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If

If was an American science fiction magazine launched in March 1952 by Quinn Publications, owned by James L. Quinn. Quinn hired Paul W. Fairman to be the first editor, but early circulation figures were disappointing, and Quinn fired Fairman after only three issues. Quinn then took over the editorial position himself. He stayed in that role until late 1958, though Larry T. Shaw took over most editorial duties for a year from mid-1953. In 1958 Damon Knight was hired as editor, but within three issues Quinn sold the magazine to Robert Guinn at Galaxy Publishing.

The new editor at Galaxy Publishing was Horace L. Gold, who was also editing Galaxy Science Fiction. After two years Frederik Pohl took over as editor, and it was under Pohl that If reached its greatest success, winning the Hugo Award for best professional magazine three years running from 1966 to 1968. In 1969 Guinn sold all his magazines to Universal Publishing and Distribution (UPD). Pohl decided not to continue as editor as he wanted to return to his writing career. Ejler Jakobsson became editor; the magazine was not successful under his management and circulation plummeted. In early 1974 Jim Baen took over from Jakobsson as editor, but increasing paper costs meant that UPD could no longer afford to publish both Galaxy and If. Galaxy was regarded as the senior of the two magazines, so If was merged into Galaxy after the December 1974 issue, its 175th issue overall.

A semi-professional magazine named If appeared in 1986, intended as a revival of the original, but it folded after a single issue.

Somewhat confusingly there were actually five different series of British reprint editions between 1953 and 1974, some with very strange numbering, representing 67 issues in total.

1952    
v1 #1
Mar
 
v1 #2
May
 
v1 #3
Jul
 
v1 #4
Sep
 
v1 #5
Nov
 
1953
v1 #6
Jan
 
v2 #1
Mar
 
v2 #2
May
 
v2 #3
Jul
 
v2 #4
Sep
 
v2 #5
Nov
 
1954
v2 #6
Jan
 
v3 #1
Mar

v3 #2
Apr

v3 #3
May

v3 #4
Jun

v3 #5
Jul

v3 #6
Aug

v4 #1
Sep

v4 #2
Oct

v4 #3
Nov

v4 #4
Dec
1955
v4 #5
Jan

v4 #6
Feb

v5 #1
Mar

v5 #2
Apr

v5 #3
May

v5 #4
Jun
 
v5 #5
Aug
 
v5 #6
Oct
 
v6 #1
Dec
1956  
v6 #2
Feb
 
v6 #3
Apr
 
v6 #4
Jun
 
v6 #5
Aug
 
v6 #6
Oct
 
v7 #1
Dec
1957  
v7 #2
Feb
 
v7 #3
Apr
 
v7 #4
Jun
 
v7 #5
Aug
 
v7 #6
Oct
 
v7 #6
Dec
1958  
v8 #2
Feb
 
v8 #3
Apr
 
v8 #4
Jun
 
v8 #5
Aug
 
v8 #6
Oct
 
v9 #1
Dec
1959  
v9 #2
Feb
       
v8 #6
Jul
 
v9 #4
Sep
 
v9 #5
Nov
 
1960
v9 #6
Jan
 
v10 #1
Mar
 
v10 #2
May
 
v10 #3
Jul
 
v10 #4
Sep
 
v10 #5
Nov
 
1961
v10 #6
Jan
 
v10 #6
Mar
 
v11 #2
May
 
v11 #3
Jul
 
v11 #4
Sep
 
v11 #5
Nov
 
1962
v11 #6
Jan
 
v12 #1
Mar
 
v12 #2
May
 
v12 #3
Jul
 
v12 #4
Sep
 
v12 #5
Nov
 
1963
v12 #6
Jan
 
v13 #1
Mar
 
v13 #2
May
 
v13 #3
Jul
 
v13 #4
Sep
 
v13 #5
Nov
 
1964
v13 #6
Jan
 
v14 #1
Mar
 
v14 #2
May
 
v14 #3
Jul

v14 #4
Aug
 
v14 #5
Oct

v14 #6
#84
Nov

v14 #7
#85
Dec
1965
v15 #1
#86
Jan

v15 #2
#87
Feb

v15 #3
#88
Mar

v15 #4
#89
Apr

v15 #5
#90
May

v15 #6
#91
Jun

v15 #7
#92
Jul

v15 #8
#93
Aug

v15 #9
#94
Sep

v15 #10
#95
Oct

v15 #11
#96
Nov

v15 #12
#97
Dec
1966
v16 #1
#98
Jan

v16 #2
#99
Feb

v16 #3
#100
Mar

v16 #4
#101
Apr

v16 #5
#102
May

v16 #6
#103
Jun

v16 #7
#104
Jul

v16 #8
#105
Aug

v16 #9
#106
Sep

v16 #10
#107
Oct

v16 #11
#108
Nov

v16 #12
#109
Dec
1967
v17 #1
#110
Jan

v17 #2
#111
Feb

v17 #3
#112
Mar

v17 #4
#113
Apr

v17 #5
#114
May

v17 #6
#115
Jun

v17 #7
#116
Jul

v17 #8
#117
Aug

v17 #9
#118
Sep

v17 #10
#119
Oct

v17 #11
#120
Nov

v17 #12
#121
Dec
1968
v18 #1
#122
Jan

v18 #2
#123
Feb

v18 #3
#124
Mar

v18 #4
#125
Apr

v18 #5
#126
May

v18 #6
#127
Jun

v18 #7
#128
Jul

v18 #8
#129
Aug

v18 #9
#130
Sep

v18 #10
#131
Oct

v18 #11
#132
Nov

v18 #12
#133
Dec
1969
v19 #1
#134
Jan

v19 #2
#135
Feb

v19 #3
#136
Mar

v19 #4
#137
Apr

v19 #5
#138
May
 
v19 #6
#139
Jul
 
v19 #7
#140
Sep

v19 #8
#141
Oct

v19 #9
#142
Nov

v19 #10
#143
Dec
1970
v20 #1
#144
Jan

v20 #2
#145
Feb

v20 #3
#146
Mar

v20 #4
#147
Apr

v20 #5
#148
May
 
v20 #6
#149
Jul
 
v20 #7
#150
Sep
 
v20 #8
#151
Nov
 
1971
v20 #9
#152
Jan/Feb

v20 #10
#153
Mar/Apr

v20 #11
#154
May/Jun

v20 #12
#155
Jul/Aug

v21 #1
#156
Sep/Oct

v21 #2
#157
Nov/Dec
1972
v21 #3
#158
Jan/Feb

v21 #4
#159
Mar/Apr

v21 #5
#160
May/Jun

v21 #6
#161
Jul/Aug

v21 #7
#162
Sep/Oct

v21 #8
#163
Nov/Dec
1973
v21 #9
#164
Jan/Feb

v21 #10
#165
Mar/Apr

v21 #11
#166
May/Jun

v21 #12
#167
Jul/Aug

v22 #1
#168
Sep/Oct

v22 #2
#169
Nov/Dec
1974
v22 #3
#170
Jan/Feb

v22 #4
#171
Mar/Apr

v22 #5
#172
May/Jun

v22 #6
#173
Jul/Aug

v22 #7
#174
Sep/Oct

v22 #8
#175
Nov/Dec
 
1986                
v23 #1
#176
Sep/Nov
 
 
2024  
v1 #1
Feb
                   

British reprint edition

1953                    
#1

#2
1954
#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14
1955
#15
                     
 
1959                
#1
     
1960
#2
 
#3
 
#4
 
#5
 
#6
 
#7
 
1961
#8
 
#9
 
#10
 
#11
 
#12
 
#13
 
1962
#14
 
#15
 
#16
 
#17
 
#18
     
 
1967
#100

#101

#102

#103

#104

#105

#106

#107

#108

#109
   
 
1969                    
Nov

Dec
1970
Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun/Jul

Aug/Sep
   
 
1972    
#1
May/Jun

#2
Jul/Aug

#3
Sep/Oct

#4
Nov/Dec
1973
#5
Jan/Feb

#6
Mar/Apr

#7
May/Jun

#8
Jul/Aug

#9
Sep/Oct

#11
Nov/Dec
1974
#1
Jan/Feb

#13
Mar/Apr

#3
May/Jun

#4
Jul/Aug

#5
Sep/Oct