▁that ▁in ▁the ▁US . ▁Several ▁short - l ived ▁mag az ines ▁had ▁come ▁and ▁gone , ▁both ▁before ▁and ▁after ▁the ▁war . ▁John ▁Sp encer ▁launched ▁four ▁very ▁poor ▁quality ▁ju ven ile ▁mag az ines ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 0 , ▁which ▁continued ▁into ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 5 0 s , ▁while ▁one ▁magazine , ▁New ▁World s , ▁had ▁surv ived ▁since ▁ 1 9 4 6 . ▁Since ▁ 1 9 3 9 , ▁Atlas , ▁a ▁British ▁publish er , ▁had ▁been ▁producing ▁a ▁repr int ▁edition ▁of ▁Ast ounding ▁Science ▁F iction , ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁well - reg arded ▁American ▁sf ▁mag az ines . ▁During ▁the ▁war ▁the ▁contents ▁had ▁often ▁been ▁cut ▁sever ely , ▁and ▁the ▁schedule ▁had ▁not ▁been ▁regular , ▁but ▁it ▁was ▁re put ed ▁to ▁sell ▁ 4 0 , 0 0 0 ▁copies ▁a ▁month . ▁This ▁was ▁enough ▁to ▁attract ▁the ▁attention ▁of ▁Hamilton ▁& ▁Co ., ▁a ▁British ▁publish er ▁looking ▁for ▁new ▁mark ets . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 9 , ▁Hamilton ▁h ired ▁Gordon ▁Land s borough ▁as ▁an ▁editor . ▁Land s borough ▁did ▁his ▁best ▁to ▁improve ▁the ▁quality ▁of ▁the ▁science ▁fiction ▁he ▁was ▁publishing , ▁and ▁was ▁allowed ▁to ▁offer ▁£ 1 ▁per ▁ 1 , 0 0 0 ▁words ▁for ▁selected ▁material . ▁He ▁also ▁was ▁joined ▁at ▁Hamilton ▁by ▁H . J . ▁Campbell , ▁who ▁was ▁h ired ▁as