#John W Campbell

[dizzyhslightlyvoided]

hey guys, check out this new short story, it's about this hypothetical new kind of weapon based on the principles of Atomic Power, and it's about how everyone hates and how nobody should ever use it in war.

(after the federal agents leave) Hey wait a minute! I just realized, a while ago, a whole bunch of scientists who're subscribed to my magazine all changed their mailing addresses to Los Alamos, basically all at the same time! I think they might be doing some top secret research there which is somehow related to atomic power! ... Welp, not like there's anything I can do about that.

[kekwcomics]

John W Campbell: "Who Goes There?" (Shasta, 1948)

Art: Wayne Francis Woodard aka "Hannes Bok"

The art has a weird Rich Corben vibe...

[spaceintruderdetector]

Astounding (UK) v04n10 [1945-05] : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

[silvandar]

Cw horror, historical politics

Excellent analysis of the cultures surrounding the writing of some classic scifi, and their impact on the storytelling.

This channel is about to become my obsession, i can feel it 😅

[bookmaven]

THE MOON IS HELL by John W. Campbell (Reading, PA: Fantasy Press, 1951) Cover by Hannes Bok.

The Moon Is Hell! is a collection of two stories, one science fiction, the other sword and sorcery. It was published in an edition of 4,206 copies

The title story, original to this collection, deals with a team of scientists stranded on the Moon when their spacecraft crashes, and how they use their combined skills and knowledge to survive until rescue, including building shelter from meteor showers, and creating their own oxygen from Lunar rock. The second story, "The Elder Gods" [from a story by Arthur J. Burke] originally appeared in the October 1939 issue of Unknown under the pseudonym Don A. Stuart.

Unknown [v2 #2, October 1939] Edited by John W. Campbell. Cover by Modest Stein.

“The Elder Gods” by Don A. Stuart [with Arthur J. Burks] Illustrated by Isip

“A God in a Garden” by Theodore Sturgeon. Illustrated by Isip

“Dreams May Come” by H. Warner Munn. llustrated by H. Wesso

“Anything” by Lester del Rey. Illustrated by Isip

“Blue and Silver Brocade” by Dorothy Quick. Illustrated by Harry Kirchner

“The Enchanted Weekend” by John MacCormac. Illustrated by H.H. Gilmore

source

[nerds-yearbook]

The final episode of the radio sci-fi series "Exploring Tomorrow" aired on June 25, 1958*. The series, narrated by the editor of "Astonding Magazine" John W Campbell Jr, concluded with "The Adventure of the Beauty Queen" by John Fleming. ("The Adventures of the Beauty Queen", Astonding Magazine, Radio, Event) *This date could be incorrect. By some accounts, the series ran to June 13, 1958.

[zombiemollusk]

speaking of "the cold equations", i haven't read it, but i have read about the plot and the history behind it. about how it's supposed to be about how sometimes you're forced to sacrifice a few to save the many, but the author (tom godwin) kept coming up with solutions that wouldn't require that, and the editor (john w campbell) insisted on contriving reasons that those solutions wouldn't work, and the result was a space expedition that shouldn't have even started because of all the flaws.

it reminded me of the mentality behind bigotry. they'll come up with all sorts of reasons and justifications, no matter how nonsensical. because it isn't actually about making it make sense, it's about results. they just plain don't like others who are different; it doesn't matter why.

so i looked up the editor who insisted on this, and - yup, sure enough, the guy was a major bigot. rarely accepted any story where the protagonist wasn't a northern european white male. also, even though he insisted on "good science", apparently good science didn't include "smoking is bad for you", and he apparently got into pseudoscience later in life. "science is good as long as it's convenient for me", basically.

so i guess the lesson here is: your insistence on a particular message may blind you to the truth, and sometimes equations are only cold because someone somewhere refuses to let go of their own pride in an arbitrary rule. the world sucks sometimes, but it doesn't have to.

[defenestrationsloth]

Well. Damn.

[passionatepages]

What I read in 2023:

23: Paper towns by John Green ( 4 stars)

22: My heart is a chainsaw by stephen graham jones ( 5 stars)

21: You by caroline kepnes ( 3 stars)

20: I was here by Gayle Forman ( i didn't rate)

19: behind her eyes by sarah pinborough ( 3 stars)

18: layla by Colleen Hoover ( 5 stars)

17: Capturing the devil by Kerri Maniscalo ( 5 stars)

16: becoming the dark prince by Kerri Maniscalo ( 5 stars)

15: escaping from houdini by Kerri Maniscalo ( 5 stars)

14: Hunting Prince dracula by Kerri Maniscalo ( 5 stars)

13: stalking jack the ripper by Kerri Maniscalo ( 5 stars)

12: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover ( 5 stars)

11: verity by Colleen Hoover ( 4 stars)

10: who goes there by John w campbell Jr ( 2 stars)

9: it starts with us by Colleen Hoover ( 5 stars)

8: it ends with us by Colleen Hoover ( 5 stars)

7: the orc's bride by Layla fae ( 3 stars)

6: that's not what happened by kody keplinger ( 4 stars)

5: what have we done by Alex finlay ( 4 stars)

4: all the bright places by Jennifer niven ( 5 stars)

3: the silent patient by Alex michaelides ( 3 stars)

2: the hunger games by Suzanne Collins ( 5 stars)

1: the fault in our stars by John Green ( 4 stars)

[travelingcryptologist]

The Thing From Another World

John W. Campbell Jr.

[bekah-reading]

8/120 2023 Reading Challenge

4/5

This was an interesting and immersive. The book took off right away, and it works really well for this story and what the point was. I read this through an audiobook and would recommend that whole heartedly.

The reason this is only 4, is because of how short it it and it is starting to show its age but holding out really well. I want more though.

[myhikari21things]

Read of Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell (1938) (161pgs)

[thatsbelievable]

[weirdlookindog]

Malcolm H. Smith (1910-1966) - Original cover art for 1951 edition of John W. Campbell's 'Who Goes There?'

[bookmaven]

THE WHEELS OF IF, And Other Science Fiction by L. Sprague DeCamp. (Chicago: Shasta, 1940) Dust jacket illustration by Hannes Bok. Short story collection contains:

"The Merman" (Astounding Science Fiction, February 1938)

"Hyperpilosity" (ASF, April 1938)

"The Gnarly Man" (ASF, June 1939)

"The Best-Laid Scheme" (ASF, February 1940)

"The Warrior Race" (ASF, October 1940)

The Wheels of If" (Unknown, October 1940)

"The Contraband Cow"

Astounding, December 1938 [v22 #4] Edited by John W. Campbell. Cover art by Charles Schneeman.

A Matter of Form by H. L. Gold [Gilroy]

“The Ephemerae” by Edmond Hamilton

Nuisance Value by Manly Wade Wellman [Part 1 of 2]

“The Merman” by L. Sprague de Camp

Simultaneous Worlds by Nat Schachner [Part 2 of 2]

“Helen O’Loy” by Lester del Rey

“Let Cymbals Ring!” by Moses Schere

“They Had Rhythm!” by Kent Casey [Private Kelton]

[nerds-yearbook]

On December 5 (or possibly December 11), 1957, the first episode of the sci fi radio series "Exploring Tomorrow" aired. The series was described as "the first science-fiction show of science-fictioneers, by science-fictioneers and for science-fictioneers - real science fiction for a change!" The series was narrated by John W Campbell, who was the editor Astonding Magazine. The first episode was "The Convict". ("The Convict", Exploring Tomorrow, Radio, Event)