As part of the program for Chicon 8, FFE is orchestrating the “1946 Project” to recall and highlight science fiction and fandom from that important just-post-War year.

Presented here for your perusal and possible amusement is a fiction bibliography for science fiction and fantasy pulps issued in 1946. The list includes magazines that primarily published new works. Excluded are reprints of works published in prior years (most of Famous Fantastic Mysteries, all of Strange Tales). Non-fiction articles and editorials are also omitted. For brevity, we didn’t cite specific issue dates. For richness, we’ve transcribed the introductory blurbs that appeared in the Table of Contents or masthead for each story.

We’d love to hear your reflections on works from 1946 that you might have had occasion to read. Which stories were notable to you, and why? Which have stood the test of time? Which are ‘undiscovered gems?’ Which stories reflected the times in particularly compelling or unique ways?

Please drop us a note with your thoughts at:
info@firstfandomexperience.org

Isaac Asimov chose sixteen of these tales for inclusion in his anthology, “The Great SF Stories 8: 1946” (edited by Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg, DAW Books, Inc., 1982). We offer this list as his point-of-view, possibly influenced by copyright restrictions, and without endorsement or dismissal:

“A Logic Named Joe” by Will F. Jenkins (Murray Leinster)
“Memorial” by Theodore Sturgeon
“Loophole” by Arthur C. Clarke
“The Nightmare” by Chan Davis
“Rescue Party” by Arthur C. Clarke
“Placet is a Crazy Place” by Fredric Brown
“Conqueror’s Isle” by Nelson S. Bond
“Lorelei of the Mist” by Ray Bradbury and Leigh Brackett
“The Million Year Picnic” by Ray Bradbury
“The Last Objective” by Paul A. Carter
“Meihem in ce Klasrum” by Dolton Edwards
“Vintage Season” by Lawrence O’Donnell (C.L. Moore)
“Evidence” by Isaac Asimov
“Absalom” by Henry Kuttner
“Mewhu’s Jet” by Theodore Sturgeon
“Technical Error” by Arthur C. Clarke

A contemporaneous view of fan favorites from the year was compiled by Joe Kennedy in his the 1946-1947 Fantasy Review, the second in his series of yearbooks covering the field. Kennedy’s survey captured the opinions of 78 fans of the day. (For details on the poll participants and methods, see this post: Science Fiction and Fantasy in Books: 1946.) Here are the top 25:

Science Fiction and Fantasy in the Pulps: 1946

Amazing Stories (Raymond A. Palmer)

Invasion of the Micro-Men	Richard S. Shaver	A terrible plague came to Nor, and Elder Goddess Vanue lost her crown. A story of Mutan Mion.
“Anything You Say, Dear”	Leroy Yerxa	He was just a mouse of a man until he got the hypnotic tube–then he became master in his home.
The Huntress of Akkan	Robert Moore Williams	She was lovely beyond all compare, but she was a huntress–and a huntress to chill one’s blood!
Final Victim	Henry Hasse & Ray Bradbury	Who was it that lost out in the end? Pursued, or pursuer, on this hideous little rock in space?
Little Drops of Water	Frances M. Deegan	Almost anything might be expected to show up in a microscope–except the experimenter himself!
Four Who Returned	Chester S. Geier	The world waited breathlessly for the return of the four survivors of the first voyage to Mars…
The Masked World	Richard S. Shaver	Under New York lies the cavern city, Ontal, ruled by the most murderous cutthroat gang of all time.
Atom War	Rog Philips	Years in the future Chicago had become the World Capital, and it was first target for atomic bombs.
Bridge of Life	Robert Moore Williams	Maybe a walkie-talkie isn’t the thing to put in a call to a dead man, but at least you can try
The Affair of Matthew Eldon	Millen Cooke	When we get to monkeying around in the electronic bands, there is no telling what we’ll discover!
A Room with a View	David Wright O’Brien	The things one says in this room! Characters from a masque ball who claimed they weren’t from one.
Don’t Mention It!	John & Dorothy de Courcy	The invention was vital–and there was opposition from another dimension. Then came a “Helper”…
The Perfect Imitation	H. B. Hickey	Don’t go around aping people, even if they are good examples; maybe you’ll imitate them too well!
Agharti	Heinrich Hauser	A super atomic bomb, carried by rocket, launched itself from the Harz Mountains–and Satan died!
The Brothers Shenanigan	David V. Reed	When these brothers go into business on the Moon, the looney Luna business really begins to boom!
Luder Valley	Richard S. Shaver	If any man saw it fall, he called it another meteor; but it wasn’t a meteor that crashed to earth…
To Whome It May Concern	Millicent Holmberg	People with strange new senses, and with strange plans for the future, lived in this western town.
Cult of the Witch Queen	Richard S. Shaver & Bob McKenna	Hecate was her name, an immortal goddess–but her subjects called her the Limping Hag
The Mutants	Rog Phillips	Arny wasn’t like other boys–he was the result of the Atom War, a mutant human…
Chrysalis	Ray Bradbury	Smith was dead–or was he? Maybe he was only dead as a butterfly larvae is dead!
The Man with Two Minds	Leroy Yerxa	One way to discover the workings of the mind of a murderer is to be in his mind…
Heart of Light	Gardner F. Fox	The diamond had a heart–of light. And the light was also the light of life…
Scar Tissue	Henry S. Whitehead	Thousands of years in the Past he died, but the scars remained even in a new life.
The Man Next Door	Robert Moore Williams	What about the man next door? Do you know anything about him, really? Do you?
The Sea People	Richard S. Shaver	The Limping Hag, having been beaten on Venus, fled to Earth to set up her empire on the sea bottom.
March of the Mercury Men	Don Wilcox	Death and destruction loomed as the Mercury Men set out on their monstrous steeds to do battle…
The Gift	Berkeley Livingston	Precious indeed was the gift from the world’s greatest artist–but a curse went with its misuse.
Some Are Not Men	John & Dorothy de Courcy	You see them on the street every day, but do not recognize them–these creates who are not men.
Bothon	Henry S. Whitehead	Of what importance was one wronged man in a world rent apart by the dying convulsion of a continent?
Earth Slaves to Space	Richard S. Shaver	The Darkspear came to Earth and picked up a load of slaves–but Earther’s other people never knew it!
The Cosmic Sisters	Leroy Yerxa	Women tall as trees, female counterparts of the legendary giant man, Paul Bunyan–and very lovely.
Battle of the Gods	Rog Phillips	The final showdown between the rival mutant humans who were born of the atom war; what would happen?
Morton’s Fork	Jack & Dorothy de Courcy	So there are no such things as demons? Of course not, if you’re looking for horns and a tail!
The Green Man	Harold M. Sherman	He came from the planet Talamaya bearing a vitally important message for the inhabitants of Earth!
The Caduceus of Hermes	George Tashman	There it was: the caduceus used by Hemes himself. And it turned out to be a powerful gadget!
Getaway	Chester S. Geier	It was a way of escape never used before–to elude capture by police by taking off in a spaceship!
M-M-M-M-M-M!	Millen Cooke	She came through a Time Warp, from a world where kisses were unknown–and became an atavist!
The Return of Sathanas	Richard S. Shaver & Bob McKenna	Mankind has long abhorred the devil, but regard him as a myth. Mutan Mion met him and fought him!
Haunted Metropolis	Chester S. Geier	Far away on a planet unknown a city became haunted–and terror stalked its darkened streets!
The Secret of Lord Fennel	Frank G. Heiner	What was going on in Lord Fennel’s castle? Who–what–was his lovely oriental wife and he slave?
The Man Who Went Nowhere	John & Dorothy de Courcy	So you don’t think it’s possible to keep on the move and not go anywhere? Well, for instance…
Side Street	Leroy Yerxa	Side streets have a peculiar fascination for some people, and they can’t resist exploring them!
Atala Rim	J. S. Harrison	There in the old Mexican church he stood, a man named Atala Rim… and there was the unknown in him!
Command Performance	Berkeley Livingston	What if there was a gadget that could really “command” a performance? You’d be its utter slave!
The Land of Kui	Richard S. Shaver	Deep beneath Kui was a machine that ate rock–and it left Kui perched on a precarious pillar.
Death Sentence	Chester S. Geier	What out of the ordinary could there possibly be concerning the death sentence of two rabbits?
Giant of Ganymede	Ross Rocklynne	The most peaceful, gentle business of all seems to be that of a florist–but not on Ganymede!
Great Gods and Little Termites	Don Wilcox	Down into the tiny world of the Termites they went–or was it really a giant world of Termites?
Double for Destiny	Leroy Yerxa	Destiny played a dual role, a sort of Jekyll and Hyde split personality–and Fate went hog-wild
Sentimental Monster	Lee Francis	Sentiment in a machine–don’t be ridiculous; or perhaps it’s just in the way you look at things…

Astounding Science-Fiction (John W. Campbell, Jr.)

The Fairy Chessmen	Lewis Padgett (Kuttner / Moore)	The weirdest weapon ever conceived attacked not the mighty defensive screens, but the defending technical minds. It was a simple idea–but simply devastating. All it did was deny the basis of the scientific method!
Veiled Island	Emmett McDowell	A new author presents a tale of a new kind of superman, a cannibalistic, savage, dirty barbarian. But it isn’t what a race knows that counts; it’s what that race is.
Fine Feathers	George O. Smith	It’s an old, old, human urge to join the “get-rich-quick” boys. But with the educator machine that one man had invented, another man decided it was even better to join the “get-smart-quick” bandwagon. But as no man is ever quite rich enough, no man ever feels he’s quite smart enough–and both lead to trouble.
N Day	Philip Latham (R.S. Richardson)	There have been many tales of the terror and riots that precede the end of the Earth, when some scientist accurately predicts its doom. But now let’s see–would men react quite that way…
A Matter of Length	Ross Rocklynne	“How long is a minute?” doesn’t ordinarily make much sense–but on that strange planet, a minute was the wrong length. The oxygen in the air was the wrong length, too–but they were the right length to take the measure of Joe Henderson’s deadly little problem!
The Plants	Murray Leinster	It should be axiomatic that the dominant life-form on any planet is a dangerous, powerful species–or it wouldn’t be dominant. But of course, no one will be much bothered by a pretty little flower, even if it is dominant–
Special Knowledge	A. Bertram Chandler	A good officer on a modern merchant marine ship has a great deal of highly specialized knowledge. But if that man somehow found himself an officer on a merchant spaceship, his special knowledge would seem pretty useless–ordinarily. But not that trip!
This is the House	Lawrence O’Donnell (C.L. Moore)	A house, it has been said, is a machine for living. The house they bought from its previous occupant had, very definitely, been made just that. But–not for human living!
The Fairy Chessmen	Lewis Padgett (Kuttner / Moore)	Concluding Padgett’s novel of a strange but very terrible sort of weapon–the concept that truth, like all other things, might be variable, and our most basic laws but one of many possible aspects.
Pattern for Conquest	George O. Smith	First of three parts. The Earth has been menaced by galactic conquerors before, in science-fiction. But not quite this way–and not with quite these results. For instance, consider: What is the purpose of war? How determine the winner?
We Kill People	Lewis Padgett (Kuttner / Moore)	It was quite a business, too… and it wasn’t anything you could prove murder. Murder, after all, is strictly a human affair; this was, on the contrary, an inhuman sort of business!
Lady Dog	A. Bertram Chandler	The more complex, sensitive, and responsive a machine becomes, the more closely it approaches a living organism. Fine — but what if the darned thing begins to believe it is a living organism…?
Depth	G. N. Howard	A new author presents a new picture of a ship of–not space, yet space for all that. But the space hundreds of miles within the Earth!
Adapter	Murray Leinster	The Ethical Equation were a curious sort of business. For instance, the only ethical thing to do might turn out to be insubordination!
Guest in the House	Frank Belknap Long	The guest wasn’t invited, but then, the house was really a guest–in the time era of the intruder. The guest’s great trouble was he didn’t know the difference between knowledge and mental agility–
A Logic Named Joe	Will F. Jenkins (Murray Leinster)	Joe was a machine, and Joe wanted to be helpful. Joe was immensely helpful. So horribly helpful he very nearly destroyed civilization with his accurate answers!
Pattern for Conquest	George O. Smith	Second of Three Parts. With the aid of the Little People, Earth had developed new and mighty powers–but Earth remained one planet, and one people, opposing a quarter of a galaxy. The end was foredoomed–but the meaning was not so clear!
Swamper	Jerry Shelton	The peasant type clings to old ways in the face of any new advance–and, in time, there will be the dull, unchanging peasant type even on other worlds. Like the Swamper–
Black Market	Raymond F. Jones	An O.P.A agent’s job is to stop black market operations–but the job that faced him was something no ordinary measure could handle. Targ advertised his Black Market Emporium–but not the source of his strange and wonderfully efficient goods!
Loophole	Arthur C. Clarke	The Martians knew when Man developed the atomic bomb–and they knew Man’s warring character. So they took steps to see that Man stayed on his own home planet. That was a serious error–
Memorial	Theodore Sturgeon	His plan was to create a crater than would warn all men to avoid atomic war for five thousand years to come, memorial that would spit lava and deadly rays for five millenniums. Part of his plan was fulfilled–the wrong part.
The Nightmare	Chan Davis	This is a story of the immediate tomorrow–and of civilization headed down the inescapable road to destruction–down the road that we have, already, selected–and its nightmare end.
Rescue Party	Arthur C. Clarke	The mission was to rescue a fraction of a population–because the Galactic Union hadn’t known that the Earth’s Sun had inhabited planets until too late. But they did know it was going Nova!
The Cure	Lewis Padgett (Kuttner / Moore)	The simplest way to drive a sane man mad is to face him with an absolutely insolvable dilemma. There are more complex ways, of course–but the cure gets complicated, too, and sometimes fails–
A Son Is Born	A. E. van Vogt	Van Vogt starts a new series, of a world where atomic energy is old–and science forgotten, debased to ritual. A world into which a child touched by atomic rays is born–
Alexander the Bait	William Tenn	A new author presents an ingenious new idea on how to get interplanetary travel started. It’s done with a Moon-radar system. But not quite as the world thought–
Placet is a Crazy Place	Frederic Brown	It wasn’t that Placet itself was so crazy; it was just that the things Placet’s gravitic situation did to human sensory organs was really remarkable. You could even solve impossible problems quite unintentionally–
Pattern for Conquest	George O. Smith	Conclusion. The true nature of conquest isn’t always easy to determine–as a completely overwhelmed and conquered Earth had to demonstrate. It’s so impractical to enslave a man brighter than you are–
Forecast	Raymond F. Jones	Even if you can control the weather–the weather won’t satisfy everyone. And if someone’s dissatisfied, that means a fight–
The Bottled Men	Ross Rocklynne	Two men–hunter and hunted–were trapped in that natural battle. One started digging his way out, but it was a trickier problem than he guessed–
The Chromium Helmet	Theodor Sturgeon	This isn’t the best of all possible worlds–but it was no help to five reasonably comfortable people to encounter the strange effects of the “cromium hemlet[sic].”
Paradise	Clifford D. Simak	The Mutants had solved the secret of the philosophy that would give men peace–but the man who returned from Jupiter offered Paradise with a price tag; the oblivion of mankind.
The Chronokinesis of Jonathan Hull	Anthony Boucher	Time travel might make murder easy–but time travel itself, even though accomplished, might not be any easy thing to bear–
Cold Front	Hal Clement	The Master Salesman’s job was to find out what the people of that new world wanted and needed, and how best to supply it. What they needed was easy; decent weather. But supplying it–even though Earth knew how to control weather–wasn’t so easy!
Trouble	George O. Smith	“It takes two to make a quarrel” doesn’t mean two different people, really–just two different viewpoints!
The Blindness	Philip Latham (R.S. Richardson)	If, by some miracle, the full light of the Day Star could shine on man and his works–
Rain Check	Lewis Padgett (Kuttner / Moore)	It wasn’t human, or even remotely human. The race that created it had given it great powers. But one power it desperately wanted was denied it–
Stability	A. Bertram Chandler	Balance is important in modern planes–but a serious misbalance in something trying to balance on a jet of flaming gas could be more than merely annoying!
Film Library	A. E. van Vogt	Their novelty films were remarkable–but no novelties. Not, that is, at the time they were filmed–
Slaves of the Lamp	Arthur Leo Zagot	If greed were the only feature of human psychology men had to fear, we might cure the problem. But sometimes even worse is a man’s determination to improve his fellow man…
The Last Objective	Paul Carter	The only way to avoid atomic bombs is to be where they ain’t–and for an army, that meant tunneling underground in a really all-out way!
Bankruptcy Proceedings	E. Mayne Hull	Artur Blord had been in trouble–of his own doing–before. He knew how to protect himself against enemies. But it was his friends who were really dangerous!
Child of the Gods	A. E. van Vogt	In a world of war, assassination, and violence there seemed no place for the psychopathically shy and timid Clane. He could never appear in public, or rule as was his right–it seemed.
The Cat and the King	Raymond F. Jones	A cat can, of course, look. But this was a remarkable cat: it didn’t look. It watched. There’s a rather important difference–
The Toymaker	Raymond F. Jones	The Imaginos were silly, lumpy little dolls–but the kids were crazy about them. In fact–they were so crazy about them that the destiny of the planet hung on them!
Vintage Season	Lawrence O’Donnell (C.L. Moore)	Everybody seemed to want the old house during May–and seemed willing to pay fantastic prices for the privilege. Strange tourists they were, too. The Cafe Society of another time.
Blind Time	George O. Smith	The real problem of the missing link–missing because displaced a few hours in time–was how to prevent an accident that had already happened!
Evidence	Isaac Asimov	You know, it would be mighty hard to get evidence that a robot claiming it was a man, was not. As a man, he’d have rights of privacy, and until you proved otherwise–
Slaves of the Lamp	Arthur Leo Zagot	Sometimes the finest motives are the deadliest, the kindliest acts, the stupidest–and an idealist can kill a city!
The Chronicler	A. E. van Vogt	There was a third eye in his skull–but it was more than a third path for vision. It was the key to a new, and terror-ridden world. A world of savages in a city, and philosophers in caves–and of a spaceship. First of two parts.
Chaos, Co-Ordinated	John MacDougal (James Blish, R.W. Lowndes)	Earth didn’t stand much chance of winning against a galaxy, when the multitude of races was co-ordinated by a perfect thinking machine/ But machines have their limitations. No imagination–no soul, no poetry in ’em!
Assumption Unjustified	Hal Clement	It was an easy error to make. To an alien being, a man is a man is a human being. Even human beings have trouble, sometimes, telling one man from another. The alien’s assumption–
False Dawn	A. Bertram Chandler	A tale of very long ago, before man had descended (sic) from the “apes,” and a time when the Moon was not an airless, scarred glove in the night skies.
Alien	George O. Smith	This is not a logical, probably, or scientific story. It’s a bit of insanity about a barroom brawl over a man with feathers where his hair should have been–
To Still the Drums	Chan Davis	Some men ask only peace, and a chance to do their work; to some, a mighty weapon is an irresistible temptation to power, with or without the consent of a nation. And such must be watched.
Mewhu’s Jet	Theodore Sturgeon	Mewhu came from–somewhere. He wrecked his spaceship on landing, but the “parachute” he had was something decidedly super–an atomic jet job! The problem was to get into communication–they thought.
Hobbies	Clifford D. Simak	The cities were deserted, save for one. The men and women of that city had hobbies–but no accomplishments. The robots they had left behind were doing better…
The Unforeseen	Mark Champion	A prison break is successful only when it employs some factor which neither foresight nor past experience has called to the attention of the guards. They key to freedom is–the unforeseen.
Tower of Darkness	A. Bertram Chandler	The planet was a deadly place–deadly not to men, but to their ambition. It seemed to be cursed by the Tower, and against the Tower neither strong will, courage, not the flame of human ambition succeeded. It took something quite different–and unanswerable.
The Chronicler	A. E. van Vogt	Concluding the story of a man thrown into a strange world of highly civilized barbarians, and a decaying city–
Metamorphosite	Eric Frank Russell	Building a galactic empire takes time–a very long time. And it may not be the same people who started the job when they finish–
For the Public	Bernard I. Kahn	The story of a doctor of the Lunar Quarantine Station and his routine job. And the routine was death–
Hand of the Gods	A. E. van Vogt	Clane, the Child of the Gods, might be loved by the Atom Gods, but not by the sharp-minded old woman who ruled the Empire–and that was a very practical and dangerous matter indeed!
The Impossible Pirate	George O. Smith	Precisely so–impossible. Which was what made it so hard to catch him! There wasn’t any possible way he could escape–
Time Enough	Lewis Padgett (Kuttner / Moore)	The Old ‘Uns lived in secret–not quite immortal, but for five hundred years or more they’d lived. But nevertheless they’d all died at about one century!

Famous Fantastic Mysteries (Mary Gnaedinger)

While Famous Fantastic Mysteries generally ran reprints, there were two notable exceptions in 1946.

Daemon	C. L. Moore	For such as Luiz o Bob the powers of ancient earth will gather when his cry for help is heard… but only for such as he, who have no souls–who can see the dainty hoofs of Pan and can hear the strange and terrible music of his pipes…
And Not in Peace	George Whitley (A. Bertram Chandler)	He laughed at devils and vampires and wasn’t afraid, because they belonged to the world of fantasy–forgetting that it is sometimes the realest world of all…

Fantastic Adventures (Raymond A. Palmer)

Moon Slave	Leroy Yerxa	Many things happen under the moon, and because of the moon; was that why these graves were opened?
Vacation in Shasta	Rog Phillips	Mt. Shasta is supposed to be the home of weird underground dwellers. What is its deep-hidden secret?
The Life Symbol	Richard Casey	Noah, a modern one, boards an ark of space, and the old story takes on a few new, and funny, angles!
Siren Song	Lester Barclay	Modern soldiers and sailors engaged in a war can’t expect sirens to sing to them–or can they?
Toka and the Man Bats	J. W. Pelkie	Out of the sky came the greatest of all dangers for Sandcliff–and Toka took his axe into the air.
The Land of Big Blue Apples	Don Wilcox	In this country you ate apples–and you caught them on your horns. Saved trouble picking them up.
Christopher Crissom’s Cravat	David Wright O’Brien	It was a lovely tie–if you had an eye for color. And this one demanded that it be noticed…
An Adam From the Sixth	Richard S. Shaver	Adam hung himself in despair; then he got another chance to live, all memory of the past erased.
A Crystal and a Spell	Chester S. Geier	There was magic in the crystal; it could cast spells. But a piece of gas pipe complicated things.
The Sword and the Pool	Berkeley Livingston	Out of the pool came a pair of hands bearing aloft a shining beauty of a sword dedicated to freedom.
Finished by Hand	H. B. Hickey	Never throw stones if you live in a glass house; and also, never yell thief if you are one too!
To Watch by Night	Robert Moore Williams	Eyes that watch in the night sometimes see things that are not suspected during the daylight…
Tree’s a Crowd	Robert Bloch	Lefty Feep found himself unpopular in ordinary company–his bark was worse than his bite…
He Who Saw Tomorrow	Thomas P. Kelley	Ordinarily no man can see the future, lease of all his own. But tomorrow he would live again!
Jimmy Takes a Trip	William Lawrence Hamling	Jimmy liked trains, especially this one that he saw at the station where nobody else saw trains.
The Softly Silken Wallet	David Wright O’Brien	A wallet is for one purpose only, to carry money–but it can be made of a variety of materials…
The Tale of the Last Man	Richard S. Shaver	Only one man left on earth; the whole world was his, to do with as he liked. What would he do?
Cult of the Eagle	Berkeley Livingston	They were the most fearsome creatures on the planet–eagles as big as men, and as dangerous!
Minions of the Tiger	Chester S. Geier	His eyes had one peculiarity when they looked at you: They were the eyes of a tiger…
The Mirror	William Lawrence Hamling	It was just a plain mirror, and an old one. But it showed you the strangest things…
A Voice From Beyond	John P. Lenahan	When he walked over the X-ray cables, something happened to him. A voice called out…
I’ll Take the Subway	Berkeley Livingston	If you owned a subway system you’d be a rich man. But can a dead man spend his money?
Taming of the Tyrant	Leroy Yerxa	It was a world where women were forgotten. Teena set out to make the tyrants remember
Dual Personality	Rog Phillips	He was perfectly content to stay single. But then somebody doubled up inside him…
Shadow of the Sphinx	William Lawrence Hamling	The sphinx stands patiently in the sands of Egypt–waiting–for someone…
Rocket to Limbo	Margaret St. Clair	Millie wanted to get rid of her husband, so she bought him a one-way ticket to limbo…
The Counterfeiter	Robert Moore Williams	The little man didn’t want to be a counterfeiter–it was the machine he built…
The Moving Finger	Berkeley Livingston	When the old man pointed his finger and prophesied death, people laughed–and died…
Happiness is Nowhere	Chester S. Geier	Man’s quest for happiness in this world is futile–but there are other worlds…
The Smiling Wife	H. B. Hickey	The Norsemen have many strange legends. One of them concerns a smiling woman…
The Red Door	Don Wilcox	There were many doors in Askandia, and all of them had been opened–except one…

Fantasy (UK) (Walter Gillings)

Last Conflict	John Russel Fearn	To men to ruthless ambition, Science can be a very powerful ally. But too much power is dangerous for those who can’t control it…
Supernova	P. E. Cleator	All the evidence pointed to a sudden, catastrophic end for Man and his planet. But only one man knew, and denied the world the knowledge. Fortunately…
The Worlds of If	Stanley G. Weinbaum	To travel into the future or the past? Pfui! But to explore the might-have-beens — that was easy to a genius like van Manderpoots.
Technical Error	Arthur C. Clarke	The Chief Physicist has a problem… How to keep a starving man alive when it would cost two millions a year to feed him?
The Pain Machine	L. V. Heald	Turning pain into pleasure seemed a good idea — and the machine did just that. But sometimes machines can work too well…
A Matter of Size	Norman Lazenby	Bigness isn’t everything… And a man deprived of his sense of proportion is apt to overlook the compensations of smallness — even when he wants to hide.

Futuristic Stories (UK) (Dennis H. Pratt)

The Lords of Zorm	N. Wesley Firth	(no blurb)
Laughter of the Gods	Earl Ellison	Mister Seedly’s Impulsator
The Timeless Dimension	Rice Ackman	Mike Owens stepped into trouble when he stepped into the Vanishing Cabinet of Calgary. Through a timeless dimension to a dying, twilight world, alien and deserted, except for two beautiful girls — and the CRAKES!

New Worlds (UK) (Edward John Carnell)

The Mill of the Gods	Maurice G. Hugi	World markets were being flooded with cheap merchandise, but nobody knew where the goods were manufactured. Until Intelligence officers stumbled upon the fantastic answer…
The Three Pylons	William F. Temple	A fantasy of long ago. King Fero left his son a hard task — the riddle of the three pylons. When Rodan solved the problem it altered history.
Solar Assignment	Mark Denholm	Two news reporters tangle with a mystery on Pluto–and find the answer to an age-old Earth mystery.
Knowledge Without Learning	K. Thomas (R.W. Fearn)	A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A lot, when stolen from other people, can be more than dangerous–for some.
Sweet Mystery of Life	John Russel Fearn	A strange plant grew from a rose cutting–and Man learned the secret of space travel. There was a snag, however
White Mouse	Thornton Ayre (J.R. Fearn)	If an Earthman married a girl from another planet an brought her to earth, how would she fit into her new environment?
The Living Lies	John Beynon	Venus, as a colony of Earth, had a highly specialised system for keeping the balance of power in the White’s hands. It was a problem of racial colour–but not to the Venusians
Lunar Concession	Thornton Ayre (J.R. Fearn)	Mining on the Moon might be fun–for some–if the stakes were not so high.
Space Ship 13	Patrick S. Selby	With all interplanetary space to travel in, the Rapier had to be on another spaceship’s course.
Vicious Circle	Polton Cross	Time runs in a straight line=–but what if one man’s Time Line is circular? He’d see the Past, the Present and the Future
Foreign Body	John Brody	If, long years ago, a visitor from space crashed on Earth–where would be the logical place to find traces?
The Micro Man	Alden Lorraine	A fantasy of a little man who visited the Gods–but the Gods were not amused–only careless
Green Spheres	W. P. Cockcroft	If Earth is ever invaded from Outer Space, the first arrivals might not be the invaders–but merely their softening-up process.

Outlands (UK) (Leslie J. Johnson)

Pre-Natal	John Russel Fearn	The “searchlights” from Outer Space were in search of something — someone — on the Earth. When they found what they sought, one man “died” — only to live again…
Strange Portrait	Sydney J. Bounds	(no blurb)
Bird of Time	John Gabriel	The Bird of Time has but a little way To fly — and Lo! The Bird is on the Wing. Omar Khayyam
Undying Faith	Charnock Walsby	Dowater was a confirmed Atheist, but he was not without Faith — in his own disbeliefs!
Rival Creators	George G. Wallis	A story of the Ages after the Earth’s End.
The Opaque Word	Anthony Cotrion	Septimus Hudd had not been invited to attend at the Brain’s Trust, but he turned up just the same — and made “light” of some of the questions…

Planet Stories (Chester Whitehorn, Paul L. Payne)

Engines of the Gods	Gardner F. Fox	The engines were the wealth of Mars–but they could not be used until their secret was solved. Kortha and the evil Guantra fought and schemed for the knowledge–and the planet lay on the bring of destruction.
The Blue Venus	Emmett McDowell	The Renegade’s men swept through the valleys of Venus, seeking a greed-maddened slaver who planned an experiment so cruel and barbaric it would crumble the very foundation of mankind.
What Hath Me?	Henry Kuttner	The thousand tiny eyes raced past him, glittering with alien ecstasy, shining bright, ever brighter as they fed. He felt the life blood being sucked out of him.
Survival	Basil Wells	Men found themselves suddenly in the swampy hell of Venus, fighting a weird battle for existence.
Defense Mech	Ray Bradbury	Man, man, how’d you get in a mess like this, in a rocket a million miles past the moon, shooting for Mars and danger and terror and maybe death.
Electron Eat Electron	Noel Loomis	(Editor’s note: When we had read through this in-a-class-by-itself story, we exclaimed “Here’s PLANET’S scoop on the world!”)
Crisis on Titan	James R. Adams	Here they were, about to be blasted out of existence by strange inhabitants of a weird planet–and Staley was making like a baseball player!
Lorelei of the Red Mist	Leigh Brackett, Ray Bradbury	He died–and then awakened in a new body. It was a good body, and he took pleasure in it… until he discovered that it was hated by all on Venus–and that his soul was owned by Rann, devil-goddess of Falga.
Captives of the Weir-Wind	Ross Rocklynne	Their objective–if they lived to reach it–was a world beyond all worlds… a planet where howling winds could kill and lakes of radium acted as graves.
The Shadow-Gods	Vaseleos Garson	Curt watched them die, crushed and seared by the spreading blue flower, and he cursed himself. With all his knowledge and strength he could not save his people.
The Pumpkin Eater	Carlton Smith	Ed shook the kid’s hand and smiled–and said to himself: “I got to kill this guy! Before he gets inside me! Before he finds out what I am!”
Space-Lane of No-Return	George A. Whittington	It came suddenly–the excitement you yearned for–and you found yourself being blasted out of the void…
Prisoner of the Brain-Mistress	Bryce Walton	“I became part of it, part of the heat and brightness and whirling, and I could feel myself melting away–until I became nothing…”
The Million Year Picnic	Ray Bradbury	Just behind the veil of the vacation–instead of the soft face of laughter–there was something hard and bony and terrifying…
Dread-Flame of M’Tonak	Henry Hasse	Grimly the outlaw Ketrik slogged toward the proud Martian city… behind him the gibbering mindless wrecks of Terra’s shrewdest intelligence men… ahead a ghastly green glow in the sky that waited for him as it had for them–hungrily!
The Creatures That Time Forgot	Ray Bradbury	Mad, impossible world! Sun-blasted by day, cold-wracked by night–and life condensed by radiation into eight days! Sim eyed the ship–if he only dared reach it and escape! … But it was more than half an hour distant–the limit of life itself!
Enter the Nebula	Carl Jacobi	The greatest cracksman of the Galaxy–the Nebula… mocked by a gay voice that called herself Andromeda, who led him into danger–into the hands of his enemy!
The Derelict	William J. Matthews	Dying, castaway Jeff Thorne stumbled across the pitiless desert… was Death awaiting him in this sudden vision of the crumbling towers–the dry-rotted hulks of an ancient Martian seaport?
Total Recall	Larry Sternig	The armada from outer space was attacking–Roger Kay had thirty minutes to wrench the secret of victory from the old scientist’s brain where it lay buried in horror!
Through the Asteroids–To Hell!	Leroy Yerxa	Blair Freedman had torn that tunnel through the grinding asteroid wall–with the might Cutter… he’d die now to keep it open–but not with the girl he loved!
Six Tuesdays	Ross Rocklynne	Not six Tuesdays in as many weeks, but the same Tuesday, over and over! Ivan wondered what he’d gotten the universe into–with this crazy time-machine of his!
The Man the Sun-Gods Made	Gardner F. Fox	The Tryllans worshipped him as god. Yet grief bowed those superbly-muscled shoulders, for Tyr knew he was no more divine than the lowest ray-gunner of the invader hordes.
The Sven Jewels of Chamar	Raymond F. Jones	Scattered, the jewels were maddening. Held in a grasping palm they bestowed power enough to rile the System. But space-roving Nathan and the deadly Firebird learned the terrible price of that power.
Love Among the Robots	Emmett McDowell	Henry Ohm found his robots hard to control–with that girl around. There was something about her–ah–personality!
Tepondicon	Carl Jacobi	There was treasure beyond price in those plague-darkened cities of Ganymede, provided the seeker, too, had no price.
Space Bat	Carl Selwyn	Out of the caves of space it flew–huge, rapacious, terrifying. But Lou Flint wanted it more than he wanted the luscious Karen.
Fog of the Forgotten	Basil Wells	Rebelling against science, his people had thrust themselves down into the ancient mists. Now Ho Dyak wanted light.
Example	Tom Pace	Frantically, the space-liner called Commander Gray: “Disaster ahead–you can save us!” He smiled grimly; he knew the only way.
Breath of Beelzebub	Larry Sternig	Only half an ounce of the liquor from Planetoid Y-145 had been distilled. But that was enough to drive the universe mad!

Startling Stories (Sam Merwin, Jr.)

Outlaw World	Edmond Hamilton	On the trail of malevolent space pirates, Curt Newton and the Futuremen combat the evil machinations of the Uranian Ru Ghur, who plans the total destruction of the Universe!
The Forgotton Man of Space	P. Schuyler Miller	A Hall of Fame Classic reprinted by popular demand
The Jimson Island Giant	Sam Merwin, Jr.	Duplex had a formula–but could not foresee its consequences
Valley of the Flame	Keith Hammond	Far from civilization, Brian Raft and Parror, the cat-man, grapple in a fight to the finish–while a breathless girl looks on and the destiny of a race totters in the balance!
Shadow Over Venus	Frank Belknap Long	Command James Elwood battles against the Venusian gules
Twelve Hours to Live!	Jack Williamson	A Hall of Fame Classic reprinted by popular demand
The Dark Angel	Henry Kuttner	Tim Hathaway sensed that his wife was growing different, but–
The Dark World	Henry Kuttner	Edward Bond enters a twin universe of black sorcery, where his evil replica, Ganelon, fights for a kingdom of slaves, infinite power, and two alluring women–Arles and Medea!
The Man With X-Ray Eyes	Edmond Hamilton	A Hall of Fame Classic reprinted by popular demand
Planet of the Black Dust	Jack Vance	The pirates held all the cards but one–a man’s soul
The Vicious Circle	Polton Cross	Dick Mills oscillates back and forth from past to future
Extra Earth	Ross Rocklynne	President Woodward and his cabinet wage war on six evil men
The Solar Invasion	Manly Wade Wellman	Curt Newton, Joan Randall and the Futuremen cruise into a strange world peopled with weird, pallid inhabitants, on the quest of a lost satellite which was mysteriously plucked from the sky!
After Armageddon	Francis Flagg	A Hall of Fame Classic reprinted by popular demand
Afraid	W. E. Thiessen	Earth’s messenger, Norman Kane, braves the terrors of the Moon
Absalom	Henry Kuttner	The prodigy son of a future father presents a difficult problem

Strange Adventures (UK) (Dennis H. Pratt)

Fugitive on Venus	Leslie Halward	Bourbon, a homicidal maniac, made a break from Grunton Pen., and in his madness he hurled himself through space to Venus, taking with him Professor Systrom’s beautiful daughter, Lana…
Mary Had a Little… ?	N. Wesley Firth	A riotously funny story about the thing that followed Mary about, a thing from another dimension. A story with an unusual ending… by the author of “Lords of Zorm”.
Space Hobo’s Diary	Rice Ackman	The space hobo had some strange stories to tell. And this is one of his strangest…

Thrilling Wonder Stories (Sam Merwin, Jr,)

Forgotten World	Edmond Hamilton	Star-sick Laird Carlin is ordered back to Earth for a rest cure–and there on the ancient, ancestral planet, his love for a girl lures him into the toils of a weird conspiracy!
The Disciplinary Circuit	Murray Leinster	Fleeing from the fury of despots through parsecs of space, Kim Rendell and Dona Brett dodge ghastly dangers!
Siren Satellite	Arthur K. Barnes	A daring crew of spaceteers faces a grim prospect–unless Gerry Carlyle wins a devouring monster as her ally!
Information Please	Stanley Whiteside	A mechanical super-brain possesses a one-track mind
Atomic Station	Frank Belknap Long	Roger Sheldon puts up a battle when energy runs amuck
Clutch of Morpheus	Larry Sternig	Rackam’s comet induces a fatal sleeping sickness
Battle of the Brains	Jerry Shelton	Immortal powers were conferred upon men when the colossus Klarth implanted their brain cases into invincible super-bodies–but Mason knew it meant humanity’s enslavement!
Indestructible Man	Edmond Hamilton	Death holds no threat for Phil Ryan as he dares bullets, floods and other lethal threats while battling to protect the world’s greatest secret!
Undermost	Manly Wade Wellman	Enter the Dakar-Natal Transatlantic Tunnel, situation eight miles below sea-level, where brave men struggle mightily for glory, fame and love!
Rocket Pants	Noel Loomis	Determined to save a friend from ruin, Arne Pearce and Hugo Drake race through space, facing the sinister menace of treacherous Marcus Barr!
Find the Sculptor	Samuel Mines	There was a maddening riddle in the epochal time-travelling machine
Jones’ Physique	Wilm Carver	The odd case of J. Maurice Jones was only a scientific problem, until–
Rocket Skin	Ray Bradbury	Hitch-hiking through space, George Vanning meets up with murder
Like Dups	Murray Leinster	Greedy Earthman “Slug” Breen gambles against time for limitless wealth
Tital of the Jungle	Stanton A. Coblentz	A mysterious fluid of enlightenment reverses the order of the world–and only Mark Haverside and the Pembrooks, armed with slingshots and courage, can set things right!
Dead City	Murray Leinster	Out of the misty past come weird creatures to prey upon mankind–but Pete Marshall and his aides meet the menace with scientific weapons!
The Ice World	Ross Rocklynne	When reptiles rule in a dying world, brace Starnik and his friend Caset become leaders in a struggle to restore the heritage of humanity!
Twilight Planet	Polton Cross	A young scientist shatters the atom–and destroys his planet
Zero	Noel Loomis	Space flier Bob Parker risks the peril of banishment to the Moon
Forever is Today	Charles F. Ksanda	Edmund Carsten, scientist, seems to bend eternity to his wishes
The Multillionth Chance	John Russell Fearn	Physicist Grant Mayson re-creates Iana, the wonder girl of long ago, out of scattered atoms–but between them stands the memory of Anrax, long-dead master of science!
Call Him Demon	Keith Hammond	Deep in his fourth dimensional lair crouches the hungry monster, while only a band of children guards helpless adult victims!
Pocket Universes	Murray Leinster	When a Latin-American tyrant visits New York, Luis Santos perfects a machine that can eliminate space–and exacts vengeance!
The Good Egg	Ross Rocklynne	Square Root, the little imp from space, does some fast figuring
Never the Twain Shall Meet	Brett Sterling	John Farrel keeps his Tryst with Ylleen, whose love means death
The Little Things	Henry Kuttner	Dave Tenning, a born rebel, felt he did not belong in this Futureworld
Tubby–Master of the Atom	Ray Cummings	An atomic beauty of a distant era gives Tubby the eye
I Am Eden	Henry Kuttner	In a fabulous Brazilian Valley, Jim Ferguson and Dr. Cairns battle against walking rocks and cannibal plants in their strange quest of a mysterious and fascinating girl goddess!
The End	Murray Leinster	When universal disaster threatens, Ron Hort and Sart Voorn fight ruthless pirates while striving to find the answer to an ancient enigma!
Phalid’s Fate	Jack Vance	His brain encased in the body of a giant insect on an alien planet, Ryan Wratch struggles against big odds to defeat the enemies of all Earthmen!
Grim Rendezvous	Arthur Leo Zagat	Johnny Rober, discredited physicist, stages a desperate sky venture
The Ghosts of Melvin Pye	L. Sprague de Camp	Landlord Conroy’s property is besieged by frolicsome “ha’nts”
Pardon My Mistake	Fletcher Pratt	A future kidnaper tries to make his getaway in a fast space ship
Life on the Moon	Alexander Samolman	Jay Revere explores the unknown in a rocket trip to Earth’s satellite

Weird Tales (Dorothy S. McIlwraith)

Kurban	Seabury Quinn	Like Pharoh’s necromancers, he could cast his rod upon the earth and it became a live, hissing serpent
Chariots of San Fernando	Malcolm Jameson	There are many unsolved mysteries in this strange world of ours–like the bizarre adventures at the Amazon’s headwaters!
Sin’s Doorway	Manly Wade Wellman	A soul is free to enter heaven if its burden of sin is borne by a living person
Seed	Jack Snow	How thin is the veneer of modern learning. And how little it takes to shake one’s faith!
Mr. Bauer and the Atoms	Fritz Leiber	If a person suddenly became radio active, with all that atomic energy inside his body…
Satan’s Phonograph	Robert Bloch	Have you ever heard of a recording machine so damnably delicate that it captures the human soul?
Pikeman	August Derleth	The tombstone warned “Prepare for death and follow me!”
The Diversions of MME. Gamorra	Harold Lawlor	What, pray, would people be like if they were reduced to their least common denominator!
All the Time in the World	Charles King	The mass of bloated flesh that could be formed into different shapes by kneading with the fingers–was me!
Twice Cursed	Manly Wade Wellman	Do you know of those who are afraid of memory shadows and others who never fear the devil except on a dark night?
The Man in the Crescent Terrace	Seabury Quinn	The thing used its spear like a woman testing cake with a broomstraw–on the “cake” was a human!
The Bogey Man Will Get You	Robert Bloch	That was what was nice about him — the mystery, the not-knowing…
Dead Man’s Shoes	Stephen Grendon	Those who are stricken with that curious and terrible hallucination should be thankful — for it warns of something far more terrible
Chanu	Jim Kjelgaard	Look closely at his cultured face and you will discern to your amazement a snarling mouth and great fangs
The Jonah	Emil Petaja	Remember the “Marie Celeste”? Here’s an explanation for that and other sea mysteries that could not be explained!
Tunnel Terror	Allison V. Harding	Strong things can happen in a vehicular tube — especially when the tunnel goes places it isn’t supposed to!
The Traveller	Ray Bradbury	A strange family, with no real life to any of them!
The Valley of the Gods	Edmond Hamilton	Guarding this fabulous, legendary valley is a sinister night-shrouded place of the dead
Three in Chains	Seabury Quinn	Whoever it was–or whatever–watched us gloatingly
Midnight	Jack Snow	There was scarcely a forbidden book of shocking ceremonies and nameless teachings that he had not consulted
The Man in Purple	Dorothy Quick	This accursed room had an aura of immeasurable menace–a ghost come true
The Smiling People	Ray Bradbury	Nothing is quite so horrible, so final as complete utter silence
Once There Was an Elephant	R. H. Phelps	You’ve heard of the old triangle–but suppose one of the trio is an elephant!
Rain, Rain, Go Away!	Gardner F. Fox	His obsession sat like an evil witch astride his thin shoulders, haunting him
The Silver Highway	Harold Lawlor	There was a strange story connected with the Pope-Hartford runabout and the exquisite girl who sat in it
Frozen Fear	Robert Bloch	A deep-freeze unit is like some monstrous beast that has just dined well
Shonokin Town	Manly Wade Wellman	The Shonokins are real — real almost-men with peculiar knowledges and sciences, fearing only their own dead
Catspaws	Seabury Quinn	A girl attacked at night by some creature; not human, not animal, but monster
The Night	Ray Bradbury	This was a summer night that waded deep in time and stars and warm eternity–a night when reason ended and universal evil took over
The Wings	Allison V. Harding	One never knows what incredible forces are ready to loose themselves upon the world at any moment
The Man Who Told the Truth	Jim Kjelgaard	“From this night on everything you say will come true, so watch your language!”
I’ll Be Glad When I’m Dead	Charles King	It’s written that pint-sized demons can only give out with vest pocket spells!
The Cinnabar Redhead	Harold Lawlor	Life is full of problems and in the lonely hush of a foggy night ghosts become one of them
The Shingler	E. L. Wright	Next time you have work done on your house be sure you don’t get the Singler!
For Love of a Phantom	Stanton Coblentz	The room was a musty six-by-eight where unearthly shadows seemed to dance in the gas-light
Ghost	P. Schuyler Miller	It is a pleasure to remember sometimes how certain people died
Lotte	Seabury Quinn	When a mystery presents itself it gnaws like a magot at the brain, nor can it be dislodged till the solution is found
Day of Judgement	Edmond Hamilton	Someday, some eternity away, there will be a last man and a last woman. And who will be their judgers?
Enoch	Robert Bloch	Have you ever felt the tread of little feet walking across the top of your skull?
Alice and the Allergy	Fritz Leiber	It’s only common sense to be scared of a killer–sometimes even after he has been apprehended and executed!
Not Human	Bert David Ross	A tulka does not really live — therefore a tulka is indestructible. It cannot die
The Horn	Charles King	A goat’s horn, marvelously endowed with strange virtues and an unforgivable future
The Machine	Allison V. Harding	A machine, so sensitive as to be human, was the scientist’s goal. What he got was as utterly unexpected as it was horrific!
Six Flights to Terror	Manly Banister	The building’s bizarre architecture was as though it had been lifted bodily and transported here from some haunted place deep in a mysterious Europe
Polar Vortex	Malcolm Ferguson	All alone on the night side of the world time moves at a snail’s pace
Threshold of Endurance	Betsy Emmons	What is, can be — what happens, can happen again
Xerxes’ Hut	Harold Lawlor	A small unpretentious hut, with an eternity of history and an unguessable secret within four walls of horror
Spawn of the Green Abyss	C. Hall Thompson	There are events that transpire in this world that you will not believe–that you will not want to believe!
Eyes in the Dark	Seabury Quinn	Some will not live to grow old — for a variety of outre reasons
Shipmate	Allison V. Harding	Your shipmates are picked by chance or fate — to sail with you toward some shrouded doom beyond the farthest horizon!
Mayaya’s Little Green Men	Harold Lawlor	Things happen in rambling, reconverted farmhouses, things that make you wish you weren’t twenty miles from the nearest neighbor
Let’s Play “Poison”	Ray Bradbury	Children — little monsters thrust out of hell because the devil could no longer cope with them
A Collector of Stones	August Derleth	You don’t always worry about ethics if you’re a fanatical collector. But you should worry about the dead!
Lizzie Bordon Took an Axe	Robert Bloch	A locked room, mouldering books, muttered curses, in a rotting hulk of a house — add up to tragedy
Frogfather	Manly Wade Wellman	The oldest ones say Khomgabassi dug the waterways, planted the trees and fathered the frogs