AustLit

The convoluted and tangled history of Science Fiction Stories originates in 1939 when two sister magazines - Future Fiction (aka Future Science Fiction) and Science Fiction were launched eight months apart. They were merged two years later by Columbia Publications to create Future Combined with Science Fiction. Over the next couple of years the new magazine's title was changed twice, beginning with Future Fantasy and Science Fiction (1942), followed by Science Fiction Stories (1943). To complicate matters even further, the early 1940s saw the publication of a short-lived British reprint edition of Science Fiction and a single issue of Future Fantasy and Science Fiction (which was reprinted as part of the Swan American Magazines series). There was also a short-lived Canadian magazine called Science Fiction which mainly reprinted from Science Fiction and Future Fiction, but also included some stories from elsewhere. A number of factors brought on by America's involvement in World War II saw the magazine close down in 1943.

In 1950 Columbia brought the two magazines back under the one title, Future Combined with Science Fiction Stories. It was published under that title for only two years before being changed twice more - first to Future Science Fiction Stories (January 1952) and then to Future Science Fiction (two issues later). For most of this period a British reprint edition was also published.

In 1953, Columbia trialled the digest size format, releasing an individual and unrelated magazine issue called Science Fiction Stories. A second trial issue was published the following year. Encouraged by the response, the company began publishing Future Science Fiction in the digest format from June 1954 (Volume 5, Number 1). However, after only three issues Columbia decided to replace it with an entirely new series - Science Fiction Stories [1955-1960]. The first issue of this magazine was published in January 1955 (as Volume 5, Number 4).

• NB: Future Science Fiction was revived by Columbia in October 1955.
  

From September 1955 the Science Fiction Stories covers included the phrase 'The Original.' Although this suggested that the title had been once again changed (to The Original Science Fiction Stories), the Galactic Central website indicates that this was not the case, and that the term was merely a generic descriptive.

Science Fiction Stories and Future Science Fiction both ceased publication in early 1960.


[Source: "Future Science Fiction/Science Fiction Stories." Galactic Central - sighted 8/12/2011]