While weeding my collection for a donation for SUNY at Buffalo’s George Kelley Paperback and Pulp Fiction Collection, I discovered a fistful of digest-sized Galaxy Science Fiction novels. This was a series of books that started in 1950 and continued to the Sixties (see list below). The early issues in the series were priced at 25 cents (a bargain in my book!). I reread Jack Williamson’s classic The Legion of Space and it brought back a lot of memories of space operas from the 1930s. Sure, the science is completely bogus. But the story-telling is still entertaining. If you haven’t read Jack Williamson’s high-adventure Legion of Space series, this is the place to start.
GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS:
1.1950 Eric Frank Russell. Sinister Barrier (1943)
2.1950 Jack Williamson. The Legion of Space (1947)
3.1951 Arthur C. Clarke. Prelude to Space (1951)
4.1951 S. Fowler Wright. The Amphibians (1925)
5.1951 S. Fowler Wright. The World Below (1949)
6.1951 Raymond F. Jones. The Alien (1951)
7.1951 Clifford D. Simak. Empire (1951)
8.1952 Olaf Stapledon. Odd John (1936)
9.1952 William F. Temple. Four Sided Triangle (1949)
10.1952 Jay Franklin. Rat Race (1950)
11.1952 Wilson Tucker. The City in the Sea (1951)
12.1952 Sam Merwin, Jr.. The House of Many Worlds (1951)
13.1953 John Taine. Seeds of Life (1953)
14.1953 Isaac Asimov. Pebble in the Sky (1950)
15.1953 Leslie Mitchell. Three Go Back (1932)
16.1953 James Blish. The Warriors of Day (1953)
17.1953 Lewis Padgett. Well of the Worlds (1952 in Startling Stories, March 1952)
18.1953 Edmond Hamilton. City at World’s End (1951)
19.1953 James Blish. Jack of Eagles (1952)
20.1954 Murray Leinster. The Black Galaxy (1949)
21.1954 Jack Williamson. The Humanoids (1949, expansion of “With Folded Hands…”, in Astounding Science Fiction July 1947)
22.1954 Sam Merwin, Jr.. Killer To Come (1953)
23.1954 David Reed. Murder in Space
24.1955 L. Sprague de Camp. Lest Darkness Fall (1939–1941)
25.1955 Murray Leinster. The Last Spaceship
26.1956 Lewis Padgett. Chessboard Planet
27.1956 Malcolm Jameson. Tarnished Utopia (1956, originally in Startling Stories, March 1942)
28.1957 Fritz Leiber. Destiny Times Three
29.1957 Ron Hubbard. Fear
30.1957 Fletcher Pratt. Double Jeopardy
31.1957 C.L. Moore. Shambleau
32.1957 F.L. Wallace. Address: Centauri
33.1958 Hal Clement. Mission of Gravity
34.1958 Manly Wade Wellman. Twice in Time
35.1958 Frank Riley (author) and Mark Clifton. The Forever Machine
36.1959 (236) Olaf Stapledon. Odd John (1936, second time, see above)
37.1959 (242) Raymond F. Jones. The Deviates
38.1959 (256) George O. Smith. Troubled Star
39.1959 (263) Laurence Janifer (as “Larry M. Harris”) and Randall Garrett. Pagan Passions
40.1960 (270) Poul Anderson. Virgin Planet
41.1960 (277) Philip José Farmer. Flesh (1960)
42.1960 (284) Sam Merwin, Jr.. The Sex War (1960, expansion of “The White Widows” in Startling Stories, October 1953)
43.1960 (291) Philip José Farmer. A Woman A Day (1960, expansion of “Moth and Rust” in June 1953 Startling Stories)
44.1960 (298) A. E. van Vogt, The Mating Cry (1960, revision of The House That Stood Still, 1950)
45.1961 (305) Brian Aldiss, The Male Response (1961)
46.1961 (312) Cyril Judd. Sin in Space (1952, originally as Outpost Mars)
I have that Pyramid copy, though it was about new when I read it. If I can find the time(sigh), I might give it another take.
I think have a few of these like the Lewis Padgett (aka Kuttner & Moore) CHESSBOARD PLANET and the Lieber DESTINY TME THREE – not sure I can recall reading any Williamson though – thanks George!
Sergio, for the time, the GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION series was innovative. Plenty of good reading on this list!
The Pyramid edition is the one I read about 40 years ago, too. I love the Legion books and am glad I got to meet Williamson once and tell him how much I enjoyed them.
James, what a thrill it must have been to talk with Jack Williamson! His work thrilled me when I was a kid. I read all the Jack Williamson books I could get my hands on! Including that Pyramid edition!
I’ve read most of those in one form-publisher-format or other, though I don’t remember this Williamson nor anything by S. Fowler Wright. Did you have them all, George?
Rick, you’re a mind reader! I’m doing the S. Fowler Wright GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION novels for the next FFB.
I see you included the Beacon Books (not the current/recent lefty Beacon) editions from the end of the run, where the titles were sexed up to match Beacon’s porn titles…those published in standard mass-market paperback format…
Yes, Todd, those Beacon Books had sexy covers and a “come-hither” marketing promotion.
Love seeing the range of cover art. Without the titles, you’d never suspect they were the same book.
Kelly, I’m glad you enjoyed the variety of covers. As you point out, there’s not much in common with any of them except they’re fun to look at!
Randy, I must have been reading that Pyramid edition of LEGION OF SPACE about the time you were. Love that cover!