NOTORIETY Elsewhere in these pages I related how I was surprised and dismayed to discover that A. Bertram Chandler was not as popular with science fiction fans as I imagined he ought to be. I even admitted to some embarrassment over reading and enjoying his stories until I realized that it was those who held contrary views who were wrong. When you look at the record, its hard to understand why Chandler’s name isn’t mentioned in the same breath with Heinlein, Clark, Asimov, Bradbury and other golden-agers who came on the scene at roughly the same time as Chandler, were mentored by the great John W. Campbell and who went on to long-lasting careers. The only reason I can imagine for this disparity is one of PR; the aforementioned ‘Grand Masters’ were only ever authors (once they hit their stride) and had plenty of time to hawk not only their wares but their images as well. Chandler, on the other hand, was a working stiff who seems to have been as devoted to his life at sea as he was to his writing. One can only imagine what the annals of science fiction history would look like if Bertram had spent his sea-going time at conventions and hanging around fan club meetings instead. My contention that Arthur Bertram Chandler’s name belongs among the shining stars of the science fiction galaxy is not merely one of personal bias. Its born out by the record, not only within the pages of reader’s polls but also with other historical achievements. Chandler is among the few internationally recognized science fiction authors for whom an annual writing award is named. He is among a handful of golden age authors who was asked to submit ‘ground-breaking’ science fiction to Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions anthologies. Indeed, he is among a handful of writers who began their careers in the 1940s who can still be found on the racks today. And then there are the magazines. A quick survey of the magazine issues that Chandler appears in reveals some interesting facts, not the least of which is that his name regularly appears on the cover. Magazine editors do not feature author’s names on their covers out of whimsy – they do so because the name is believed to attract readers. As the following list will show, Chandler’s name and or the title of his story in a particular issue appeared on the cover no fewer than 75 times over the course of 40 years – that’s nearly an average of two cover mentions a year. Astounding,
Oct 1945 Astounding, Feb 1946 Perhaps even more significant is the number of individual titles that Chandler sold to on a regular basis – many of them leaders of the field when they were running his stories: Amazing, Astounding, If, Worlds of Tomorrow, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Science Fiction Adventures, Argosy, Science Fantasy, New Worlds, Nebula, Galaxy, Fantastic, Startling Stories, Thrilling Science Fiction, Future Science Fiction, Science Fiction Quarterly, Isaac Asimov’s SF Magazine, Original Science Fiction Stories, Startling Stories, Planet Stories, Infinity, Imagination, Fantastic Adventures, Out Of This World Adventures, Vanguard, Void, Fantastic Universe, and others, over 30 titles and, while not nearly as many individual editors, many among them were the best. (In fact, David G. Hartwell, former editor of the new Cosmos magazine purchased a Chandler story for that magazine as well, indicating beyond any question that Chandler remained relevant with magazine editors right up to the very end). There are 71 individual titles that featured Chandler stories, and quite a few that weren’t science fiction magazines. Again, it’s the rare science fiction writer who’s stories appear not only in the top specialty rags, but in popular, mainstream magazines as well. Of additional note are the number of ‘firsts’ his stories appeared in – Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy, Vanguard, Out Of This World Adventures, Void, Future Combined with Science Fiction (UK), Fantastic Universe, Space Travel, Science Fiction Adventures and missing by only an issue or two the debut of Famous Science Fiction, Fantastic Worlds, Science Fantasy, New Worlds, Skyworlds, Super Science Fiction, Tales of the Frightened and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. (Were his agents on top of things or was Chandler a ‘go-to’ guy for the editors of new science fiction magazines?) We’re talking 16 different magazines here, a couple of which are highly regarded. First issues can be missed when they hit the stands: by the 2nd, 3rd, 5th issue, they’ve managed to attract attention. Imagine all of the virgin science fiction fans that must have been introduced to the genre by Chandler!) Perhaps the only thing lacking on Bertram’s mantle is a Hugo or a Nebula – but he’s got several Ditmars to serve as place holders until those come along. A more telling way of illustrating A. Bertram Chandler’s proper place amongst the grand masters pantheon would be to ask this question: Who comes to mind when asked: Which science fiction author’s career spans four decades, his first and many other sales were to Astounding, his name regularly appeared on the covers of ALL of the major science fiction magazines and an annual SF award is named after him? John
Campbell
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