley, Time Machines, p. 100.

The title was changed to Thrilling Wonder Stories to match the rest of the "Thrilling" line. The first issue appeared in August 1936—four months after the last Gernsback Wonder Stories appeared.

   Spring  Summer  Fall Winter Jan  Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec194628/1  28/2  28/3  29/1 29/21947 29/3  30/1  30/2  30/3  31/1  31/21948 31/3  32/1  32/2  32/3  33/1  33/21949 33/3  34/1  34/2  34/3  35/1  35/21950 35/3  36/1  36/2  36/3  37/1  37/21951 37/3  38/1  38/2  38/3  39/1  39/21952 39/3  40/1  40/2  40/3  41/1  41/21953 41/3  42/1  42/2  42/3   43/1 195443/2   43/3   44/1   44/2  195544/3           Issues of Thrilling Wonder Stories from 1946 to 1955. Editors are Sam Merwin(purple, 1946–1951), Samuel Mines (orange, 1951–1954), and Alexander Samalman(gray, 1954–1955).  Underlining indicates that an issue was titled as a quarterly(e.g. "Winter 1946") rather than as a monthly.

Publication details
Air Wonder Stories
 David Lasser (July 1929 – May 1930)Bleiler, Gernsback Years, p. 543.

Science Wonder Stories
 David Lasser (June 1929 – May 1930)Bleiler, Gernsback Years, p. 581.

Science Wonder Quarterly
 David Lasser (Fall 1929 – Spring 1930)Bleiler, Gernsback Years, pp. 578–579.

Wonder Stories
 David Lasser (June 1930 – October 1933)Bleiler, Gernsback Years, p. 589.
 Charles Hornig (November 1933 – March–April 1936)

Wonder Stories Quarterly
 David Lasser (Summer 1930 – Winter 1933)Bleiler, Gernsback Years, pp. 595–596.

Thrilling Wonder Stories
 Mort Weisinger (August 1936 – April 1941)
 Oscar Friend (August 1941 – Fall 1944)
 Sam Merwin (Winter 1945 – October 1951)
 Samuel Mines (December 1951 – Summer 1954)
 Alexander Samalman (Fall 1954 – Winter 1955)

 References 

Sources


















 Perry, Tom "An Amazing Story: Experiment in Bankruptcy" in Amazing Science Fiction vol. 51, no 3 (May 1978)




 Other websites 

 Website for relaunched Thrilling Wonder Stories 

Category:Science fiction
Category:American magazines