The Outer Universe - A Secret Cache of 50s Science Fiction Magazines

Look at what I found on the street, walking to the drugstore! A trove of Golden Era Science Fiction magazines. The first one I picked up is called “Astounding Science Fiction” — March 1950 issue.

Featured author is L. Ron Hubbard. The illustrations are to die for. In the same collection is Bradbury, Heinlein, Asimov.

It was in one of those Little Libraries people install on the sidewalk for people to share free books.

This particular little library that’s built underneath a big shady catalpa tree. The zines were all from the 1940s and 1950s.

My dad said he was obsessed with these when he was a teenager, in Berkeley, and they were considered so “lowbrow” and scandalous that you would rent sci-fi books for a dime a day from dusty vendors — not to be found in any respectable library or bookstore.

Upon first discovery, I took home only one of the magazines. But then I couldn’t stop thinking about them. These magazines were all formatted the same small size, about two hands high. They seem to …