Sold by Max Rambod Inc, Woodland Hills, CA, U.S.A.
Association Member:
AbeBooks Seller since 5 February 2021
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
[Science Fiction] Astounding Science Fiction five-issue archive from the golden age of pulp, spanning 1950 to 1957, with a strong emphasis on the genre's transition from space opera into Cold War-era speculation, cybernetic anxiety, and philosophical futurism. Contributors include major figures such as Robert A. Heinlein, Robert Silverberg, and Christopher Anvil, whose serialized works reflect the complex interplay of science, paranoia, and political ideology in postwar American consciousness. The archive offers a striking visual and thematic cross-section of a genre in transformation-where early atomic-age optimism collided with deeper social, psychological, and existential uncertainties. [1] Heinlein, Robert A. "Shooting 'Destination Moon.'" Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. XLV, No. 5. New York: Street & Smith Publications, July 1950. An extended essay by Heinlein on the making of George Pal's landmark technicolor film Destination Moon (1950), co-written by Heinlein himself and a foundational work in cinematic hard science fiction. The essay outlines the integration of plausible engineering and physics into the film's depiction of a lunar mission, reinforcing Heinlein's authority as a science-forward futurist. The painted cover shows astronauts deploying equipment on a rocky moonscape. Very good with light edge wear. [2] Heinlein, Robert A. "Citizen of the Galaxy." Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. LX, No. 1. September 1957. Serialized installment of Heinlein's coming-of-age space opera exploring slavery, identity, and political intrigue across multiple alien societies. The cover, by Kelly Freas, features a weathered, eye-patched guardian figure and a gaunt, haunted youth-foregrounding themes of survival and guardianship in an intergalactic setting. Mild toning, very good. [3] Anvil, Christopher. "The Gentle Earth." Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. LX, No. 3. November 1957. A lesser-known but provocative story envisioning an Earth pacified to the point of weakness, threatened by a more violent alien species. Anvil's work critiques utopianism and explores martial necessity within a soft technological society. The cover art, featuring an amphibious alien armed with a trident, conjures pulp terror amid swirling waves and broken cityscapes. Slight spine wear, very good. [4] Silverberg, Robert. "Precedent." Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. LX, No. 4. December 1957. Early Silverberg tale on interplanetary law and post-imperial justice, dramatizing questions of colonial sovereignty and the application of Earth's legal code to alien societies. The arresting cover features a giant blue-skinned humanoid clenching a weapon, glowering over defeated humans-an inversion of postwar dominance metaphors. Very good with some edge creasing. [5] "Thinking Machine." Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. LX, No. 2. October 1957. Anonymous or pseudonymous lead story emblematic of the genre's growing interest in artificial intelligence and mechanized decision-making. The cover art shows a white-coated scientist contemplating a wall-sized bank of blinking servers and data reels-early visual language of the computer age. A landmark issue anticipating the rise of AI fiction. Cover art by Freas. Minor edge wear, very good. All issues retain their original illustrated covers and are complete, with internal pages clean and legible. Visually, the archive charts the aesthetic evolution of pulp illustration from bold space exploration and action motifs to more cerebral and introspective imagery. Themes across the issues range from libertarian individualism and human-alien ethics to machine autonomy and technocratic unease, mirroring Cold War cultural tensions and a rapidly mechanizing society. An excellent, coherent group centered on Astounding's role in mid-century science fiction's transition toward complexity and modernity-ideal for collections focusing on postwar genre studies, serialized fiction, or early American interpretations of AI and galactic governanc.
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