Recap / Analog 1940

February issue

• "It Isn't a Science, Yet!", by editor
• "Brass Tacks", by editor
• If This Goes On—, by Robert A. Heinlein
• "In Times to Come", by editor
• "The Analytical Laboratory", by editor
• "Locked Out", by HB Fyfe
• "And Then There Was One", by Ross Rocklynne
• "Martian Quest", by Leigh Brackett

• "Botanical Invasion", by Willy Ley
• "Tough Guy", by Arthur McCann
• "High Frequency War", by Harl Vincent

• "Luna Observatory No. 1", by RS Richardson
• "Bombardment In Reverse", by Norman L Knight
• "The Professor Was A Thief", by L. Ron Hubbard

• "Lubrication", by by Arthur McCann
• "Science Discussions", by editor

March issue

• "Not-So-Dangerous Experiment", by editor
• "Cold", by Nat Schachner
• "In The Good Old Summertime", by P Schuyler Miller
• "In Times to Come", by editor
• "The Analytical Laboratory", by editor
• "The Emancipated", by L. Sprague de Camp
• "Fuel for the Future", by Jack Hatcher
• "A Chapter From The Beginning", by AM Phillips
• "The Dwindling Sphere", by Willard Hawkins

• "Atomic Ringmaster", by Arthur McCann
• If This Goes On—, by Robert A. Heinlein

• "Brass Tacks", by editor
• "Science Discussions", by editor

April issue

• "Let's Make It Stronger", by editor
• Final Blackout, by L. Ron Hubbard
• "Unguh Made A Fire", by Ross Rocklynne
• "Repetition", by A.E. van Vogt
• "In Times to Come", by editor
• "The Treasure Of Ptakuth", by Leigh Brackett

• "The Magic Bullet", by Willy Ley
• "Reincarnate", by Lester del Rey
• "Admiral's Inspection", by Malcolm Jameson
• "Brass Tacks", by editor

September issue

• "Full Cycle", by editor
• Slan, by A.E. van Vogt

• "Universes for Lenses", by RS Richardson
• "In Times to Come", by editor
• "The Analytical Laboratory", by editor
• "Blowups Happen", by Robert A. Heinlein
• "Quietus", by Ross Rocklynne
• "The Kilkenny Cats", by Kurt von Rachen
• "Homo Sol", by Isaac Asimov

• "The Coronaviser", by Stanley R Short
• "Emergency", by Vic Phillips
• "Brass Tacks", by editor

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Examples from Astounding Stories issues published in the year 1940:

• Alien Sky: The cover of the March 1940 issue features an eclipse of the sun by Uranus, as seen from a rocky surface with no atmosphere.
• Fishbowl Helmet:
  • The April 1940 issue, on page 73 for "The Treasure Of Ptakuth", features three people in spacesuits, each wearing a bell-shaped clear helmet, with tubes in the back that connect to an external pack.
  • The April 1940 issue, on pages 123 and 127 for "Admirals Inspection", features a spacewalk where the cosmonaut wears a jar-shaped glass helmet that secures around the shoulders.
  • The cover of the July 1940 issue has two light-skinned humans wearing grey space suits with a bell-shaped glass helmet that attaches to their shoulders.
  • The cover of the September 1940 issue has tiny figures next to a telescope, with a bulb around their heads indicating a clear helmet.
• Floating Head Syndrome: In the April 1940 issue, on page 101 for "Reincarnate", a skull floats in the centre of a full-page explosion, with lightning and particles radiating away from it.
• Novelette:
  • L. Sprague de Camp's "The Emancipated"
  • Lester del Rey's "Reincarnate"
  • Robert A. Heinlein's "Blowups Happen"
  • L. Ron Hubbard's "The Professor Was A Thief" and "The Kilkenny Cats" (under the Pen Name Kurt von Rachen.
  • Malcolm Jameson's "Admiral's Inspection"
  • Ross Rocklynne's "And Then There Was One"
  • Nat Schachner's "Cold"
  • A.E. van Vogt's "Repetition"
• On the Next:
  • The April 1940 issue advertises the upcoming "Space Guards" by Phil Nowlan.
  • The September 1940 issue advertises the continuation of "Slan", as well as Harry Bates's "Farewell To The Master" and L. Sprague de Camp's "The Earth Savers".
• Raygun Gothic: The cover of the June 1940 issue has chrome vespas and sidecars zipping down a crome street with chrome buildings in the background, with people holding chrome handguns. Everything is on a slant and there are lots of subtle curves to imply high-speed movement.
• Retro Rocket: The cover of the May 1940 issue has a dull chrome rocket taking off at night. In addition to the four small fins near the base where the main rocket fires, there's also two thin wings closer to the nose of the rocket.
• Serial Novel:
  • Robert A. Heinlein's If This Goes On— was published in two parts, starting with the February 1940 issue.
  • L. Ron Hubbard's Final Blackout was published in three parts, starting with the April 1940 issue.
  • A.E. van Vogt's Slan was published in four parts, starting with the September 1940 issue.
• Science Marches On: invoked In the September 1940 editorial, "Full Cycle", Chief Editor John W. Campbell describes how he was worried that the events of "Blowups Happen" would have been proven impossible (and it was), but then even more recent knowledge had been published in scientific journals that make Robert A. Heinlein's idea that reactors can have runaway explosions a valid concern again.
• Short Story:
  • Isaac Asimov's "Homo Sol"
  • Leigh Brackett's "Martian Quest" and "The Treasure Of Ptakuth"
  • HB Fyfe's "Locked Out"
  • Willard Hawkins's "The Dwindling Sphere"
  • Norman L Knight's "Bombardment In Reverse"
  • P Schuyler Miller's "In The Good Old Summertime"
  • AM Phillips's "A Chapter From The Beginning"
  • Vic Phillips's "Emergency"
  • Ross Rocklynne's "Quietus" and "Unguh Made A Fire"
  • Harl Vincent's "High Frequency War"
• Shout-Out:
  • The April 1940 issue column "In Times To Come" talks about the recent death of Phil Nowlan and his dedication in writing the Buck Rogers cartoon strip.
  • The September 1940 issue nonfiction article, "Universe for Lenses" by RS Richardson, says "the juiciest plums in physical science always seem to be just a little beyond our reach", a reference to Tantalus from Classical Mythology.
• Tagline:
  • "Neutral Vessel, by Harl Vincent" — January 1940 cover
  • "If This Goes On—," by Robert A. Heinlein" — February 1940 cover
  • ""Cold," by Nat Schachner" — March 1940 cover
  • ""Final Blackout" by L. Ron Hubbard" — April 1940 cover
  • ""Space Guards" by Phil Nowlan" — May 1940 cover
  • "The Roads Must Roll by Robert A. Heinlein" — June 1940 cover
  • "Crisis In Utopia by Norman L Knight" — July 1940 cover
  • "The Stars Look Down by Lester del Rey" — August 1940 cover
  • ""Slan!" By A.E. van Vogt" — October 1940 cover
  • ""Salvage" by Vic Phillips" — November 1940 cover
  • "Old Man Mulligan by P Schuyler Miller" — December 1940 cover
• To Be Continued:
  • When L. Ron Hubbard's "Final Blackout" was serialized in the April 1940 issue of Astounding Stories, Part One ends with the lieutenant going to sleep, reflecting on how the war is over and England would not accept him anymore.
  • When A.E. van Vogt's Slan! was serialized in the September 1940 issue of Astounding Stories, Part One ends with adult slans planning on killing the protagonist.
• Total Eclipse of the Plot:
  • The cover of the March 1940 issue features an eclipse of the sun by Uranus, as seen from a rocky surface with no atmosphere.
  • The cover of the September 1940 issue is based on the nonfiction article, "Universe for Lenses" by RS Richardson, which describes the difference between a geometric eclipse and the lensing effect in eclipses predicted by Albert Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. The art shows a (blue) white dwarf eclipsing a (red) supergiant.
  • Another article in the September 1940 issue, Stanley R Short's "The Coronavisor", begins by summarizing the first records of a solar eclipse, as given by the Annals Of The Bamboo Books and Shu Ching. Eclipses are important because they allow astronomers to study the corona of the sun.

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