In the beginning was Hugo Gernsback

The Golden Age of Science Fiction is much debated. Supposedly it started back in 1938 and Hugo Gernsback was touted to have been the driving force that moved Science Fiction from the pulp era into the golden light.

Huge Gernsback was born in Luxembourg on 16th August 1884. His mother was a housewife, and his father a winemaker. He emigrated to America in 1904 and was eventually naturalised as an American citizen. He started out in electronics. He imported radio parts from Europe in the hopes that he could popularise "wireless." In 1908 he founded Modern Electrics. It was the very first magazine that featured articles about both electronics and radio.

With the wonderful power of the internet, I managed to track down a PDF copy of Vol 1 No 1. It was published in April 1908. Articles included Wireless Telegraphy; Experiments in Static Electricity; How to make a 'dry' storage battery from a 'wet' one; The Speaking Gloves; Recharging Dry Cells; How to make an electric whistle; How to make a mercury interrupter etc.

"To our friends," it begins. "The maiden issue of Modern Electrics is before you. We cannot but feel the deepest gratitude towards our supporters ..." It goes on to thank those who subscribed to the magazine prior to publication.  Gernsback used the success of the magazine to found the Wireless Association of America. He grew the membership to 10,000 in the first year. Which is astounding when you think about it. 

The April 1911 issue of Modern Electrics featured Gernsback's first foray into what he called "scientifiction." With a readership of 52,000 in 1911, Gernsback had a solid platform to test the possibility of success with this kind of speculative writing. Mike Ashley who has written a history of Science Fiction magazines, suggests that at the time the term "scientific romance" was more popular for this kind of writing.

There were stories published much earlier than this that could be described as "science fiction" such as Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, which was published in 1818 and which is a strong candidate given it's focus on science, and science's ability to work for good, or in some cases evil. The fact that Frankenstein has a healthy mix of Gothic Horror, just added to the appeal.

In the first issue of Amazing Stories, Gernsback himself points to Jules Verne as one of the pioneers of this new type of fiction. In his introduction, entitled "A new sort of magazine," Gernsback dismisses the "usual fiction magazine," "the love story and the sex-appeal type of magazine," as well as the "adventure type" of magazine "and so on." What the sophisticated reader needs is a magazine that gives them "scientifiction."

Gernsback explains that by "scientifiction" he means "a charming romance intermingled with scientific fact and prophetic vision." These days we tend to view "romance" in terms of bodice rippers with lurid covers. There is excitement, yes, and mystery, yes, but of a very different sort. Gernsback is looking at the kind of writing that lures the reader with mysteries and events distant from the life they know. I find it interesting that Gernsback chooses to spin in the "romance" direction, even briefly, for the Romantic movement sought to move away from the kind of rationalism and order that science held as vital. It is more comfortable to say here that Gernsback is most likely referring to a story that shifts itself away from realism.

Gernsback points to Edgar Allan Poe as the "father of 'scientifiction,'" in that Poe "originated the romance, cleverly weaving into and around the story, a scientific thread." Gernsback looks next to Jules Verne. Indeed, in the first issue of Amazing Stories both Poe and Verne feature. Poe with The facts in the case of Mr. Valdemar, and Verne with Off on a comet. What I find interesting, rather than just relying on Poe and Verne and later H.G. Wells, he used them as a hook, luring readers in before presenting them with new stories.

The first issue, which came out in  April 1926 featured three stories from contemporary writers: The man from the atom by G. Peyton Wertenbaker; The Thing from - Outside by George Allen England and The man who saved the earth by Austin Hall.

The story by G. Peyton Wertenbaker was actually a reprint. It was written when Wertenbaker was just 15 and had appeared in the August 1923 issue of Science and Invention magazine. The scientist who features in the story has "constructed a machine that you will be incapable of believing until you try it. With this little object in my lap, you could grow forever, until there is nothing left in the universe to surpass." Of course, our intrepid hero tries the machine and grows to the point where the earth can no longer hold him. Themes of alienation seep through. The protagonist is alone, and will remain that way.

According to the SF Encyclopedia, Wertenbaker went on to write a total of four scientifiction stories: a sequel to The man from the atom (May 1926) ,  a story titled The coming of the ice (June 1926), The chamber of life (October 1929), Elaine's Tomb (Winter 1930) and The ship that turned inside (March 1930) all of which saw publication in Amazing.

It is interesting to note that the magazine Science and Invention was originally called the Electrical Experimenter. It had 220 issues from May 1913 through to August 1931, and had, you guessed it, none other than Hugo Gernsback at the helm.

The story by George Allen England can be described more as "cosmic horror" than science fiction. The story was also a reprint, taken from the pages of Science and Invention magazine. 

The Austin Hall entry is perhaps closer to the idea of science fiction we are familiar with. Again, a reprint, it came from the pages of Argosy All-Story Weekly magazine, December 1919 issue. The story deals with Martian's who have come to steal Earth's water resources.  It's not the greatest story ever written, but in the scheme of early science fiction it embraces the foundational concept of science saving human kind, either from itself, or some strange and alien influence. Given when it was written and published, I think it could be argued as being progressive for its time.

Gernsback is keen to remind his readers that they "live in an entirely new world." In terms of the stories told, he wasn't wrong. "Science," he says, "through its various branches of mechanics, electricity, astronomy etc., enters so intimately into all our lives today, and we are so much immersed in this science, that we have become rather prone to take new inventions and discoveries for granted."

I think this applies more now than it did in Gernsback's time. We are constantly shown and embrace new and ever more sophisticated technologies. Space travel, impossible back then except for flights of the wildest imagination, is now something we have accepted as common place. Elon Musk has revolutionised the way space travel is done, and it appears he will continue to push the boundaries of the possible, with his focus on Mars.

It was clear that Gernsback had vision for the future. He started by creating the boundaries that he hoped writers would come on board to push. I think his first issue of Amazing Stories gives a hint as to what was to come, how the Golden Age was given shape by these early flights of imagination.