Astounding : John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of science fiction

[ Astounding ]is a major work of popular culture scholarship that science fiction fans will devour. Publishers Weekly "Alec Nevala-Lee has brilliantly recreated the era. . . . A remarkable work of literary history." Robert Silverberg "Science fiction has been awaiting this history/biography for more than half a century. . . . Here it is. This is the most important historical and critical work my field has ever seen. Alec Nevala-Lees superb scholarship and insight have made the seemingly impossible a radiant and irreplaceable gift."Barry N. Malzberg, author of Beyond Apollo Astounding is the landmark account of the extraordinary partnership between four controversial writersJohn W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and L. Ron Hubbardwho set off a revolution in science fiction and forever changed our world. This remarkable cultural narrative centers on the figure of John W. Campbell, Jr., whom Asimov called the most powerful force in science fiction ever. Campbell, who has never been the subject of a biography until now, was both a visionary authorhe wrote the story that was later filmed as The Thing and the editor of the groundbreaking magazine best known as Astounding Science Fiction , in which he discovered countless legendary writers and published classic works ranging from the I, Robot series to Dune . Over a period of more than thirty years, from the rise of the pulps to the debut of Star Trek , he dominated the genre, and his three closest collaborators reached unimaginable heights. Asimov became the most prolific author in American history; Heinlein emerged as the leading science fiction writer of his generation with the novels Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land ; and Hubbard achieved lasting fameand infamyas the founder of the Church of Scientology. Drawing on unexplored archives, thousands of unpublished letters, and dozens of interviews, Alec Nevala-Lee offers a riveting portrait of this circle of authors, their work, and their tumultuous private lives. With unprecedented scope, drama, and detail, Astounding describes how fan culture was born in the depths of the Great Depression; follows these four friends and rivals through World War II and the dawn of the atomic era; and honors such exceptional women as Doa Campbell and Leslyn Heinlein, whose pivotal roles in the history of the genre have gone largely unacknowledged. For the first time, it reveals the startling extent of Campbells influence on the ideas that evolved into Scientology, which prompted Asimov to observe: I knew Campbell and I knew Hubbard, and no movement can have two Messiahs. It looks unsparingly at the tragic final act that estranged the others from Campbell, bringing the golden age of science fiction to a close, and it illuminates how their complicated legacy continues to shape the imaginations of millions and our vision of the future itself. Hugo and Locus Award Finalist An Economist Best Book of the Year A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Best Book of 2018 "An amazing and engrossing history...Insightful, entertaining, and compulsively readable." — George R. R. Martin Astounding is the landmark account of the extraordinary partnership between four controversial writers—John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and L. Ron Hubbard—who set off a revolution in science fiction and forever changed our world. This remarkable cultural narrative centers on the figure of John W. Campbell, Jr., whom Asimov called "the most powerful force in science fiction ever." Campbell, who has never been the subject of a biography until now, was both a visionary author—he wrote the story that was later filmed as The Thing—and the editor of the groundbreaking magazine best known as Astounding Science Fiction, in which he discovered countless legendary writers and published classic works ranging from the I, Robot series to Dune. Over a period of more than thirty years, from the rise of the pulps to the debut of Star Trek, he dominated the genre, and his three closest collaborators reached unimaginable heights. Asimov became the most prolific author in American history; Heinlein emerged as the leading science fiction writer of his generation with the novels Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land; and Hubbard achieved lasting fame—and infamy—as the founder of the Church of Scientology. Drawing on unexplored archives, thousands of unpublished letters, and dozens of interviews, Alec Nevala-Lee offers a riveting portrait of this circle of authors, their work, and their tumultuous private lives. With unprecedented scope, drama, and detail, Astounding describes how fan culture was born in the depths of the Great Depression; follows these four friends and rivals through World War II and the dawn of the atomic era; and honors such exceptional women as Doña Campbell and Leslyn Heinlein, whose pivotal roles in the history of the genre have gone largely unacknowledged. For the first time, it reveals the startling extent of Campbell's influence on the ideas that evolved into Scientology, which prompted Asimov to observe: "I knew Campbell and I knew Hubbard, and no movement can have two Messiahs." It looks unsparingly at the tragic final act that estranged the others from Campbell, bringing the golden age of science fiction to a close, and it illuminates how their complicated legacy continues to shape the imaginations of millions and our vision of the future itself. "Enthralling...A clarion call to enlarge American literary history." — Washington Post "Engrossing, well-researched... This sure-footed history addresses important issues, such as the lack of racial diversity and gender parity for much of the genre's history." — Wall Street Journal "A gift to science fiction fans everywhere." — Sylvia Nasar, New York Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Mind "A big biography of John Campbell, the genius magazine editor who created a mass market for science fiction, couldn't be timelier. Alec Nevala-Lee's granular portrait of Campbell and the quirky superstars whose careers he launched in the 1940s and 1950s is a gift to science fiction fans everywhere." ' Sylvia Nasar, New York Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Mind "[Astounding] is a major work of popular culture scholarship that science fiction fans will devour." ' Publishers Weekly (starred review) Astounding is the landmark account of the extraordinary partnership between four controversial writers'John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and L. Ron Hubbard'who set off a revolution in science fiction and forever changed our world. This remarkable cultural narrative centers on the figure of John W. Campbell, Jr., whom Asimov called "the most powerful force in science fiction ever." Campbell, who has never been the subject of a biography until now, was both a visionary author'he wrote the story that was later filmed as The Thing'and the editor of the groundbreaking magazine best known as Astounding Science Fiction, in which he discovered countless legendary writers and published classic works ranging from the I, Robot series to Dune. Over a period of more than thirty years, from the rise of the pulps to the debut of Star Trek, he dominated the genre, and his three closest collaborators reached unimaginable heights. Asimov became the most prolific author in American history; Heinlein emerged as the leading science fiction writer of his generation with the novels Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land; and Hubbard achieved lasting fame'and infamy'as the founder of the Church of Scientology. Drawing on unexplored archives, thousands of unpublished letters, and dozens of interviews, Alec Nevala-Lee offers a riveting portrait of this circle of authors, their work, and their tumultuous private lives. With unprecedented scope, drama, and detail, Astounding describes how fan culture was born in the depths of the Great Depression; follows these four friends and rivals through World War II and the dawn of the atomic era; and honors such exceptional women as DoNa Campbell and Leslyn Heinlein, whose pivotal roles in the history of the genre have gone largely unacknowledged. For the first time, it reveals the startling extent of Campbell's influence on the ideas that evolved into Scientology, which prompted Asimov to observe: "I knew Campbell and I knew Hubbard, and no movement can have two Messiahs." It looks unsparingly at the tragic final act that estranged the others from Campbell, bringing the golden age of science fiction to a close, and it illuminates how their complicated legacy continues to shape the imaginations of millions and our vision of the future itself An Economist Best Book of the Year A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Best Book of 2018 "Enthralling...A clarion call to enlarge American literary history." ? Washington Post "Engrossing, well-researched... This sure-footed history addresses important issues, such as the lack of racial diversity and gender parity for much of the genre's history." ? Wall Street Journal "A gift to science fiction fans everywhere." ? Sylvia Nasar, New York Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Mind Astounding is the landmark account of the extraordinary partnership between four controversial writers?John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and L. Ron Hubbard?who set off a revolution in science fiction and forever changed our world. This remarkable cultural narrative centers on the figure of John W. Campbell, Jr., whom Asimov called "the most powerful force in science fiction ever." Campbell, who has never been the subject of a biography until now, was both a visionary author?he wrote the story that was later filmed as The Thing?and the editor of the groundbreaking magazine best known as Astounding Science Fiction, in which he discovered countless legendary writers and published classic works ranging from the I, Robot series to Dune. Over a period of more than thirty years, from the rise of the pulps to the debut of Star Trek, he dominated the genre, and his three closest collaborators reached unimaginable heights. Asimov became the most prolific author in American history; Heinlein emerged as the leading science fiction writer of his generation with the novels Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land; and Hubbard achieved lasting fame?and infamy?as the founder of the Church of Scientology. Drawing on unexplored archives, thousands of unpublished letters, and dozens of interviews, Alec Nevala-Lee offers a riveting portrait of this circle of authors, their work, and their tumultuous private lives. With unprecedented scope, drama, and detail, Astounding describes how fan culture was born in the depths of the Great Depression; follows these four friends and rivals through World War II and the dawn of the atomic era; and honors such exceptional women as Do?a Campbell and Leslyn Heinlein, whose pivotal roles in the history of the genre have gone largely unacknowledged. For the first time, it reveals the startling extent of Campbell's influence on the ideas that evolved into Scientology, which prompted Asimov to observe: "I knew Campbell and I knew Hubbard, and no movement can have two Messiahs." It looks unsparingly at the tragic final act that estranged the others from Campbell, bringing the golden age of science fiction to a close, and it illuminates how their complicated legacy continues to shape the imaginations of millions and our vision of the future itself Astounding is the landmark account of the extraordinary partnership between four controversial writers - John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and L. Ron Hubbard - who set off a revolution in science fiction and forever changed our world. This remarkable cultural narrative centers on the figure of John W. Campbell, Jr., whom Asimov called "the most powerful force in science fiction ever." Campbell, who has never been the subject of a biography until now, was both a visionary author - he wrote the story that was later filmed as The Thing - and the editor of the groundbreaking magazine best known as Astounding Science Fiction, in which he discovered countless lengedary writers and published classic works ranging from Asimov's Robot series to Frank Herbert's Dune. Over a period of more than thirty years, from the rise of the pulps to the debut of Star Trek, Campbell dominated the genre, and his three closest collaborators reached unimaginable heights. Asimov became the most prolific author in American history; Heinlein emerged as the leading science fiction writer of his generation with the novels Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land; and Hubbard achieved lasting fame - and infamy - as the founder of the Church of Scientology. Drawing on unexplored archives, thousands of unpublished letters, and dozens of interviews, Alec Nevala-Lee offers a riveting portrait of this circle of authors, their work, and their tumultuous private lives. With unprecedented scope, drama, and detail, Astounding describes how fan culture was born in the depths of the Great Depression; follows these four friends and rivals through World War II and the dawn of the atomic era; and honors such exceptional women as Doña Campbell and Leslyn Heinlein, whose pivotal roles in the history of the genre have so far gone largely unacknowledged. For the first time, Nevala-Lee reveals the startling extent of Campbell's influence on the ideas that evolved into Scientology, which prompted Asimov to observe: "I knew Campbell and I knew Hubbard, and no movement can have two Messiahs." Astounding looks unsparingly at the tragic final act that estranged the others from Campbell, bringing the golden age of science fiction to a close, and illuminates how their complicated legacy continues to shape the imaginations of millions and our vision of the future itself. -- From dust jacket Part I. Who goes there? (1907-1937) The boy from another world (1910-1931) Three against the gods (1907-1935) Two lost souls (1931-1937) Part II. Golden age (1937-1941) Brass tacks (1937-1939) The analytical laboratory (1938-1940) In times to come (1939-1941) Part III. The invaders (1941-1945) A cold fury (1941-1944) The war of invention (1942-1944) From "Deadline" to Hiroshima (1944-1945) Part IV. The double minds (1945-1951) Black magic and the bomb (1945-1949) The modern science of mental health (1945-1950) The Dianetics epidemic (1950-1951) Part V. The last evolution (1951-1971) A fundamental attack on the problem (1951-1960) Strangers in a strange land (1951-1969) Twilight (1960-1971).