Jan 02, 2026 National Science Fiction Day

“All fiction is metaphor. Science fiction is metaphor. What sets it apart from older forms of fiction seems to be its use of new metaphors drawn from certain great domains of our contemporary life—science, all the sciences, and technology, and the relativistic and the historical outlook, among them. Space travel is one of these metaphors; so is an alternative society, an alternative biology; the future is another.
The future, in fiction, is a metaphor…” — Ursula K. LeGuin

Astounding Science Fiction
New York, NY: Street and Smith, 1938-1960
PS648 S3 A77 (Nov 1950)

The start of a new year is a time to reflect on the past and look toward the future. Perhaps we are hopeful about opportunities ahead or weary of things to come. Here at the library, it is a fitting moment to highlight the genre of science fiction and how it continues to shape our relationship and experiences with technology.

Coinciding with the birthday of famed writer and biochemistry professor, Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), National Science Fiction Day highlights the long tradition of exploring scientific discovery, technological change, and social questions through the art of storytelling. With roots in early pulp and digest magazines, science fiction was established as a serious literary form in the early twentieth century. In addition to providing great entertainment for readers, it has served as an incubator for bold ideas about artificial intelligence, space exploration, scientific progress, and more.

As real-world advancements accelerate in 2026, National Science Fiction Day celebrates the culture that continues to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and visions of what comes next. The publications included below are just a few examples of the magazines that championed stories of technological changes long before they became reality…

Astounding Science Fiction
New York, NY: Street and Smith, 1938-1960
PS648 S3 A77 (Dec 1952)

When the phrase “Science Fiction” is brought up, one might conjure up images of ray guns, aliens, solar-system-wide civilizations, and space soap operas. These are often associated with pulp and digest fiction magazines and novelettes of the twentieth century, before the market was dominated by singular collections and novels.

Sometimes their covers feature scantily clad women, dubious events, or figures more fitting for Shakespeare than our modern conception of a space-faring people. It is common to call such things “campy” or “childish.” As a result of this perception, science fiction in its very essence is an affective genre, letting in a host of ideas whose state of being and expression could be found in no other genre or literary discipline.

Of course, that is not to deny realistic or historical fiction’s ability to summon the fantastic (in the sense of Tzvetan Todorov) or allow themselves Keats’ negative capability. Science fiction is simply a genre with few restrictions; the very basic requirement being a semi-focused relation to “Science.” Such a loose genre, especially through the pulp fiction era, would create an ecosystem of writers, publishers, and artists, whose expressions would shape, not only singular stories, but whole aesthetics going forward.

If: Worlds of Science Fiction
Kingston, NY: Quinn Publishing Company, 1952
PS648 S3 I39 (Jun 1954)

The first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, was launched in 1926 by Hugo Gernsback, and became an immediate success, quickly reaching a circulation of over 100,000 subscribers. Only a few years later, competition arrived at the scene – a monthly pulp titled Astounding Stories of Super Science, published by William Clayton and edited by Henry Bates. Unfortunately for Clayton and Bates, financial troubles following the Great Depression led to bankruptcy and the magazine was sold to Street & Smith for $100.00 in 1933.

Once in the hands of Street & Smith and their distribution network, Astounding’s circulation increased once again. Over the course of one year, it became the leading science fiction magazine, and also the largest (at 160 pages) and cheapest (just 20 cents per issue). Aesthetically, the magazine stood out on the stands. By 1936, Astounding decided to trim its edges, making it look smarter and more modern than its other pulp competitors. Other changes soon followed. Notably, the promotion of John W. Campbell Jr. to editor. Campbell made a name for himself in the early 1930s with his space opera, but also gained a reputation under his pseudonym, Don A. Stuart. Campbell’s editorial leadership lasted until he died in 1971. During this “Golden Age of Science Fiction,” he published many stories that became classics in the field, including Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series.

Among its many pulp competitors was If, which launched in the middle of the second publishing boom following WWII. With James L. Quinn as publisher, the magazine ran a competition for short fiction from new writers, with a grand prize of $1000, a second place for $500, and five runner-up prizes of $100 each. Entries came in from writers who would later become well known, including Harlan Ellison, Roger Zelazny, and Andrew J. Offutt, whose story “And Gone Tomorrow,” about a man unexpectedly sent a hundred years into the future, won first prize and appeared in the December 1954 issue of If.

“For every bomb that drops in science fiction and an explosion takes place in the mind of the reader that blows away misconception. For every tower of lies that is toppled, a skyscraper of truth is erected. Better bitten by a snake on paper than reality! And if we are shown the snake on paper, we learn to recognize and avoid it in reality.”

If: Worlds of Science Fiction
Kingston, NY: Quinn Publishing Company, 1952
PS648 S3 I39 (Apr 1956)

During the post-war boom, Astounding changed its title to Analog Science Fact/Science Fiction. But that was not the only change that occurred. The following decade saw the magazine change publishers, merging with Condé Nast in 1961. And, with the unexpected death of James Campbell, a new editor also arrived. Ben Bova joined the masthead in January 1972 and brought with him many new ideas. Bova, like Campbell, was a technophile with a scientific background and wanted Analog to continue to focus on stories with a scientific foundation. Despite this, long-time readers complained that Bova was not living up to Campbell’s standards – particularly when the sex scenes and profanity began to appear. Bova had attracted authors who had originally been rejected by Campbell, including Gene Wolfe, Roger Zelazny, Harlan Ellison, Frederik Pohl, and Joe Haldeman. Other new writers included Spider Robinson, George R. R. Martin, and Orson Scott Card, with “Ender’s Game” appearing in the August 1977 issue.

The visually striking front covers of science fiction magazines are often a reader’s first invitation into imagined worlds, blending bold artistry with speculative ideas. Across decades, these covers not only illustrated the stories within but also charted the evolution of science fiction itself. These evolving cover styles reveal how science fiction magazines visually adapted to changing cultural moments, using art to reflect contemporary fears, technological curiosity, and ever-expanding imaginations.

Of course, science fiction is not constrained to the visual medium. And all these same publications would publish stories and novelettes by figures that would later join the larger culture zeitgeist of modern day. Frank Herbert, before writing the monumental Dune, would write of alien worlds subjected to forced cultures and totalitarian control through parties and alcohol in Analog and Astounding Science Fiction. These titans would be joined by a great congregation of writers attempting to argue whether the sun would die by natural causes, implode inward, or be drained by the greed of man by a great Dyson Sphere.

“His dozing brain had been weaving into a drama line about pre-melt earth.”

Analog: Science Fiction & Fact
New York, NY: Condé Nast Publications, 1930—
PS648 S3 A63 (Aug 1977)

Bova retired as editor of Analog in 1978 and recommended Stanley Schmidt to succeed him. At the time of his hiring, Schmidt had been working as an Assistant Professor of Physics at Heidelberg College in Ohio, and his scientific background was well-suited to the magazine’s readership. Schmidt avoided making drastic changes and maintained many of the same contributors from Bova’s day. Although the continuity led to some criticisms, the magazine continued to thrive. Schmidt knew what his readership wanted, commenting, “I reserve Analog for the kind of science fiction I’ve described here: good stories about people with problems in which some piece of plausible (or at least not demonstrably implausible) speculative science plays an indispensable role.”