Science Fiction

During the 1930s, Gold wrote stories for pulp magazines, beginning with "Inflexure" (as Clyde Crane Campbell) in Astounding Science Fiction (October 1934), and later working for Standard Magazines, Fawcett Comics and Timely Comics. He used the Campbell pen-name for his first half-dozen or so stories in 1934/35. When he resumed his writing career in 1938 he took the billing Horace L. Gold, but soon shortened it to the now more familiar H. L. Gold.

Gold's most noted stories tended more toward fantasy, like his "Trouble with Water" (1939). In 1939-41 he was an assistant editor on a trio of science fiction magazines -- Captain Future, Thrilling Wonder Stories and Startling Stories. His 1939 novel, None But Lucifer in Unknown (September 1939) was a collaboration with L. Sprague de Camp.

Comics and World War II

During the early 1940s, Gold teamed with Kendell Foster Crossen on comic book scripts, freelancing with DC Comics writing for Batman, Superman, Superboy, Boy Commandos and Wonder Woman from "roughly the end of 1942" until World War II interrupted his career. He was drafted in 1944, although he was Canadian, flatfooted, overage and had a newborn child. He returned on compassionate leave (possibly in May, 1946) to be at his dying father Henry's bedside in Fall River, Massachusetts. He had been offered directorship of Armed Forces Radio postwar, which he declined. After serving, he returned to New York City, where he scripted for comic books and radio programs. Gold's story "The Old Die Rich" (Galaxy Science Fiction, March 1953), written at the same time as Marcia Davenport's My Brother's Keeper, may have been inspired by the New York Times articles about the Collyer brothers as was Davenport's novel. Gold often found story ideas in newspaper clippings.

H. L. Gold is perhaps best known as a leading magazine editor during the post-WWII science fiction boom. In 1949 he began in that direction, and launched Galaxy Science Fiction in 1950, which was soon followed by its companion fantasy magazine, Beyond Fantasy Fiction (1953-55).

With Galaxy Gold created a different kind of science fiction magazine by focusing less on technology, hardware and pulp adventures. Instead, he introduced themes leaning toward sociology, psychology and satire. He paid more than was common at the time and had the advantage that several authors had become alienated from John W. Campbell due to his enthusiasm for Dianetics.

Gold also edited several anthologies (1952-62) related to the magazine, but health concerns began to overwhelm him. Gold suffered from increasing agoraphobia (originating from war trauma), and as a result, retired from Galaxy in 1961 due to his health problems. He lived the rest of his life more or less in seclusion, though he published occasional short stories and guest editorials through the early 1980s. He died in 1996.

H. L. Gold was Jewish, and there are claims that he at first had to write under pseudonyms because publishers feared the readers' potential anti-semitism. His marriage to Evelyn Stein ended in divorce in 1957, and his second marriage was to Muriel "Nicky" (Nicholson) Conley.

His son, E. J. Gold, is an artist, writer, musician and one of the oldest online gamers.

His collection, The Old Die Rich (Crown, 1955), includes "And Three to Get Ready," "At the Post," "The Biography Project" (as Dudley Dell), "Don't Take It to Heart," "Hero," "Love in the Dark" (aka "Love Ethereal"), "Man of Parts," "The Man with English," "No Charge for Alterations," "The Old Die Rich," "Problem in Murder" and "Trouble with Water."