Amazing Stories magazine, first published in April 1926, was one of the pioneers of
science fiction in the U.S. Created by
Hugo Gernsback, it was a classic
pulp magazine, printed on cheap paper with lurid cover art and a much-imitated logo featuring the magazine name in ever-shrinking letters. Instead of presenting tales of detectives, girls or swamp monsters, as was the habit of pulps to that point, it was filled with stories of a style originally called "scientifiction," and so brought science fiction to the masses and launched many writing careers.
In Jan. 1930 it was faced with its first direct competition, Astounding magazine, which under the editorial direction of John W. Campbell insisted on "hard science" as a basis for story acceptance, creating the paradigm for serious science fiction that holds to this day.