"Sam Moskowitz - Doorway Into Time" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moskowitz Sam)

approaches to a theme. He demanded and got elaborate rewrites. He also
represented the largest monthly market for wordage, purchasing between
ASTOUND-ING SCIENCE-FICTION and a fantasy-oriented companion magazine,
UNKNOWN, nearly 200,000 words. Pleasing Campbell was good business.
Campbell also had the good fortune to assume editorship at the very onset of a
new wave of popularity for science fiction. The profitable sales of a magazine titled
MARVEL. SCIENCE STORIES, whose first issue, dated August, 1938, I it
appeared on the newsstands May 9, 1938) caused the pulp companies, who by and
large were convinced that science fiction was not properly commercial, to take
special notice. When AMAZING STORIES, the field's first magazine, beginning
publication with its issue dated April, 1926, was sold to Ziff-Davis (June, 1938
issue), and quickly be-gan to climb in circulation, the rush got underway.
All these factors made it possible for one man to shape the nature of the stories
the science fiction writers would produce and thereby command the direction of the
field. He gathered round him in only two years, a cadre of crack talent that a quarter
of a century later would still be dominating the world of science fiction.
His loudest gun, however, was still the old-time favorite Edward E. Smith, Ph. D.,
who had created a sensation with The Skylark of Space in 1928, a story which
moved science fiction out of the confines of the solar system, and whose Grey
Lensman for ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION in 1939 presented a thrilling
picture of an entire galaxy patrolled by a very special type of police.
The adaptable Jack Williamson, who had initially gained popularity imitating A.
Merritt, proved he also belonged in the forefront of changing science fiction, but
other than these veterans, the early phase of the science fiction revolution was
predominantly the work of new recruits.
Campbell had been hired as editor of ASTOUNDING STO -RIES by F. Orlin
Tremaine in 1937. Tremaine had taken control of the virtually defunct title in late
1933 and, in a brilliant drive, had made it the indisputable field leader by 1935.
However, through 1936 and 1937 the average quality of the material not only
declined, but frequently verged on dullness, though three authors discovered in 1937
and 1938—Eric Frank Russell, L. Sprague de Camp and Lester del Rey—were to
play an important part in the revival of science fiction. In 1939 Campbell discovered
A. E. van Vogt, Robert A. Heinlein and Theodore Sturgeon, and took Isaac Asimov
under his wing. These were to prove the real sluggers in his literary batting lineup.
While an occasional work by these men appeared else. where, Campbell generally
got first look at everything and to all practical purposes had exclusive use of their
talents. This scarcely disturbed the competition who had the' bulk of previous
favorites to draw upon. If Campbell wanted to hold his fledglings to his bosom that
was his affair. Other direc-tions in science fiction were proving at least as profitable
for them without all the effort Campbell was expending.
Leading contemporary science fiction magazines included AMAZING STORIES,
now under the editorship of Raymond A. Palmer, hewing to a policy of elementary
science fiction, simply told, with virtually no attempt at sophistication or a high order
of originality. There was a market for such a magazine and it pushed ahead of
ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION in circulation.
When taunted by this fact, as a counter to the wisdom of his editorial stance,
Campbell, instead of becoming dis-turbed, asserted that he was highly pleased. His
claim was that ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION was tailored for a more mature
audience. It no longer published the elementary type of science fiction that could
attract the youngsters. It was therefore essential that such magazines as AMAZING