Astounding Science Fiction

American magazine

Also known as: “Analog”, “Astounding Stories”

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July 16, 2026

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Astounding Science Fiction was an influential American magazine that played a significant role in shaping modern science fiction. From 1937 to 1971, under the editorship of John W. Campbell, Jr., the magazine emphasized scientific accuracy and literary style. This approach fostered the careers of many prominent science fiction writers, including Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. The period of Campbell's early editorship, roughly 1938–46, is often referred to as the "golden age" of science fiction, a time when the genre gained widespread popularity and began to explore complex social issues.12

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At the Mountains of Madness
…and then serially published in Astounding Stories in 1936.
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…and then serially published in Astounding Stories in 1936.
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science fiction
The golden age of science fiction
…from 1937 to 1971 edited Astounding Science Fiction. Campbell’s insistence on accurate scientific research (he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his B.S. in physics from Duke University) and some sense of literary style shaped the career of almost every major American science fiction writer from the period.…
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…from 1937 to 1971 edited Astounding Science Fiction. Campbell’s insistence on accurate scientific research (he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his B.S. in physics from Duke University) and some sense of literary style shaped the career of almost every major American science fiction writer from the period.…
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A.E. Van Vogt
…the July 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, which was then considered the leading science-fiction magazine. He became a regular contributor, as did Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, and the trio introduced the “golden age” of science fiction. Van Vogt’s first novel, Slan (1946), which was serialized in Astounding Science…
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…the July 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, which was then considered the leading science-fiction magazine. He became a regular contributor, as did Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, and the trio introduced the “golden age” of science fiction. Van Vogt’s first novel, Slan (1946), which was serialized in Astounding Science…
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