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{{short description|US science fiction magazine}}
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{{use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
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[[File:ASTJAN1930.jpg|thumb|right|First issue of ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', dated January 1930. The cover art is by [[Hans Waldemar Wessolowski]].]]
'''''Analog Science Fiction and Fact''''' is an American [[science fiction magazine]] published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled '''''Astounding Stories of Super-Science''''', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by [[William Clayton (publisher)|William Clayton]], and edited by [[Harry Bates (author)|Harry Bates]]. Clayton went bankrupt in 1933 and the magazine was sold to [[Street & Smith]]. The new editor was [[F. Orlin Tremaine]], who soon made ''Astounding'' the leading magazine in the nascent pulp science fiction field, publishing well-regarded stories such as [[Jack Williamson]]'s ''[[Legion of Space Series|Legion of Space]]'' and [[John W. Campbell]]'s [[Twilight (Campbell short story)|"Twilight"]]. At the end of 1937, Campbell took over editorial duties under Tremaine's supervision, and the following year Tremaine was let go, giving Campbell more independence. Over the next few years Campbell published many stories that became classics in the field, including [[Isaac Asimov]]'s [[Foundation (book series)|''Foundation'' series]], [[A. E. van Vogt]]'s ''[[Slan]]'', and several novels and stories by [[Robert A. Heinlein]]. The period beginning with Campbell's editorship is often referred to as the [[Golden Age of Science Fiction]].
By 1950, new competition had appeared from ''[[Galaxy Science Fiction]]'' and ''[[The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction]].'' Campbell's interest in some [[Pseudoscience|pseudo-science]] topics, such as [[Dianetics]] (an early non-religious version of [[Scientology]]), alienated some of his regular writers, and ''Astounding'' was no longer regarded as the leader of the field, though it did continue to publish popular and influential stories: [[Hal Clement]]'s novel ''[[Mission of Gravity]]'' appeared in 1953, and [[Tom Godwin]]'s "[[The Cold Equations]]" appeared the following year. In 1960, Campbell changed the title of the magazine to '''''Analog Science Fact & Fiction'''''; he had long wanted to get rid of the word "Astounding" in the title, which he felt was too sensational. At about the same time Street & Smith
[[Ben Bova]] took over from 1972 to 1978, and the character of the magazine changed noticeably, since Bova was willing to publish fiction that included sexual content and profanity. Bova published stories such as [[Frederik Pohl]]'s "[[The Gold at the Starbow's End]]", which was nominated for both a [[Hugo Award|Hugo]] and [[Nebula Award|Nebula]] Award, and [[Joe Haldeman]]'s "Hero", the first story in the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning "[[The Forever War|Forever War]]" sequence; Pohl had been unable to sell to Campbell, and "Hero" had been rejected by Campbell as unsuitable for the magazine. Bova won five consecutive Hugo Awards for his editing of ''Analog''.
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===Clayton===
In 1926, [[Hugo Gernsback]] launched ''[[Amazing Stories]]'', the first science fiction (sf) magazine. Gernsback had been printing scientific fiction stories for some time in his hobbyist magazines, such as ''[[Modern Electrics]]'' and ''[[Electrical Experimenter]]'', but decided that interest in the genre was sufficient to justify a monthly magazine. ''Amazing'' was very successful, quickly reaching a circulation over 100,000.<ref name=TTM_48>Ashley (2000), p. 48.</ref> [[William Clayton (publisher)|William Clayton]], a successful and well-respected publisher of several pulp magazines, considered starting a competitive title in 1928; according to [[Harold Hersey]], one of his editors at the time, Hersey had "discussed plans with Clayton to launch a pseudo-science fantasy sheet".<ref name="TTM_69_Q">Ashley (2000), p. 69. The quote is from Hersey (1937), p. 188, cited by Ashley.</ref> Clayton was unconvinced, but the following year decided to launch a new magazine, mainly because the sheet on which the color covers of his magazines were printed had a space for one more cover. He suggested to [[Harry Bates (author)|Harry Bates]], a newly hired editor, that they start a magazine of historical adventure stories. Bates proposed instead a science fiction pulp, to be titled ''Astounding Stories of Super
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 11pt; margin-left: 2em; text-align: center; float: right"
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|colspan="13" style="font-size: 8pt; text-align:left"|Issues of ''Astounding Stories'', showing volume/issue number; the apparent volume numbering error in January 1975<br />is in fact correct. The colors identify the editors for each issue:<ref name=TTM_239>Ashley (2000), p. 239.</ref><ref>Ashley (2007), p. 425.</ref><br />
{{legend0|#CCFFFF|Harry Bates}} {{legend0|#FFFF99| F. Orlin Tremaine}} {{legend0|#CCC0DA|John W. Campbell}} {{legend0|#fac090|Ben Bova}} {{legend0|#c3f9bf|Stanley Schmidt}}
|}''Astounding'' was initially published by Publisher's Fiscal Corporation, a subsidiary of [[Clayton Magazines]].<ref name=":8" /><ref name="issues">See the individual issues. For convenience, an online index is available at {{cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Magazine:Astounding_Science_Fiction |title=Magazine: Astounding Science Fiction – ISFDB |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=June 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705212233/http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Magazine%3AAstounding_Science_Fiction |archive-date=July 5, 2008 |url-status=live }} and {{cite web |url=http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Magazine:Analog_Science_Fiction_and_Fact |title=Magazine: Analog Science Fiction and Fact – ISFDB |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=June 26, 2008 |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113181633/http://www.isfdb.org/wiki/index.php/Magazine:Analog_Science_Fiction_and_Fact |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="NYT Mar 28 1931">{{cite news | title = Corporate Changes | work = The New York Times | date = March 28, 1931}} "Publishers Fiscal Corp., Manhattan, to Clayton Magazines."</ref> The first issue appeared in January 1930, with Bates as editor. Bates aimed for straightforward action-adventure stories, with scientific elements only present to provide minimal plausibility.<ref name=":8" /> Clayton paid much better rates than ''Amazing'' and ''[[Wonder Stories]]''—two cents a word on acceptance, rather than half a cent a word, on publication (or sometimes later)—and consequently ''Astounding'' attracted some of the better-known pulp writers, such as [[Murray Leinster]], [[Victor Rousseau Emanuel|Victor Rousseau]], and [[Jack Williamson]].<ref name="TTM_69" /><ref name=":8" /> In February 1931, the original name ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'' was shortened to ''Astounding Stories''.<ref name="TTM_72">Ashley (2000), p. 72.</ref>
The magazine was profitable,<ref name="TTM_72" /> but the [[Great Depression]] caused Clayton problems. Normally a publisher would pay a printer three months in arrears, but when a credit squeeze began in May 1931, it led to pressure to reduce this delay. The financial difficulties led Clayton to start alternating the publication of his magazines, and he switched ''Astounding'' to a bimonthly schedule with the June 1932 issue. Some printers bought the magazines which were indebted to them: Clayton decided to buy his printer to prevent this from happening. This proved a disastrous move. Clayton did not have the money to complete the transaction, and in October 1932, Clayton decided to cease publication of ''Astounding'', with the expectation that the January 1933 issue would be the last one. As it turned out, enough stories were in inventory, and enough paper was available, to publish one further issue, so the last Clayton ''Astounding'' was dated March 1933.<ref name="TTM_76-77">Ashley (2000), pp. 76–77.</ref> In April, Clayton went bankrupt, and sold his magazine titles to T.R. Foley for $100; Foley resold them in August to [[Street & Smith]], a well-established publisher.<ref name="TTM_82">Ashley (2000), p. 82.</ref><ref>Ashley (2004), p. 204.</ref><ref>Joshi, Schultz, Derleth & Lovecraft (2008), pp. 599–601.</ref>
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Bova planned to stay for five years, to ensure a smooth transition after Campbell's sudden death; the salary was too low for him to consider remaining indefinitely. In 1975, he proposed a new magazine to Condé Nast management, to be titled ''Tomorrow Magazine''; he wanted to publish articles about science and technology, leavened with some science fiction stories. Condé Nast was not interested, and refused to assist ''Analog'' with marketing or promotions. Bova resigned in June 1978, having stayed for a little longer than he had planned, and recommended [[Stanley Schmidt]] to succeed him. Schmidt's first issue was December 1978, though material purchased by Bova continued to appear for several months.<ref name=GTF_341-6>Ashley (2007), pp. 341–346.</ref>
===Davis Publications, Dell Magazines, and
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 11pt; margin-right: 2em; float: left"
! colspan="4" | Issue data for 1981 to 1983
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| colspan="4" |Issue data for 1981 to 1983. Stanley Schmidt was editor throughout.
|}
In 1977, [[Davis Publications]] launched ''[[Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine]]'', and after Bova's departure, Joel Davis, the owner of Davis Publications, contacted Condé Nast with a view to acquiring ''Analog. Analog'' had always been something of a misfit in Condé Nast's line up, which included ''Mademoiselle'' and ''Vogue'', and by February 1980 the deal was agreed. The first issue published by Davis was dated September 1980.<ref name=":0" /> Davis was willing to put some effort into marketing ''Analog'', so Schmidt regarded the change as likely to be beneficial,<ref name="GTF_341-6" /> and in fact circulation quickly grew, reversing a gradual decline over the Bova years, from just over 92,000 in 1981 to almost 110,000 two years later. Starting with the first 1981 issue, Davis switched ''Analog'' to a four-weekly schedule, rather than monthly, to align the production schedule with a weekly calendar. Instead of being dated "January 1981", the first issue under the new regime was dated "January 5, 1981", but this approach led to newsstands removing the magazine much more quickly, since the date gave the impression that it was a weekly magazine. The cover date was changed back to the current month starting with the
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 11pt; margin-left: 2em; text-align: center; float: right"
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|colspan="14" style="font-size: 8pt; text-align:left"|Issues of ''Astounding'' from 1984 to 2019, showing volume and issue number. The editors were Stanley Schmidt (green) and Trevor Quachri (yellow).
|}
In 1992 ''Analog'' was sold to [[Dell Magazines]], and Dell was in turn acquired by Crosstown Publications in 1996.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/analog|title=Culture : Analog : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia|website=www.sf-encyclopedia.com|access-date=January 6, 2017}}</ref> That year the Mid-December issues stopped appearing, and the following year the July and August issues were combined into a single bimonthly issue.<ref name=":1" /> An ebook edition became available in 2000 and has become increasingly popular, with the ebook numbers not reflected in the published annual circulation numbers,<ref name=":1" /> which by 2011 were down to under 27,000.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=February 2012|title=2011 Magazine Summary|magazine=Locus|pages=56–7}}</ref> In 2004 the January and February issues were combined, so that only ten issues a year appeared. Having just surpassed John W. Campbell's tenure of 34 years, Schmidt retired in August 2012. His place was taken by [[Trevor Quachri]], who continues to edit ''Analog'' as of
==Contents and reception==
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Heinlein rapidly became one of the most prolific contributors to ''Astounding'', publishing three novels in the next two years: ''[[If This Goes On—]]'', ''[[Sixth Column]]'', and ''[[Methuselah's Children]]''; and half a dozen short stories. In September 1940, van Vogt's first novel, ''[[Slan]]'', began serialization; the book was partly inspired by a challenge Campbell laid down to van Vogt that it was impossible to tell a superman story from the point of view of the superman. It proved to be one of the most popular stories Campbell published, and is an example of the way Campbell worked with his writers to feed them ideas and generate the material he wanted to buy. Isaac Asimov's [[Robot series (Asimov)|"Robot" series]] began to take shape in 1941, with "Reason" and "Liar!" appearing in the April and May issues; as with "Slan", these stories were partly inspired by conversations with Campbell.<ref name=TTM_153-8/> Van Vogt's "The Seesaw", in the July 1941 issue, was the first story in his "Weapon Shop" series, described by critic [[John Clute]] as the most compelling of all van Vogt's work.<ref name="vVbio">{{Cite web|url=http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/van_vogt_a_e|title=Authors : van Vogt, A E : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia|last=Clute|first=John|website=sf-encyclopedia.com|access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref> The September 1941 issue included Asimov's short story "[[Nightfall (Asimov novelette and novel)|Nightfall]]"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/asimov_isaac|title=Authors : Asimov, Isaac : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia|last1=Clute|first1=John|last2=Edwards|first2=Malcolm|website=sf-encyclopedia.com|access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref> and in November, ''[[Second Stage Lensmen|Second Stage Lensman]]'', the next novel in Smith's ''Lensman'' series, began serialization.<ref name=TTM_153-8/>
The following year brought the first installment of Asimov's "[[Foundation (book series)|Foundation]]" stories; "Foundation" appeared in May and "Bridle and Saddle" in June.<ref name=TTM_153-8/> The March 1942 issue included Van Vogt's novella "Recruiting Station", an early version of a [[Changewar]].<ref name=vVbio/> Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore began to appear regularly in ''Astounding'', often under the pseudonym "Lewis Padgett", and more new writers appeared: [[Hal Clement]], [[Raymond F. Jones]], and [[George O. Smith]], all of whom became regular contributors. The September 1942 issue contained del Rey's "Nerves", which was one of the few stories to be ranked top by every single reader who voted in the monthly Analytical Laboratory poll; it dealt with the aftermath of an explosion at a nuclear plant.<ref name=TTM_153-8/>
Campbell emphasized scientific accuracy over literary style. Asimov, Heinlein, and de Camp were trained scientists and engineers.<ref name="latham2009">{{Cite book |title=The Routledge Companion to Science Fiction |last=Latham |first=Rob |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |isbn=978-1135228361 |editor-last=Bould |editor-first=Mark |pages=80–89 |chapter=Fiction, 1950-1963 |editor2-last=Butler |editor2-first=Andrew M. |editor3-last=Roberts |editor3-first=Adam |editor4-last=Vint |editor4-first=Sherryl |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y7CNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA80}}</ref> After 1942, several of the regular contributors such as Heinlein, Asimov, and Hubbard, who had joined the war effort, appeared less frequently. Among those who remained, the key figures were van Vogt, Simak, Kuttner, Moore, and [[Fritz Leiber]], all of whom were less oriented towards technology in their fiction than writers like Asimov or Heinlein. This led to the appearance of more psychologically oriented fiction, such as van Vogt's ''[[The World of Null-A|World of Null-A]]'', which was serialized in 1945. Kuttner and Moore contributed a humorous series about an inventor, Galloway Gallegher, who could only invent while drunk, but they were also capable of serious fiction.<ref name=":9">Ashley (2000), pp. 169–174.</ref> Campbell had asked them to write science fiction with the same freedom from constraints that he had allowed them in the fantasy works they were writing for ''Unknown'', Street & Smith's fantasy title; the result was "[[Mimsy Were the Borogoves]]", which appeared in February 1943 and is now regarded as a classic.<ref name=":9" />{{refn|For example, Malcolm Edwards and Brian Stableford describe the story as a "classic",<ref name=ESF_683>{{Cite web|url=http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/kuttner_henry|title=Authors : Kuttner, Henry : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia|last1=Edwards|first1=Malcolm |last2=Stableford |first2=Brian |last3=Clute |first3=John |website=sf-encyclopedia.com|access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref> and Ashley describes it as "a brilliant story merging the wonders of the unknown with its horrors".<ref name=TTM_153-8/>|group=notes}} Leiber's ''Gather, Darkness!'', serialized in 1943, was set in a world where scientific knowledge is hidden from the masses and presented as magic; as with Kuttner and Moore, he was simultaneously publishing fantasies in ''Unknown''.<ref name=":9" />
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==Bibliographic details==
Editorial history at ''Astounding'' and ''Analog'':<ref name=":1" />
*
*
*
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*
*
''Astounding'' was published in pulp format until the January 1942 issue, when it switched to bedsheet. It reverted to pulp for six issues, starting in May 1943, and then became the first of the genre sf magazines to be published in digest format, beginning with the November 1943 issue. The format remained unchanged until Condé Nast produced 25 bedsheet issues of ''Analog'' between March 1963 and March 1965, after which it returned to digest format.<ref name=":6">Berger & Ashley (1985), pp. 102–103.</ref> In May 1998, and again in December 2008, the format was changed to be slightly larger than the usual digest size: first to 8.25 x 5.25 in (210 x 135 mm), and then to 8.5 x 5.75 in (217 x 148 mm).<ref name=":1" />
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|April 2008 – September 2016
|$7.99 for the January/February and July/August issues; $4.99 for other issues
|}
=== Circulation figures ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Number of Copies
|-
|1926
|100,000
|-
|1934
|50,000
|-
|1981
|92,000
|-
|1983
|110,000
|-
|1990
|83,000
|-
|2011
|27,000
|}
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A British edition published by Atlas Publishing and Distributing Company ran from August 1939 until August 1963, initially in pulp format, switching to digest from November 1953. The pulp issues began at 96 pages, then dropped to 80 pages with the March 1940 issue, and to 64 pages in December that year. All the digest issues were 128 pages long. The price was 9[[£sd|d]] until October 1953; thereafter it was 1/6 until February 1961, and 2/6 until the end of the run. The material in the British editions was selected from the U.S. issues, most stories coming from a single U.S. number, and other stories picked from earlier or later issues to fill the magazine.<ref name=":7" /> The covers were usually repainted from the American originals.<ref>Stone (1977), p. 19.</ref>
An Italian magazine, ''{{Interlanguage link|Scienza Fantastica|it|vertical-align=sup}}'', published seven issues from April 1952 to March 1953, the contents drawn mostly from ''Astounding'', along with some original stories. The editor was {{Interlanguage link|Lionello Torossi|it|vertical-align=sup}}, and the publisher was Editrice Krator.<ref>Montanari & de Turris (1985), pp. 881–882.</ref> Another Italian edition, called ''Analog Fantascienza'', was published by Phoenix Enterprise in 1994/1995, for a total of five issues.<ref>{{Cite web
A German anthology series of recent 1980s stories from ''Analog'' was published in eight volumes by {{Interlanguage link|Pabel-Moewig Verlag|de|vertical-align=sup}} from October 1981 up to June 1984.<ref>{{Cite web
===Anthologies===
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==External links==
* [http://www.analogsf.com/ ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' official web site]
* [http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?20473 ''Astounding/Analog'' bibliography] at [[ISFDB]]
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