Unknown Worlds
Collection
Identifier: PZ1.Z9 U5
Unknown Worlds was begun in under 1938. This collection contains issues ranging from 1941 to 1943, though the reader should note that the collection may not be complete.
These materials are in English.
These materials have unrestricted access.
Permission to publish materials from this collection must be obtained from the Head of Archives and Special Collections.
.8 Linear Feet (This collection spans .8 linear feet. )
Georgia Tech Archives and Special Collections holds issues of the magazine published between 1941 to 1943. It may not be a complete run of the publication.
Unknown , sometimes known as Unknown Worlds was begun in 1938 under Street and Smith Publications. It served as a companion publication to Stree and Smith's other science fiction publication, Astounding Science Fiction. The magazine was noted for it's use of combining the mundane with the fantastic, as well as it's frequent habit of stories with more rational, scientific fantasy over magical or mythical fantasy. In 1941 Unknown was changed from a monthly to a bimontly schedule due to lack of sales. It was also at this time that the name was changed to Unknown Worlds. 1943 saw publication cease, due to increasingly intesne paper shortages due to World War II. Despite it's relatively short run of five years, Unknown is hailed as one of the most influencial and well-writen science fiction magazines ever published. Science fiction historian Michael Ashley called is "revolutionary" and noted "Unknown remains one of the best pulp magazines ever published, and almost certainly the most important in the fantasy genre" in his book The Time Machines: The Story of the Science-fiction Pulp Magazines From the Beginning to 1950.
These materials are arranged chronologically.
Materials for this collection were donated by Joseph Geierman and Robert Swain.
Materials were processed by Jocelyn Jagrowski in February 2021.
Part of the Archives and Special Collections, Library, Georgia Institute of Technology Repository