Sam Moskowitz (June 30, 1920-April 15,1997) was an early fan and organizer of interest in
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
and, later, a writer, critic, and historian of the field. As a child, Moskowitz greatly enjoyed reading science fiction
pulp magazinePulp magazines were inexpensive fiction magazines. They were widely published from 1896 through the 1950s. The term pulp fiction can also refer to mass market paperbacks since the 1950s....
s. As a teenager, he organized a branch of the Science Fiction League. Meanwhile,
Donald A. WollheimDonald Allen Wollheim was a science fiction writer, editor, publisher and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell....
helped organize the Futurians, a rival club with Marxist sympathies. While still in his teens, Moskowitz became chairman of the
firstThe First World Science Fiction Convention was held in the Caravan Hall in New York from 2 July to 4 July, 1939, in conjunction with the New York World's Fair, which was themed as "The world of tomorrow"...
World Science Fiction ConventionWorldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
held in New York City in 1939.
Sam Moskowitz (June 30, 1920-April 15,1997) was an early fan and organizer of interest in
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
and, later, a writer, critic, and historian of the field. As a child, Moskowitz greatly enjoyed reading science fiction
pulp magazinePulp magazines were inexpensive fiction magazines. They were widely published from 1896 through the 1950s. The term pulp fiction can also refer to mass market paperbacks since the 1950s....
s. As a teenager, he organized a branch of the Science Fiction League. Meanwhile,
Donald A. WollheimDonald Allen Wollheim was a science fiction writer, editor, publisher and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell....
helped organize the Futurians, a rival club with Marxist sympathies. While still in his teens, Moskowitz became chairman of the
firstThe First World Science Fiction Convention was held in the Caravan Hall in New York from 2 July to 4 July, 1939, in conjunction with the New York World's Fair, which was themed as "The world of tomorrow"...
World Science Fiction ConventionWorldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
held in New York City in 1939. He barred several
FuturiansThe Futurians were a group of science fiction fans, many of whom became editors and writers as well. The Futurians were based in New York City and were a major force in the development of science fiction writing and science fiction fandom in the years 1937-1945.-Origins of the group:As described...
from the
conventionScience fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
because they threatened to disrupt it. This event is referred to by historians of fandom as the "Great Exclusion Act".
Moskowitz later worked professionally in the science fiction field. He edited
Science-Fiction PlusScience-Fiction Plus was a science fiction magazine published from Philadelphia by Gernsback Publications, Inc. in 1952-53...
, a short-lived genre magazine owned by
Hugo GernsbackHugo Gernsback , born Hugo Gernsbacher, was a Luxembourg American inventor, writer and magazine publisher, best remembered for publications that included the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publisher were so significant that, along with H.G...
, in 1953. He compiled about two dozen anthologies, and a few single-author collections, most published in the 1960s and early 1970s. Moskowitz also wrote a handful of short stories (three published in 1941, one in 1953, three in 1956). His most enduring work is likely to be his
writingThis article is about the field of science fiction studies. For the journal of the same title, please see Science Fiction Studies.Science fiction studies is the common name for the academic discipline that studies and researches the history, culture, and works of science fiction and, more broadly,...
on the
history of science fictionThe literary genre of science fiction is diverse and since there is little consensus of definition among scholars or devotees, its origin is an open question. Some offer works like the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh as the primal texts of science fiction...
, in particular two collections of short author biographies,
Explorers of the Infinite and
Seekers of Tomorrow, as well as the highly regarded
Under the Moons of Mars: A History and Anthology of “The Scientific Romance” in the Munsey Magazines, 1912-1920. Moskowitz has been criticized for eccentrically assigning priorities and tracing influences regarding particular themes and ideas based principally on publication dates, as well as for some supposed inaccuracies. His exhaustive cataloguing of early sf magazine stories by important genre authors remains the best resource for nonspecialists.
Moskowitz's most popular work may be
The Immortal Storm, a historical review of internecine strife within fandom. Moskowitz wrote it in a bombastic style that made the events he described seem so important that, as fan historian
Harry Warner, Jr.Harry Warner, Jr. , was an American journalist. He spent 40 years working for the Hagerstown, Maryland, Herald-Mail....
quipped, "If read directly after a history of World War II, it does not seem like an anticlimax."
Moskowitz was also renowned as a science fiction book collector, with a tremendous number of important early works and rarities. His book collection was auctioned off after his death.
As "Sam Martin", he was also editor of the trade publications
Quick Frozen Foods and
Quick Frozen Foods International for many years.
First FandomFirst Fandom is an association of experienced science fiction fans.In 1958 a number of fans at Midwestcon realized amid table-talk that they all had been active in fandom for more than 20 years. This inspired the creation of an organization for longstanding fans under the initial chairmanship of...
, an organization of science fiction fans active before 1940, gives an award in Moskowitz' memory each year at the World Science Fiction Convention.
Moskowitz smoked cigarettes frequently throughout his adult life. A few years before his death, throat cancer required the surgical removal of his larynx. He continued to speak at science fiction conventions, using an
electronic voice-boxA mechanical larynx is a medical device used to produce clearer speech by those who have lost their original voicebox, usually due to cancer of the larynx. It is also referred to as a 'throat back'. The most common device is the electrolarynx which is handheld, battery operated and placed under the...
held against his throat. Throughout his later years, although his controversial opinions were often disputed by others, he was indisputably recognized as the leading authority on the history of science fiction.