[[quoteright:342:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/analog50.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:342: [[LongRunners Here's to another fifty years!]] ]]

Among the oldest ScienceFiction {{magazine|s}}, ''Analog'' has been around [[LongRunners since January 1930]], making it OlderThanTelevision. Under its original title, ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', it was designed as a rival to ''Magazine/AmazingStories''. It remains one of the only [[PulpMagazine pulps]] to have survived multiple transitions, such as moving from newsstands to big bookstore magazine racks, and the arrival of the internet: https://www.analogsf.com/

For most of its history, the magazine has been digest-sized.[[note]]In the early 1960s, ''Analog'' switched to bedsheet-size for twelve issues, but it proved too expensive.[[/note]] Since TheNewTens, the magazine has been a bit larger, but still usually under 500 pages per volume. When Creator/JohnWCampbell was Chief Editor, ''Analog'' led America in what fans and historians call the GoldenAgeOfScienceFiction. Even today, the magazine is popular enough to distribute copies throughout the international anglosphere.

The magazine, in an effort to stay fresh for new audiences, is always looking for new authors, including then-newcomers such as Creator/OrsonScottCard and Creator/JoeHaldeman in the 1970s, Creator/GregBear and Creator/TimothyZahn in the 1980s, and Creator/MichaelABurstein and Creator/RajnarVajra in the 1990s.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: Editors]]
!!!Creator/HarryBates
Bates was the Chief Editor pushing for the magazine's creation in 1929. Under his leadership, the cover title [[NewSeasonNewName shifted]] from ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'' to simply ''Astounding Stories'', starting with the February 1931 issue. The early years were difficult, and he had to change print companies multiple times. Starting with Creator/PublishersFiscalCorporation, he changed to Creator/ReadersGuild, and then Creator/TheClaytonMagazinesInc. Along with the printing problems, Bates encountered ScheduleSlip, missing October and December of 1932, as well as February of 1933. Bates's last issue as Chief Editor was March 1933.

!!!Creator/FOrlinTremaine
Tremaine became Chief Editor starting with the October 1933 issue. The first change he made was to use [[Creator/StreetSmithPublicationsInc Street & Smith Publications, Inc.]] as the magazine's printers. This partnership became a defining feature of the magazine and their names would be included even across other media (such as radio). Tremaine's last issue as Chief Editor was September 1936.

!!!Creator/JohnWCampbell
Campbell practically defined Science Fiction after becoming Chief Editor of ''Astounding Stories'', starting with the October 1937 issue. His first fifteen years are often called the Golden Age of ScienceFiction, and his long-lived stewardship of the magazine impacted many aspects of the genre's growth. Campbell encouraged mature stories with a strong element of plausible science, and would request essays by scientific authors to publish science fact in ways the layman could understand.

Campbell [[NewSeasonNewName changed the magazine's name]] to ''[=Astounding Science-Fiction=]'' in the March 1939 issue and launched a UK version of the magazine in August that year. Then, in the February 1960 issue, he changed the name ([[NewSeasonNewName again]]) to ''Astounding Science Fact & fiction'' (note the lowercase) and spent the next several months fading down ''Astounding'' and fading up ''Analog'' over a 12-month period while retaining the initial "A". Legally speaking, both names are used by the magazine (check the index page), but the cover has been ''Analog'' ever since (with occasional tweaks to the subtitle).\\
Campbell's last issue as Chief Editor was in 1971.

!!!Creator/BenBova
Bova had been publishing in the science fiction genre for a decade before he took over as Chief Editor, starting with the January 1972 issue. Although his term was relatively short, he kept the high standards that ''Analog'' had established, keeping writers' and readers' attention on the magazine until he passed the position on to another editor. Bova's last issue as Chief Editor was November 1978.

!!!Creator/StanleySchmidt
Chief Editor starting with the December 1978 issue, and the longest Chief since Campbell. His editorship was able to shape an era, although not to the same degree as the Golden Age. Schmidt's last issue as Chief Editor was March 2013.

!!!Creator/TrevorQuachri
Chief Editor starting with the April 2013 issue. Quachri remains editor as of 2019.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Adaptations]]
The following works are [[{{Anthology}} collections]]/[[AudioAdaptation radio versions]] of ''Analog''/''Astounding Stories'' stories: %%By medium, then chronological
[[index]]
* ''Literature/CollectedEditorialsFromAnalog'' by Creator/JohnWCampbell, Jr.
* ''Literature/AnalogAnthology'' anthology series by Creator/JohnWCampbell, Jr.
* ''Literature/AnalogAnnual'' (1976) by Creator/BenBova
* ''Literature/AnalogYearbook'' (1978) by Creator/BenBova
* ''Literature/TheBestOfAnalog'' (1978) by Creator/BenBova
* ''Literature/TheAnalogAnthology'' (1980) anthology series by Creator/StanleySchmidt
* ''Literature/AnalogYearbookII'' (1981) by Creator/StanleySchmidt
* ''Literature/SixDecadesTheBestOfAnalog'' (1986) by Creator/StanleySchmidt
* ''Literature/RobotsHaveNoTails'' (1952; collection of Creator/HenryKuttner's Gallegher stories)
[[/index]]
[[/folder]]
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!! ''Analog'' provides examples of:

* AntiAdvice: One story from the 1970s featured an ObstructiveBureaucrat type who has been asked to consult on a project. He's pretty clearly suffering from cranial-recto inversion, but the project personnel seem to be taking him dead seriously. It turns out that the bureaucrat has been scientifically identified as someone who is always, always wrongheaded and therefore the project personnel know to do the exact opposite of his suggestions. Now that he and the other "canaries" have been identified and isolated in similar jobs, human progress is taking off like a rocket.
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: The magazine has a long-running, but sporadic, series of [[FlashFiction short-short stories]] with the series title of "Literature/ProbabilityZero", stories [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin which sound plausible but aren't]], because of deliberate (and usually subtle) scientific errors, ones that are required to make the story interesting.
* AudienceParticipation: Several columns were developed that include unpaid reader submissions. The "Analytical Laboratory" is a tally of reader votes for the best stories of previous issues. "Brass Tacks" is a column where readers share their opinions on the magazine's quality (often [[SugarWiki/GushingAboutShowsYouLike praising]]/[[FanHater bashing]] specific stories), while "Science Discussions" is usually more of a direct back-and-forth about NonFiction things, such as one of the essays in the magazine from half a year ago.
* EverybodySmokes: Because the magazine began in the 1930s, smoking ads were a common component, advertising for their ability to "keep out throat dangers".
* FloatingHeadSyndrome:
** The cover of the April 1944 issue, advertising Creator/AEVanVogt's "Literature/{{The Changeling|1944}}", has a central face/head with normal colouration for a caucasion, and six others heads that are monochrome imitations of the central face with slight changes, implying the ability to change shape.
** The cover of the June 1951 issue, advertising Creator/EricFrankRussell's ". . .And Then There Were None", had seven floating heads and a floating bicycle above a landscape of a lake and mountains.
** The cover of the July 1951 issue, advertising Creator/JamesSchmitz's "Literature/TheEndOfTheLine", has a male and female face floating in front of a vertical [[RetroRocket cigar-shaped silver rocket]] where people were in line to board.
** The cover of the August 1951 issue, advertising Creator/MCPease's "Literature/CityOfThePhoenix", has a disembodied head and two disembodied hands that overlook a spiral galaxy.
** The cover of the April 1952 issue, advertising [[Creator/WalterMiller Walter M. Miller, Jr.]]'s "Literature/DumbWaiter", has the heads of a man and woman staring imperiously down at a boy on a bicycle.
** The cover of the September 1960 issue, advertising Creator/DavidGordon's "Literature/ByProxy", shows a human face floating in front of a [[RubberForeheadAliens blue-skinned alien]] face, both above a horizontal [[RetroRocket cigar-shaped white and red rocket]] on stilts like a boat.
** The cover of the May 1970 issue, advertising Creator/JohnDalmas's "Literature/ButMainlyByCunning", has the floating heads of a wolf and a woman in the background sky above a viking-inspired knight on horseback.
** The cover of the March 1974 issue, advertising Creator/JerryPournelle's "Literature/HighJustice", had a female face with a blue-green tint in the background.
* HumanityIsSuperior: Creator/JohnWCampbell had {{Enforced|Trope}} this idea while Chief Editor of the magazine. He required that any story involving aliens must show them to be inferior to humans and this was often assumed to reflect his personal bias that white men were superior to other races.
* LettersToTheEditor: In April 1930, the magazine began publishing letters that had been sent in by fans. Fans such as, Creator/IsaacAsimov, Creator/LesterDelRey, Creator/DamonKnight, and Creator/DonaldAWollheim. They were often used as a way to correspond with people you had never met and included your address so that private correspondences could occur as well. This culture of communication in magazines like ''Astounding Stories'' were the source of mailing lists.
* LongRunners: This magazine has remained in print since January 1930, with monthly [[ScheduleSlip or semi-monthly]] issues every year.
* LuckyCharmsTitle: The magazine was (relatively briefly) officially known as ''Analog Science Fiction [symbol] Science Fact''. The symbol, resembling a right-pointing arrow superimposed on a ⋂ (inverted U), was invented by editor Creator/JohnWCampbell to represent "Analogous to", because they were [[NewSeasonNewName changing the name]].
* MotionBlur:
** The cover of the January 1934 issue, advertising Creator/DonaldWandrei's "{{Literature/Colossus}}", has a foreground ship with blur and lines indicating that it is moving from the lower right to upper left of the page. In the background, many other ships are shown to be moving in the opposite direction based on the way their lines fade out and the presence of a blob at the forefront of the line.
** The cover of the May 1935 issue, advertising Creator/JohnRussellFearn's "Literature/EarthsMausoleum", has a [[RetroRocket yellow cigar-shaped rocket]] with lines and blurring to indicate that it is moving quickly to the tower in the background.
** The cover of the September 1935 issue, advertising Creator/JohnRussellFearn's "Literature/TheBlueInfinity", gives motion lines to ''the earth'', implying that it is getting towed through the yellow tunnel by the purple ray, leaving the stars in the background motionless.
** The cover of the October 1935 issue, advertising Creator/NatSchachmer's "Literature/IAmNotGod", has a SwirlyEnergyThingy with motion lines, both behind and in front of the foreground figure in a deep-sea diving suit.
** The cover of the November 1935 issue, advertising Creator/StanleyGWeinbaum's "Literature/TheRedPeri" and Creator/CharlesWillardDiffin's ''Literature/BlueMagic'', has two rockets shown to be moving in opposite directions by using blur and motion lines going in opposite directions.
* NewSeasonNewName: As a [[LongRunners long-time member]] of the same magazine racks as comic books, ''Analog'' has changed names several times over the decades. It began in 1930 as ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', but was shortened to ''Astounding Stories'' starting with the February 1931 issue. Later on, the name changed slightly to ''Astounding Science-Fiction'' for the March 1939 issue. Many years later, the name was changed to ''Astounding Science Fact & fiction'' (the lowercase is used to emphasize [[NonFiction Fact]] in the magazine) in the February 1960 issue, and spent the next several months fading down ''Astounding'' and fading up with its replacement ''Analog''. Legally speaking, the magazine has both names (check the index page), but the cover has been ''Analog'' ever since (with occasional tweaks to the subtitle).
* OminousMessageFromTheFuture: The [[Recap/Analog1948 November 1948]] issue published a reader's letter reviewing the stories in the November '''1949''' issue. Chief Editor Creator/JohnWCampbell went along with the joke by [[InvokedTrope commissioning the authors]] mentioned to write stories under the titles given in the letter, thus making the actual [[Recap/Analog1949 November 1949]] magazine resemble the imaginary one as closely as possible.
* OneWordTitle:
** Given how large the original title made ''Astounding'' compared to the rest of the title (''Astounding Stories''), you could be forgiven for assuming the title was simply one word. The [[NewSeasonNewName changes to the title]] only reinforce the idea that the magazine is simply ''Astounding''.
** ''Analog'' still sometimes shows up with a subtitle (such as ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact''), but the cover usually shows only the one word prominently enough to be associated with a title.
* OnTheNext: To fill space at the end of stories, early issues of the magazine would include self-advertisements, such as "Send your letters to ''Amazing Stories''" or "IN THE NEXT ISSUE", to entice the readers to pick up the next issue with {{Tagline}}s and personal investment. This type of self-advertising developed into a dedicated column called "In Times To Come", informing readers what would be included in upcoming issues.
* PenName: Edward E. Smith, [=PhD=]. was the name used for Creator/EEDocSmith when publishing ''Galactic Patrol'', as well as other ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' stories.
* PleaseSubscribeToOurChannel: At the end of each issue is a reminder to subscribe to the magazine, offering a discount for subscriptions instead of full newsstand price. Some issues would have more advertising than just the end-of-issue reminder.
* RaygunGothic: Many early covers of the magazine featured silver rocketships with sleek designs, space stations with clear domes to see the planet they orbit, and people standing next to round doors with [[SpaceClothes shiny metallic spacesuits]].
* SchizoTech: One very representative example is a short story in an issue of ''Analog'', in which the most advanced two species in the universe can use black holes as a source of energy and have more {{Wave Motion Gun}}s than you can imagine, but are surprised and, for one of the two species (both flew around in gigantic spaceships), destroyed by a lucky shot from a device consisting of a long tube, a titanium coated projectile, and an explosive, i.e., a gun. Apparently, [[HumansAreBastards only humans are brutish enough]] to come up with the idea.
* SerialNovel:
** ''[[Literature/{{Lensman}} Galactic Patrol]]'', by [[Creator/EEDocSmith Edward E. Smith, PhD.]], was published in six parts, starting with the October 1937 issue.
** ''Literature/BlueMagic'', by Creator/CharlesWillardDiffin, was published in four parts, starting with the November 1935 issue.
* {{Tagline}}: Some of the covers contain the following self-advertising; "The Largest Circulation of any Science-Fiction Magazine".
* ThinkerPose: The [[Recap/Analog1957 October 1957]] issue has [[https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v60n02_1957-10_Gorgon776 this cover]]. The subversion is that the MasterComputer is implied to be [[ArtificialIntelligence doing the thinking]] for the [[LabcoatOfScienceAndMedicine white-labcoated]] scientist with their head upon their fist.
* TropeCodifier: In his role as Chief Editor for the magazine, Creator/JohnWCampbell became the major codifier for Golden Age ScienceFiction as a genre. His [[ExecutiveMeddling editorship]] standardized the use of tropes such as HumanityIsSuperior (and specifically the WhiteMaleLead), HumansArePsychicInTheFuture and a certain mandatory hardness, and the authors he nurtured retained his influence long after his death.
* WhiteMaleLead: Creator/JohnWCampbell {{Enforced|Trope}} this idea while Chief Editor of the magazine. He was very clear in his opinion that the Northern European male was the pinnacle of [[HumanityIsSuperior all beings]], and rarely accepted a story with any other kind of lead.
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