Which way to inner space in New Worlds signed by J.G. Ballard 1st May 1962
[BALLARD, J. G].
‘Which Way to Inner Space? [in] New Worlds Science Fiction,
London: Nova Publications Ltd., May 1962
8vo., soft paper wraps printed in black, red and pink with a cover painting by ‘Enrique’ ; with publisher’s ads to lower cover (both recto and verso), and Ballards’ profile printed to inside front; pp. [i], 2-128; some light spotting and toning, as is common; covers a little rubbed and creased, particularly along spine, but else a very good copy.
Volume 40, No. 118 of this Sci-Fi publication, which here features a guest editorial by Ballard ‘Which Way to Inner Space?’ and is signed by him to the contents page.
Ballard had begun to write avant-garde fiction whilst studying medicine at King’s College, Cambridge, and after realising the extent of time constraints his chosen career imposed over his writing, he abandoned his idea of becoming a psychiatrist to instead study English Literature. It wasn’t until 1956 when his first short story, Escapement, appeared in New Worlds, and it was primarily due to the support he received from the magazine’s editor, John Carnell, that he went on to become a significant figure in the genre. “He encouraged me to go on writing in my own way," Ballard later recalled. In the present editorial, he discusses the future of science fiction and the inevitable break away from its sub-genre, space fiction.