Recently, fans of old magazines have taken up the task of scanning and sharing them to preserve their content. Initially, this activity was somewhat secretive due to copyright concerns, but now it’s become more open. While there may not be a widespread concern about the copyright of these old magazines, a small subculture of enthusiasts, consisting of a few dozen scanners and a couple of hundred readers who cherish these publications, is dedicated to preserving these decaying pulps for digital libraries.
The Internet Archive, supported by a California library system, has emerged as the primary special collections library for old pulps and digests, as seen in their Pulp Magazine Archive. Other websites on the internet also offer digital scans of vintage science fiction magazines for downloading.
I’m thrilled to have downloaded “Amazing Stories” – Volume 01 Number 01 from April 1926 on my Kindle Scribe. This scanned copy of the pulp magazine, published by Experimenter Publishing Co. and edited by Hugo Gernsback, is now in the public domain. It marks the first-ever issue of the inaugural science fiction magazine in history. The magazine features captivating stories by renowned authors like Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, G. Peyton Wertenbaker, George Allan England, Austin Hall, and Edgar Allan Poe. Looking forward to reading it!
