ens ing ▁issues , ▁with ▁the ▁original ▁title ▁returning ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 8 . ▁▁▁ ▁The ▁magazine ▁is ▁regarded ▁by ▁histor ians ▁of ▁fant asy ▁and ▁science ▁fiction ▁as ▁a ▁legend ▁in ▁the ▁field , ▁with ▁Robert ▁Wein berg , ▁author ▁of ▁a ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁magazine , ▁considering ▁it ▁" the ▁most ▁important ▁and ▁influ ential ▁of ▁all ▁fant asy ▁mag az ines ". ▁ ▁Wein berg ' s ▁fellow ▁historian , ▁Mike ▁Ash ley , ▁is ▁more ▁c aut ious , ▁describing ▁it ▁as ▁" second ▁only ▁to ▁Un known ▁in ▁significance ▁and ▁influence ", ▁adding ▁that ▁" some where ▁in ▁the ▁imagination ▁res er voir ▁of ▁all ▁U . S . ▁( and ▁many ▁non - U . S .) ▁genre - f ant asy ▁and ▁horror ▁writers ▁is ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁spirit ▁of ▁We ird ▁T ales ". ▁ ▁Background ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁popular ▁mag az ines ▁typically ▁did ▁not ▁print ▁fiction ▁to ▁the ▁ex clusion ▁of ▁other ▁content ; ▁they ▁would ▁include ▁non - f iction ▁articles ▁and ▁poetry ▁as ▁well . ▁ ▁In ▁October ▁ 1 8 9 6 , ▁the ▁Frank ▁A . ▁Mun sey ▁company ' s ▁Arg os y ▁magazine ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁switch ▁to ▁printing ▁only ▁fiction , ▁and ▁in ▁December ▁of ▁that ▁year ▁it ▁changed ▁to ▁using ▁cheap ▁wood - p ulp ▁paper . ▁ ▁This ▁is ▁now ▁regarded ▁by ▁magazine ▁histor ians ▁as ▁having ▁been ▁the ▁start ▁of ▁the ▁pul p