Pioneers of wonder : conversations with the founders of science fiction

Long before Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Gene Roddenberry, and Chris Carter, the names of David Lasser, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Hugo Gernsback, and Sam Moskowitz were well known by the first fans of a new kind of fiction. These pioneers were among the visionary individuals who launched the science fiction genre, which today enjoys such wide appeal. Through exclusive interviews, Eric Leif Davin takes readers back to the late 1920s, when Gernsback, "the father of science fiction," founded the world's first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. Lasser, one of Gernsback's editors, recalls his own amazing book The Conquest of Space-the first work in English to seriously probe the possibility of space flight. Other highlights include a discussion with the widow of Stanley G. Weinbaum ("A Martian Odyssey"), the first author to write about an alien in sympathetic terms; talks with the giants of early sci-fi Frank K. Kelly and Raymond Z. Gallun; Wolf Man creator and science fiction script writer Curt Siodmak; pioneer book publisher and writer Lloyd Arthur Eshbach; plus commentary on popular sci-fi magazines. The lives, experiences, memories, and insights provided in Pioneers of Wonder are a treasure for all fans of this dynamic literary phenomenon. Through Detailed Research And Exclusive Interviews, Eric Leif Davin Takes Readers Back To The 1920s And 1930s, When Hugo Gernsback, The Father Of Science Fiction, Founded The World's First Science Fiction Magazine, Amazing Stories. Davin Recaptures The Sense Of Wonder That The Early Science Fiction Stories Inspired In The Minds Of Its First Avid Fans.--jacket. Foreword / Jack Williamson -- Introduction -- Genesis Of Wonder: Hugo Gernsback, Sense Of Wonder, And The Birth Of Science Fiction -- 1. The Age Of Wonder: Gernsback, David Lasser, And Wonder Stories. A Conversation With David Lasser. A Conversation With Charles D. Hornig -- 2. The Silberkleit Years And The Birth Of Comic Books: A Further Conversation With Charles D. Hornig -- 3. Stanley G. Weinbaum And Black Margot: A Conversation With Margaret Weinbaum Kay -- 4. From Wisconsin To Mars: A Conversation With Raymond Z. Gallun -- 5. Teenage Author: A Conversation With Frank K. Kelly -- 6. The Science And Science Fiction Of R.f. Starzl: A Conversation With Thomas E. Starzl. Eric Leif Davin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Through detailed research and exclusive interviews, Eric Leif Davin takes readers back to the 1920s and 1930s, when Hugo Gernsback, the "father of science fiction," founded the world's first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. Davin recaptures the "sense of wonder" that the early science fiction stories inspired in the minds of its first avid fans."--BOOK JACKET.