Today marks the anniversary of the passing of Donald A. Wollheim—a man whom I consider, overall, the greatest SFF editor in the history of the genre. Today also marks—perhaps precisely, perhaps within a few weeks at most—the founding of DAW Books by Wollheim in 1971. DAW, an acronym of Wollheim’s initials, was the first major paperback publisher devoted to science fiction and fantasy. During the fifteen years that Don had a firm hand on the reins, DAW Books punched far above its weight. DAW also helped keep a ‘pulp’ SFF aesthetic out there in book stores and on newsstands and spinner racks when other publishers had left such things behind. It is time to give Wollheim and DAW Books their due.

As I noted here, Wollheim was at the forefront of SFF fandom in the 1930s, publishing Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and Lovecraft while all three were still alive. Don would go on to do a short stint in the pulps before jumping over to the paperback realm, which was, as it turned out, the future. Wollheim forged Avon Books into the first SFF paperback publisher of note before taking an editorial job at Ace Books with the remit of capturing lightning in a bottle twice.

As I noted here, Don would be the first editor to get Howard's Conan into paperback by quite a wide stretch. In addition, he published many SFF greats in the 1950s, nurturing the careers of Poul Anderson, Philip K. Dick, Andre Norton and many, many others. Also, as noted here, Wollheim kickstarted the Burroughs and Tolkien 'booms', creating the perfect storm for the Lancer Conan paperbacks to take off.

By 1970, there were major problems at Ace Books. Wollheim, well-loved by many of the authors he'd published over the years, decided to go into business for himself. At some point in November of 1971, Don created the DAW Books publishing house. As I stated above, DAW was based on the principle that it would be devoted to science fiction (and not so loudly at the time, fantasy). This was a big deal. Other publishers like Ace, Avon and Ballantine were 'diversified', publishing Westerns, gothic romances, whatever. SFF was just one component and not always a priority.

Donald A. Wollheim changed all of that. Eighties SFF publishers like Tor and Baen owe a debt to Wollheim’s trailblazing.

Of course, you don't sign the paperwork creating a publishing house and then publish a book the next day. It wasn't until March of 1972 that DAW Books had a book to ship. It was Andre Norton's heroic fantasy, Spell of the Witch World. Wollheim was the guy, back in the late '50s, who had talked Norton into bringing her first Witch World novel to Ace Books. Andre had followed him to DAW. Other authors like Gordon R. Dickson, John Brunner and Lin Carter--all writers who would write S&S in future years--would also follow Don to his new project. Wollheim’s three-plus decades in the SFF trenches were paying off.

Wollheim was big on giving old warhorses who could still bite and kick another chance. A case in point would be Golden Age pulp icon, A.E. van Vogt. Another example was Kelly Freas. Many SF art directors were writing him off for newer--and lesser--artists. Thanks to DAW Books, many, many more beautiful covers were painted by Freas than might have been the case. At the same time, Don gave several commissions in 1972 to Josh Kirby, who was quite a way from his iconic work for Terry Pratchett. I delve into Don's legacy as a hands-on art director here.

The last novel DAW published in 1972 was Transit to Scorpio by Alan Burt Akers, a.k.a. Ken Bulmer. This would grow into the sprawling Akers/Dray Prescott/Scorpio/Antares series by Bulmer, with over thirty-five volumes published by DAW. Wollheim was a dyed-in-wool fan of sword-and-planet. He very likely coined that term, by the way. By my count, under Don's editorship, DAW published more S&P than anyone else, before or since.

Wollheim was also publishing classic, Brackett-style planetary noir by E.C. Tubb, as well as Philip Jose Farmer's almost unclassifiable 'Opar' novels. Don took chances. You can bet nobody high-fived him at conventions for publishing such out-of-fashion SF. The 'future' of SF was depressing, introspective and turgid--but very 'important'--fiction devoid of adventure. Right?

The first YBHS under Wagner’s reign. Whelan cover.

DAW published Tanith Lee's The Birthgrave in 1975. It was the first major work of sword-and-sorcery by a woman since C.L. Moore's tales of Jirel in the 1930s. 1976 saw the publication of C.J. Cherryh's The Gate of Ivrel, the first in her ground-breaking 'Morgaine' series of planetary adventures. Both authors stated more than once that they sent their typescripts to DAW Books first. DAW Books was where the cool chicks wanted to hang out. Don saw their potential right away.

During the same period, Wollheim would break out Moorcock's Elric into the American paperback market. Big league. Something that the supposed wunderkinder at Lancer Books hadn't been able to pull off.

By 1978, Wollheim had Gordon R. Dickson, A. Bertram Chandler, Tanith Lee, Michael Moorcock, C.J. Cherryh, Fritz Leiber, Brian Stableford, Andre Norton and Jack Vance on his roster--to name a few. Also, that was the year that Tanith Lee's classic 'Tales of the Flat Earth' series debuted with Night's Master. Like I said, DAW Books was punching above its weight.

1980 would see a changing of the guard in some respects. Lin Carter had been editing a great run of 'The Year's Best Fantasy' for several years. Volume Six would be his last, though Wollheim would continue to publish novels by Carter. Meanwhile, DAW's 'The Year's Best Horror' anthologies had been ably handled by the likes of Gerald W. Page and others since 1974. 1980 saw Karl Edward Wagner given the editorial helm. He would take YBHS to even greater heights of darksome delights. Karl would edit YBHS up through the 1993 edition. It was a dependable paycheck for him and you can thank DAW Books for at least some of the tales Wagner wrote after 1980.

1981 was a landmark year for two reasons. Sure, DAW published plenty of Jack Vance, Andre Norton and Lin Carter that year, but it also published Cherryh's Downbelow Station and Charles R. Saunders' Imaro. Cherryh's novel was the first--but not the last--Hugo-winner for DAW. Imaro was the first paperback publication of CRS' S&S hero's adventures in one book. Lin Carter had already debuted one adventure of Imaro in a volume of YBFS. Wollheim took a chance on Imaro.

1982 saw the publication of Michael Shea's classic novel, Nifft the Lean. I have more to say about it here.

In 1984, heroic fantasy lovers got Saunders' The Quest for Cush and Lin Carter's Dragonrouge. In addition, there was plenty of C.J. Cherryh, Tanith Lee and Jack Vance on offer. The next year saw the debut of Elric at the End of Time--dedicated to Lemmy Kilmister--and the third Imaro novel, The Trail of Bohu.

DAW Books would remain solid for the next couple of years--publishing quality fiction in the S&S, S&P, fantasy and SF categories--but I see 1987 as the year when Betsy Wollheim--Don's daughter--began tugging the reins away from her aging and ailing father. Just one glaring instance…1987 saw DAW Books publish the first novel from Mercedes Lackey. The trend toward publishing novels in Lackey's style would only accelerate in the coming half-decade. By the time Don was in his grave in late 1990, DAW Books was a substantially different company.

I can't say that Betsy Wollheim has done noticeably worse than most of her mainstream SFF contemporaries, but I can say that she doesn't measure up to Toni Weisskopf over at Baen Books. For about fifteen years—under Wollheim’s firm guidance—there was an SFF golden age at DAW Books that may never be equaled. During that period, genre fans knew to look for those yellow DAW spines. More often than not, the book was worth the money.

Rest in peace, Don.