Gnome Press

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Gnome Press was an American small-press publishing company primarily known for publishing many science fiction classics.^[1] They were the first to publish Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, and brought Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories back from pulp obscurity.^[2] They also published many of Robert A. Heinlein's classics, and the beloved Children of the Atom by Wilmar Shiras, a novel that is considered to be one of the most influential SF books of the century.^[3] Noted science fiction writer Andre Norton worked as a reader for Gnome Press for "about three years in the Fifties" as she recalled later, and began writing the "Star Trader" series during her time with Gnome.

The company was founded in 1948 by Martin Greenberg and David A. Kyle. Many of Gnome's titles were reprinted in England by Boardman Books. Martin Greenberg of Gnome Press was a New York science fiction fan and member of the Hydra Club, not to be confused with the later Martin H. Greenberg the SF anthologist. David A. Kyle was another New York based science fiction fan, a Futurian as well as a member of the Hydra Club.

Gnome Press did not have much capital or access to distribution facilities. The company was notorious for not paying their writers royalties due. Asimov claimed he was never paid for the publication of the Foundation books, and called Greenberg "an outright crook". ^[4] Asimov and other authors were able eventually to repossess the rights to their publications, and the company failed during 1962.

[edit] Works published by Gnome Press

• The Carnelian Cube, by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (1948)
• The Porcelain Magician, by Frank Owen (1948)
• Pattern for Conquest, by George O. Smith (1949)
• Sixth Column, by Robert A. Heinlein (1949)
• The Thirty-First of February, by Nelson Bond (1949)
• Men Against the Stars, edited by Martin Greenberg (1950)
• The Castle of Iron, by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (1950)
• Minions of the Moon, by William Gray Beyer (1950)
• Conan the Conqueror, by Robert E. Howard (1950)
• I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov (1950)
• Cosmic Engineers, by Clifford D. Simak (1950)
• Seetee Ship, by Will Stewart (1951)
• Tomorrow and Tomorrow & The Fairy Chessmen, by Lewis Padgett (1951)
• Renaissance, by Raymond F. Jones (1951)
• Typewriter in the Sky & Fear, by L. Ron Hubbard (1951)
• Travelers of Space, edited by Martin Greenberg (1951)
• Journey to Infinity, edited by Martin Greenberg (1951)
• Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (1951)
• The Mixed Men, by A.E. Van Vogt (1952)
• City, by Clifford D. Simak (1952)
• Robots Have No Tails, by Lewis Padgett (1952)
• Judgment Night, by C.L. Moore (1952)
• The Sword of Conan, by Robert E. Howard (1952)
• Five Science Fiction Novels, edited by Martin Greenberg (1952)
• Sands of Mars, by Arthur C. Clarke (1952)
• The Starmen, by Leigh Brackett (1952)
• Foundation and Empire, by Isaac Asimov (1952)
• Children of the Atom, by Wilmar H. Shiras (1953)
• Space Lawyer, by Nat Schachner (1953)
• Mutant, by Lewis Padgett (1953)
• Shambleau and Others, by C.L. Moore (1953)
• The Complete Book of Outer Space, edited by Jeffrey Logan (1953)
• The Coming of Conan, by Robert E. Howard (1953)
• King Conan, by Robert E. Howard (1953)
• The Robot and the Man, edited by Martin Greenberg (1953)
• Iceworld, by Hal Clement (1953)
• Against the Fall of Night, by Arthur C. Clarke (1953)
• Second Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (1953)
• Conan the Barbarian, by Robert E. Howard (1954)
• Undersea Quest, by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson (1954)
• Mel Oliver and Space Rover on Mars, by William Morrison (1954)
• Northwest of Earth, by C.L. Moore (1954)
• The Forgotten Planet, by Murray Leinster (1954)
• Lost Continents, by L. Sprague de Camp (1954)
• Prelude to Space, by Arthur C. Clarke (1954)
• Star Bridge, by Jack Williamson and James E. Gunn (1955)
• Address: Centauri, by F.L. Wallace (1955)
• Sargasso of Space, by Andrew North (1955)
• Tales of Conan, by Robert E. Howard (1955)
• This Fortress World, by James E. Gunn (1955)
• All About the Future, edited by Martin Greenberg (1955)
• Reprieve from Paradise, by H. Chandler Elliott (1955)
• Science Fiction Terror Tales, edited by Groff Conklin (1955)
• Highways in Hiding, by George O. Smith (1956)
• Undersea Fleet, by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson (1956)
• Plague Ship, by Andrew North (1956)
• SF: The Year's Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Judith Merril (1956)
• Interplanetary Hunter, by Arthur K. Barnes (1956)
• The Shrouded Planet, by Robert Randall (pseudonym of Robert Silverberg and Randall Garrett) (1957)
• The Return of Conan, by Bjorn Nyberg and L. Sprague de Camp (1957)
• SF '57: The Year's Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Judith Merril (1957)
• Colonial Survey, by Murray Leinster (1957)
• Two Sought Adventure, by Fritz Leiber (1957)
• Coming Attractions, edited by Martin Greenberg (1957)
• They'd Rather Be Right, by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley (1957)
• The Seedling Stars, by James Blish (1957)
• Earthman's Burden, by Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson (1957)
• Path of Unreason, by George O. Smith (1958)
• Starman's Quest, by Robert Silverberg (1958)
• Undersea City, by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson (1958)
• Tros of Samothrace, by Talbot Mundy (1958)
• SF '58: The Year's Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Judith Merril (1958)
• Methuselah's Children, by Robert A. Heinlein (1958)
• The Survivors, by Tom Godwin (1958)
• The Bird of Time, by Wallace West (1959)
• The Dawning Light, by Robert Randall (pseudonym of Robert Silverberg and Randall Garrett) (1959)
• Purple Pirate, by Talbot Mundy (1959)
• SF '59: The Year's Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Judith Merril (1958)
• The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag, by Robert A. Heinlein (1959)
• The Menace from Earth, by Robert A. Heinlein (1959)
• The Vortex Blaster, by Edward E. Smith, Ph.D. (1960)
• Agent of Vega, by James H. Schmitz (1960)
• Drunkard's Walk, by Frederik Pohl (1960)
• Invaders from the Infinite, by John W. Campbell, Jr. (1961)
• Gray Lensman, by Edward E. Smith, Ph.D. (1961) (Note: Gnome Press reprinted this book directly from the Fantasy Press edition, including the "First Edition" statement, even though it is a reprint edition, making it one of the most notoriously tricky titles for collectors of science fiction first editions.)
• The Philosophical Corps, by Everett B. Cole (1962)

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd., 294-311. 
• Asimov, Isaac (1994). I. Asimov: A Memoir. New York: Doubleday, 157-159.