Looking Back at Tomorrow: Amazing Stories Was the First Magazine Entirely Devoted to Science Fiction
- Liz Publika
- Jul 6
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 14
by Liz Publika
Amazing Stories, the first magazine entirely devoted to science-fiction, launched in April 1926. It was the dream project of Hugo Gernsback (1884-1967), a Luxembourgish American editor and publisher, who had spent over a decade building towards it. But it was not his first attempt to create a “sciencefiction” publication of this kind; previous efforts included titles like Modern Electrics and Science and Invention, which weren’t pure sci-fi rags because they also included actual technical content. But, when there’s a will, there’s a way; driven to realize his dream, he surveyed 25,000 readers about a dedicated fiction magazine before launching Amazing Stories, which finally yielded favorable numbers.
The first issue was mostly an aggregation of stories that were already in print. Authors included the likes of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Edgar Allan Poe. But new stories were featured, too. Gernsback passionately believed that science fiction could both entertain and educate readers at once. But, as any publisher of educational content will tell you, getting readers excited about instruction is much harder than getting them into adventure, and so the scientific foundation of the publication essentially fizzled out by the late 1920s. Sadly, the dream had ended just three years after it began, when Gernsback lost the magazine and his publishing company was forced into bankruptcy amid slow payments to creditors and printers.
Several people took over the publication in the subsequent years. Finally, it was acquired by American digital media and, now, internet company Ziff-Davis in 1938, Raymond A. Palmer (1910-1977) — who eventually went on to become an entrepreneur publisher of occult and science-fiction magazines, was installed as editor shortly thereafter; the fact that the 28-year-old had little to no interest in scientific accuracy was already evident at the time. His famous instruction to one writer was simply "Gimme Bang-Bang,” and so what was lost in accountability was gained by sensationalism. He successfully rebuilt Amazing Stories around fan culture; readers got adventure and sci-fi writers, like Isaac Asimov, got a chance to make their first sale.
Palmer’s tenure with the publication lasted from June 1938 to December 1949, which means he got to oversee the magazine's strangest and most commercially successful chapter, which came in the mid-1940s. It started when reader and “outsider” artist Richard Shaver (1907-1975) began sending Palmer stories about ancient underground civilizations. Palmer published "I Remember Lemuria" in 1945, framing it as part-truth — although none of them were truthful — and Shaver stories became a monthly fixture, culminating in a 1947 issue devoted entirely to what became known as the Shaver Mystery. While circulation spiked, the magazine drew widespread ridicule that eventually pushed publisher William Ziff (1898-1953) to interfere.
After Palmer's departure, writer Howard Browne (1908-1999) succeeded him as editor in 1950 He discarded most of the leftover Shaver-era inventory, aiming to move the magazine upmarket but the plan was derailed when the Korean War forced budget cuts. Still the magazine survived, and switched to digest format just as the pulp-magazine era was ending in 1953; it briefly published strong work from Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, and Arthur C. Clarke before further budget constraints set back in. Cele Goldsmith (1933-2002) took over in 1958 and, despite limited science fiction background, developed a strong eye for new talent. The esteemed editor and author gave first sales to Ursula K. Le Guin, Roger Zelazny, and Thomas M. Disch, among others; Le Guin later called her one of the field's best editors.
Publisher Sol Cohen (1910-1988) bought the magazine in 1965 and filled it almost entirely with reprints. Worse, he did so without paying authors for the reused material — a practice that put him in direct conflict with the newly formed Science Fiction Writers of America. While several editors under Cohen tried and failed to shift the balance back toward new fiction, the only one who successfully accomplished this was Ted White (1938–2026). He took over in 1969 on the explicit condition that reprints be phased out, which allowed him to rebuild the magazine's reputation, run more experimental and boundary-pushing fiction (including work influenced by the New Wave movement), and earned three Hugo Award nominations for best editor.
The 1970s was probably the strongest critical period the magazine had experienced after its founding decade. After White's departure in 1978, however, a string of editors struggled to match his standard, which sadly led to a steady decline in circulation. Though Amazing Stories was acquired by Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) in 1982, the trend continued. In an attempt to save it, the magazine went through repeated relaunches from the late 1990s onward: a Wizards of the Coast version leaning on media tie-in stories, a Paizo Publishing run with contributions from Harlan Ellison and Bruce Sterling that folded within a year, and eventually an online revival in 2012 under Steve Davidson, who resumed print publication in 2018.
Beyond its content, the magazine’s most lasting influence came from its letter column, which endured an impressive 78 years and helped science fiction readers across the country find each other. According to historian, author, and editor Lester del Rey (1915 –1993), it was possibly one of the most important developments in the genre's history. That correspondence network became the seed of organized science fiction fandom, and many of those who wrote in went on to become the genre's major writers. Despite that founding role, historians generally agree Amazing Stories rarely led the field again after its first few years — its significance rests almost entirely on having been first.
Still, its original aesthetic and pioneering tales of space travel, ray guns, and advanced technology, shaped our imaginations for decades and helped define what we now call retro-futurism. Hugo Gernsback's dream didn’t work out for him on a personal level like he’d hoped, but it led to the development of a pivotal and ongoing publication. The title also found a second life on television, licensed by Steven Spielberg for an NBC anthology series in the 1980s and revived again on Apple TV+ in 2020. Often credited as the father of the genre, Gernsback's own legacy is preserved in the name of the Hugo Award, science fiction's top honor bestowed on him in 1960.
Note* Images available via Fair Use and Public Domain.