Offers a thorough examination of how science fiction evolved to its current state. Close critical attention is given to topics including art that has accompanied science fiction, the subgenres of space opera and hard science fiction, the rise of science fiction anthologies, and the impact of the marketplace on authors and works.

Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. The 1920s and Thereafter  1. The Emergence of American Science Fiction and Its Impact on the World  2. August 1928: Science Fiction’s Second Birthday  3. Artists in Wonderland: Towards a True History of Science Fiction Art Part II. The 1930s and Thereafter  4. Pulp Science Fiction: A Student’s Guide  5. Beyond Logic and Literacy: The Strange Case of Space Opera  6. Five Ways to Conquer the Universe: The Forms of Space Opera Part III. The 1940s and Thereafter  7. The Tall Dark Stranger and the Boy Next Door: A. E. van Vogt and Robert A. Heinlein  8. The Three Golden Ages of Science Fiction  9. Assemblers of Infinity: The Early History of Science Fiction Anthologies Part IV. The 1950s and Thereafter 10. Invasion of the Saucer Men: How the Universe of Science Fiction Expanded in the 1950s 11. Hard Science Fiction: An Overview 12. The “Big Three” Approaches to Juvenile Science Fiction and Why One Worked and the Others Did Not Epilog: The 1960s and Thereafter 13. After Things Fell Apart: The Fragmentation of Science Fiction in the 1960s and 1970s 14. Science Fiction Today: The Triumph of the Marketplace Conclusion Chapter Notes Bibliography Index