The name Anders Celsius will be familiar to readers from his invention of the universally-used temperature scale. But Celsius (1701-1744) was much more than that: he was a professor of astronomy, he went on latitude-measuring expeditions, he gave early warning about the melting of the Arctic ice cap...and he wrote…

This is the fourth part of a four-part series on the pulps under totalitarianism. Read more: Pulp Scifi Under German Totalitarianism | Pulp Scifi Under Russian and Soviet Totalitarianism | Pulp Scifi Under Japanese Totalitarianism

Like most European countries Spain has a tradition of science fiction and proto-science…

This is the third part of a four-part series on the pulps under totalitarianism. Read more: Pulp Scifi Under German Totalitarianism | Pulp Scifi Under Russian and Soviet Totalitarianism

Japan, like Germany and Russia, has a long tradition of science fiction literature. And as in Germany and Russia, pulp science…

This is part two of Jess Nevins' ongoing series, looking at science fiction under various totalitarian regimes — for part one, dealing with Germany, click here.

Pulp science fiction — in this case, meaning both serial magazines and stories and films which emphasized action, adventure, and plot at the expense of character and aspirations to Art — has been popular in Germany from the beginning.

The history of Japanese science fiction usually begins with the 1880 translations of Jules Verne's From The Earth to the Moon and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Most Japanese science fiction of this era bears Verne's influence, most notably Shunro Oshikawa (1877-1914) and his six book "Undersea Warship" series. But this…

Africans, and those of African descent, have not been treated well by speculative fiction, both inside its texts and in real life. Anti-African racism is a fact of life in Western culture, and was even more pronounced before 1945. Not surprisingly, the number of works of speculative fiction written by black writers is…

Who's that hairy, firearm-wielding figure above? Why, that's none other than Six-Gun Gorilla, a now-public domain hero who was almost (and cruelly) lost to the vicissitudes of time and taste.

The Hugo Awards are given to the best science fiction or fantasy works of the previous year. Unfortunately, they've only been awarded since 1953. That's where this column comes in - Jess Nevins will be awarding honorary Hugo Awards to the best novels of the Victorian era... and beyond.

The Hugo Awards are given to the best science fiction or fantasy works of the previous year. Unfortunately, they've only been awarded since 1953. That's where this column comes in — Jess Nevins will be awarding honorary Hugo Awards to the best novels of the Victorian era... and beyond.