John W. Campbell in the context of "Hard science fiction"

In the history of science fiction, the Golden Age is a period in which the genre is considered to have matured in American science fiction magazines, in particular Astounding Science Fiction—the period is usually referred to as the Golden Age of science fiction as a whole, though sometimes more specifically the Golden Age of Astounding. Its beginning is marked by John W. Campbell's assumption of the editorship of Astounding in the late 1930s. The end date is less agreed upon; it is often placed in the mid-1940s, though different definitions use dates ranging from 1941 to the early 1960s. Historiographically, the Golden Age follows the pulp era and precedes the New Wave.

Other eras have also been referred to as golden ages of science fiction in specific contexts. For instance, the 1950s are considered to be the golden age of science fiction cinema. A common humorous statement is that "The Golden Age of science fiction is twelve" years old, or thereabouts.

Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled Astounding Stories of Super-Science, the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William Clayton, and edited by Harry Bates. Clayton went bankrupt in 1933 and the magazine was sold to Street & Smith. The new editor was F. Orlin Tremaine, who soon made Astounding the leading magazine in the nascent pulp science fiction field, publishing well-regarded stories such as Jack Williamson's Legion of Space and John W. Campbell's "Twilight". At the end of 1937, Campbell took over editorial duties under Tremaine's supervision, and the following year Tremaine was let go, giving Campbell more independence. Over the next few years Campbell published many stories that became classics in the field, including Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, A. E. van Vogt's Slan, and several novels and stories by Robert A. Heinlein. The period beginning with Campbell's editorship is often referred to as the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

By 1950, new competition had appeared from Galaxy Science Fiction and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Campbell's interest in some pseudo-science topics, such as Dianetics (an early non-religious version of Scientology), alienated some of his regular writers, and Astounding was no longer regarded as the leader of the field, though it did continue to publish popular and influential stories: Hal Clement's novel Mission of Gravity appeared in 1953, and Tom Godwin's "The Cold Equations" appeared the following year. In 1960, Campbell changed the title of the magazine to Analog Science Fact & Fiction; he had long wanted to get rid of the word "Astounding" in the title, which he felt was too sensational. At about the same time Street & Smith sold the magazine to Condé Nast, and the name changed again to its current form by 1965. Campbell remained as editor until his death in 1971.

Islands of Space is a science fiction novel by American writer John W. Campbell It was first published in book form in 1957 by Fantasy Press in an edition of 1,417 copies. The novel originally appeared in the magazine Amazing Stories Quarterly; the text was "extensively edited" for book publication, with Campbell's approval, by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach. A paperback edition was published by Ace Books in 1966. In 1973, Islands was included in a Doubleday omnibus of all three "Arcot, Wade, and Morey" novels. A German translation appeared in 1967 as Kosmische Kreuzfahrt, and an Italian translation was published in 1976 as Isole nello spazio.

Islands of Space is generally credited with introducing the concepts of hyperspace and the warp drive to science fiction.