Donald A. Wollheim

Profile Involvement in science fiction fandom The 1979 first edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction 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 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" 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, His third known story was published in Fanciful Tales of Time and Space, Fall 1936, a fanzine that he edited himself.

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."

Career as 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." 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). During this period he also edited eighteen issues of the influential Avon Fantasy Reader as well as three of the Avon Science Fiction Reader. These periodicals contained mostly reprints and a few original stories.

In 1952 Wollheim left Avon to work for A. A. Wyn at the Ace Magazine Company and spearheaded a new paperback book list, Ace Books. In 1953 he introduced science fiction to the Ace lineup,

This account was disputed by Tolkien, who claimed he never received any communication from Ace prior to publication of their version. In any case, Tolkien had previously authorized paperback editions of The Hobbit and Tree and Leaf. The authorized Ballantine paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings was then published in November 1965. After a campaign organized by Tolkien's American fans, Ace subsequently agreed to cease publishing the unauthorized edition and to pay Tolkien standard royalties for the sales that did occur.

A 1993 court determined the copyright loophole suggested by Ace Books was invalid and its paperback edition was found to have been a violation of copyright under U.S. law . At this time, the U.S. had yet to join the International Copyright Convention, and most laws on the books existed to protect domestic creations from foreign infringement. Houghton Mifflin was technically in violation of the law when they exceeded their import limits and failed to renew their interim copyright. In the Locus obituary for Donald Wollheim, however, more details emerge:

Houghton-Mifflin had imported sheets instead of printing their own edition, but they didn't want to sell paperback rights. Ace printed the first paperback edition and caused such a furor that Tolkien rewrote the books enough to get a new copyright, then sold them to Ballantine. The rest is history. Although Ace and Wollheim have become the villains in the Tolkien publishing gospel, it's probable that the whole Tolkien boom would not have happened if Ace hadn't published them. Upon Wollheim's death in 1990, the prolific editor Robert Silverberg argued (above) that he may have been "the most significant figure" in American SF publishing. The novel remained unpublished during Jordan's lifetime, he Jordan went on to write the immensely successful The Wheel of Time series for Tor Books.

Marion Zimmer Bradley referred to him as "a second father", Frederick Pohl called him "a founder",

From 1975 on, Wollheim received several special awards for his contributions to science fiction and to fantasy,

Selected works As editor World's Best Science Fiction (with Terry Carr) World's Best Science Fiction: 1965 (also known as World's Best Science Fiction: First Series) World's Best Science Fiction: 1966 (also known as World's Best Science Fiction: Second Series) World's Best Science Fiction: 1967 (also known as World's Best Science Fiction: Third Series) World's Best Science Fiction: 1968 (also known as World's Best Science Fiction: Fourth Series) World's Best Science Fiction: 1969 World's Best Science Fiction: 1970 World's Best Science Fiction: 1971

The Annual World's Best SF (with Arthur W. Saha) The 1972 Annual World's Best SF (also known as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series One) The 1973 Annual World's Best SF (also known as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Two) The 1974 Annual World's Best SF (also known as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Three) The 1975 Annual World's Best SF (also known as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Four) The 1976 Annual World's Best SF (also known as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Five) The 1977 Annual World's Best SF (also known as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Six) The 1978 Annual World's Best SF (also known as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Seven) The 1979 Annual World's Best SF (also known as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Eight) The 1980 Annual World's Best SF (also known as Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Nine) The 1981 Annual World's Best SF The 1982 Annual World's Best SF The 1983 Annual World's Best SF The 1984 Annual World's Best SF The 1985 Annual World's Best SF The 1986 Annual World's Best SF The 1987 Annual World's Best SF The 1988 Annual World's Best SF The 1989 Annual World's Best SF The 1990 Annual World's Best SF

Others The DAW Science Fiction Reader (1976)

As writer Mike Mars series Source:

Mike Mars, Astronaut (1961) Mike Mars Flies the X-15 (1961) Mike Mars at Cape Canaveral (renamed Mike Mars at Cape Kennedy when published in paperback in 1966) (1961) Mike Mars in Orbit (1961) Mike Mars Flies the Dyna-Soar (1962) Mike Mars, South Pole Spaceman (1962) Mike Mars and the Mystery Satellite (1963) Mike Mars Around the Moon (1964)

Winston Juveniles The Secret of Saturn's Rings (1954, Winston Science Fiction series) The Secret of the Martian Moons (1955, Winston Science Fiction series) The Secret of the Ninth Planet (1959, Winston Science Fiction series)

Ajax Calkins Destiny's Orbit (1961, as David Grinnell) Destination: Saturn (1967, as David Grinnell, with Lin Carter)

Other novels One Against the Moon (1956, The World Publishing Company, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 56-9261) Across Time (1957, as David Grinnell) The Edge of Time (1958, as David Grinnell) The Martian Missile (1959, as David Grinnell) To Venus! To Venus! (1970, as David Grinnell)

Nonfiction A Year Among the Girls (as Darrell G. Raynor) (1966) (concerning his crossdressing experiences and Casa Susanna) The Universe Makers: Science Fiction Today (1971): a "survey and behind-the-scenes look" at science fiction from the Golden Age onward)