Charles D. Hornig

Born in Jersey City in 1916, Charles D. Hornig entered science fiction history remarkably young. As a teenager, he became the editor of Wonder Stories after impressing Hugo Gernsback, and he later edited Science Fiction Quarterly, building a reputation as an energetic presence in the field.

Hornig was also active in early science fiction fandom, where he was remembered as part of the community that helped define the genre in its formative years. Accounts of his life note both his early editorial promise and the challenges he faced personally, which give his career an unusually human dimension.

He died in 1999, and he is still remembered less as a blockbuster name than as one of the people who helped science fiction grow up behind the scenes.