Donald A. Wollheim

Donald Allen Wollheim (October 1, 1914 – November 2, 1990) was an American science fiction editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell, Martin Pearson, and Darrell G. Raynor.

A founding member of the Futurians, he was a leading influence on science fiction development and fandom in the 20th-century United States.

Ursula K. Le Guin called Wollheim "the tough, reliable editor of Ace Books, in the Late Pulpalignean Era, 1966 and '67", which is when he published her first two novels in Ace Double editions.

Science fiction fan

''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (first edition, 1979) calls Wollheim "one of the first and most vociferous SF fans." He published numerous fanzines and co-edited the early '' Fanciful Tales of Time and Space''. His importance to early fandom is chronicled in the 1974 book ''The Immortal Storm'' by Sam Moskowitz and in the 1977 book ''The Futurians'' by Damon Knight.

Wollheim organized what was later deemed the first American science fiction convention, when a group from New York met with a group from Philadelphia on October 22, 1936 in Philadelphia. The modern Philcon convention claims descent from this event. Out of this meeting, plans were formed for regional and national meetings, including the first Worldcon.''LOCUS'', December 1990, Donald A. Wollheim: Obituaries and Appreciations, pp. 68–70.

Wollheim was a member of the New York Science Fiction League, one of the clubs established by Hugo Gernsback to promote science fiction. When payment was not forthcoming for the first story he sold to Gernsback, Wollheim formed a group with several other authors, and successfully sued for payment. He was expelled from the Science Fiction League as "a disruptive influence" but was later reinstated. From the September 1935 issue of Gernsback's ''Wonder Stories'':

In 1937 Wollheim founded the Fantasy Amateur Press Association, whose first mailing (July 1937) included this statement from him: "There are many fans desiring to put out a voice who dare not, for fear of being obliged to keep it up, and for the worry and time taken by subscriptions and advertising. It is for them and for the fan who admits it is his hobby and not his business that we formed the FAPA." In 1938, with several friends, he formed the Futurians—arguably the best-known of the science fiction clubs. At one time or another, the membership included Isaac Asimov, Frederik Pohl, Cyril Kornbluth, James Blish, John Michel, Judith Merril, Robert A. W. Lowndes, Richard Wilson, Damon Knight, Virginia Kidd, and Larry T. Shaw. In 1943 Wollheim married fellow Futurian Elsie Balter (1910–1996). It proved to be a lasting marriage and publishing partnership.

The Futurians became less fan-oriented and more professional after 1940. Its conferences and workshops focused on writing, editing, and publishing, with many of its members interested in all three.

Author

Wollheim's first story, "The Man from Ariel", was published in the January 1934 issue of '' Wonder Stories'' when he was nineteen.

He was not paid for the story, and when he learned that other authors had not been paid either, he said so in the ''Bulletin'' of the Terrestrial Fantascience Guild. Publisher Hugo Gernsback eventually settled with Wollheim and the other authors out of court for $75. However, when Wollheim submitted another story ("The Space Lens") under the pseudonym Millard Verne Gordon, he was once again cheated by Gernsback who published it in the September 1935 issue. His third known story was published in ''Fanciful Tales of Time and Space'', Fall 1936, a fanzine that he edited himself. That year he also published and edited another short-lived fanzine, ''Phantagraph''.

Wollheim's stories were published regularly from 1940; at the same time he was becoming an important editor. In the 1950s and 60s he wrote chiefly novels. He usually used pseudonyms for works aimed at grownups, and wrote children's novels under his own name. Notable and popular were the eight "Mike Mars" books for children, which explored different facets of the NASA space program. Also well-received were the "Secret" books for young readers: ''The Secret of Saturn's Rings'' (1954), ''Secret of the Martian Moons'' (1955), and ''The Secret of the Ninth Planet'' (1959). As Martin Pearson he published the "Ajax Calkins" series, which became the basis for his novel ''Destiny's Orbit'' (1962). A sequel, ''Destination: Saturn'' was published in 1967 in collaboration with Lin Carter. ''The Universe Makers'' (1971) is a discussion of themes and philosophy in science fiction.

One of Wollheim's short stories, "Mimic", was made into the film of the same name by director and co-writer Guillermo del Toro, released in 1997.

His daughter Betsy declared: "In true editorial fashion, he was honest about the quality of his own writing. He felt it was fair to middling at best. He always knew that his great talent was as an editor."Personal interview with Elizabeth Wollheim. April 27, 2009.

Editor and publisher

Robert Silverberg said that Wollheim was "one of the most significant figures in 20th century American science fiction publishing," adding, "A plausible case could be made that he was ''the'' most significant figure—responsible in large measure for the development of the science fiction paperback, the science fiction anthology, and the whole post-Tolkien boom in fantasy fiction."

In late 1940, Wollheim noticed a new magazine titled ''Stirring Detective and Western Stories'' on the newsstands. He wrote to the publishers, Albing Publications, to see if they were interested in adding a science fiction title to their list, and he was invited to meet them. They did not have capital, however, and only guaranteed him a salary if the magazines were successful. He approached some of his fellow Futurians for free stories (some published under pseudonyms to protect their reputations with paying editors). It resulted in Wollheim's editing two of the earliest periodicals devoted to science fiction, the ''Cosmic Stories'' and ''Stirring Science Stories'' magazines starting in February 1941. After the magazines were cancelled later in 1941, Wollheim was able to find another publisher, Manhattan Fiction Publications, and a fourth issue of ''Stirring'' appeared, dated March 1942. Wartime constraints prevented ongoing publication, and there were no more issues of either title.

Wollheim edited the first science fiction anthology to be mass-marketed, ''The Pocket Book of Science Fiction'' (1943). It was also the first book containing the words "science fiction" in the title. It included works by Robert A. Heinlein, Theodore Sturgeon, T. S. Stribling, Stephen Vincent Benét, Ambrose Bierce, and H. G. Wells