Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was an American pulp fiction author. He wrote in a wide variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, adventure fiction, aviation, travel, mystery, western, and romance. His United States publisher and distributor is Galaxy Press.[1] He is perhaps best known for his self-help book, the #1 New York Times bestseller Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (first published in 1950), and as the founder of the Church of Scientology.
L. Ron Hubbard was a prolific writer; according to the church, his written teachings make up approximately 500,000 pages and 3,000 recorded lectures, totaling about 65 million words. He also produced a hundred films and 500 short stories and novels.[2]
Early writings
editAlthough he was best known for his pulp fantasy and science fiction, Hubbard also wrote adventure, aviation, travel, mystery, western and romance. He wrote under his own name and as Kurt von Rachen and René Lafayette, his principal science fiction/fantasy pseudonyms. His other pen names included "Winchester Remington Colt" (rather obviously reserved for Westerns), Lt Jonathan Daly, Capt Charles Gordon, Bernard Hubbel, Michael Keith, Legionnaire 148, Legionnaire 14830, Ken Martin, Scott Morgan or Lt Scott Morgan, Barry Randolph and Capt Humbert Reynolds."[3]
Hubbard's first short story, "Tah", was published in the Literary Supplement of The Hatchet, George Washington University's campus paper, in February 1932.[3] In February 1934, the pulp magazine Thrilling Adventure was the first to publish one of Hubbard's short stories. Over the next six years, more than 140 of his short stories appeared in similar magazines devoted to high adventure and mystery.
Hubbard began publishing Science Fiction with the magazine Astounding in 1938, and over the next decade he was a prolific contributor to both Astounding and the fantasy fiction magazine Unknown. However, despite efforts by later supporters to assign to Hubbard a central role in the creation of modern science fiction, he was not a member of the small group of prime movers—L Sprague de Camp, Robert A Heinlein and Isaac Asimov—in the genre.[3]
Dianetics and Scientology
editHubbard's first major financial success came with the publication of Dianetics in 1950, after which he departed the field of science fiction writing for many years. In 1951, he refashioned the material of Dianetics into Scientology. At this time, he established his first publishing organization, devoted exclusively to his own works, and used it (and its later incarnations) to publish his own "spiritual technology," as well as his ideas about business administration, literacy, and drug rehabilitation.[4]
Hubbard returned to the field of Science Fiction writing in 1982 with the publication of Battlefield Earth, followed by the Mission Earth "dekalogy," a ten-volume series, most of which was published posthumously.
Output and reception
editHubbard produced more than 250 published works of fiction in his writing career. At his peak, he wrote “over 100,000 words a month.” He is remembered for his “prodigious output" and the "amazing speed at which he could produce copy.” He used a special electric IBM typewriter with extra keys for common words like ‘and’, ‘the’, and ‘but.’[5]
Scientology's publishing arm has translated his work into seventy-two languages. His fiction and non-fiction books have sold millions of copies,[6] and Hubbard holds four Guinness World Records for “Most Published Works by One Author”, “Most Audio Books Published for One Author”, “Most Translated Author in the World”, and "Most Translated Author, Same Book" (The Way to Happiness).[7]
Criticism of Hubbard's fiction is mixed. Georges T. Dodds, columnist for WARP, newsletter/fanzine of the Montreal Science Fiction and Fantasy association writes, "much of [Hubbard's] science fiction and fantasy is quite entertaining, and in most cases as good or better than much of the pulp literature of the era."[8] A reviewer for Publishers Weekly emphasizes "Hubbard's ability to pack an epic into relatively few pages -- this is indeed golden science fiction from the Golden Age".[9] The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction maintains that science fiction "was clearly not Hubbard's forte, and most of his work in the genre reads as tendentious or laboured or both. As a writer of fantasy, however, [Hubbard] wrote with an occasionally pixillated fervour that is still pleasing, and sometimes reminiscent of the screwball comedies popular in the 1930s cinema."[3]
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says about Hubbard's last foray into the genre of science fiction: "Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (1982), [is] an enormously long space opera composed in an idiom that seemed embarrassingly archaic. This was followed by the Mission Earth 'dekalogy,' a ten-volume sequence whose farcical over-egging of a seriously thin narrative thread fails to disguise a tale that would have been more at home in the dawn of the Pulp magazines, though its length would not have been tolerated."[3]
Controversy
editWhile nineteen of Hubbard's books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, New York Times rival paper, the Los Angeles Times printed an article questioning the validity of such sales. The New York Times is quoted in the same article, "the newspaper uncovered no instances in which vast quantities of books were being sold to single individuals." Adding further, "Science fiction and self-improvement books have always been big sellers in America, and Hubbard’s works have long had a strong following."[10]
Hollywood connection
editHubbard is credited with writing the story on which The Secret of Treasure Island, a 1938 Columbia Pictures movie serial, was based,[11] as well as the story on which one episode of the TV show Tales of Wells Fargo (1957) was based.[12]
Best-known fiction
editThis is a partial list of Hubbard's published works of fiction. Included are Fear, To the Stars, Final Blackout and Typewriter in the Sky, which were published in 1940 and reprinted numerous times. To the Stars was published in Astounding Science Fiction magazine in 1950.[13] Hubbard had a total of 235 works of fiction published.[14] Reprinted titles, reprinted by publisher Galaxy Press, include The Iron Duke, Hostage to Death, Cargo of Coffins, Brass Keys to Murder, and Under the Black Ensign.
War-ravaged Europe is the setting of Final Blackout, which Pau Walker described as "a bleak, harsh novel of hopeless conflict and an idealistic lieutenant who fights it to its ironic end." A similar grim irony pervades Death's Deputy, in which an immortal, voided to punish humans according to the whims of his race, seeks in vain his own death. The short novels Typewriter in the Sky and Fear are horrific fantasies which many critics consider to be classics of the science fiction's golden age. Fear, which relates the existence of a man who alternates between psychosis and sanity, is considered among Hubbard's finest works. Hubbard's last book of this period, Return to Tomorrow, is a "space opera" which anticipates future science fiction themes in its story about intergalactic traders from whom one month equals a century of Earth time. Hubbard's stories written under the pseudonym of Rene Lafayette and collected in Ole Doc Methuselah (1970) relate the tales of a medical doctor who traverses time and space while opposing criminals and enemies for his profession.[15]
Battlefield Earth
editBattlefield Earth is a 1982 science fiction novel written by Hubbard. He composed a soundtrack to the book called Space Jazz. Initially titled Man, the Endangered Species, Battlefield Earth was first published in 1982 by St. Martin's Press, though all subsequent reprintings have been by Church of Scientology publishing companies Bridge Publications and Galaxy Press. Written in the style of the pulp fiction era (during which Hubbard began his writing career), the novel is over 750 pages in hardcover and 1000+ in paperback. It was Hubbard's first openly science fiction novel since his pulp magazine days of the 1940s, and it was promoted as Hubbard's "return" to science fiction after a long hiatus.
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction described the book as a "rather good, fast-paced, often fascinating SF adventure yarn." The fantasy author Neil Gaiman wrote, "For value for money I have to recommend L. Ron Hubbard's massive Battlefield Earth - over 1000 pages of thrills, spills, vicious aliens, noble humans. Is mankind an endangered species? Will handsome and heroic Jonny Goodboy Tyler win Earth back from the nine-foot-high Psychlos? A tribute to the days of Pulp, I found it un-put-downable. And all for £2.95". Frederik Pohl said, "I read 'Battlefield Earth' straight through in one sitting although it's immense... I was fascinated by it." Kevin J. Anderson says, "Battlefield Earth is like a 12-hour 'Indiana Jones' marathon. Non-stop and fast-paced. Every chapter has a big bang-up adventure." Publishers Weekly said about the novel, "This has everything: suspense, pathos, politics, war, humor, diplomacy and intergalactic finance..." Science fiction author A. E. van Vogt stated, "Wonderful adventure ... great characters ... a masterpiece." but later admitted that he had not actually read it due to its size.
Battlefield Earth went to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list and also those of the Los Angeles Times, TIME, United Press International, Associated Press, B. Dalton's and Waldenbooks. According to Hubbard's literary agents, Author Services Inc., by June 1983 the book had sold 150,000 copies and earned $1.5 million.
The book was adapted for film in 2000, and retains a cult status, despite bombing at the box office and being critically panned.
To the Stars
editTo the Stars was first published in book format in 1954 under the title Return to Tomorrow, and was first published in hardcover in 1975 under the same title. The book was generally positively received, and garnered a 2001 nomination for a "Retro" Hugo Award for Best Novella. Publishers Weekly gave the book a positive review, calling it one of Hubbard's "finest works", and Alan Cheuse highlighted the work on National Public Radio's program All Things Considered as a top literature holiday pick.
Galaxy reviewer Groff Conklin described the 1954 edition as "a fast-paced and grim adventure . . . just short of absurdity, but interesting nevertheless."[16] Anthony Boucher panned the novel, calling it "a surprisingly routine and plotless space opera."[17]
Buckskin Brigades
editBuckskin Brigades was Hubbard's first hard-covered book, and his first published novel. Hubbard incorporates historical background from the Blackfeet tribe into the book. The book was re-released by Bridge Publications in a 1987 edition. The book was published in an audio book format by Bridge Publications and read by actor Bruce Boxleitner, who was hired by Church of Spiritual Technology subsidiary Author Services Inc. to read Hubbard's books on tape. The New York Times stated that, "Mr. Hubbard has reversed a time-honored formula and has given a thriller to which, at the end of every chapter or so, another paleface bites the dust . . . (has) an enthusiasm, even a freshness and sparkle, decidedly rare in this type of romance."[18]
Some sources state that as a young man, Hubbard became a blood brother to the Piegan Blackfeet Native American tribe while living in Montana,[19][20] though this claim is disputed.[21] Hubbard incorporates historical background from the Blackfeet tribe into the book.[19]
Death's Deputy
editDeath's Deputy was first published in book form, in 1948, by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. The novel originally appeared in the February 1940 issue of the magazine Unknown.
Fear
editFear is a psychological thriller-horror novella by Hubbard first appearing in Unknown Fantasy Fiction in July 1940. Stephen King called the book, "A classic tale of creeping, surreal menace and horror."[22] This is possibly Hubbard's most critically acclaimed novel, receiving positive reviews from the likes of Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.
Final Blackout
editFinal Blackout was first published in serialized format in 1940 in the science fiction magazine Astounding Science Fiction. It was published in book form in 1948 by The Hadley Publishing Co. Author Services Inc. published a hardcover edition of the book in 1988, and in 1989 the Church of Scientology-affiliated organization Bridge Publications announced that film director Christopher Cain had signed a contract to write and direct a movie version based on the book. Final Blackout and Fear are often cited by critics as the best examples of Hubbard's pulp fiction works. Robert Heinlein called the book “as perfect a piece of Science Fiction as has ever been written."[22] Chuck Moss of Daily News of Los Angeles called the book "extremely good science fiction". The book has been included in the curriculum of a science-fiction writing class at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Karl Edward Wagner cited Final Blackout as one of the thirteen best science-fiction horror novels.
Kingslayer
editKingslayer is a collection of science fiction short stories by Hubbard. It was first published in 1949 by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. in an edition of 1,200 copies. The title story first appeared in this collection. The other stories had previously appeared in the magazine Astounding.
Ole Doc Methuselah
editOle Doc Methuselah, published in 1970, is a collection of science fiction short stories by Hubbard originally published in Astounding Science Fiction from 1947 to 1950.
Slaves of Sleep
editSlaves of Sleep was first published in book form, in 1948, by Shasta Publishers, and originally appeared in 1939 in an issue of the magazine Unknown.
Typewriter in the Sky
editTypewriter in the Sky was well received. The Philadelphia Inquirer called it "swashbuckling fun", and John Clute and John Grant in The Encyclopedia of Fantasy characterized the work as the best of Hubbard's stories from the Arabian-fantasy theme.
Mission Earth
editMission Earth is an epic science fiction novel, split into ten volumes of unequal length. Each volume was a New York Times bestseller.[23] The ten volumes of the Mission Earth series, all bar the first of which were published posthumously, comprise The Invaders Plan (1985), Black Genesis: Fortress of Evil, The Enemy Within, An Alien Affair, Fortune Of Fear, Death Quest (1986), Voyage Of Vengeance, Disaster, Villainy Victorious, and The Doomed Planet (1987).[24]
Contests for writers and illustrators
editIn 1983, Hubbard started the "Writers Award Contest", a competition aimed at discovering, and eventually publishing, deserving amateur and aspiring writers. The L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest was launched in 1988. Winning illustrators illustrate a winning story from the Writers of the Future contest. The program is administered by Author Services.[25]
Table of works
editNon-fiction articles
edit| Date | Title | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| January 1932 | "Tailwind Willies" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| November 1932 | "Sans Power" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| June 1933 | "Washington's Langley Day" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| November 1933 | "Music With Your Navigation" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| July 1934 | "No Matter What You Call It, It Just Grins" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| September 1934 | "XC" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| September 15 1934 | "San Diego Fair Meet" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| December 1934 | "West Indies Whys And Whithers" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| January 1935 | "Won't You Sit Down?" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| February 1935 | "Mahomet Come To The Mountain" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| August 15 1936 | "Test Pilots, 1936" | The Sportsman Pilot |
| July 1935 | "Story Vitality" | Writer's Review |
| July 1935 | "Circulate" | The Author & Journalist |
| January 1936 | "Magic Out of a Hat" | Writer's Digest |
| June 1937 | "Suspense" | The Author & Journalist |
| May 1941 | "It Bears Telling" | Explorer's Club |
| January 1949 | "Steps In The Right Direction" | Writers' Markets & Methods |
Pulp fiction
edit| Date | Title | Publication [26] |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 1934 | "The Green God" | Thrilling Adventures |
| Oct 19, 1934 | "Yellow Loot" | Thrilling Adventures |
| Nov 19, 1934 | "Hurtling Wings" | Five Novels |
| Jan 19, 1935 | "The Phantom Patrol" | Five Novels |
| Jan 19, 1935 | "The Trail of the Red Diamonds" | Thrilling Adventures |
| Feb 19, 1935 | "The Red Dragon" | Five Novels |
| Feb 19, 1935 | "Flame City" | Thrilling Detective |
| Mar 19, 1935 | "Destiny's Drum" | Five Novels |
| Apr 19, 1935 | "Brass Keys to Murder" | Five Novels |
| May 1, 1935 | "The Cossack" | Mystery Adventures |
| May 19, 1935 | "False Cargo" | Five Novels |
| May 19, 1935 | "The Squad that Never Came Back" | Thrilling Adventures |
| May 19, 1935 | "The Drowned City" | Top Notch |
| Jun 1, 1935 | "Man-Killers of the Air" | Five Novels |
| Jul 1, 1935 | "Hostage to Death" | Five Novels |
| Jul 1, 1935 | "Hell's Legionnaire" | Mystery Adventures |
| Aug 19, 1935 | "Under the Black Ensign" | Five Novels |
| Aug 19, 1935 | "Yukon Madness" | Mystery Adventures |
| Aug 19, 1935 | "The Contraband Crate" | Sky Birds |
| Sep 19, 1935 | "Buckley Plays a Hunch" | Top Notch |
| Sep 19, 1935 | "Medals for Mahoney" | Top Notch |
| Sep 19, 1935 | "The Sky Devil" | Top Notch |
| Oct 1, 1935 | "He Walked to War" | Adventure |
| Oct 19, 1935 | "Forbidden Gold" | Five Novels |
| Oct 19, 1935 | "Wind-Gone-Mad" | Top Notch |
| Nov 19, 1935 | "The Black Sultan" | Thrilling Adventures |
| Nov 19, 1935 | "Five Mex for a Million" & "The Adventure of 'X" | Top Notch |
| Dec 19, 1935 | "The Barbarians" | Dime Adventure |
| Dec 19, 1935 | "Machine Gun 21,000" | Dynamic Adventures |
| Jan 19, 1936 | "Starch and Stripes" | Dime Adventure |
| Jan 19, 1936 | "The Sky-Crasher" | Five Novels |
| Jan 19, 1936 | "Trick Soldier" | Top Notch |
| Feb 19, 1936 | "Red Sand" | Top Notch |
| Mar 14, 1936 | "The Blow Torch Murder" | Detective Fiction Weekly |
| Mar 19, 1936 | "Hurricane!" | Five Novels |
| Mar 19, 1936 | "Price of a Hat" | Thrilling Adventures |
| Apr 19, 1936 | "Spy Killer" | Five Novels |
| May 2, 1936 | "They Killed Him Dead" | Detective Fiction Weekly |
| May 19, 1936 | "Loot of the Shanung" | Smashing Novels |
| Jun 1, 1936 | "Escape for Three" | Thrilling Adventures |
| Jun 6, 1936 | "The Mad Dog Murder" | Detective Fiction Weekly |
| Jul 1, 1936 | "The Grease Spot" | Thrilling Detective |
| Jul 11, 1936 | "Sleepy McGee" | Argosy |
| Jul 18, 1936 | "Don't Rush Me" | Argosy |
| Aug 19, 1936 | "The Headhunters" | Five Novels |
| Sep 19, 1936 | "Mr. Tidwell Gunner" | Adventure |
| Sep 19, 1936 | "The Baron of Coyote River" | All Western |
| Sep 19, 1936 | "Sky Birds Dare!" | Five Novels |
| Sep 19, 1936 | "Golden Hell" | Thrilling Adventures |
| Oct 3, 1936 | "Mr. Luck" | Argosy |
| Oct 17, 1936 | "Test Pilot" | Argosy |
| Oct 19, 1936 | "Black Towers to Danger" | Five Novels |
| Oct 19, 1936 | "Flaming Arrows" | Mystery Adventures |
| Oct 19, 1936 | "Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead" | Thrilling Adventures |
| Oct 24, 1936 | "Deep-Sea Diver" | Argosy |
| Oct 31, 1936 | "The Big Cats" | Argosy |
| Nov 7, 1936 | "River Driver" | Argosy |
| Nov 19, 1936 | "The No-Gun Gunhawk" | Western Aces |
| Dec 5, 1936 | "Mine Inspector" | Argosy |
| Dec 12, 1936 | "The Shooter" | Argosy |
| Dec 19, 1936 | "While Bugles" | Five Novels |
| Dec 19, 1936 | "Fifty-fifty O'Brian" | Top Notch |
| Jan 9, 1937 | "Steeplejack" | Argosy |
| Jan 23, 1937 | "Flying Trapeze" | Argosy |
| Feb 6, 1937 | "Mountaineer" | Argosy |
| Feb 19, 1937 | "The Bold Dare All" | Five Novels |
| Mar 19, 1937 | "Cattle King for a Day" | All Western |
| Mar 19, 1937 | "The Battling Pilot" | Five Novels |
| Mar 20, 1937 | "A Lesson in Lightning" | Argosy |
| Jun 1, 1937 | "All Frontiers Are Jealous" | Five Novels |
| Jun 1, 1937 | "The Crate Killer" | War Birds |
| Jul 1, 1937 | "The Dive Bomber" | Five Novels |
| Aug 21, 1937 | "Nine Lives" | Argosy |
| Sep 19, 1937 | "I Was Buried Alive!" | Personal Adventure Stories |
| Sep 19, 1937 | "Reign of the Gila Monster" | Western Aces |
| Oct 19, 1937 | "Red Death Over China" | War Birds |
| Nov 19, 1937 | "Gunman's Tally" | All Western |
| Nov 19, 1937 | "The Devil With Wings" | Five Novels |
| Dec 19, 1937 | "Highly Hazardous - Pilots!" | Five Novels |
| Dec 19, 1937 | "Tinhorn's Daughter" | Western Romances |
| Mar 12, 1938 | "Six-Gun Caballero" | Western Story |
| Mar 19, 1938 | "Under the Die-Hard Brand" | Western Aces |
| Apr 19, 1938 | "Highly Hazardous - Deep Sea Diver" | Five Novels |
| Jun 1, 1938 | "Boomerang Bomber" | Sky Aces |
| Jun 11, 1938 | "The Toughest Ranger" | Western Story |
| Jun 25, 1938 | "Hot Lead Payoff" Part 1 of 4 | Western Story |
| Jul 1, 1938 | "The Dangerous Dimension" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Jul 1, 1938 | "King of the Gunmen" | Western Yarns |
| Jul 2, 1938 | "Hot Lead Payoff" Part 2 of 4 | Western Story |
| Jul 9, 1938 | "Hot Lead Payoff" Part 3 of 4 | Western Story |
| Jul 16, 1938 | "Hot Lead Payoff" Part 4 of 4 | Western Story |
| Aug 19, 1938 | "When Gilhooly Was in Flower" | Romantic Range |
| Aug 19, 1938 | "The Ghost-Town Gun-Ghost" | Western Action |
| Sep 10, 1938 | "Boss of the Lazy B" | Western Story |
| Sep 19, 1938 | "The Tramp" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Oct 15, 1938 | "Come and Get It" | Western Story |
| Oct 19, 1938 | "The Tramp" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Oct 19, 1938 | "Buckskin Brigades" | Complete Northwest |
| Oct 19, 1938 | "The Lieutenant Takes The Sky" / "Branded Outlaw" | Five Novels |
| Oct 29, 1938 | "Death Waits at Sundown" | Western Story |
| Nov 19, 1938 | "The Tramp" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Nov 19, 1938 | "Silent Pards" | Western Story |
| Dec 19, 1938 | "Empty Saddles" | Adventure Yarns |
| Dec 24, 1938 | "Ruin at Rio Piedras" | Western Story |
| Jan 19, 1939 | "Trouble On His Wings" | Five Novels |
| Feb 19, 1939 | "Wings over Ethiopia" | Air Action |
| Apr 19, 1939 | "The Hurricane's Roar" | Adventure Novels and Short Stories |
| Apr 19, 1939 | "The Falcon Killer" | Five Novels |
| Apr 19, 1939 | "The Ultimate Adventure" | Unknown |
| May 19, 1939 | "Danger In The Dark" | Unknown |
| Jul 1, 1939 | "Slaves of Sleep" | Unknown |
| Aug 19, 1939 | "The Ghoul" | Unknown |
| Oct 19, 1939 | "The Ranch That No One Would Buy" | Western Yarns |
| Feb 19, 1940 | "The Professor Was A Thief" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Feb 19, 1940 | "If I Where You" | Five Novels |
| Feb 19, 1940 | "The Small Boss of Nunaloha" | South Sea Stories |
| Feb 19, 1940 | "Deaths Deputy" | Unknown |
| Apr 19, 1940 | "Final Blackout" part 1 of 3 | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Apr 19, 1940 | "The Indigestible Triton" | Unknown |
| May 19, 1940 | "Final Blackout" part 2 of 3 | Astounding Science Fiction |
| May 19, 1940 | "On Blazing Wings" | Five Novels |
| Jun 1, 1940 | "Final Blackout" part 3 of 3 | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Jun 1, 1940 | "Inky Odds" | Five Novels |
| Jun 1, 1940 | "Shadows From Boothill" | Wild West Weekly |
| Jul 1, 1940 | "The Idealist" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Jul 1, 1940 | "The Iron Duke" | Five Novels |
| Jul 1, 1940 | "Fear" | Unknown |
| Aug 19, 1940 | "Sabotage In The Sky" | Five Novels |
| Sep 19, 1940 | "The Kilkenny Cats" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Oct 19, 1940 | "The Devil's Rescue" | Unknown |
| Nov 19, 1940 | "One Was Stubborn" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Nov 19, 1940 | "Typewriter in the Sky [Part 1]" | Unknown |
| Dec 19, 1940 | "Typewriter in the Sky [Part 2]" | Unknown |
| Jan 19, 1941 | "The Traitor" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Feb 19, 1941 | "The Crossroads" | Unknown |
| Apr 19, 1941 | "The Mutineers" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Aug 19, 1941 | "The Case of the Friendly Corpse" | Unknown |
| Oct 19, 1941 | "Borrowed Glory" | Unknown |
| Nov 19, 1941 | "The Last Drop" | Astonishing Stories |
| Jan 19, 1942 | "The Invaders" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Feb 19, 1942 | "The Rebels" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Feb 19, 1942 | "He Didn't Like Cats" | Unknown |
| Apr 19, 1942 | "Strain" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Apr 19, 1942 | "The Room" | Unknown |
| Jun 1, 1942 | "The Slaver" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Jul 1, 1942 | "Space Can" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Oct 19, 1942 | "The Beast" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Apr 19, 1943 | "The Great Secret" | Science Fiction Stories |
| Jul 1, 1947 | "The Chee-Chalker" | Five Novels |
| Aug 19, 1947 | "The End is Not Yet" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Sep 19, 1947 | "The End is Not Yet" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Oct 19, 1947 | "The End is Not Yet" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Oct 19, 1947 | "Old Doc Methuselah" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Nov 19, 1947 | "The Expensive Slaves" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Mar 19, 1948 | "Her Majesty's Aberration" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| May 19, 1948 | "The Obsolete Weapon" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Jun 1, 1948 | "The Magic Quirt" | The Rio Kid |
| Jul 1, 1948 | "When Shadows Fall" | Startling Stories |
| Sep 19, 1948 | "The Great Air Monopoly" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Dec 19, 1948 | "Stacked Bullets" | Famous Western |
| Dec 19, 1948 | "240,000 Miles Straight Up" | Thrilling Wonder Stories |
| Jan 19, 1949 | "Forbidden Voyage" | Startling Stories |
| Feb 19, 1949 | "Gunman!" | Famous Western |
| Mar 19, 1949 | "The Magnificent Failure" | Startling Stories |
| Apr 19, 1949 | "Plague!" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Apr 19, 1949 | "The Gunner From Gehenna" | Giant Western |
| Apr 19, 1949 | "Gun Boss of Tumbleweed" | Thrilling Western |
| May 1949 | "The Battle of the Wizards" | Fantasy Book |
| May 19, 1949 | "The Conroy Diary" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| May 19, 1949 | "The Incredible Destination" | Startling Stories |
| Jun 1, 1949 | "A Sound Investment" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Jul 1, 1949 | "The Unwilling Hero" | Startling Stories |
| Aug 19, 1949 | "A Matter of Matter" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Aug 19, 1949 | "Johnny, the Town Tamer" | Famous Western |
| Sep 19, 1949 | "Beyond the Black Nebula" | Startling Stories |
| Sep 19, 1949 | "Blood on His Spurs" | Thrilling Western |
| Sep 19, 1949 | "Guns of Mark Jardine" | Western Action |
| Oct 19, 1949 | "The Automagic Horse" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Oct 19, 1949 | "The Planet Makers" | Thrilling Wonder Stories |
| Oct 19, 1949 | "Buckskin Brigades" | Triple Western |
| Nov 19, 1949 | "The Emperor of the Universe" | Startling Stories |
| Nov 19, 1949 | "Man For Breakfast" | Texas Rangers |
| Winter 1950 | "The Kingslayer" | Two Complete Science-Adventure Books |
| Dec 19, 1949 | "A Can of Vacuum" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Dec 19, 1949 | "Stranger in Town" | Famous Western |
| Jan 19, 1950 | "Ole Mother Methuselah" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Jan 19, 1950 | "The Last Admiral" | Startling Stories |
| Jan 19, 1950 | "Beyond All Weapons" | Super Science Stories |
| Jan 19, 1950 | "Hoss Tamer" | Thrilling Western |
| Feb 19, 1950 | "To the Stars" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Feb 19, 1950 | "Devil's Manhunt" | Famous Western |
| Mar 19, 1950 | "To the Stars" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Apr 19, 1950 | "Greed" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| May 19, 1950 | "Dianetics: Evolution of a Science" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| May 19, 1950 | "The No-Gun Man" | Thrilling Western |
| Jun 1, 1950 | "Vengeance Is Mine!" | Real Western Stories |
| Aug 19, 1950 | "Battling Bolto" | Thrilling Wonder Stories |
| Sep 19, 1950 | "The Final Enemy" | Super Science Stories |
| Oct 19, 1950 | "The Analytical Mind" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Oct 19, 1950 | "The Masters of Sleep" | Fantastic Adventures |
| Nov 19, 1950 | "Tough Old Man" | Startling Stories |
| Jan 19, 1951 | "Dianomitry" | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Feb 19, 1951 | "River Driver" | Max Brand's Western |
Fiction novels
edit- Under the Black Ensign (1935)
- Buckskin Brigades (1937), ISBN 0-88404-280-4
- Slaves of Sleep (1939)
- Ultimate Adventure, the (1939)
- Final Blackout (1940), ISBN 0-88404-340-1
- Indigestible Triton, the (1940)
- The Automagic Horse (1940) published (1994)
- The End Is Not Yet (1947) (serialized in Astounding Science Fiction, no book publication reported[27]
- Death's Deputy (1948)
- The Kingslayer (1949)
- To the Stars (1950)
- The Masters of Sleep (1950)
- Fear (1951), ISBN 0-88404-599-4
- Typewriter in the Sky (1951), ISBN 0-88404-933-7
- Return to Tomorrow (1954)
- The Ultimate Adventure (1970)
- Ole Doc Methuselah (1953), ISBN 0-88404-653-2
- Seven Steps to the Arbiter (1975)
- Revolt in the Stars (1979 - Unpublished)[28]
- Battlefield Earth (1982), ISBN 0-312-06978-2
- Mission Earth 1. The Invaders Plan (1985)
- Mission Earth 2. Black Genesis (1986)
- Mission Earth 3.The Enemy Within (1986)
- Mission Earth 4. An Alien Affair (1986)
- Mission Earth 5. Fortune of Fear (1986)
- Mission Earth 6. Death Quest (1986)
- Mission Earth 7. Voyage of Vengeance (1987)
- Mission Earth 8. Disaster (1987)
- Mission Earth 9. Villainy Victorious (1987)
- Mission Earth 10. The Doomed Planet (1987)
Short story collections
edit
Beginning in the 1990s Author Services began publishing volumes of Hubbard's short fiction organized by genre (Adventure, Mystery/Suspense, Science Fiction, Western, etc.) At least 42 volumes were published. The following information comes from the Library of Congress's Online Catalog, with supplemental information from www.bookfinder.com
Adventure Stories[29]
- V1-Five mex for a million ; Price for a hat ; The cossack
- V2-The black sultan ; The barbarians—Red Sand
- V3-The trail of the red diamonds ; Golden hell ; Tomb of the ten thousand dead
- V4-Starch and stripes ; Trick soldier ; Mr. Tidwell, gunner --
- V5-Tah ; Grounded ; Yellow loot ; Red death over China --
- V6-The squad that never came back ; The adventure of "X" ; Escape for three --
- V7-The sky devil ; He walked to war ; The crate killer --
- V8-Yukon madness ; Medals for Mahoney ; Wings over Ethiopia --
- V9-Catapult courage ; Raiders of the beam ; Boomerang bomber --
- V10-The green god ; Machine gun 21,000 ; Fifty-Fifty O’Brien
- V11-Pearl pirate ; The drowned city ; The small boss of Nunaloha
Fantasy Stories[30]
- V1-The crossroads ; The devil's rescue ; The room
- V2-The dangerous dimension ; The professor was a thief ; The last drop ; He didn't like cats
- V3-Danger in the Dark; Borrowed Glory; If I Were You
Hell Job Series
- V1-Sleepy McGee ; Don't rush me ; Mr. Luck[31]
- V2-Test pilot ; Deep-sea diver ; The big cats[32]
- V3-River driver ; The ethnologist ; Mine inspector[33]
- V4-The shooter ; Steeplejack ; Flying trapeze[34]
- V5-Mountaineer ; A lesson in lightning ; Nine lives[35]
Mystery/Suspense Stories[36]
- V1-Calling squad cars! ; The blow torch murder ; The grease spot ; Killer's law --
- V2-Dead men kill ; Mouthpiece ; The mad dog murder
- V3-The death flyer ; They killed him dead ; The slickers
Ole Doc Methuselah Stories[37]
- V1-Ole Doc Methuselah ; Her Majesty's aberration ; The expensive slaves ; The great air monopoly
- V2-Plague! ; A sound investment ; Ole Mother Methuselah.
Science Fiction Stories[38]
- V1-240,000 miles straight up ; The were-human ; He found God
- V2-The obsolete weapon ; The planet makers ; Beyond all weapons
- V3-Battle of wizards ; A can of vacuum ; Tough old man
- V4-One was stubborn ; A matter of matter ; Greed
- V5-STRAIN; THE SLAVER; SPACE CAN; FINAL ENEMY
- V6-The great secret ; The automagic horse ; Battling Bolto
Western Stories[39]
- V1-Hoss tamer ; Stranger in town ; The ghost town gun-ghost
- V2-The toughest ranger ; The bad one ; Marriage for spite ; Horse and horse
- V3-Tinhorn's daughter ; Johnny, the town tamer
- V4-The baron of Coyote River ; Man for breakfast ; Blood on his spurs
- V5-The neck scarf ; The no-gun gunhawk ; Devil's manhunt --
- V6-Maybe because--! ; "Tooby" ; Plans for the boy ; Under the Diehard brand
- V7-Canteens! ; Ride 'em, cowboy ; The ranch that no one would buy
- V8-When Gilhooly was in flower ; Boss of the Lazy B ; Ruin at Rio Piedras
- V9-Come and get it ; Death waits at sundown ; Cattle king for a day
- V10-Leaducation ; Reign of the Gila monster ; Gun boss of the Tumbleweed
- V11-King of the gunmen ; Silent paards ; Shadows from Boot Hill ; Gunman!--
- V12-The magic quirt ; Stacked bullets ; The Gunner from Gehenna
Dianetics and Scientology
edit- Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (May 1950)
- Dianetics: The Original Thesis (1951)
- Science of Survival (June 1951)
- Self Analysis (August 1951)
- Advanced Procedure and Axioms (November 1951)
- Handbook For Preclears (December 1951)
- Scientology: A History of Man (July 1952)
- Scientology 8-80 (November 1952)
- Scientology 8-8008 (December 1952)
- How to Live though an Executive (1953)
- The Creation of Human Ability (July 1954)
- Dianetics 55! (December 1954)
- Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science (1955)
- Brain-Washing Manual (1955)
- Problems of Work (1956)
- Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought (1956)
- All About Radiation (1957)
- Have You Lived Before This Life? (1958)
- The Book of E-Meter Drills (1965)
- Introduction to Scientology Ethics (1968)
- Mission Into Time (1973)
- Hymn of Asia: An Eastern Poem (1974)
- Scientology: A New Slant on Life (1976)
- The Way to Happiness (1981)
Adaptations by other authors
edit- Ai! Pedrito! When Intelligence Goes Wrong by Kevin J. Anderson (1998), ISBN 978-1-59212-003-1
- A Very Strange Trip by Dave Wolverton (1999), ISBN 978-1-57318-164-8
References
edit- ^ "List of L. Ron Hubbard Fiction Books". Galaxy Press. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- ^ Ashcraft, W. Michael (2006). Gallagher, Eugene V.; Ashcraft, W. Michael (eds.). Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America: African diaspora traditions and other American innovations. Vol. 5. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780275987176. OL 10289610M.
- ^ a b c d e "Hubbard, L Ron". SFE: The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ "About Bridge Publications, Inc". Bridge Publications. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Ed. J. Gordon Melton. Vol. 1. 5th ed. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. pp.750-751.
- ^ "Gale Thomson Online". Contemporary Authors Online. 2006.
- ^ "Most published works by one author". Guinness World Records. March 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
- ^ Rodger Turner, Webmaster. "The SF Site Featured Review: To the Stars". Sfsite.com. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ "Fiction Review: TO THE STARS by L. Ron Hubbard". Publishersweekly.com. 30 August 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ Welkos, Robert W.; Sappell, Joel (28 June 1990). "Costly Strategy Continues to Turn Out Bestsellers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ "The Secret of Treasure Island". IMDB. 17 March 1938. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ "Tales of Wells Fargo". IMDB. 18 March 1957.
- ^ "Pulp Renaissance: Hard-boiled, cliffhanger stories viewed as collectible American fiction". Antique Trader. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ "L. Ron Hubbard: Chronological list of works of fiction". Wiseoldgoat.com. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Daniel G. Marowski, Roger Matuz, and Robyn V. Young. Vol. 43. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. p203-208.
- ^ "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf", Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1954, p.121
- ^ "Recommended Reading," F&SF, November 1954, p.99.
- ^ Widder, William J. (1994). The Fiction of L. Ron Hubbard: A comprehensive bibliography & reference guide to published and selected unpublished works. Los Angeles, CA: Bridge Publications. p. 373. ISBN 0-88404-936-1.
- ^ a b Corydon, Bent; Brian Ambry (1992). L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?. Barricade Books. p. 227. ISBN 0-942637-57-7.
- ^ Frenschkowsky, Marco (2015). "L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology: An annotated bibliographical survey of primary and selected secondary literature". Marburg Journal of Religion. 4 (1). doi:10.17192/MJR.1999.4.3760.
- ^ Welkos, Robert W.; Joel Sappell (24 June 1990). "The Scientology Story: Staking a Claim to Blood Brotherhood". Los Angeles Times. p. A38. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
- ^ a b "L. Ron Hubbard's FEAR book review". Feoamante.com. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ "BEST SELLERS: FEBRUARY 15, 1987 - New York Times". The New York Times. 15 February 1987. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Daniel G. Marowski, Roger Matuz, and Robyn V. Young. Vol. 43. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. p203-208
- ^ "Illustrators & Writers of the Future Contest". Frank Wu. 15 October 2000.
- ^ L. Ron Hubbard Pulps And Collectables - That site contains a very comprehensive and complete pulp bibliography of L.R.H.
- ^ L. Ron Hubbard at ISFDB
- ^ Wright, Lawrence (2013). Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 163. ISBN 9780307700667. OL 25424776M.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "Titles List (Library of Congress Online Catalog)". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "WebVoyage Record View 1". Catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 20 January 2012.