author

Thomas S. Gardiner

An early science-fiction writer with a scientist’s background, he brought a sharp, speculative edge to the pulps of the 1930s and 1940s. His surviving reputation rests on a small body of work that still appeals to readers of vintage SF.

1 Audiobook

Cosmic Tragedy

Cosmic Tragedy

by Thomas S. Gardiner

About the author

Thomas S. Gardiner was an American chemist and science-fiction writer. The most reliable source I found identifies him as Thomas Samuel Gardner (1908–1963), born in Kingsport, Tennessee, and notes that he published his first story, The Last Woman, in Wonder Stories in April 1932.

He appears to have written only a handful of stories over the next decade, which helps explain why he remains a relatively obscure figure today. Even so, reference sources remember him not just for fiction but for his involvement in early science-fiction fandom.

In addition to writing stories, he contributed an annual review of the science-fiction and fantasy magazine field to Science Fiction Times and wrote Psychology of the Science Fiction Fan in 1939, described by the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction as one of the earliest studies of SF readers. I wasn't able to confirm a suitable portrait image from reliable page images, so no profile photo is included.