The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast - Vintage Sci-Fi Short Stories

The professor invented a perfume that would never come off! He didn't know it was irresistible. The Irresistible Perfume by Harold Lawlor. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Author Harold Lawlor was born in 1910—though sources differ on whether his birthplace was Ireland or Chicago. Little is known about his life, but between 1942 and 1953, he wrote 35 short stories, many of which appeared in pulp magazines of the era. Lawlor is also credited with writing three episodes of the 1961 television series Thriller, according to the Internet Movie Database. One of his standout stories, “What Beckoning Ghost?”, published in the July 1948 issue of Weird Tales, later served as the inspiration for the 1979 film Dominique, starring Cliff Robertson, Jean Simmons, and Jenny Agutter.From Fantasic Adventures Magazine in May 1943, let’s turn to page 102, The Irresistible Perfume by Harold Lawlor.…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A shattered Earth suddenly remembered poor Hathaway, marooned all alone there on Mars by the mad rush homeward. But—was Hathaway alone? Dwellers in Silence by Ray Bradbury.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

When a brilliant inventor tries to control volcanic eruptions with a mechanical valve, his bold experiment threatens to unleash fiery chaos on an unsuspecting world. The Volcanic Valve by W. L. Alden. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Is Humorous Historical Science Fiction a real genre? I have no idea—but if it isn’t, someone better invent it fast, because The Volcanic Valve would be its founding father, spiritual guide, and poster child.W. L. Alden, born October 9th, 1837, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, wore many hats: journalist, fiction writer, humorist, canoe fanatic (yes, really), and U.S. diplomat in Rome from 1885 to 1890. Somewhere between paddling rivers and negotiating foreign policy, he also found time to be hilarious.Oddly enough, Alden didn’t dive into science fiction until he was in his mid-50s. Maybe he just needed a few decades to warm up. But once he got going, he cranked out 30 short stories in 10 years—because who needs sleep?Today’s story, The Volcanic Valve, is inspired by a real event that happened a little more than a decade before it was written. It was published in Pall Mall Magazine in July 1897, The Volcanic Valve by W. L. Alden…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, The professor invented a perfume that would never come off! He didn't know it was irresistible. The Irresistible Perfume by Harold Lawlor. ☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

A fascinating story about a heinous crime and its strange aftermath. The Thing in the Trunk by Paul Ernst. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Calling Paul Ernst a prolific writer barely scratches the surface—he penned over 200 short stories across multiple genres, with around 170 in science fiction alone. He contributed nearly 40 tales to Weird Tales magazine, and the story you’re about to hear is unquestionably one of the weirdest.From the pages of the November 1938 publication of Weird Tales Magazine on page 573, The Thing in the Trunk by Paul Ernst…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, When a brilliant inventor tries to control volcanic eruptions with a mechanical valve, his bold experiment threatens to unleash fiery chaos on an unsuspecting world. The Volcanic Valve by W. L. Alden.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

When a driven man arrives at a cemetery world, what else can it be but journey's end—and the start of a new one? Dead Man’s Planet by William Morrison. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.We received this message on our Facebook page from Stevie Fogarty in Tipperary Ireland, “Hi Scott. I stumbled across The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast by total accident & I've been an avid fan since. I've listened with excitement to your excellent narration on the stories.”Thanks for the kind words, Stevie! And a big thank you to you and all our amazing listeners in Tipperary and across Ireland — thanks to your support, we’re once again the #1 Science Fiction podcast in your beautiful country!We love connecting with our listeners on Facebook — there’s a link in the description if you’d like to join the conversation!Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastToday's story was printed in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine in February 1955, let’s turn to page 61, Dead Man’s Planet by William Morrison…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A fascinating story about a heinous crime and its strange aftermath. The Thing in the Trunk by Paul Ernst.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

For ages Mankind labelled Mercury a dead world—a red-hot, seething outpost of hell. Too late Rawley learned of the hideous life that molten, steaming planet spawned! The Mercurian by Frank Belknap Long. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.A huge thank you to all our incredible listeners! Because of you, The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast is now the #1 Science Fiction podcast in New Zealand—our 28th country to reach the top spot! We’re beyond grateful for your support around the world. You’ve made this journey possible, and we’re just getting started!Frank Belknap Long returns to the podcast today with a space faring tale tale sure to rev up your engines. Today’s story appeared in the Winter 1941 issue of Planet Stories magazine on page 69, The Mercurian by Frank Belknap Long…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, When a driven man arrives at a cemetery world, what else can it be but journey's end—and the start of a new one? Dead Man’s Planet by William Morrison.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

A Certain Young Man Finds Dying a Profitable Business. The secret of one of the strangest professions in the world. An Adventure of a Professional Corpse - The Artificial Honeymoon by H. Bedford–Jones. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.I have to admit, I’d never heard of H. Bedford-Jones until I came across this story—and what a discovery! As I started digging into his background, I was amazed to learn that he wrote nearly 200 novels, 400 novelettes, and 800 short stories across a wide range of genres, often under various pseudonyms. No wonder he earned the nickname “King of the Pulps!”Born in 1887 in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, Bedford-Jones became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1908. Just six years later, his first novel was published, marking the start of a remarkably prolific career.And as if that wasn’t enough, he also worked as a journalist for the Boston Globe and even wrote poetry. A true literary powerhouse!Turn to page 4 of the July 1940 issue of Weird Tales to dive into the featured cover story, The Artificial Honeymoon by H. Bedford–Jones…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, For ages Mankind labelled Mercury a dead world—a red-hot, seething outpost of hell. Too late Rawley learned of the hideous life that molten, steaming planet spawned! The Mercurian by Frank Belknap Long.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

A brief tale of the dismal success of a scientist's experiment. Anton's Last Dream by Edwin Baird. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Another podcast, another debut—this time for author Edwin Baird. Best known as the first editor of Weird Tales magazine, Baird helped launch the iconic American fantasy and horror pulp, whose first issue was dated March 1923 and hit newsstands on February 18 of that year.However, Weird Tales got off to a rocky start. Plagued by financial difficulties, the magazine struggled, and Baird was dismissed after just one year at the helm. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1886, Baird published four short stories during his lifetime—three before Weird Tales and one in the very magazine that let him go.Yet perhaps his most enduring legacy lies in his editorial decisions. As the magazine’s founding editor, Baird was among the first to publish the work of a now-legendary author: H.P. Lovecraft. And if you’ve heard our earlier episodes, you’ll recall that Lovecraft was a tireless letter writer. Thankfully many of his letters were preserved, including this one to Baird.Shortly after the first issue of Weird Tales was published Lovecraft let himself be persuaded to send Edwin Baird five manuscripts. This is a portion of the letter Lovecraft sent, “My Dear Sir: Having a habit of writing weird, macabre, and fantastic stories for my own amusement, I have lately been simultaneously hounded by nearly a dozen well-meaning friends into deciding to submit a few of these Gothic horrors to your newly-founded periodical. The decision is herewith carried out. Enclosed are five tales written between 1917 and 1923.I have no idea that these things will be found suitable, for I pay no attention to the demands of commercial writing. My object is such pleasure as I can obtain from the creation of certain bizarre pictures, situations, or atmospheric effects; and the only reader I hold in mind is myself.My models are invariably the older writers, especially Poe, who has been my favorite literary figure since early childhood. Should any miracle impel you to consider the publication of my tales, I have but one condition to offer; and that is that no excisions be made. If the tale can not be printed as written, down to the very last semicolon and comma, it must gracefully accept rejection.”So there you have it, a little piece of science fiction history thanks to Weird Tales editor Edwin Baird.Published in Weird Tales Magazine in May 1937 on page 607, Anton's Last Dream by Edwin Baird…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A Certain Young Man Finds Dying a Profitable Business. The secret of one of the strangest professions in the world. An Adventure of a Professional Corpse - The Artificial Honeymoon by H. Bedford–Jones.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

When a skeptical professor steps into the mind of a former student’s fiancée, he discovers a surreal landscape shaped by vanity, obsession, and alarming emptiness. A sharp and unsettling exploration of how our inner worlds reveal far more than we intend. The Shoddy Lands by C. S. Lewis. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.Clive Staples Lewis, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1898. In 1917, during the height of World War I, he enlisted in the British Army and was wounded in combat less than a year later.Though best known for his beloved children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia—seven books published throughout the 1950s—Lewis also made a lasting mark with The Screwtape Letters in the 1940s, and his philosophical sci-fi epic, The Space Trilogy, written in the 1930s and ’40s.While he authored more than 30 books in his lifetime, Lewis rarely ventured into short fiction. Today’s featured tale marks a special occasion: his first story published in an American fantasy and science fiction magazine. From the February 1956 issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction, beginning on page 68, The Shoddy Lands by C. S. Lewis.…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, A brief tale of the dismal success of a scientist's experiment. Anton's Last Dream by Edwin Baird.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener

Before David’s startled gaze the newcomer placed his right hand to his left shoulder and removed the left arm. He then proceeded to dismember himself until only a torso, head and one arm remained. The Artificial Man by Clare Winger Harris. That’s next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast.A new debut on the podcast today: the first woman to publish science fiction stories under her own name in the pulp magazines. While Francis Stevens—born Gertrude Barrows Bennett—was a trailblazer often credited as the first female science fiction writer, she published under the ambiguous name “G. M. Barrows,” using initials that concealed her gender.Clare Winger Harris didn’t hide hers. When her first short story, The Runaway World, appeared in the July 1926 issue of Weird Tales, it was credited openly to Mrs. F. C. Harris.Born in Freeport, Illinois in 1891, Clare came from a distinguished background. Her mother, Mary Stover Winger, was the daughter of D. C. Stover, the town’s wealthiest man, a renowned inventor and industrialist. Her father, Frank S. Winger, was an electrical contractor and a science fiction writer himself, having published The Wizard of the Island; or, The Vindication of Prof. Waldinger in 1917.Between 1926 and 1933, Harris wrote a dozen science fiction short stories and one novel. In the late 1930s, she moved to Pasadena, California, where she lived modestly and sometimes worked as a switchboard operator to make ends meet.Remarkably, just a year before her death in 1968, she inherited a quarter of her grandfather’s estate—valued at over two million dollars. Though he had passed away in 1908, the estate had been tied up in court battles for nearly sixty years.We will find today’s story in the very first issue of Science Wonder Quarterly in the fall of 1929, on page 78, The Artificial Man by Clare Winger Harris…Next on The Lost Sci-Fi Podcast, When a skeptical professor steps into the mind of a former student’s fiancée, he discovers a surreal landscape shaped by vanity, obsession, and alarming emptiness. A sharp and unsettling exploration of how our inner worlds reveal far more than we intend. The Shoddy Lands by C. S. Lewis.☕ Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/scottsV===========================Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLostSciFiPodcastTwitter - https://x.com/LostSciFiPodInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/lostscifiguyThreads - https://www.threads.net/@scottscifiguy=========================== ❤️ ❤️ Thanks to All Our Listeners Who Bought Us a Coffee$200 Someone$100 Tony from the Future$75 James Van Maanenberg$50 Anonymous Listener$25 Someone, Eaten by a Grue, Jeff Lussenden, Fred Sieber, Anne, Craig Hamilton, Dave Wiseman, Bromite Thrip, Marwin de Haan, Future Space Engineer, Fressie, Kevin Eckert, Stephen Kagan, James Van Maanenberg, Irma Stolfo, Josh Jennings, Leber8tr, Conrad Chaffee, Anonymous Listener$15 Every Month Someone$15 Someone, Carolyn Guthleben, Patrick McLendon, Curious Jon, Buz C., Fressie, Anonymous Listener$10 Anonymous Listener$5 Denis Kalinin, Timothy Buckley, Andre'a, Martin Brown, Ron McFarlan, Tif Love, Chrystene, Richard Hoffman, Anonymous Listener