Asimov Book Review - Before the Golden Age

by Lacey Kat
(Copyright by author)

Isaac Asimov once wrote that he avoided writing an autobiography because he felt that nothing ever happen to him that would be of any interest to his readers. His editors continued to ask, however, so to blunt their pressure he started adding biographical information to some of his short story collections. Three books in particular; The Early Asimov, Buy Jupiter, and Before the Golden Age, form a literary autobiography from his early experiences with science fiction to his second marriage on November 30, 1973.

While Buy Jupiter and The Early Asimov contain works written by Isaac, Before the Golden Age is an anthology of stories that shaped his imagination, fired his interest in science fiction and lead him into the office of John Campbell, the man who is most responsible for the Asimov we have come to know and love.

In fact, the "Golden Age" that Asimov refers to began in 1938 when John Campbell became editor of Astounding Stories. He so dominated science fiction that to read Astounding was to know the entire field. This lasted until the early 50's when other magazines rose from the post war ashes, and science fiction spread to film, TV, books, and paperbacks. Never again could one person know the whole field of SciFi.

But before this space age Camelot there was a time when science fiction road the pages of the "pulp press." Cheap magazines made of wood pulp paper, unglazed covers, and ragged edges. Each about a dime, and devoted to a specific reader, there were Westerns, Detective stories, love and romance stories, and the kind of tales that would later inspire adventures from Flash Gordon and Indiana Jones. The magazines were cheap and they paid cheap. The authors were clumsy, primitive, and less than knowledgeable about their subjects. But then so were the readers. Remember, this was before cable TV.

Before the Golden Age (Doubleday (c) 1974) is a collection of these early science fiction short stories that graced the pages of such magazines as Science Wonder Quarterly, Astounding Stories of Super-Science, Air Wonder Stories, and Amazing Stories. It would be worth the 912 pages just for this look into an era of science fiction before real science, the years between 1931-1938. What makes this tomb a must read for Asimov fans is that between each story is a look at the writer in his early years. What he was doing when this story was published, and why it had so profound an impact on his early life and future writings. Remember, this was a time before Isaac decided to be a writer, let alone pursue science. To any Asimov fan, this book lets you see into what shaped his gift and why it went the directions it did. In these stories, you see glimpses of the Foundation, robots, and ugly little boys.

As a bonus, the stories in the book are still quite good. If you allow for the time written and the advance of knowledge over the years, each piece is as enjoyable now as when Isaac first read them in his father's candy store seventy years ago. This was a time when hard science did not have to get in the way of a story. When Venus was a tropical jungle filled with wild aliens. When the speed of light was not a barrier to ever increasing speed. When you could take your spaceship to the edge of the universe and find yourself on a giant glass slide, under a giant microscope, in another universe around the corner. It is a double education and worth ever
y cent.

[Update]  While the entire book is out of print, copies can be found on Amazon and eBay.  There is also a multi-volume set that was published later so if you are looking for the book be sure to ask if it is the original or one of the divided works.   (Examples to the right)







As I said in my review, these stories are not bad, given they were written by writers and not trained scientists, for the most part.   That "Hollywood" can't seem to find good stories to develop (see my scathing review of ABC's Masters of Science Fiction mini-series) is baffling
.