Thursday, 2 April 2020

A History Of Histories

Robert Heinlein compiled a time chart to keep track of his Future History. When John Campbell found out about the chart, he published an early draft of it in Astounding Science Fiction, May 1941.

Poul Anderson, imitating Heinlein, compiled a time chart and wrote a series of stories set within it. That chart was published in Startling Stories, Winter 1955. (See image.) A later version, compiled by Sandra Miesel, appears in book collections of Anderson's first, Psychotechnic, future history.

Campbell coined the term, "Future History," in Astounding, February 1941. Heinlein, Asimov, Blish and Anderson are four Campbell future historians. Blish compiled a Chronology of Cities In Flight for some book editions of his future history.

2 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I would also consider Jerry Pournelle's Co-Dominium and Larry Niven's Known Space to also be Campbellian future histories. In spirit, at least, even if not published by Campbell.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
I meant published by him but, yes, they are successors.
Paul.