“He needs a muzzle” JWC to Anthony Lewis, June 28, 1971.
“He’s buying it?” Bova, Future Crime, 152.
“Harlan’s always wanted to win your approval” Ben Bova to JWC, January 9, 1970.
“I don’t know whether it’s the hyper-defensive attitude” JWC to Joe Poyer, October 23, 1967.
“In fact, John” Asimov to JWC, September 30, 1963, quoted in Asimov, Yours, Isaac Asimov, 99–101.
Krebiozen JWC, “Fully Identified,” Analog, January 1964, 7, 95.
“I want a chance to vote for a different approach!” JWC, “Political Entropy,” Analog, November 1968, 178.
“a terrible choice” JWC to Leigh Atkinson, October 31, 1968.
the protesters at Kent State JWC, “The New Stone Age,” Analog, September 1970, 4–7, 175–78.
the ecologist Rachel Carson JWC, “Deadly Poison,” Analog, February 1971, 162.
“a crypto-fascist deeply philistine magazine” Moorcock, “Starship Stormtroopers,” reprinted in The Opium General and Other Stories.
Mother Night Howard W. Campbell, Jr., also appears briefly in Slaughterhouse-Five.
she had suffered a heart attack JWC to Will Jenkins, April 9, 1962.
“These are the issues that are going to matter” Malzberg, The Engines of the Night, 73f.
turned on to science fiction in his teens Alexander, Star Trek Creator, 31.
counted Asimov and Heinlein Ibid., 188n.
The names on his list of potential writers Ibid., 238.
unable to work within the confines of television Ibid., 239.
“Hey, fellow, stop talking” Ibid., 266.
“No breath of prescience” Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 404.
how to make better use of William Shatner Alexander, Star Trek Creator, 280–81.
“It might be well to unify” Ibid., 282.
“I will follow your advice” Ibid., 283.
“overly generous, to put it mildly” RAH to Harlan Ellison, December 29, 1967, quoted in Patterson, The Man Who Learned Better, 289.
he had lifted the basic notion Patterson, The Man Who Learned Better, 289.
a telegram to go out over Asimov’s name Alexander, Star Trek Creator, 301.
the rights to I, Robot Ibid., 331, 357.
“My major sadness” Ibid., 313.
“I’m joining in the campaign” JWC to Gene Roddenberry, January 23, 1968.
“Too often they’ve taken old space toys” Alexander, Star Trek Creator, 342.
the problems of trade between aliens Ibid.
a visit to Desilu Studios JWC to Poul Anderson, November 19, 1968.
offered to send him a kalliroscope JWC to J. Russell Seitz, September 19, 1968.
“Well, for that week” Alexander, Star Trek Creator, 343.
his opinion that slavery Ibid., 347–48.
“I can see no signs” Ibid., 348.
“Time, I think, to wash Star Trek” Robb, A Brief Guide to Star Trek, 62.
“lousing up the one good science fiction show” JWC to Poul Anderson, January 13, 1969.
“I’m afraid I can’t use Analog” JWC to Gene Roddenberry, February 20, 1969.
Walking down Madison Avenue Theodore Sturgeon, at the panel “The Man John W. Campbell,” Conclave III, Romulus, MI, November 4, 1978. Recording courtesy of the SFOHA Archives.
severe hypertension Leslyn Randazzo, e-mail to author, July 31, 2016.
suffered from gout JWC first mentioned the possibility of gout in a letter to Asimov on February 17, 1958, but it only appears on a regular basis in his letters starting toward the end of 1965.
painful tophi Peg Campbell to A. E. van Vogt, August 3, 1971.
he scooted around on a stool Leslyn Randazzo, e-mail to author, July 31, 2016.
pain in one arm JWC, memo to Toni Thompson, September 26, 1966. Brown University, Analog Science Fiction & Fact editorial records, Box 3.
unable to manage the walk Moskowitz, “Inside John W. Campbell,” 3.
Benford saw him fall down Gregory Benford, at the panel “The World of Tomorrow is Today,” MidAmeriCon II, Kansas City, Missouri, August 20, 2016.
Poul Anderson found him so crippled Anderson, Going for Infinity, 185.
tobacco might even suppress cancer JWC, note on “Possible Relationships Between Smoking and Lung Cancer,” Analog, May 1964, 83.
“Tobacco is not habit-forming” JWC, “The Lynch-Mob Philosophy,” Analog, July 1969, 176.
to quit or die Green, “Our Five Days With John W. Campbell.”
he experimented with marijuana JWC to H. R. Ralston, April 16, 1962. He also said that he had sampled “an African witch doctor drug” that a friend was researching.
his poor health left a mark on his personality The writer John Brunner believed that JWC had blacklisted him from the magazine in retaliation for an exchange at a panel in 1965, concluding: “John was a man who knew how to hold a grudge.” John Brunner, in a letter to George Hay, quoted in The John W. Campbell Letters, Vol. 1, 5.
“Patience, tolerance, and forgiveness” JWC to Frank Herbert, February 8, 1971.
“the distant, dark horizon” Green, “Our Five Days With John W. Campbell.”
Roger Ebert Roger Ebert to JWC, April 17, 1962. In a letter dated April 23, JWC asked to see the article, but it never appeared in the magazine.
“my hero” Roger Ebert, “Sunshine,” Chicago Sun-Times, July 19, 2007.
serving up beer and pretzels Ben Bova, interview with Alan Elms, LACon II, Anaheim, California, September 1, 1984. Recording courtesy of the SFOHA Archives.
the fanzine editor Arnie Katz John Foyster, in Bangsund, JWC: An Australian Tribute, 79.
“My God, you talk together” Peg Campbell, in JWC, The Best of JWC, 306.
remedial reading in Ohio JWC to Poul Anderson, December 5, 1967.
Tarrant as a role model JWC to Leslyn Campbell, November 6, 1964.
When Leslyn left to see Doña Leslyn Randazzo, e-mail to author, July 31, 2016.
Campbell felt unwell The most complete account of JWC’s death appears in Moskowitz, “Inside John W. Campbell,” 2.
professional wrestling JWC may have enjoyed wrestling because it reminded him of his old friend Mike Mihalakis, who had been a professional wrestler before becoming an inventor. JWC to Mike Mihalakis, May 11, 1971.
“a walking time bomb” Leslyn Randazzo, e-mail to author, July 31, 2016.
Sam Moskowitz had driven by the house Author interview with Stanley Schmidt, May 13, 2016.
He usually turned in his editorials Ibid.
“It never occurred to me” Asimov, introduction to Harrison, Astounding, xiv.
Asimov picked up the del Reys Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 573.
Dickson’s room at the Algonquin Harrison, Harry Harrison! Harry Harrison!, 268.
“I know he’s not here” Ibid.
“one of the nasty ones” Ibid.
a recording of Campbell’s voice Philip Klass, in Solstein and Moosnick, JWC’s Golden Age of Science Fiction, 65.
Leslyn’s husband said Leslyn Randazzo, e-mail to author, July 31, 2016.
a dirty joke about a parrot Sam Moskowitz, handwritten notes for Seekers of Tomorrow, Sam Moskowitz Collection, Texas A&M University, Series VIII: Subject Files, Box 3-150, “Campbell, John W.” It is tempting to identify this joke with the one with the punch line “Brother Ignatius, put down your beads. Our prayers have been answered!” Asimov, Treasury of Humor, 401.
“I’m sorry, Peg” Asimov, Asimov on Science Fiction, 201.
“The field has lost its conscience” Malzberg, The Engines of the Night, 66.
The Society for Creative Anachronism Elliot Shorter, interview with Alan Elms and Paul Pearson, LACon II, Anaheim, California, September 2, 1984. Recording courtesy of the SFOHA Archives.
The Forever War Joe Haldeman, at the panel “The Legacy of John W. Campbell,” Nebula Conference, May 13, 2016.
“One never can tell” JWC to Harold Schwartzberg,
July 13, 1971.
“to keep our soul’s b value” JWC, “On the Nature of Angels,” Analog, September 1971, 160.
“This is science fiction” Harrison, The Astounding-Analog Reader, ix–x.
“You know—things can go into a black hole” JWC, “Those Impossible Quasars,” Analog, December 1971, 178.
“Who, in your opinion” Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 575.
EPILOGUE: BEYOND THIS HORIZON
“The very act of trying to look ahead” Octavia E. Butler, “A Few Rules for Predicting the Future,” Essence, May 2000, 166.
the ocean liner SS Statendam Details of the cruise are drawn primarily from Weiner, “A Stowaway to the Thanatosphere”; Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 621–24; and Patterson, The Man Who Learned Better, 336–38.
“a ship of fools” Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 622.
wondered what they were supposed to be doing Author interview with Rex Weiner, August 19, 2017.
“Did anyone ever tell you” Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 587.
“monumentally boring” Weiner, “A Stowaway to the Thanatosphere.”
Pohl saw Asimov, Heinlein, and Sturgeon Frederik Pohl, “The Ship of Foolishness, Part 3: Apollo 17,” November 24, 2010, http://www.thewaythefutureblogs.com/2010/11/the-ship-of-foolishness-part-3-apollo-17 (accessed December 2017).
Heinlein compared it to an atomic explosion Heinlein makes the comparison in the 1972 short documentary film “Voyage Beyond Apollo,” which can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTrzxIh8jX8 (accessed December 2017).
“Oh, shit” Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 623. Rex Weiner confirmed the story in an interview with the author on August 19, 2017.
he could speak for only fifteen minutes Patterson, The Man Who Learned Better, 338.
“rather wandering” Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 624.
the journalist Tom Wolfe Wolfe, The Right Stuff, ix.
had to be cut by thirty thousand words RAH to Gregory Benford, October 31, 1973.
he had never ceased to see as a war hero “Thank fortune that Robert never saw [Miller’s Bare-Faced Messiah], because he had a lot of faith in Hubbard and did not realize what a four-flusher he was.” Virginia Heinlein to William H. Patterson, Jr., July 17, 1999.
“I am trembling as I write this” Philip K. Dick to RAH, February 11, 1974, quoted in Patterson, The Man Who Learned Better, 358.
“If Isaac doesn’t know the answer” Tom Collins, “Tonight I Met Robert Heinlein,” Transient #31, 1974. Quoted in Patterson, The Man Who Learned Better, 607n.
never written a memorable character Virginia Heinlein to William H. Patterson, Jr., November 7, 1999.
“Fuck the other writers!” McAleer, Visionary, 223.
“Now they’re accusing us old-timers” LRH to RAH, December 24, 1980, reprinted in LRH, Literary Correspondence, 168.
a commercial ticket to the moon RAH, “Spinoff,” Expanded Universe, 511.
Dalgliesh had “disliked” him RAH, Expanded Universe, 207, 354.
“the only story of mine” Ibid., 93.
George R. R. Martin Author interview with George R. R. Martin, August 19, 2016.
“It sometimes seems to me” Asimov, I. Asimov, 529.
he had sliced up his novels for serialization RAH, Expanded Universe, 276.
Harry Harrison, Poul Anderson, and Fred Pohl Locus, July 30, 1971, 1.
“in ability and character” Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 581.
Bob Lapham Ben Bova, interview with Alan Elms, LACon II, Anaheim, California, September 1, 1984. Recording courtesy of the SFOHA Archives.
“Here we’ve had a good lunch” Stallings and Evans, Murray Leinster, 93.
a negative review of Expanded Universe Alexei Panshin, “Expanded Universe,” Omni, April 1981, 32–34. Bova published a more positive review by Jack Williamson in the July 1981 issue.
“I don’t think Star Wars is feasible” William J. Broad, “Sci-Fi Authors Use Their Vision In Defense Debate,” New York Times News Service, May 2, 1985.
“technological obscenities” McAleer, Visionary, 253. Clarke delivered his remarks by videotape.
“a bucket of nails” Arthur C. Clarke, “War and Peace in the Space Age,” Analog, July 1983, 163.
“But Max, I learned everything” Patterson, The Man Who Learned Better, 445.
“He accused me of typically British arrogance” McAleer, Visionary, 255.
“I can’t help the British” Ibid., 256.
“Does this remind you of anything?” Ibid.
“Though I felt sad about this incident” Arthur C. Clarke, “Robert Heinlein,” in Kondo, Requiem, 264.
“[Heinlein] had a definite feeling” Asimov, I. Asimov, 76.
he banished all of Heinlein’s books Author interview with Greg Bear, August 19, 2016.
“If [his enemies] caught up with him” Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, 296.
a typewriter that was discarded after a single use Atack, A Piece of Blue Sky, 253.
“Your good friend, J. Edgar Hoover” Wright, Going Clear, 146.
“He was a mess” Author interview with James Randi, August 9, 2017.
the names of the Seven Dwarfs Wright, Going Clear, 151.
the Snow White Program Accounts of this program often refer to it as “Operation Snow White,” but this usage was unknown within the church itself. Tony Ortega, e-mail to author, October 20, 2017.
a third of the crew Atack, A Piece of Blue Sky, 233.
“a wonderful trip” Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, 329.
“He was talking about people” Ibid., 347.
“That stupid fucking kid!” Ibid., 342.
“And that poses the interesting probability” Atack, A Piece of Blue Sky, 293.
one of his favorite movies LRH’s favorite films included Star Wars, Diva, Citizen Kane, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Patton. Ibid., 393.
a teenager named David Miscavige Ibid., 300.
“an insatiable lust for power and money” Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, 356.
some of which were drawn from his old stories “Another time [LRH] was on a disabled spaceship that landed here before life began and realized the potential and brought seeds back from another planet to fertilize planet earth.” Kima Douglas, quoted in Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, 360. This recalls LRH, “The Emperor of the Universe,” Startling Stories, November 1949, 132–41.
fifty thousand members Atack, A Piece of Blue Sky, 389.
“deeply involved” Declaration of Lawrence H. Brennan, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, May 6, 2008.
seven hundred pages of handwritten notes LRH, Writer: The Shaper of Popular Fiction, 143.
Man: The Endangered Species “About the Author,” note to LRH, “The Were-Human,” Fantasy Book, October 1981, 43.
Mitt Romney Jim Rutenberg, “Romney Favors Hubbard Novel,” The Caucus, New York Times, April 30, 2007, https://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/romney-favors-hubbard-novel (accessed December 2017).
Van Vogt couldn’t finish it Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, 366.
“It’s a great story, Ron” RAH to LRH, December 16, 1982, reprinted in LRH, Literary Correspondence, 169.
John Travolta Wright, Going Clear, 209.
Miscavige personally delivered Robert Vaughn Young, “L. Ron Hubbard’s Mission Earth,” February 19, 2000, http://www.lermanet.com/cos/MissionEarth.htm (accessed December 2017).
their price tags still attached Robert W. Welkos and Joel Sappell, “Costly Strategy Continues to Turn Out Bestsellers,” Los Angeles Times, June 28, 1990.
The Dick Cavett Show Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 521. Asimov doesn’t identify the actress by name, and the only other guest mentioned in listings for the episode is the humorist Sam Levenson.
“Yes, I am” Ibid.
she was suffering from arthritis Asimov, I. Asimov, 335.
“You know, my apartment” Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 533.
“exasperating—but fascinating” Ibid., 565.
Woody Allen Allen met wit
h Asimov to discuss the script for his film Sleeper and offered him the position of technical director, which ultimately went to Ben Bova. Ibid., 625–26.
Paul McCartney McCartney wanted to collaborate on a movie about “two sets of musical groups: a real one, and a group of extraterrestrial impostors.” Asimov wrote a treatment, but after he was asked to start over from scratch, he “bowed out politely.” Ibid., 693.
Steven Spielberg Spielberg asked him to work on the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but Asimov was reluctant to participate in a movie that “glorified flying saucers.” In Joy Still Felt, 716, and Clarke Taylor, “Isaac Asimov and Science Fiction,” Los Angeles Times, February 7, 1988. Asimov called the result “a rotten picture.” Asimov, Asimov on Science Fiction, 292.
“I keep telling you to be careful” Asimov, I. Asimov, 340.
“If it hadn’t been a mild one” Asimov, In Joy Still Felt, 775.
“I expected cheerful volubility” Amis, Visiting Mrs. Nabokov, 220.
“There’s Asimov, applauding his own name” Asimov, I. Asimov, 367.
to put its horrors on-screen “Bill [Lancaster] wrote the screenplay with the monster in shadows, the old Hollywood cliché stuff, which everybody still talks about even to this day. Rob Bottin was the guy who said, ‘No, you’ve got to put him in the light, then the audience really goes nuts. They really go nuts because there it is in front of them.’ I wasn’t sure, but that’s what we did.” John Carpenter, interviewed by Erik Bauer, Creative Screenwriting, July 22, 2014, https://creativescreenwriting.com/the-thing (accessed December 2017).
“pointless, dehumanized freeway smashup” Ellison, An Edge in My Voice, 293.
“Type faster” Asimov, I. Asimov, 205.
“Listen, I must have plenty of oxygen” Ibid., 484.
“There was an old doctor named Paul” Ibid., 486.
Asimov came down with a fever Janet Asimov, in Asimov, It’s Been a Good Life, 251.
“a debt to science fiction” Carl Sagan, “Growing Up with Science Fiction,” New York Times, May 28, 1978. On October 10, 1968, JWC wrote to Sagan to propose a meeting in Cambridge, but it isn’t clear if they ever met.
she underwent a sudden decline George O. Smith, in Reginald, Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, Volume 2, 1080.
Peg sold her crewel business George O. Smith, “In Memoriam: Margaret Winter Campbell,” Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, February 1980, 10–11.
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