Space Science Fiction Magazine
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Space Science Fiction Magazine was a US science fiction magazine published by Republic Features Syndicate, Inc. Two issues appeared, both in 1957. It published stories by well-known writers, including Arthur C. Clarke and Jack Vance, but it was not successful, and the magazine ceased to appear when the publishers liquidated late in 1957.
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[edit] Publication history and contents
Space's first issue was dated Spring 1957; oddly, it indicated on the masthead that it would be a bimonthly. It was published by Republic Features Syndicate, Inc., of New York, and the editor was Lyle Kenyon Engel. It was intended as a companion to the publisher's Tales of the Frightened, a spin-off from a New York radio series of the same name which was narrated by Boris Karloff, and both issues of Space carried advertisements for various radio shows to the exclusion of any other advertising. Engel did manage to obtain stories from moderately well-known science fiction names for both issues, including John Jakes, Mack Reynolds, Jack Vance, and Raymond F. Jones. Space also published Arthur C. Clarke's "Critical Mass", one of the popular "White Hart" stories. It had been printed before in Lilliput, a British magazine, in 1949; Clarke revised it for this publication. Overall, though, in the words of Mike Ashley, " . . . [although it] carried stories by noted sf writers, they read like rejects from better magazines, and there was nothing of lasting value." The second and last issue was dated August 1957; shortly after that, Republic Features Syndicate went into liquidation and the magazine ceased publication.[1][2][3]
[edit] Illustrations and bibliographic data
Almost every story was illustrated; Bruce Minney was the artist for all of them. Both covers were by Tom Ryan. There were no editorials, review columns, or any other contents than the fiction. Both issues were priced at 35 cents, and had a page count of 132. The volume numbering was, unsurprisingly, regular, with one volume of two numbers.[2][3]
[edit] References
- ^ Ashley, Michael (1978). The History of the Science Fiction Magazine Part 4 1956-1965. London: New English Library, 22. ISBN 0-450-03438-0.
- ^ a b Tuck, Donald H. (1982). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Volume 3. Chicago: Advent: Publishers, Inc., 604. ISBN 0-911682-26-0.
- ^ a b See the individual issues.
