John W. Campbell Books In Order

Publication Order of Aarn Munro Books

Publication Order of Arcot, Wade and Morey Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Quick and easy notes Books

John W. Campbell

John W. Campbell was born June 8, 1910 in Newark, New Jersey, and was a prominent science fiction author and editor. Campbell held a BS in physics from Duke University that he got in the year 1932. He was influential, writing super-science space operas.

Besides writing under his own name, he also wrote less pulpish and a lot more moody stories under the pen name Don A. Stuart. Besides this pseudonym, he also used the pen names Arthur McCann and Karl Van Kampen.

He began writing science fiction when he was eighteen, while he was going to MIT and was able to sell his early stories rather quickly. From early 1930 until the middle of 1931, Amazing Stories published a novel, six stories, and six letters.

From 1931 until the year 1949, he was married to his first wife Dona Stewart. In the year 1950, he got married to Margaret Winter, his second wife. For most of his life, he lived in the state of New Jersey. Campbell died of heart failure while in his home, located in Moutainside, New Jersey.

He edited Astounding Science Fiction (which would later be called Analog Science Fiction and Fact) starting in late 1937 until he died in the year 1971. For this, he is credited with helping shape the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction. When he began editing for this publication, he quit writing fiction.

Starting December 11, 1957 and June 13, 1958, he was the host of “Exploring Tomorrow”, a weekly science fiction radio show. It featured scripts written by Robert Silverberg and Gordon R. Dickson.

He wrote the “Aarn Munro” books and the “Arcot, Wade, and Morey” trilogy, as well as some stand alone novels and short fiction work. The first “Arcot, Wade, and Morey” stories are what first brought the Campbell’s name into prominence as one of the masters of inventive imagination.

During his life, he was a heavy smoker and it was rare to not see him without his cigarette holder. He stated that the calming effects of tobacco led to more effective thinking.

His story, called “Who Goes There?”, has been adapted three times into the movies: “The Thing From Another World” (1951), “The Thing” (1982), “The Thing” (2011).

The Center for the Study of Science Fiction (formerly the University of Kansas’ science fiction program) started the annual John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. During its inaugural class, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted Campbell in 1996, in a year of two living persons and two deceased persons. He also won the Hugo for Best Professional Magazine seven different times, and would win a retrospective Hugo for Best Editor, Short Form for the year 1943.

“The Black Star Passes” is the first novel in the “Arcot, Wade, and Morey” series, which was released in the year 1953. Three going up against the stars. First contact with some alien race that is dangerous enough to threaten the safety of two different planets. A sky pirate that is armed with superior weapons he invented himself. An unseen dark sun’s arrival whose attendant marauders were looking to end civilization in this Solar System.

These are the three challenges that tested the minds and skill of the intelligent group of scientist-astronauts Morey, Arcot, and Wade.

This is one of the great classic science fiction novels and readers had an enjoyable time of reading it. Campbell’s now outdated view of the future has now become a quaint one. It is no wonder why people used to read these science heavy science books and went into engineering and science fields. The science talk is able to pick things up if the story lags and vice versa.

“Islands of Space” is the second novel in the “Arcot, Wade, and Morey” series, which was released in the year 1957. Campbell takes his team of young group of explorer-scientists on a voyage to the universe’s outer reaches. It all culminates in a space battle of some epic proportions.

This book features a narrative style that is colorful and fluid, and the characters are both easy to like and fully fleshed out. Campbell does a great job of describing travelling through the galaxy, even in the year 1929, making him way ahead of his time.

“Invaders from the Infinite” is the third novel in the “Arcot, Wade, and Morey” series, which was released in the year 1961. The alien spaceship was hugely powerful, unthinkably enormous, and seemingly irresistible. It came from the void and then it settled on planet Earth, and it struck awe into the hearts of everyone who saw it. Its burden, though, was not conquest, but a call for help.

First contact was a job for the crack team of scientists Arcot, Morey, and Wade, these explorers of the Islands of Space. What they learn was an offer of alliance against the invading enemy, one so powerful there is no known force able to turn them back.

“The Ultimate Weapon” is the first stand alone novel, which was released in the year 1936. Mira, the star, was unpredictably variable. At times, it was cool, strangely dim, shedding minor amounts of warmth on all of its many planets. Other times it would be hot, blazing, and brilliant. Gresth Gkae, who leads the Mirans, wanted a better star, one that his “people” could migrate to. This star had to be a reliable, steady one, with a good planetary system. He found Sol, during his astronomical hunting.

With hundreds of ships, each one bigger than the whole Terrestrial spaceports, and moving faster than the speed of light, the Mirans set to move in to Solar Regions and take it over. Earth had nothing capable of pushing this armada back. Until Buck Kendall stumbled on The Ultimate Weapon.

This is an entertaining read with unique descriptions about the alien species and the ending of the war is in no way the typical of these kinds of stories. This is a well written book and seeing as how this was penned during the thirties, the author was well ahead of his time.