A Tunnel in the Sky

Like templetongate.net on Facebook  Follow @templetongate on Twitter
 
 
  -Home
-Archives
 
 
  -Literature
-Films
-Television
-Comics
-Non-SF
 
 
  -About
-Dossiers
-Links
-Forums
-Contact
-Site Search
 
 
 
 

The Retro Hugos



A purchase through our links may earn us a commission. Please Note: Most links on titles below are for Amazon, but we are now also affiliated with Bookshop. Search for any titles through the link on that page. Thanks.


Click here for my thoughts on Hugogate
(or "Puppygate" if you prefer)
Posted April 7, 2015, Revised April 12, again on August 23

My "Hugo & Nebula Awards Rant"
Posted February 4, 2001

Individual reviews of the Winning Novels

A list of Dual Award Winners

A list of all SFWA Grand Masters

The SF Hall of Fame


 

2020s

 

 

2010s

 

 

2000s

 

 

1990s

 

 

1980s

 

 

1970s

 

 

1953-70

 

 

Retros

 


The Hugo Awards originated in 1953 (honoring work published in '52) even though there had been quite a few Worldcons prior to that year. In 1994, Bruce Pelz, an active member of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society, proposed that works produced before then be recognized retroactively. The proposal was approved by the membership of the '94 and '95 Worldcons (all changes to the WSFS constitution require two years ratification), and the first Retro-Hugos were awarded at LACon2 in 1996. Just as with regular Hugos, the awards are for works published in the prior calendar year, so the first Retros were for things from 1945. Each year's con committee makes the decision of whether or not Retros will be presented, and so far it has only happened seven times, most recently in 2019.

If I understand the rules correctly, the works so honored must have been published either 50, 75, or 100 years prior to the presentation of a Retro, and that the year being represented had to have hosted a WorldCon where no awards were given. [EDIT: The rules have since been changed to make eligible the years 1942-45, which saw conventions put on hold due to WW2.] Unless the rules change again, and if it is true that 100 years is the maximum prior period allowed for eligibility, then 2057 will be the last possible time Retros could be awarded, since in 1957 awards were given to periodicals/editors only. Or, if the fact that some awards were given that year disqualifies it, then it would be 2052. Of course, by that time there will probably not be much interest in Retros (there are many current fans who don't think they are such a great idea) since there will not be anyone around who was alive in that prior year, much less many who would be familiar with books and stories published then. If 1957 is ineligible, there are now only eight other years that will qualify. Two of those, 1940 and '42 would have to wait for the 100 year mark, the rest are still eligible under the 75 year criteria.

 

 

1946
Awarded in 1996

 

 

1951
Awarded in 2001

 

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Novel: The Mule - Isaac Asimov (Part 2 of Foundation and Empire)

The World of Null-A - A. E. van Vogt
That Hideous Strength - C. S. Lewis
Destiny Times Three - Fritz Leiber
Red Sun of Danger - Edmond Hamilton

 

Novel: Farmer in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein

Pebble in the Sky - Isaac Asimov
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
First Lensman - E.E. "Doc" Smith
The Dying Earth - Jack Vance

 

Novella: Animal Farm - George Orwell

Dead Hand - Isaac Asimov
Giant Killer - A. Bertram Chandler
I Remember Lemuria - Richard S. Shaver

 

Novella: The Man Who Sold the Moon - Robert A. Heinlein

...And Now You Don't - Isaac Asimov
To the Stars - L. Ron Hubbard
The Last Enemy - H. Beam Piper
The Dreaming Jewels - Theodore Sturgeon

 

Novelette: First Contact - Murray Leinster

Pi in the Sky - Fredric Brown
Into Thy Hands - Lester del Rey
The Mixed Men - A. E. van Vogt
The Piper's Son - Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore (as Lewis Padgett)

 

Novelette: The Little Black Bag - C.M. Kornbluth

The Helping Hand - Poul Anderson
Okie - James Blish
Dear Devil - Eric Frank Russell
Scanners Live in Vain - Cordwainer Smith

 

Short Story: Uncommon Sense - Hal Clement

The Ethical Equations - Murray Leinster
The Waveries - Fredric Brown
What You Need - Henry Kuttner & C. L. Moore (as Lewis Padgett)
Correspondence Course - Raymond F. Jones

 

Short Story: To Serve Man - Damon Knight

The Gnurrs Come from the Voodvork Out - Reginald Bretnor
A Subway Named Mobius - A.J. Deutsch
Coming Attractions - Fritz Leiber
Born of Man and Woman - Richard Matheson

 

Dramatic Presentation: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Blithe Spirit
The Body Snatcher
The Horn Blows at Midnight
House of Dracula

 

Dramatic Presentation: Destination Moon

Cinderella
Harvey
Rabbit of Seville
Rocketship X-M

 

 

1954
Awarded in 2004

 

 

1939
Awarded in 2014

 

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Novel: Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
Mission of Gravity - Hal Clement
More Than Human - Theodore Sturgeon

 

Novel: The Sword in the Stone - T. H. White

Carson of Venus - Edgar Rice Burroughs
Out of the Silent Planet - C. S. Lewis
Galactic Patrol - E. E. "Doc" Smith
The Legion of Time - Jack Williamson

 

Novella: A Case of Conscience - James Blish

...And My Fear Is Great - Theodore Sturgeon
Daughters of Earth - Judith Merril
The Rose - Charles L. Harness
Un-Man - Poul Anderson

 

Novella: Who Goes There - John W. Campbell

A Matter of Form - H. L. Gold
The Time Trap - Henry Kuttner
Anthem - Ayn Rand
Sleepers of Mars - John Wyndham

 

Novelette: Earthman, Come Home - James Blish, available in the collection Cities in Flight

The Adventure of the Misplaced Hound - Poul Anderson & Gordon R. Dickson
Sam Hall - Poul Anderson
Second Variety - Philip K. Dick
The Wall Around the World - Theodore Cogswell

 

Novelette: Rule 18 - Clifford D. Simak

Dead Knowledge - John W. Campbell
Pigeons From Hell - Robert E. Howard
Hollywood on the Moon - Henry Kuttner
Werewoman - C. L. Moore

 

Short Story: The Nine Billion Names of God - Arthur C. Clarke

It's a Good Life - Jerome Bixby
A Saucer of Loneliness - Theodore Sturgeon
Seventh Victim - Robert Sheckley
Star Light, Star Bright - Alfred Bester

 

Short Story: How We Went To Mars - Arthur C. Clarke

Hollerbochen's Dilemma - Ray Bradbury
Hyperpilosity - L. Sprague De Camp
The Faithful - Lester Del Rey
Helen O'Loy - Lester Del Rey

 

Dramatic Presentation: The War of the Worlds

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 th Century - available on the Looney Toons Golden Collection DVD set
Invaders from Mars
It Came from Outer Space

 

Dramatic Presentation: War of the Worlds (Orson Welles & the Mercury Theatre of the Air)

Around the World in Eighty Days
A Christmas Carol
Dracula
R.U.R.

 

Related Book: Conquest of the Moon - Wernher von Braun, Fred L. Whipple & Willy Ley

Modern Science Fiction: Its Meaning and Its Future - Reginald Bretnor
Science-Fiction Handbook - L. Sprague de Camp

 

 

 

 

 

1941
Awarded in 2016

 

 

1943
Awarded in 2018

 

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Novel: Slan - A. E. van Vogt

Kallocain - Karin Boye
Gray Lensman - E. E. 'Doc' Smith
The Ill-Made Knight (Part 3 of The Once & Future King - T. H. White
The Reign of Wizardry - Jack Williamson

 

Novel: Beyond This Horizon - Anson MacDonald (aka Robert A. Heinlein)

Darkness and the Light - Olaf Stapledon
Donovan's Brain - Curt Siodmak
Islandia - Austin Tappan Wright
Second Stage Lensmen - E. E. 'Doc' Smith
The Uninvited - Dorothy Macardle

 

Novella: If This Goes On - Robert A. Heinlein

The Roaring Trumpet - L. Sprague de Camp & Fletcher Pratt
The Mathematics of Logic - L. Sprague de Camp & Fletcher Pratt
Coventry - Robert A. Heinlein
Magic, Inc. - Robert A. Heinlein

 

Novella: Waldo - Anson MacDonald (aka Robert A. Heinlein)

Asylum - A. E. van Vogt
The Compleat Werewolf - Anthony Boucher
Hell Is Forever - Alfred Bester
Nerves - Lester del Rey
The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag - John Riverside (aka Robert A. Heinlein)

 

Novelette: The Roads Must Roll - Robert A. Heinlein

Farewell to the Master - Harry Bates
Blowups Happen - Robert A. Heinlein
It - Theodore Sturgeon
Vault of the Beast - A. E. van Vogt

 

Novelette: Foundation - Isaac Asimov

Bridle and Saddle - Isaac Asimov
Goldfish Bowl - Anson MacDonald (aka Robert A. Heinlein)
The Star Mouse - Fredric Brown
There Shall Be Darkness - C. L. Moore
The Weapon Shop - A. E. van Vogt

 

Short Story: Robbie (aka "Strange Playfellow") - Isaac Asimov

Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius - Jorge Luis Borges
Martian Quest - Leigh Brackett
The Stellar Legion - Leigh Brackett
Requiem - Robert A. Heinlein

 

Short Story: The Twonky - C. L. Moore & Henry Kuttner

Etaoin Shrdlu - Fredric Brown
Mimic - Martin Pearson
Proof - Hal Clement
Runaround - Isaac Asimov
The Sunken Land - Fritz Leiber

 

Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Fantasia

Dr. Cyclops
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
One Million B. C.
The Thief of Bagdad

 

Dramatic Presentation: Bambi

Cat People
The Ghost of Frankenstein
I Married a Witch/
Invisible Agent
Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book

 

Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Pinocchio

The Adventures of Superman, "The Baby from Krypton" (radio serial)
The Invisible Man Returns
Looney Tunes, "You Ought To Be In Pictures"
Merrie Melodies, "Wild Hare"

 

Best Editor: John W. Campbell

Oscar J. Friend
Dorothy McIlwraith
Raymond A. Palmer
Malcolm Reiss
Donald A. Wollheim

 

 

1944
Awarded in 2019

 

 

1945
Awarded in 2020

 

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

Novel: Conjure Wife - Fritz Leiber

Das Glasperlenspiel (The Glass Bead Game) - Hermann Hesse
Gather, Darkness! - Fritz Leiber
Perelandra - C.S. Lewis
Earth’s Last Citadel (Kindle) - C.L. Moore & Henry Kuttner
The Weapon Makers (Kindle) - A.E. van Vogt

 

Novel: Shadow Over Mars (Kindle) - Leigh Brackett

Land of Terror - Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Golden Fleece - Robert Graves
The Winged Man - E. Mayne Hull & A.E. Van Vogt (Astounding, May-June/44)
The Wind on the Moon - Eric Linklater
Sirius - Olaf Stapledon

 

Novella: The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

We Print the Truth - Anthony Boucher
Attitude - Hal Clement
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath - H.P. Lovecraft
The Magic Bed-Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons - Mary Norton
Clash by Night - Lawrence O’Donnell (Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore)

 

Novella: Killdozer! - Theodore Sturgeon

The Jewel of Bas - Leigh Brackett
A God Named Kroo - Henry Kuttner
Trog - Murray Leinster
Intruders from the Stars - Ross Rocklynne
The Changeling - A.E. van Vogt

 

Novelette: Mimsy Were the Borogoves - Lewis Padgett (C.L. Moore & Henry Kuttner)

Citadel of Lost Ships - Leigh Brackett
The Halfling - Leigh Brackett
Thieves’ House - Fritz Leiber
The Proud Robot - Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)
Symbiotica - Eric Frank Russell

 

Novelette: City - Clifford D. Simak

The Big and the Little - Isaac Asimov
Arena - Fredric Brown
No Woman Born - C.L. Moore
The Children’s Hour - Lawrence O’Donnell (C.L. Moore & Henry Kuttner)
When the Bough Breaks - Lewis Padgett (C.L. Moore & Henry Kuttner)

 

Short Story: King of the Gray Spaces (aka, R is for Rocket) - Ray Bradbury

Death Sentence - Isaac Asimov
Yours Truly – Jack the Ripper - Robert Bloch
Q.U.R. - Anthony Boucher (as by H.H. Holmes)
Exile - Edmond Hamilton
Doorway into Time - C.L. Moore

 

Short Story: I, Rocket - Ray Bradbury

The Wedge - Isaac Asimov
And the Gods Laughed - Fredric Brown
Desertion - Clifford D. Simak
Huddling Place - Clifford D. Simak
Far Centaurus - A.E. van Vogt

 

Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Heaven Can Wait

Batman
Cabin in the Sky
A Guy Named Joe
Münchhausen
Phantom of the Opera

 

Link is for first title or collection
Best Series: Cthulhu Mythos - H.P. Lovecraft, August Derleth & others (Cthulhu Mythos Tales)

Pellucidar - Edgar Rice Burroughs (At the Earth's Core)
Jules de Grandin - Seabury Quinn (The Horror on the Links)
The Shadow - Maxwell Gibson
Captain Future - Brett Sterling (The Space Emperor [Kindle])
Doc Savage - Kenneth Robeson/Lester Dent

 

Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man

The Ape Man
Der Fuehrer’s Face
I Walked With a Zombie
The Seventh Victim
Super-Rabbit

 

Related Work: The Science-Fiction Field - Leigh Brackett

Mr. Tompkins Explores the Atom - George Gamow
The Works of H.P. Lovecraft: Suggestions for a Critical Appraisal - Fritz Leiber
Rockets: The Future of Travel Beyond the Stratosphere - Willy Ley
Fancyclopedia - Jack Speer
‘42 To ‘44: A Contemporary Memoir Upon Human Behavior During the Crisis of the World Revolution - H.G. Wells

 

Graphic Story: Wonder Woman #5: Battle for Womanhood - William Moulton Marsden, art by Harry G. Peter

Plastic Man #1: The Game of Death - Jack Cole
Garth - Steve Dowling
Le Secret de la Licorne (Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) - Hergé
Buck Rogers: Martians Invade Jupiter - Philip Nowlan and Dick Calkins
Flash Gordon: Fiery Desert of Mongo - Alex Raymond

 

Graphic Story: Superman: “The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk” - Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster

Donald Duck: “The Mad Chemist” - Carl Barks
Buck Rogers: “Hollow Planetoid” - Dick Calkins
Flash Gordon: “Battle for Tropica” - Alex Raymond
Flash Gordon: “Triumph in Tropica” - Alex Raymond
The Spirit: “For the Love of Clara Defoe” - Manly Wade Wellman, Lou Fine, and Don Komisarow

 

 

 

 

 

Dramatic Presentation (Tie): The Canterville Ghost,
and The Curse of the Cat People


Donovan’s Brain (? - released in 1953, shouldn't be eligible)
House of Frankenstein
The Invisible Man’s Revenge
It Happened Tomorrow

 

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

A purchase through our links may earn us a commission.

 

2020s

 

 

2010s

 

 

2000s

 

 

1990s

 

 

1980s

 

 

1970s

 

 

1953-70

 

 

Retros

 

 

We would appreciate your support for this site with your purchases from Amazon, Bookshop, and ReAnimusPress.