Amazing Stories, March, 1959 (March, 1939), Featuring “Marooned Off Vesta”, by Isaac Asimov [Albert Nuetzell]

In March of 1959, exactly twenty years after the first publication of Isaac Asimov’s “Marooned Off Vesta”, Amazing Stories republished the story, his third and first-published science-fiction story.  The 1959 issue featured the same – or almost the same! – or mostly the same? – or basically the same!? – lead illustration as that created by Robert Fuqua two decades prior.  Only this time, the illustration was created by the singularly talented Virgil W. Finlay.

Given Finlay’s creativity, originality, and disposition towards symbolism, eroticism, and mythology, the result for this issue of Amazing Stories was remarkably straightforward, albeit naturally completed in Finlay’s immediately recognizable style and attention to detail.  It seems obvious that editor Cele Goldsmith or art director Sid Greiff wanted the story’s lead art to follow – and commemorate? – that of Fuqua from 1939, leading to the result on pages 8 and 9 of the March issue.  Even given the artistic requirements (limitations/0 he was operating under, Finlay’s art is still superb. 

As for the cover?  Albert Nuetzell’s simple painting is still a vast and refreshing improvement (not hard to do!) over that of 1939.  No megacephalic, big-eared, naked, spindly, blue-skinned aliens here.  You can learn more about Nuetzell in the video below… 

Sin & Sci-fi in 60s~ (“Charles Nuetzel & Albert Nuetzell (ft. Bill Pronzini) – Ep. 9: S&SF60s“)

While you’re here, you might want to visit Fuqua’s imagined future from 1939

As for the non-fiction Vesta, view this NASA VideoDawn Spacecraft’s Farewell Portrait of Giant Asteroid Vesta“…

Marooned Off Vesta, at…

Wikipedia

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

SciFi Stack Exchange

Archive.org

ArtStation (by Cosmin Panfil)

Science Daily (“Geologists propose theory about a famous asteroid”)

Albert Nuetzell, at…

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Remind Magazine

Amazing Stories, March, 1939, Featuring “Marooned Off Vesta”, by Isaac Asimov [Robert Fuqua]

Published in the March, 1939, issue of Amazing Stories, “Marooned Off Vesta”, the third science-fiction story written by Isaac Asimov and an example of “hard” SF, was his first published tale.

Though the story is significant in terms of Asimov’s literary oeuvre, ironically, given his centrality in the history of science fiction, I’ve not read the tale.  Then again (minor blasphemy, given the ethos of this blog?!), with the exception of Pebble In the Sky, I’ve not read any tale in the Foundation series or any of his robot stories.  The reason being, simply put, that I’ve never liked Asimov’s writing style, though some decades ago – at the time I read it; perhaps it resonated with me then! – I greatly enjoyed The End of Eternity in terms of plot and pacing. 

Regardless, I thought it’d be nice to present Robert Fuqua’s very busy lead illustration for “Marooned Off Vesta”.  Like many such examples from the era, the spaceship is imagined with a very strong nautical or industrial “air”, what with rivets, portholes (are they portholes?!), pipes, girders, and hinges.  Evocative of its time.  It makes such a strange contrast with Fuqua’s cover painting that one could be forgiven for assuming that the illustrations were created by different artists.  I can only suppose that the truly awful cover painting – in contrast to the absolutely lovely cover art that appeared in earlier issues of Amazing – was simply a reflection of what the magazine’s readers, and thus its editors, actually wanted.  (Megacephalic, big-eared, naked, spindly aliens inside a golden-geared fishbowl?  Gadzooks!)

While you’re here, you might want to visit Virgil Finlay’s 1959 version of Fuqua’s interior art

As for the real Vesta, check out this NASA VideoDawn Spacecraft’s Farewell Portrait of Giant Asteroid Vesta“…

Marooned Off Vesta, at…

Wikipedia

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

SciFi Stack Exchange

Archive.org

ArtStation (by Cosmin Panfil)

Science Daily (“Geologists propose theory about a famous asteroid”)

Robert Fuqua, at…

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Pulp Artists

Science Fiction Encyclopedia

Bleeding Cool