The Firing Line

George Oliver Smith, an influential American science fiction author, was a prominent figure during the Golden Age of Science Fiction, contributing significantly to Astounding Science Fiction in the 1940s. His collaboration with editor John W. Campbell, Jr. took a personal turn when he married Campbell's first wife. Smith's prolific writing continued until 1960, earning him the First Fandom Hall of Fame award in 1980. He was also part of the Trap Door Spiders, a literary club that inspired Isaac Asimov's fictional mystery solvers, the Black Widowers.