John W Campbell

[Al Jackson]

New biography of John W Campbell, who almost single handily invented modern science fiction prose.

Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction
by Alec Nevala-Lee

Campbell's enthusiasm for the contrarian worked fabulously for him in the 1940s but , in the long run, drove away his most famous writers.

I see why Hubbard made the subtitle , I knew he was entwined with Campbell in the 40s, but I did not know the extent to which he and Hubbard worked on Dianetics together.
I also did not know that Heinlein had been that hoodwinked by Hubbard during WWII , at least Heinlein finally saw him as a jerk.

Interesting that Campbell never tried to foist Dianetics on Asimov, I suspect that he knew Asimov was smarter than his other writers. Asimov comes out looking as if the whole Hubbard-Campbell-Dianetics fray was not worth his serious attention. Asimov looks like the one sane man in the whole last half of this story.

I don’t know if there is another ‘unauthorized biography’ of Hubbard, in this account he comes off as a Major Loon , Chucklehead and Odious.

I never liked any of Hubbard’s science fiction , I thought Ol’ Doc Methuselah was awful, on the other hand his fantasy work could be good , Fear and Typewriter in the Sky were outstanding contributions to Unknown.

It is too bad that the attempt to revive Unknown did not work, in 1948, it still stands as the unique fantasy magazine.

One thing about Campbell that had influence on me, Nevala-Lee mentions it in one instance in the book, his eye for art.
He absolutely banished brass bras and BEMs from the cover of ASF. Really noticeable in the 1940s.
I was pulled into science fiction because of the ‘domesticated super science’ , the lived-in fell, the verisimilitude …. I am guessing that Campbell had an eye for it’s realization in art? The Rogers covers in the 40’s may be ‘muddy’ but they are evocative. In the 1950s Kelly Freas and Ed Emshwiller just nailed it. Not only the cover art but the interiors also…. Those black and white illustrations were a realization of the milieu of the best writers in ASF. (I think EMSH gets a little short changed on this, he did great realizations on the cover now and then, but his interior work was better than Freas, and Freas did great work.) There were other artists too, unlike Galaxy and F&SF , who had good work, Campbell’s eye was the best. Campbell should get credit for this.


With all the great artists now days , I still see it, but not often enough, alas.

 

[BAYLOR]

Ive read some of L Ron Hubbard's books, Battlefield Earth, Fear , Typewriter in the Sky , Slaves of Sleep. I read the first Mission Earth book. Overalll, I found him to be a good writer . Battlefield Earth is a bit of Guilty pleasure , It's like reading something out of the Golden age of sizes fiction, It was not great science fction by any definition , but it was a fun read.

 

[Vince W]

I actually the first 8 books of Mission Earth. The first couple were fairly entertaining but after that, it became a sort of challenge to finish the entire thing. I would have finished too, but the library didn't ever buy the last two volumes.

There's nothing wrong with a book being fun. It's something I want more of, not less. The next time in a charity shop I'm going to pick up Battlefield Earth and finally give it a read.

 

[SilentRoamer]

I started reading Mission Earth but I just couldn't finish the first book. The main character was just too good at everything and I just didn't get on at all with Hubbards writing style. In fact I remember he turned the lesbian torturer into a doe eyed teenage girl by vantage of his being so awesome.

Sometimes when I read a particular author they just jar on me, it's hard to put my finger on exactly what it is, it's like trying to explain to you why I don't like cauliflower - I just don't.

I have always wanted to read Battlefield Earth though, so if I do get it then I will read it. The film is a guilty pleasure for me, I know it's terrible but I can't help liking it.

I suspect Asimov would have laughed at Dianetics, I think he would have thought it similar to Psychohistory - pseudo theoretical babble.

 

[anno]

I can stomach some classic novels but you don’t like cauliflower is the beginning of outright anarchy...

 

[Al Jackson]

Ive read some of L Ron Hubbard's books, Battlefield Earth, Fear , Typewriter in the Sky , Slaves of Sleep. I read the first Mission Earth book. Overalll, I found him to be a good writer . Battlefield Earth is a bit of Guilty pleasure , It's like reading something out of the Golden age of sizes fiction, It was not great science fction by any definition , but it was a fun read.

I thought Battlefield Earth was ghastly ! I put 30s style pulp SF behind me when I was 15.
Anyway Hubbard always said he did not like writing science fiction.

 

[Al Jackson]

I thought Battlefield Earth was ghastly ! I put 30s style pulp SF behind me when I was 15.
Anyway Hubbard always said he did not like writing science fiction.

I could read late period Heinlein , tho it was a strain, I was not entertained by Hubbard's return to SF , well I did not like his SF from the 40s.

 

[Hugh]

I've sometimes wondered how a man who anticipated the atom bomb and understood the theoretical physics involved in it (I think I remember this right) could have got so enthusiastic about Dianetics. I think this has to be understood in the context of the time where there was very little available in terms of psychotherapy other than psychoanalysis which was (1) expensive (2) interminable (3) cultish (4) dispensed by the privileged few know-it-alls who'd undergone psychoanalytic training (or what passed for training at that time). I think this last point would have particularly got up Campbell's nose.
Some years ago I happened to read one of the original articles for Dianetics in Astounding, and, if I remember rightly, it was full of the spirit of DIY, available to all, in the spirit of Campbell's tool-shed inventors who change the world. This must have been very attractive for Campbell at the time. From what I've read, Hubbard also had a certain persuasive charisma that he'd already exercised in varied circles: it was not just Campbell who was sucked in, but others also in the SF field, such as Van Vogt. Then again, Campbell seemed to enjoy being controversial just for the sake of it.

 

[BAYLOR]

I thought Battlefield Earth was ghastly ! I put 30s style pulp SF behind me when I was 15.
Anyway Hubbard always said he did not like writing science fiction.

I have a bit of a soft spot for his fiction.

 

[Al Jackson]

By the by this bio of Campbell made the NY Times Book section last Sunday in an essay by it's author Alec Nevala-Lee.
I got a copy of The John W. Campbell Letters, Volume 1 by George Hay because this bio. The sparsity of letters1938 to 1950 is madding, that was the era when Campbell forged modern science fiction. When the letter focus on Campbell being an editor and even the progenitor of stories it is good. Too often the letter turns to long riffs on the current world affairs with way too much elaboration.
Some of the letters are personal communications with authors that are witty and good humored.
It is so odd that a man with such snap for the essence of a story tell could go all funny in the head when it came to Dianetics and later crackpot inventions.
Then his personal vibs cost Astounding some accolades and revenue when he did not publish authors , who submitted to him, those went to Galaxy and F&SF .

 

[Al Jackson]

More on John W Campbells letters. Had always wondered if Heinlein offered Starship Troopers to Astounding?
There is a letter to Heinlein's agent Lurton Blassingame, it was offered. Interesting reply, Campbell claims it is 'young adult' , however Campbell had published Citizen of the Galaxy which was also 'young adult'. Campbell goes on to skewer some ideas in the novel. He gets on Heinlein about 'preachments' which is right on, tho they got a lot worse in later Heinlein novels. It is a odd letter that seems spot on in places and then has self contradictory at moments. All in all Campbell does a poor job of evaluating the entertainment value of the novel , surprising since it would have been popular in ASF. Campbell may have been on the outs with Heinlein by that time.

​

 

[BAYLOR]

More on John W Campbells letters. Had always wondered if Heinlein offered Starship Troopers to Astounding?
There is a letter to Heinlein's agent Lurton Blassingame, it was offered. Interesting reply, Campbell claims it is 'young adult' , however Campbell had published Citizen of the Galaxy which was also 'young adult'. Campbell goes on to skewer some ideas in the novel. He gets on Heinlein about 'preachments' which is right on, tho they got a lot worse in later Heinlein novels. It is a odd letter that seems spot on in places and then has self contradictory at moments. All in all Campbell does a poor job of evaluating the entertainment value of the novel , surprising since it would have been popular in ASF. Campbell may have been on the outs with Heinlein by that time.

​

His foolishness cost his magazine what one the best science fiction novels of all time .

 

[Al Jackson]

His foolishness cost his magazine what one the best science fiction novels of all time .

After that . I am sure Heinlein did not offer Stranger to Campbell, well it could have been serialized but many parts , I don't think it was serialized anywhere. Not sure about this but after Citizen of the Galaxy I don't think Heinlein ever appeared in ASF again?