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[Magazines and Periodicals][Literature][Sci-fi] Astounding Science Fiction archive of four issues. New York: Street & Smith Publications, August-November 1946. Four issues. Original illustrated wrappers. Each issue features wraparound painted covers by William Timmins with internal illustrations by Frank Kelly Freas and Charles Swenson. A consecutive four-issue run of the genre-defining pulp science fiction magazine Astounding, edited by John W. Campbell Jr. at a turning point in the post-war sci-fi imagination. Each issue features contributions from leading Golden Age authors including Isaac Asimov, Theodore Sturgeon, A.E. van Vogt, and Arthur Leo Zagat, offering critical early treatments of emerging themes such as robotics, post-nuclear dystopia, and interspecies ethics. Archive includes: [1] Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. XXXVII, No. 6. (August 1946). Includes the first part of Arthur Leo Zagat's two-part serial "Slaves of the Lamp," which explores mass surveillance and mind control via a dystopian industrial setting-Zagat was one of the more prolific Jewish-American authors working in pulp. Also featured are novelettes by Paul Carter ("The Last Objective"), B. Payne Hull ("Bankruptcy Proceedings"), and A.E. van Vogt ("Child of the Gods"), whose speculative narratives often address totalitarianism and psychological identity. Raymond F. Jones contributes the short story "The Cat and the King," while the science article "Radar: The Waves That 'Feel'" highlights technological fascination in the immediate postwar period. [2] Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 1. (September 1946). Concludes Zagat's "Slaves of the Lamp." Features Raymond F. Jones's novelette "The Toymaker," a notable precursor to AI fiction and widely cited in early discussions of emotional robotics. Also includes Lawrence O'Donnell's "Vintage Season," a chilling time-travel narrative later adapted into the film Timescape-O'Donnell was a pseudonym for husband-wife writing team C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner. Moore, one of the earliest prominent female sci-fi writers, was instrumental in shaping speculative fiction's psychological complexity, though uncredited individually here. The short stories include "Evidence" by Isaac Asimov, one of the most significant early robot stories in his canon, wherein a robotic political candidate raises questions about civil rights and identity. [3] Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 2. (October 1946). Debuts A.E. van Vogt's "The Chronicler," a philosophical serial exploring collective memory and historiography. Includes novelettes by John MacDougal, Hal Clement, and A. Bertram Chandler. Short stories "Alien" by George O. Smith and "To Still the Drums" by Chan Davis round out the issue-Davis, an anti-fascist academic, later blacklisted during McCarthyism, used sci-fi to critique authoritarian regimes. The science article "The Atomic Pile" reflects ongoing interest in atomic energy. [4] Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 3. (November 1946). Features the standout novelette "Mewhu's Jet" by Theodore Sturgeon, a poignant first-contact narrative emphasizing empathy and nonviolence-an early and enduring example of humane alien fiction. Also includes Clifford D. Simak's "Hobbies," and short stories by Mark Champion and A. Bertram Chandler. Van Vogt's "The Chronicler" concludes in this issue. Notably, many of the stories here grapple with the potential and peril of post-human evolution. Spines show wear with moderate edge chipping, especially to the October issue which has tearing to staplebinding. November issue marked by inkstain on cover. Interior pages clean and complete. Overall good condition. A cohesive four-issue 1946 run featuring foundational authors of Golden Age science fiction, including contributions from Theodore Sturgeon and Isaac Asimov, and a collaborative story from pioneering female sci-fi writer C.L. Moore-representing both canonical and marginal voices grappling with technology, ethic.
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