Imagination was an American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in October 1950 by Raymond Palmer's Clark Publishing Company. The magazine was sold almost immediately to Greenleaf Publishing Company, owned by William Hamling, who published and edited it from the third issue, February 1951, for the rest of the magazine's life. Hamling launched a sister magazine, Imaginative Tales, in 1954; both ceased publication at the end of 1958 in the aftermath of major changes in US magazine distribution due to the liquidation of American News Company.
Cover of the first issue by Hannes Bok
The first issue of Other Worlds, Imagination's stable-mate at Clark Publishing
Cover of Imagination, May 1954.
The December 1952 issue, illustrating the revised cover layout that began with the June 1951 issue. The artist is Malcolm Smith.
A science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard-copy periodical format or on the Internet. Science fiction magazines traditionally featured speculative fiction in short story, novelette, novella or novel form, a format that continues into the present day. Many also contain editorials, book reviews or articles, and some also include stories in the fantasy and horror genres.
A front cover of Imagination, a science fiction magazine in 1956
March 1941 cover of the Science Fiction magazine, volume 2, issue 4