Recap / Analog 1930

The first twelve issues of Astounding Stories have entered public domain due to their lack of a copyright notice based on 1909 copyright law. Read them here.

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January issue

• The Beetle Horde, by Victor Rousseau
• "The Cave Of Horror", by Captain SP Meek
• "Phantoms Of Reality", by Ray Cummings
• "The Stolen Mind", by ML Staley
• "Compensation", by CV Tench
• "Tanks", by Murray Leinster
• "Invisible Death", by Anthony Pelcher

February issue

• "Old Crompton's Secret", by Harl Vincent
• "Spawn Of The Stars", by Charles Willard Diffin
• "The Corpse On The Grating", by Hugh B Cave
• "Creatures Of The Light", by Sophie Wenzel Ellis
• "Into Space", by Sterner St. Paul
• The Beetle Horde, by Victor Rousseau
• "Mad Music", by Anthony Pelcher
• "The Thief of Time", by Captain SP Meek

March issue

• "Cold Light", by Captain SP Meek
• Brigands Of The Moon, by Ray Cummings
• "The Soul Master", by RJ Robbins and Will Smith
• "From The Oceans Depths", by Sewell Peasle Wright
• "Vandals Of The Stars", by AT Locke

April issue

• "The Man Who Was Dead", by Thomas H Knight
• "Monsters Of Moyen", by Arthur J Burks
• "Vampires Of Venus", by Anthony Pelcher
• "Safe Flying in Fogs", by editor
• Brigands Of The Moon, by Ray Cummings
• "The Soul Snatcher", by Tom Curry
• "The Ray Of Madness", by Captain SP Meek

May issue

• "Into The Oceans Depths", by Sewell Peaslee Wright
• Murder Madness, by Murray Leinster
• Brigands Of The Moon, by Ray Cummings
• "The Jovian Jest", by Lilith Lorraine
• "The Atom Smasher", by Victor Rousseau

June issue

• "Out Of The Dreadful Depths", by Charles Willard Diffin
• Murder Madness, by Murray Leinster
• "The Cavern World", by James P Olsen
• Brigands Of The Moon, by Ray Cummings
• "Giants Of The Ray", by Tom Curry
• "The Moon Master", by Charles Willard Diffin

July issue

• "Beyond The Heaviside Layer", by Captain SP Meek
• Earth, the Marauder, by Arthur J Burks
• "From An Amber Block", by Tom Curry
• "The Terror of Air-Level Six", by Harl Vincent
• "The Forgotten Planet", by Sewell Peaslee Wright
• "The Power and the Glory", by Charles Willard Diffin
• Murder Madness, by Murray Leinster

August issue

• "The Planet Of Dread", by RF Starzl
• "The Lord Of Space", by Victor Rousseau
• "The Second Satellite", by Edmond Hamilton
• "Historic Experiment Proves Earth's Rotation", by editor
• "A Revolutionary Airplane", by editor
• "Silver Dome", by Harl Vincent
• Earth, the Marauder, by Arthur J Burks
• Murder Madness, by Murray Leinster
• "The Flying City", by H Thompson Rich

September issue

• "A Problem In Communication", by Miles J Breuer, M.D.
• Jetta Of The Lowlands, by Ray Cummings
• "The Terrible Tentacles Of L 472", by Sewell Peaslee Wright
• "Marooned Under The Sea", by Paul Ernst
• "The Murder Machine", by Hugh B Cave
• "The Attack From Space", by Captain SP Meek
• "Mechanical Voices for Phone Numbers", by editor
• Earth, the Marauder, by Arthur J Burks

October issue

• "Stolen Brains", by Captain SP Meek
• "The Invisible Death", by Victor Rousseau
• "Prisoners Of The Electron", by Robert H Leitfred
• "Producing Heat by Arctic Cold", by editor
• Jetta Of The Lowlands, by Ray Cummings
• "An Extra Man", by Jackson Gee

November issue

• "The Wall Of Death", by Victor Rousseau
• The Pirate Planet, by Charles Willard Diffin
• "The Destroyer", by William Merriam Rouse
• "A Hundred Miles Underground", by editor
• "The Gray Plague", by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach
• "Robot Pilots for Aircraft", by editor
• Jetta Of The Lowlands, by Ray Cummings
• "Vagabonds Of Space", by Harl Vincent

December issue

• "Slaves Of The Dust", by Sophie Wenzel Ellis
• "A Signal to the Moon", by editor
• The Pirate Planet, by Charles Willard Diffin
• "The Sea Terror", by Captain SP Meek
• "Gray Denim", by Harl Vincent
• "The Ape Men Of Xlotli", by David R Sparks

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Examples from Astounding Stories issues published in the year 1930:

• Artistic License B Iology: The June 1930 cover has brachiosaurus, on the moon! Many of them are depicted as capable of standing on their hind legs and living in a tropical environment.
• Big Creepy-Crawlies: The January 1930 cover has four beetles the size of human beings fighting with two men and a woman in a desert.
• Cyclops: The August 1930 cover has an alien with one (huge) eye and pointy ears, but is otherwise human-sized.
• Faceless Eye: The October 1930 cover has a man struggling against an apparently invisible enemy. Only their eyes and right hand are visible, but they seem to have a neck that can be strangled.
• Fishbowl Helmet: The September 1930 cover has aliens with a glass sphere on their heads fighting humans without any helmet.
• Killer Gorilla: The December 1930 cover depicts a man and woman fighting against five apes, one of whom has an undulating dagger.
• Oddly Shaped Sword: The December 1930 cover depicts one Killer Gorilla holding a black dagger with an undulating blade. It stands out in the image because the rest of the cover has bright colours.
• One-Word Title: Murray Leinster's "Tanks"
• On the Next:
  • The January 1930 issue advertises that the February issue will contain Part Two of Victor Rousseau's The Beetle Horde, as well as Charles Willard Diffin's "Spawn Of The Stars" and Sophie Wenzel Ellis's "Creatures Of The Light".
  • The February 1930 issue advertises that the March issue will contain Ray Cummings's Brigands Of The Moon, Will Smith and RJ Robbins's "The Soul Master", and Captain SP Meek's "Cold Light". On another page, it also advertises that Murray Leinster's Murder Madness will be in four future issues (it started appearing in May).
  • The March 1930 issue advertises that the April issue will contain Arthur J Burks's "Monsters Of Moyen", Captain SP Meek's "The Ray Of Madness", and the next segment of Ray Cummings's Brigands Of The Moon. On another page, it also advertises that Murray Leinster's Murder Madness will be in a future issue.
  • The April 1930 issue advertises that the May issue will contain Murray Leinster's Murder Madness, Victor Rousseau's "The Atom Smasher", Sewell Peaslee Wright's "Into The Oceans Depth", and the next segment of Ray Cummings's Brigands Of The Moon.
• Serial Novel:
  • The Beetle Horde, by Victor Rousseau, was published in two parts, starting with the January 1930 issue.
  • Brigands Of The Moon, by Ray Cummings, was published in four parts, starting with the March 1930 issue.
  • Murder Madness, by Murray Leinster, was published in four parts, starting with the May 1930 issue.
  • Earth, the Marauder, by Arthur J Burks, was published in three parts, starting with the July 1930 issue.
  • Jetta Of The Lowlands, by Ray Cummings, was published in three parts, starting with the September 1930 issue.
  • The Pirate Planet, by Charles Willard Diffin, was published in four parts, starting with the November 1930 issue.
• Tagline:
  • "Phantoms Of Reality A Complete Novelette of Adventure in the Fourth Dimension by Ray Cummings" and "The Beetle Horde A Startling Story by Victor Rousseau" — January 1930 cover
  • "Spawn Of The Stars A Complete Novelet of an Amazing Invasion of the Earth" — February 1930 cover
  • "Brigands Of The Moon A Thrilling Interplanetary Novel of Intrigue and Adventure by Ray Cummings" — March 1930 cover
  • "Monsters Of Moyen A Complete Novelet of a Miracle Man's Extraordinary Attempt to Dominate the Earth by Arthur J Burks" — April 1930 cover
  • "Murder Madness By Murray Leinster Charley Bell Fights to Stem the Swiftly Rising Tide of a Continent's Utter Enslavement" and "The Atom Smasher An Adventure into Time By Victor Rousseau" — May 1930 cover
  • "The Moon Master A Complete Novelet of an Amazing Lunar Adventure By Charles W Diffin" — June 1930 cover
  • "Earth, the Marauder An Extraordinary Novel of an Interplanetary Hegira from a World Grown Old and Cold By Arthur J Burks" — July 1930 cover
  • "Jetta Of The Lowlands A Thrilling New Novel" — September 1930 cover
  • "The Invisible Death By Victor Rousseau America Strikes Back at the Sinister Invisible Empire" — October 1930
  • "The Pirate Planet A Novel of Interplanetary Adventures and War By Charles Willard Diffin" — November 1930 cover
  • "The Ape Men Of Xlotli An Amazing Nether-World Novelette By David R Sparks" — December 1930 cover
• To Be Continued:
  • When Victor Rousseau's The Beetle Horde was serialized in the January 1930 issue of Astounding Stories, Part One ends with Tommy and Dodd getting attacked by a fifteen-foot praying mantis, with the text (To be concluded in the February Number.)
  • When Ray Cummings's Brigands Of The Moon was serialized in the March 1930 issue of Astounding Stories, Part One ends with Gregg imprisoned, but he's deliriously happy because Anita has just been revealed to be alive. Part Two (April 1930) ends with them marooned on the moon. Each time, the text at the end is (To be continued.)

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