The year 1959 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.

Births and deaths

Births Steve Alten Ayerdhal (d. 2015) Maurice Georges Dantec (d. 2016) Stephen Dedman Steven Erikson Andreas Eschbach Boban Knežević Maureen F. McHugh Lawrence M. Schoen Martha Soukup Neal Stephenson

Deaths Edwin Balmer (b. 1883) Otfrid von Hanstein (b. 1869)

Literary releases

First editions Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank The Beast Master by Andre Norton A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. The Canopy of Time by Brian Aldiss Dodkin's Job by Jack Vance Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson The Duplicated Man by James Blish and Robert Lowndes.First published in Dynamic Science Fiction in August 1953. Echo in the Skull by John Brunner The Enemy Stars by Poul Anderson Immortality, Inc. by Robert Sheckley Level 7 by Mordecai Roshwald Next of Kin by Eric Frank Russell Ossian's Ride by Fred Hoyle The Outward Urge by John Wyndham The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick Voodoo Planet by Andre Norton The War Against the Rull by A. E. van Vogt Wolfbane by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth The World Swappers by John Brunner

Short stories "Flowers for Algernon", by Daniel Keyes, originally published in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

Juveniles Galactic Derelict by Andre Norton The Star Conquerors by Ben Bova Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

Movies

Title Director Cast Country Subgenre/NotesThe 30 Foot Bride of Candy RockSidney MillerLou Costello, Dorothy Provine, Gale GordonUnited StatesComedy4D ManIrvin Shortess Yeaworth Jr.Robert Lansing, Lee Meriwether, James CongdonUnited StatesAction Horror Romance ThrillerThe Angry Red PlanetIb MelchiorGerald Mohr, Les Tremayne, Nora HaydenUnited StatesAdventure HorrorThe Atomic SubmarineSpencer Gordon BennetArthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett HalseyUnited StatesThrillerAttack of the Giant LeechesBernard KowalskiJan Shepard, Gene Roth, Yvette VickersUnited StatesHorrorBattle Beyond the Sun Mikhail KozyryAleksandr Shvorin, Ivan PereverzhevSoviet UnionAdventureBattle in Outer Space (a.k.a. Uchû sai sensô)Ishirō HondaRyō Ikebe, Koreya SendaJapanActionCaltiki – The Immortal Monster (a.k.a. Caltiki, il mostro immortale)Riccardo Freda, Mario BavaJohn Merivale, Didi Perego, Gérard Herter, Giacomo Rossi-StuartItalyHorrorThe Cosmic ManHerbert GreeneBruce Bennett, John Carradine, Angela GreeneUnited StatesAdventure Thriller First Man into SpaceRobert DayMarshall Thompson, Marla Landi, Bill EdwardsUnited KingdomDrama Horror The Giant Gila MonsterRay KelloggDon Sullivan, Lisa Simone, Fred GrahamUnited StatesHorror ThrillerHave Rocket, Will TravelDavid Lowell RichJerome Cowan, Anna-Lisa, Curly Joe DeRitaUnited StatesComedy FamilyThe Head (a.k.a. Die Nackte und der Satan)Victor TrivasMichel Simon, Horst Frank, Christiane MaybachWest GermanyHorror The Incredible Petrified WorldJerry WarrenJohn Carradine, Phyllis Coates, Robert ClarkeUnited StatesAction Adventure ThrillerInvisible InvadersEdward L. CahnJohn Agar, Jean Byron, Philip Tonge, Robert Hutton, John CarradineUnited StatesHorrorJourney to the Center of the EarthHenry LevinPat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Diane BakerUnited StatesAdventure Family Fantasy RomanceThe Killer ShrewsRay KelloggJames Best, Ken Curtis, Ingrid GoudeUnited StatesHorrorThe MansterGeorge Breakston, Kenneth G. CranePeter Dyneley, Jane Hylton, Satoshi Nakamura, Terri ZimmernJapanUnited StatesHorror (released in U.S. in 1962)The Man Who Could Cheat DeathTerence FisherAnton Diffring, Christopher LeeUnited KingdomDrama Horror Remake of The Man in Half Moon Street.The Monster of Piedras BlancasIrvin BerwickLes Tremayne, Forrest Lewis, John HarmonUnited StatesHorrorNebo Zovyot (a.k.a. Battle Beyond the Sun)Mikhail Karyukov, Aleksandr KozyrIvan PereverzevSoviet UnionAdventureOn the BeachStanley KramerGregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred AstaireUnited StatesDrama RomancePlan 9 from Outer SpaceEdward D. Wood Jr.Bela Lugosi, Mona McKinnon, Gregory Walcott, VampiraUnited StatesHorrorReturn of the FlyEdward BerndsVincent Price, Brett Halsey, John SuttonUnited StatesDrama Fantasy Horror Invasion of the Animal People (a.k.a. Terror in the Midnight Sun)Virgil W. VogelBengt Blomgren, John CarradineUnited StatesSwedenHorrorTeenagers from Outer SpaceTom GraeffDavid Love, Dawn Anderson, Harvey B. DunnUnited StatesHorror ThrillerThe TinglerWilliam CastleVincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl HickmanUnited StatesHorror The Giant Behemoth (a.k.a. Behemoth, the Sea Monster or The Behemoth)Eugène Lourié, Douglas HickoxGene Evans, André MorellUnited StatesHorrorThe Ugly DucklingLance ComfortBernard Bresslaw, Jon Pertwee, Reginald BeckwithUnited KingdomComedyThe Wasp WomanRoger CormanSusan Cabot, Anthony Eisley, Barboura Morris, Michael Mark, Bruno Ve SotaUnited StatesHorrorThe World, the Flesh and the DevilRanald MacDougallHarry Belafonte, Inger Stevens, Mel FerrerUnited StatesDrama Romance

Awards

A Case of Conscience by James Blish won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.

See also 1959 in science

Notes

References