Amazing Stories Annual
Amazing Stories Annual was a pulp magazine which published a single issue in July 1927. It was edited by
Publication history and contents
In 1926,
In his correspondence with Burroughs, Gernsback had specified that he would like something with more scientific content than was usual in Burroughs' work.[7] Science fiction historian Milton Wolf quotes Gernsback's assertion that the science in the story was "excellent", and also quotes author Frederik Pohl's reminiscences: "It was even scientifically accurate. That, I admit, is a claim for Burroughs not often heard...Barsoom is not much like the Mars of the Mariner photographs. But it is very like the Mars of Percival Lowell, and that was all that science knew of Mars at the time".[1]
The title of the novel changed several times. In manuscript, Burroughs had called it A Weird Adventure on Mars, but sent it out under the title Vad Varo of Barsoom. Burroughs allowed Gernsback to choose the title for its appearance in Amazing Stories Annual; Gernsback initially suggested Xaxa of Mars, but finally chose
The print run sold out; Bleiler quotes a figure of 150,000 copies, but Wolf says it was 100,000.[2][1] Gernsback had asked the readers of the Annual to send him feedback, and the response was enthusiastic, with almost every letter asking for Amazing Stories to be switched to a fortnightly basis. In the event Gernsback decided instead to launch Amazing Stories Quarterly, with the first issue appearing the following year.[1][12]
Bibliographic details
There was a single issue, published by Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing Company of New York, in large pulp format. It was 128 pages, and priced at 50 cents. The editor was Hugo Gernsback.[1] The magazine was at one time considered to be extremely rare, with only about two dozen copies thought to exist, but the appearance of multiple copies for sale on eBay has made it apparent that it is not as rare as was once thought.[13]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wolf (1985), pp. 49–51.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bleiler (1998), pp. 560–561.
- ^ a b Ashley (2004), p. 91.
- ^ Westfahl, Gary (July 19, 2021). "SFE: Gernsback, Hugo". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
- ^ Ashley (2004), p. 129.
- ^ Porges (1976), p. 1182.
- ^ del Rey (1979), pp. 44–45.
- ^ Stephensen-Payne, Phil (August 11, 2022). "Contents Lists". Galactic Central. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ Stephensen-Payne, Phil (August 11, 2022). "Contents Lists". Galactic Central. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ Stephensen-Payne, Phil. "Contents Lists". Galactic Central. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
- ^ Tuck (1982), p. 539.
- ^ Wolf & Ashley (1985), pp. 51–57.
- ^ Hulse (2013), p. 230.
Sources
- Ashley, Mike (2004). "The Gernsback Days". In Ashley, Mike; Lowndes, Robert A.W. (eds.). The Gernsback Days: A Study of the Evolution of Modern Science Fiction From 1911 to 1936. Holicong, Pennsylvania: Wildside Press. pp. 16–254. ISBN 0-8095-1055-3.
- Bleiler, Everett F. (1998). ISBN 0-87338-604-3.
- del Rey, Lester (1979). The World of Science Fiction: The History of a Subculture. New York: Del Rey. ISBN 0-345-25452-X.
- Hulse, Ed (2013). The Blood'n'Thunder Guide to Pulp Fiction. Morris Plains, New Jersey: Murania Press. ISBN 978-1491010938.
- Porges, Irwin (1976) [1975]. Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Man Who Created Tarzan Volume II. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-25131-8.
- Tuck, Donald H. (1982). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy Volume 3: Miscellaneous. Chicago: Advent: Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-911682-26-0.
- Wolf, Milton (1985). "Amazing Stories Annual". In Tymn, Marshall B.; Ashley, Mike (eds.). Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Weird Fiction Magazines. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 49–51. ISBN 0-313-21221-X.
- Wolf, Milton; Ashley, Mike (1985). "Amazing Stories Quarterly". In Tymn, Marshall B.; Ashley, Mike (eds.). Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Weird Fiction Magazines. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 51–57. ISBN 0-313-21221-X.