Astounding Magazine
The long-established magazine Astounding Stories (later Astounding Science Fiction, currently published as Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact) is often considered the forum where modern science fiction was created, and at various times in its history has been the premier venue for written science fiction.When editor John W. Campbell took over in 1938, he brought to the retitled Astounding Science Fiction an unprecedented insistence on placing equal emphasis on both words of "science fiction." No longer satisfied with gadgetry and action alone, Campbell demanded that his writers think out how science and technology might really develop in the future -- and, most important, how those changes would affect the lives of human beings.
The new sophistication soon made Astounding the undisputed leader in the field. Campbell later began to think the old title was too "sensational" or "juvenile" to reflect what the magazine was actually doing, so he initially de-emphasized the word "Astounding" by having it printed in narrow script above the bold words "SCIENCE FICTION", and later renamed the magazine to Analog in 1960. Over the course of a year the title logo was changed; the large initial "A" stayed the same while the letters "stounding" were faded down and the letters "nalog" faded up on top of them. Bibliographers often abbreviate the magazine as "ASF", which can of course stand for either title.
Due to the economics of the magazine publishing industry (i. e. not much money in the budget), Analog frequently prints material from previously unknown authors, and has launched the careers of popular contributors within the genre (e. g. Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game in the 1970s under Ben Bova. ).
Editors:
- Harry Bates, 1930-1933
- F. Orlin Tremaine, 1933-1937
- John W. Campbell, 1937-1971
- Ben Bova, 1971-1978
- Stanley Schmidt, 1978 to present
