Time magazine 1949: Author Stanley G. Weinbaum and S-F for Dreams

Sir:

May I congratulate you on your recognition of science fiction in your review of A Martian Odyssey. It is seldom that an S-F book receives mention in publications not exclusively devoted to this field, even though interest in science fiction has been increasing at a rapid rate ...

But as ... for dreaming ...' remember that almost all modern inventions, including radio, television, the atomic bomb, airplanes, autos, etc. were once dreams ... Science fiction is where many scientists and engineers dream ... If an engineer, for example, has an idea which does not, at the moment, seem practical, he can write a story about it. Someone else, reading the story, might contribute a further step in the realization of the dream. But if that same engineer should write the "impossible" idea into a technical article, it probably would not be published, and if published, might mean his professional ruin ...

Louis E. Garner, Jr., President
Washington Science-Fiction Assn. Washington, B.C.

[Time magazine, letter to the editor, June 27, 1949]