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Famous Fantastic Mysteries/Fantastic Novels

Famous Fantastic Mysteries was a fantasy fiction magazine offering reprints of scientific and fantastic classics from earlier decades. It ran from 1939 to 1953 for a total of 81 issues.

Published by the Frank A. Munsey Company, the publication began with an issue cover-dated September-October 1939, initially priced at 15 cents and edited by Mary Gnaedinger. With the first issue featuring A. Merritt's The Moon Pool and Ray Cummings' The Girl in the Golden Atom, the first issue was a success, and the schedule then went from bi-monthly to monthly. Virgil Finlay was the magazine's leading illustrator.

A Canadian reprint edition was published during the 1950s.

Confronted with numerous requests for reprints, Gnaedinger launched a spinoff magazine, Fantastic Novels, in June 1940. It also had a Canadian reprint edition in the 1950s and a British reprint edition for 2 issues in 1950.

1939                
v1 #1
Sep		  
v1 #2
Nov
v1 #3
Dec
1940
v1 #4
Jan
v1 #5
Feb
v1 #6
Mar
v2 #1
Apr
v2 #2
May		    
v2 #3
Aug		  
v2 #4
Oct		  
v2 #5
Dec
1941  
v2 #6
Feb		  
v3 #1
Apr		  
v3 #2
Jun		  
v3 #3
Aug		  
v3 #4
Oct		  
v3 #5
Dec
1942  
v3 #6
Feb		  
v4 #1
Apr		  
v4 #2
Jun
v4 #3
Jul
v4 #4
Aug
v4 #5
Sep
v4 #6
Oct
v5 #1
Nov
v5 #2
Dec
1943    
v5 #3
Mar		          
v5 #4
Sep		    
v5 #5
Dec
1944    
v5 #6
Mar		    
v6 #1
Jun		    
v6 #2
Sep		    
v6 #3
Dec
1945    
v6 #4
Mar		    
v6 #5
Jun		    
v6 #6
Sep		    
v7 #1
Dec
1946  
v7 #2
Feb		  
v7 #3
Apr		  
v7 #4
Jun		  
v7 #5
Aug		  
v8 #1
Oct		  
v8 #2
Dec
1947  
v8 #3
Feb		  
v8 #4
Apr		  
v8 #5
Jun		  
v8 #6
Aug		  
v9 #1
Oct		  
v9 #2
Dec
1948  
v9 #3
Feb		  
v9 #4
Apr		  
v9 #5
Jun		  
v9 #6
Aug		  
v10 #1
Oct		  
v10 #2
Dec
1949  
v10 #3
Feb		  
v10 #4
Apr		  
v10 #5
Jun		  
v10 #6
Aug		  
v11 #1
Oct		  
v11 #2
Dec
1950  
v11 #3
Feb		  
v11 #4
Apr		  
v11 #5
Jun		  
v11 #6
Aug		  
v12 #1
Oct		    
1951
v12 #2
Jan		  
v12 #3
Mar		  
v12 #4
May		  
v12 #5
Jul		    
v12 #6
Oct		  
v13 #1
Dec
1952  
v13 #2
Feb		  
v13 #3
Apr		  
v13 #4
Jun		  
v13 #5
Aug		  
v13 #6
Oct		  
v14 #1
Dec
1953  
v14 #2
Feb		  
v14 #3
Apr		  
v14 #4
Jun		            
 
2016    
v14 #5, Fall		  
2017
v14 #6, Spring		      

Famous Fantastic Mysteries (Canada)

1948   v9 #3
Feb		   v9 #4
Apr		   v9 #5
Jun		   v9 #6
Aug		   v10 #1
Oct		  
v10 #2
Dec
1949   v10 #3
Feb		   v10 #4
Apr		  
v10 #5
Jun		   v10 #6
Aug		  
v11 #1
Oct		   v11 #2
Dec
1950  
v11 #3
Feb		  
v11 #4
Apr		  
v11 #5
Jun		  
v11 #6
Aug		  
v12 #1
Oct		    
1951 v12 #2
Jan		   v12 #3
Mar		   v12 #4
May		   v12 #5
Jul		    
v12 #6
Oct		   v13 #1
Dec
1952   v13 #2
Feb		  
v13 #3
Apr		  
v13 #4
Jun		   v13 #5
Aug		        

Fantastic Novels

1940            
v1 #1
Jul		  
v1 #2
Sep		  
v1 #3
Nov		  
1941
v1 #4
Jan		    
v1 #5
Apr		                
1948    
v1 #6
Mar		  
v2 #1
May		  
v2 #2
Jul		  
v2 #3
Sep		  
v2 #4
Nov		  
1949
v2 #5
Jan		  
v2 #6
Mar		  
v3 #1
May		  
v3 #2
Jul		  
v3 #3
Sep		  
v3 #4
Nov		  
1950
v3 #5
Jan		  
v3 #6
Mar		  
v4 #1
May		  
v4 #2
Jul		  
v4 #3
Sep		  
v4 #4
Nov		  
1951
v4 #5
Jan		    
v4 #6
Apr		  
v5 #1
Jun		            

Fantastic Novels (Canada)

1948                
v2 #3
Sep		  
v2 #4
Nov		  
1949
v2 #5
Jan		   v2 #6
Mar		   v3 #1
May		   v3 #2
Jul		   v3 #3
Sep		  
v3 #4
Nov		  
1950
v3 #5
Jan		  
v3 #6
Mar		  
v4 #1
May		   v4 #2
Jul		  
v4 #3
Sep		  
v4 #4Nov		  
1951
v4 #5
Jan		    
v4 #6
Apr		  
v5 #1
Jun		            

Fantastic Novels (UK)

There were two undated issues in 1950 or thereabouts. One is unnumbered and is a full reprint of the November 1949 (US) issue, while the other is numbered as #1 and is a partial reprint of the May 1949 (US) issue. The first is thought to have appeared first but doesn't list a publisher, although it carries a Thorpe & Porter advert on the back, while the second gives the publisher as "Pembertons (of Manchester)".

1950?