"This eye-opening book deserves a spot on the bookshelves of anyone who not only enjoys collecting, but also has a great interest in all facets of the history of our hobby." — Toy Soldier Collector

Science fiction, as the name suggests, is the combination of science and fantasy. In addition to a literary form, it also encompasses film, TV, comics, toys and our beloved toy astronauts, or other figures such as aliens, monsters and other playable genres.

The term science fiction was coined by publisher Hugo Gernsbach around the first decades of the last century to refer to the predominantly 'space' adventures covered in his magazines. Space invaded radio, cinema, TV, and consequently for a long time toy figurines were predominantly space-related, later evolving into other themes.

This lavishly illustrated book covers both the history of literary science fiction, following in the footsteps of contemporary official criticism, and toy figurines inspired by science fiction. You will also find several other themes, such as the link between science fiction figures and cinema, radio, TV, comics, and more.

Luigi Toiati offers to both guide the reader on an often-nostalgic walk through science fiction in all its various forms, and to describe the figurines and brands associated with it.

• Cover
• Dedication
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• PART ONE: A SHORT HISTORY OF SCI-FI
  • Chapter 1 Sci-Fi: Genre or Non-Genre?
    • About the definition of ‘Science Fiction’
    • Bibliography Chapter 1
  • Chapter 2 Some Trifles about Science Fiction
    • Was Achilles an extra-terrestrial? Sci-fi and ‘mythology’
    • Calvin and the Pope: galactic battles or galactic howlers?
    • Bibliography Chapter 2
  • Chapter 3 A Short History of Sci-Fi
    • 3.1 ‘Proto’ Science-Fiction, or the ‘Classics’
    • 3.2 The Enlightenment, Age of Reason
    • 3.3 ‘Arsenic Sci-Fi and Old Lace’, Victorian Beginners
      • Gothic (‘sci-fi’) literature
      • Mary Shelley: ‘Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus’
      • Edgar Allan Poe (1809–49)
      • Beyond and behind the Channel
      • The tradition of Voyages Extraordinaires continued too
      • Late Nineteenth-Century Gothic-Romantic Visions
    • 3.4 Jules Verne and Herbert George Wells
      • Jules Verne (1828–1905)
      • Herbert George Wells (1866–1946)
      • Verne-Wells
    • 3.5 Late nineteenth century and early twentieth century
    • 3.6 Rise and fall of the ‘Pulp’
    • 3.7 At last, Science Fiction
    • 3.8 1930–1940: Stars, Aliens and ESP. Navigating the Golden Age
    • 3.9 1940–1960: The Shining of the Golden Age
      • Post-War British Sci-Fi
      • Post-War other countries’ Sci-Fi
      • The Golden Age’s ‘religious’ fiction & other
    • 3.10 ‘Living in a science fiction world’: The New Wave, 1960s–1970s
      • Some New Wave sci-fi authors
    • 3.11 Feminist Sci-Fi
    • 3.12 European and Japanese New Wave Sci-Fi
    • 3.13 1980s–2000s … and beyond
      • Cyberpunk, Steampunk and other stuff
    • 3.14 Latest Trends
    • 3.15 Latest News from Europe
    • 3.16 The forecast for future sci-fi (official)
      • (Dichotomy): Smiling vs. Crapsack World, or Optimism vs. Pessimism
      • Smiling/Optimism
      • Big Fat Future
      • Stupid Future People and Morons
      • Punk
      • Pessimism/Crapsack World
      • Fantastic Slurs
    • 3.17 The unpredictable sci-fi future (unofficial)
    • Bibliography Chapter 3
  • Chapter 4 Vox Populi: Mass-Media and Other Trivialities
    • 4.1 The origin of the modern space adventure: Space Opera
    • 4.2 ‘Educational’ sci-fi
      • The Hero beyond the Earth
      • Space and Merchandising
      • Digression: the strange story of the Ralston Rocket
    • 4.3 Sci-fi and TV
    • 4.4 Sci-fi and cinema
      • Star Wars
    • 4.5 Late Twentieth Century: Science Fiction and Multimedia
    • Bibliography Chapter 4
• PART TWO: SCI-FI FIGURINES AND OTHER TRIFLES
  • Chapter 5 Sci-fi figurines and brands
    • About Space and Sci-Fi Toy and Model Figurines
    • 5.1. A promenade through sci-fi figurines and brands
      • The Golden Age: Hollow-cast and plastic heroes, and others
      • Buck Rogers
      • Dan Dare
      • Flash Gordon
      • Captain Video
      • Space Patrol
      • Tom Corbett
      • Rex Mars
      • Other hollow-cast and Space Stuff
  • Cameo Adrian Little, the perspective of a collector/dealer
    • British and US metal and plastic sci-fi figurines
    • Pause: Britains’ Space
  • Cameo Norman Joplin: Childhood Space Memories
    • Some more US plastic sci-fi figures
    • Marx
    • Air Force figures
    • Scientists and technicians
    • Apollo Astronauts
    • Other sizes: 70mm
    • 10cm
    • 15cm
    • Marx space Swoppets
    • A brief note, or: my personal Space Shield to safeguard me from, and anticipate, legitimate criticism from my readers
    • Just some Toy Robots
  • Cameo Renato Fort, The Present Future
    • Some Space Oddities…
    • Continental and international sci-fi figurines
      • Italy
  • Cameo Orazio di Mauro
    • Spain and Portugal
    • Latin America
    • A personal note
      • Greece
      • France
      • Germany
      • Denmark
      • Asia
      • Hong Kong and/or China
      • Japan
      • Australia
    • Denmark
    • Prehistoric sci-fi
    • 20mm and other mini-spacemen
    • Digression: A short but curious international section. Paper space figurines
    • 5.2 After the Golden Age
      • Large, articulated and ‘bendy flexy’ sci-fi action figures
      • He-Man and The Masters of the Universe
      • G.I. Joe
      • Myth Cloth
      • Transformers
      • Hasbro Air Raiders 1987
      • Henshin Cyborg
    • 5.2.1 Cultured science fiction: thirty-five sci-fi movies and their toy figurines; a step forward
      • Early days up to the 1960s
      • 1970–1990, the ‘hot’ years
      • The turn of the century
    • 5.2.2 The Sagas
      • The Star Wars and Star Trek World
      • Doctor Who
      • The X-Files (‘The truth is out there’)
    • 5.2.3 Semiotics of Large-Size Figures
    • Bibliography Chapter 5
  • Chapter 6 The Roots: Dramatis Personae and Other Characters (an Essay)
    • The Boy Wonder
    • Girls and Women
    • Aliens
    • Astronauts, cosmonauts, spacemen and rocketmen (and women)
    • Robots, transformers and other doodahs
    • Robots
    • ‘In the beginning was’ … the robot
    • ‘And then it was … the Transformer’
    • Bibliography Chapter 6
• Appendix Sci-fi General Bibliography