This is the cover of “American Boy” magazine from November 1937. By then, the first Flash Gordon serial had already come out. The second serial followed in 1938. The Buck Rogers serial, also starring Buster Crabbe, came out in 1939.
In 1937, science fiction magazines were selling well. Astounding was the leading sci-fi magazine, and John W. Campbell was taking over editorial duties from F. Orlin Tremaine.
Fan clubs were popping up like daisies. Sci-fi conventions had already started. (The First World Science Fiction Convention would be held in 1939.)
As a genre, sci-fi was young. Space opera was king, and robots were distrusted. (Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics didn’t appear until 1942.) Stories plucked at science but were often pseudo-sciencey. Science fiction tales were expansive explorations into the unknown. Some held (accidental?) slivers of future truth. For example, there’s a 1933 story with a legit warning about something very “AI-like” causing problems for humanity. The story even mentions 2025!
The 1930s dreamed of adventures in space. I’ll be speaking on this topic at Seattle WorldCon on August 15. For my complete schedule please go to lucinapress.com.
The Rocketeer Podcast will return in August.
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