H. L. Gold
Horace Leonard Gold, commonly known as H. L. Gold, was a significant figure in the science fiction genre, both as a writer and editor. Born in Montreal, Canada, in 1914, he immigrated to the United States as a young child and became an influential editor in the mid-20th century. Gold began his career in science fiction writing for the magazine Astounding Stories, later editing various genre publications such as Thrilling Wonder Stories and Startling Stories. His experiences as a combat engineer in the Pacific during World War II profoundly affected him, leading to lifelong struggles with agoraphobia.
In 1950, he founded Galaxy, a renowned science fiction magazine that became a vital platform for the genre until he left in 1961. Gold’s editing work is highly regarded, and he contributed to numerous anthologies featuring stories that have since become classics. His contributions to the field earned him several prestigious awards, including a Hugo Award in 1953 and the Westercon Life Achievement Award in 1975. Gold's legacy is marked by his dedication to elevating science fiction and fostering new talent within the genre before his passing in 1996.
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Subject Terms
H. L. Gold
Writer
- Born: April 26, 1914
- Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Died: February 21, 1996
Biography
Horace Leonard Gold, a science-fiction editor and writer, was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1914 and immigrated to the United States at the age of two; he eventually became an American citizen, but continued to maintain his Canadian citizenship. In the mid-1930’s, Gold joined the staff of Astounding Stories, the most prominent science-fiction periodical at the time, as a writer. He also edited science-fiction and fantasy magazines, including Thrilling Wonder Stories, Startling Stories, and Captain Future, for a few years from his home in New York. After a brief stint with A and S. Comics, Gold served in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer in the Pacific during World War II, from 1944 until 1946. Gold’s military experiences made him agoraphobic and he suffered with this affliction for the rest of his life.
Gold founded Galaxy, a science-fiction magazine, in 1950, running the new publication out of his apartment. He eventually built Galaxy into a premier genre magazine before leaving the publication in 1961. In 1960, he retired as a disabled veteran and eventually moved to California with his son. He died in 1996.
Although he wrote science-fiction stories and a novel, Gold is most highly regarded for his work as a science-fiction editor. In addition to his work on science-fiction and fantasy magazines, he edited numerous anthologies of science fiction stories and novelets, including collections of some of the work that originally appeared in Galaxy. In recognition of his achievements, he received a Hugo Award for nonfiction in 1953, the Westercon Life Achievement Award in 1975, and the Milford Award in 1987.