This book, first published in 1980, analyses the history of science fiction and related developments, for instance the Bomb, that have shaped the literature. It examines the complex of activity and background tradition, the body of accepted beliefs and conventions, and the ethics and values of the world of science fiction.
This book, first published in 1980, is a guide to the major forces in the subculture of science fiction. It analyses the history of the field and the related developments, for instance the Bomb, that have shaped the literature. It examines the complex of activity and background tradition, the body of accepted beliefs and conventions, and the ethics and values of the world of science fiction.
Part 1. Background 1. What Science Fiction Is 2. The Beginnings of Science Fiction 3. The Rise of the Pulps 4. The Third Source Part 2. The Age of Wonder (1926-1937) 5. The Magazines of Hugo Gernsback 6. The Dawn of Astounding 7. The Crucial Years 8. The Active Fan 9. The Shaping of the Future Part 3. The Golden Age (1938-1949) 10. Campbell's Astounding 11. The War and the Bomb 12. A Proliferation of Magazines 13. Science Fiction in Books 14. The Growth of Fandom 15. Reshaping the Future Part 4. The Age of Acceptance (1950-1961) 16. The Quest for Magic 17. The Big Boom 18. And the Collapse 19. The Magazine Business 20. Wider Horizons 21. FIAWOL or FIJAGH? 22. Watershed Part 5. The Age of Rebellion (1962-1973) 23. The Survivors 24. The Torch Passes 25. Rebellion: the New Wave and Art 26. Enter: Academe 27. The Big Con Game 28. The Fifth Age (1974- ) Part 6. Parallels and Perspectives 29. Fantasy 30. Buck Rogers and Mr. Spock 31. Glossary 32. Themes and Variations 33. Utopias and Dystopias 34. But What Good Is It? 35. Mene, Mene, Tekel... 36. After Star Wars