Richard Sharpe Shaver was an American writer and artist who achieved notoriety in the years following World War II as the author of controversial stories that were printed in science fiction magazines. In Shaver's story, he claimed that he had had personal experience of a sinister ancient civilization that harbored fantastic technology in caverns under the earth. The controversy stemmed from the claim by Shaver, and his editor and publisher Ray Palmer, that Shaver's writings, while presented in the guise of fiction, were fundamentally true. Shaver's stories were promoted by Ray Palmer as "The Shaver Mystery".
Shaver's first published work, the novella "I Remember Lemuria", was the cover story in the March 1945 Amazing Stories
Shaver's first published work, the novella "I Remember Lemuria", was the cover story in the March 1945 Amazing Stories
Shaver's novella "Thought Records of Lemuria", his second published story, took the cover of the June 1945 Amazing Stories
Shaver's run of Amazing cover stories continued in September 1945 with "Cave City of Hel"
Amazing Stories is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances in other magazines, including some published by Gernsback, but Amazing helped define and launch a new genre of pulp fiction.
First issue of Amazing Stories, art by Frank R. Paul. This copy was autographed by Hugo Gernsback in 1965.
September 1928 issue. This sober design sold poorly and Gernsback returned to lurid action covers.
June 1947 issue of Amazing Stories, featuring the Shaver Mystery.
March 1961 cover by Leo Summers, featuring Blish's "A Dusk of Idols".