Raymond A. Palmer
Encyclopedia
Raymond Arthur Palmer was the influential editor of Amazing Stories
from 1938 through 1949, when he left publisher Ziff-Davis to publish and edit Fate Magazine, and eventually many other magazines and books through his own publishing houses, including Amherst Press and Palmer Publications. In addition to magazines such as Mystic, Search, and 'Flying Saucers," he published numerous spirtualist books, including Oahspe: A New Bible
, as well as several books related to flying saucers, including "The Coming of the Saucers," co-written by Palmer with Kenneth Arnold
. Palmer was also a prolific author of science fiction and fantasy stories, many of which were published under pseudonyms.
stunted his growth (he stood about four feet tall), and left him with a hunchback
.
Palmer found refuge in science fiction
, which he read voraciously. He rose through the ranks of science fiction fandom
and is credited, along with Walter Dennis, with editing the first fanzine
, The Comet
, in May, 1930..
and, on the recommendation of popular author Ralph Milne Farley, offered the editorship to Palmer. In 1939, Palmer began a companion magazine to Amazing Stories titled Fantastic Adventures
, which lasted until 1953.
When Ziff-Davis moved its magazine production from Chicago
to New York City
in 1949, Palmer resigned and, with Curtis Fuller, another Ziff-Davis editor who did not want to leave the midwest, founded Clark Publishing Co.
-type stories. His tenure at Amazing Stories was notable for his purchase of Isaac Asimov
's first professional story, "Marooned Off Vesta
".
Palmer was also known for his support of the long running and controversial Shaver Mystery stories, a series of stories by Richard S. Shaver. Palmer's support of the truth of Shaver's stories (which maintained that the world is dominated by insane inhabitants of the hollow earth
), was controversial in the science fiction
community. It is unclear whether Palmer believed the Shaver stories to be true, or if he was just using the stories to sell magazines.
Palmer began his own science fiction publishing ventures while working for Ziff-Davis, eventually leaving the company to form his own publishing house, Clark Publishing Company, which was responsible for the titles Imagination
and Other Worlds
, among others. None of these magazines achieved the success of Amazing Stories during the Palmer years, but Palmer published Space World magazine until his death.
methods, Fortean
events, belief in the survival of personality after death
, predictive dream
s, accounts of ghost
s, mental telepathy, archaeology
, flying saucer
sightings, cryptozoology
, alternative medicine
, warnings of death
, and other paranormal
topics, many contributed by readers.
Curtis Fuller and his wife Mary took full control of Fate in 1955, when Palmer sold his interest in the venture. The magazine has continued in publication under a series of editors and publishers to the present day.
Another paranormal magazine Palmer created along the line of Fate was Mystic magazine, which after about two years of publication became Search magazine.
In the 1970s, Palmer also published Ray Palmer's News Letter which was combined into another of his publications called Forum in March 1975.
's report of "flying discs." Arnold's sighting marked the beginning of the modern UFO era, and his story propelled the fledgling Fate to national recognition. Through Fate, Palmer was instrumental in popularizing belief in flying saucer
s. This interest led him to establish the magazine Flying Saucers
.
through his hands on the newly invented typewriter.
of DC Comics
superhero the Atom
- introduced by science fiction writer Gardner Fox
in 1961 - is named after Palmer.
A newer edition of Oahspe as a tribute edition to Ray Palmer was published in 2009 titled: Oahspe - Raymond A. Palmer Tribute Edition.
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
from 1938 through 1949, when he left publisher Ziff-Davis to publish and edit Fate Magazine, and eventually many other magazines and books through his own publishing houses, including Amherst Press and Palmer Publications. In addition to magazines such as Mystic, Search, and 'Flying Saucers," he published numerous spirtualist books, including Oahspe: A New Bible
Oahspe: A New Bible
Oahspe: A New Bible is a book published in 1882, purporting to contain "new revelations" from "...the Embassadors of the angel hosts of heaven prepared and revealed unto man in the name of Jehovih..." It was written by an American dentist, John Ballou Newbrough , who reported it to have been...
, as well as several books related to flying saucers, including "The Coming of the Saucers," co-written by Palmer with Kenneth Arnold
Kenneth Arnold
Kenneth A. Arnold was an American aviator and businessman. He is best-known for making what is generally considered the first widely reported unidentified flying object sighting in the United States, after claiming to have seen nine unusual objects flying in a chain near Mount Rainier, Washington...
. Palmer was also a prolific author of science fiction and fantasy stories, many of which were published under pseudonyms.
Personal life
According to Bruce Lanier Wright, "Palmer was hit by a truck at age seven and suffered a broken back." An unsuccessful operation on Palmer's spineVertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
stunted his growth (he stood about four feet tall), and left him with a hunchback
Hunchback
Hunchback may refer to one of the following.*A derogatory term for a person who has severe kyphosis*The Hunchback of Notre Dame*Hunchback , an arcade and computer game from the 1980s*The Hunchback, a 1914 film featuring Lillian Gish...
.
Palmer found refuge in science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, which he read voraciously. He rose through the ranks of science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
and is credited, along with Walter Dennis, with editing the first fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
, The Comet
The Comet
The Comet was an American science fiction fanzine, the first of its kind.-History:It was first published in May 1930 by the Science Correspondence Club in Chicago, Illinois....
, in May, 1930..
Career
Ziff-Davis acquired Amazing Stories in 1938. The publisher sacked then editor T. O'Conor SloaneT. O'Conor Sloane
Thomas O'Conor Sloane, Ph.D. was the editor of Amazing Stories from 1929 through 1938. In that year, publisher Ziff-Davis moved production of the magazine to Chicago and named Raymond A. Palmer as Sloane's successor....
and, on the recommendation of popular author Ralph Milne Farley, offered the editorship to Palmer. In 1939, Palmer began a companion magazine to Amazing Stories titled Fantastic Adventures
Fantastic Adventures
Fantastic Adventures was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published from 1939 to 1953 by Ziff-Davis. It was initially edited by Ray Palmer, who was also the editor of Amazing Stories, Ziff-Davis's other science fiction title. The first nine issues were in bedsheet format, but in June 1940...
, which lasted until 1953.
When Ziff-Davis moved its magazine production from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1949, Palmer resigned and, with Curtis Fuller, another Ziff-Davis editor who did not want to leave the midwest, founded Clark Publishing Co.
Science fiction magazines
As an editor, Palmer tended to favor adventurous, fast-moving space operaSpace opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
-type stories. His tenure at Amazing Stories was notable for his purchase of Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's first professional story, "Marooned Off Vesta
Marooned Off Vesta
Marooned Off Vesta is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was the third story written by Asimov, and the first to be published. Written in July 1938 when Asimov was 18, it was rejected by Astounding Science Fiction in August, then accepted in October by Amazing Stories, appearing in...
".
Palmer was also known for his support of the long running and controversial Shaver Mystery stories, a series of stories by Richard S. Shaver. Palmer's support of the truth of Shaver's stories (which maintained that the world is dominated by insane inhabitants of the hollow earth
Hollow Earth
The Hollow Earth hypothesis proposes that the planet Earth is either entirely hollow or otherwise contains a substantial interior space. The hypothesis has been shown to be wrong by observational evidence, as well as by the modern understanding of planet formation; the scientific community has...
), was controversial in the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
community. It is unclear whether Palmer believed the Shaver stories to be true, or if he was just using the stories to sell magazines.
Palmer began his own science fiction publishing ventures while working for Ziff-Davis, eventually leaving the company to form his own publishing house, Clark Publishing Company, which was responsible for the titles Imagination
Imagination (magazine)
Imagination was an American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in October 1950 by Raymond Palmer's Clark Publishing Company. The magazine was sold almost immediately to Greenleaf Publishing Company, owned by William Hamling, who published and edited it from the third issue,...
and Other Worlds
Other Worlds (magazine)
Other Worlds Science Stories was an American science fiction magazine, edited by Raymond A. Palmer with Bea Mahaffey. It was published by Palmer's Clark Publishing in Evanston, Illinois beginning in the late 1940s...
, among others. None of these magazines achieved the success of Amazing Stories during the Palmer years, but Palmer published Space World magazine until his death.
Paranormality magazines
In 1948, Palmer and Curtis Fuller co-founded Fate, which covered divinationDivination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
methods, Fortean
Fortean
Fortean refers to:*Charles Fort's ideas and philosophy and the people and things inspired by it*Fortean Society, formed by New York's literati led by Theodore Dreiser, Booth Tarkington, Ben Hecht...
events, belief in the survival of personality after death
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
, predictive dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
s, accounts of ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s, mental telepathy, archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, flying saucer
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
sightings, cryptozoology
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
, alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
, warnings of death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, and other paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
topics, many contributed by readers.
Curtis Fuller and his wife Mary took full control of Fate in 1955, when Palmer sold his interest in the venture. The magazine has continued in publication under a series of editors and publishers to the present day.
Another paranormal magazine Palmer created along the line of Fate was Mystic magazine, which after about two years of publication became Search magazine.
In the 1970s, Palmer also published Ray Palmer's News Letter which was combined into another of his publications called Forum in March 1975.
UFO magazine
In the first issue of Fate, Palmer published Kenneth ArnoldKenneth Arnold
Kenneth A. Arnold was an American aviator and businessman. He is best-known for making what is generally considered the first widely reported unidentified flying object sighting in the United States, after claiming to have seen nine unusual objects flying in a chain near Mount Rainier, Washington...
's report of "flying discs." Arnold's sighting marked the beginning of the modern UFO era, and his story propelled the fledgling Fate to national recognition. Through Fate, Palmer was instrumental in popularizing belief in flying saucer
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
s. This interest led him to establish the magazine Flying Saucers
Flying Saucers (magazine)
Flying Saucers was a magazine published and edited by Raymond A. Palmer, devoted to articles on UFOs and the Shaver Mystery. The magazine was first published as Flying Saucers from Other Worlds in 1957, before evolving into Flying Saucers in 1958...
.
Spiritual Publications
Palmer's avid interest in spirituality and alternative explanations of reality was reflected in his choice of publications. His interest in the Oahspe Bible, led him on a 15-year search for a copy of the original 1882 edition published by Oahspe Publishing Assoc., New York and London. Although a later edited and revised edition was published in 1891 and reprinted over the years, the original 1882 Oahspe Bible was not available until Palmer republished a facsimile of it in 1960. It is often referred to as "The Palmer Edition" or "The Green Oahspe" among Oahspe readers. He continued to publish and reprint later editions to which he added an index and editor's notes. Oahspe was reported by the spiritualist medium John B. Newbrough to have come as automatic writingAutomatic writing
Automatic writing or psychography is writing which the writer states to be produced from a subconscious and/or spiritual source without conscious awareness of the content.-History:...
through his hands on the newly invented typewriter.
Tributes
The secret identitySecret identity
A secret identity is an element of fiction wherein a character develops a separate persona , while keeping their true identity hidden. The character also may wear a disguise...
of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
superhero the Atom
Ray Palmer (comics)
The Atom is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero introduced during the Silver Age of comic books in Showcase # 34 . He was named after Raymond A...
- introduced by science fiction writer Gardner Fox
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic-book historians estimate that he wrote over 4,000 comics stories....
in 1961 - is named after Palmer.
A newer edition of Oahspe as a tribute edition to Ray Palmer was published in 2009 titled: Oahspe - Raymond A. Palmer Tribute Edition.
External links
- Shavertron magazine about Ray Palmer involvement in the Shaver Mystery
- Fear Down Below: The Curious History of the Shaver Mystery, by Bruce Lanier Wright
- Fate magazine official site
- I Flew In A Flying Saucer A PDF scan of an 'Other Worlds' Sci Fi magazine story from 1951