Analog Science Fiction and Fact is the legendary American science fiction magazine achieved its greatest influence on the genre. The magazine, originally titled Astounding Stories of Super-Science, from 1930 was purchased and revitalized by Street & Smith in 1937. The appointment of John W. Campbell, Jr. as editor in late 1937 marked the beginning of the genre's "Golden Age." Under Campbell, Astounding became the definitive publication for "hard" science fiction, emphasizing scientific rigor, logical world-building, and innovative ideas. In 1938, renamed Astounding Science Fiction, it contained the best hard and pulp science fiction.
Isaac Asimov and Astounding[]
Isaac Asimov's career was profoundly shaped by Astounding and its editor, John Campbell. The majority of Asimov's foundational work was first published in Astounding, often developed through direct discussion with Campbell, who pushed the author toward greater conceptual depth.
Beyond robotics, Asimov's epic Foundation series was serialized in Astounding throughout the 1940s. It was in the pages of Astounding that Asimov, under Campbell's guidance, established the core concepts that would define his legacy and a significant portion of modern science fiction.
Title[]
The exact title of the magazine changed many times throughout the decades:
- Astounding Stories of Super-Science: January 1930 – January 1931
- Astounding Stories: February 1931 – November 1932
- Astounding Stories of Super-Science: January 1933 – March 1933
- Astounding Stories: October 1933 – February 1938
- Astounding Science-Fiction: March 1938 – October 1946
- Astounding Science Fiction: November 1946 – January 1960
- Analog Science Fact & Fiction: February 1960 – November 1961
- Analog Science Fact / Science Fiction: December 1961 – March 1965
- Analog Science Fiction / Science Fact: April 1965 – October 1991
- Analog Science Fiction & Fact: November 1991 – October 1992
- Analog Science Fiction and Fact: November 1992 – November/December 2019
- Analog Science Fact / Science Fiction: January/February 2020 – November/December 2020
- Analog Science Fiction & Fact: January/February 2021 – today
The largest change, from Astounding to Analog, was made with a transitional period between January and October 1960, during which the new title Analog Science Fact & Fiction was overlapped with "Astounding". Campbell's devised symbol looking like an inverted U pierced by a horizontal arrow and meaning "analogous to" replaced "&" or "/" from October 1960 to May 1966 and in 2020.
Astounding Stories Volumes[]
Astounding Science Fiction Volumes[]
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Volumes[]