The very first Fantasy and Horror Magazine. NOT "Weird Tales"

Cafe Society
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With only 51 issues in existence, Der Orchideengarten, was an Austrian magazine printed between the years of 1919 and 1921, predating the American fantasy-horror magazine Weird Tales, which is still in circulation after nearly a century. Despite being so short-lived, the German-language magazine was prolific for many reasons. Featuring authors that defined the early 20th century, such as Edgar Allen Poe, H.G. Wells, Voltaire and Dickens, being one of them. The publication was also a blend of fantasy and flair, early science-fiction and otherworldly imagination; full of ghoulish yet ground-breaking graphics that cemented Der Orchideengarten (“The Garden of Orchids”) in the zeitgeist of obscure taste.

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Very interesting, thanks for the link! Although I’m German and interested in classic fantasy/sci-fi literature, I had never heard about that magazine. The artwork is great, seemingly inspired by Jugendstil/Art Nouveau of the time. The Germanosphere had some sci-fi pioneers, like Kurd Laßwitz or Hans Dominik, but I’m not knowledgeable about German writing fantasy authors of the time.

There’s a non-functioning link to a PDF of the complete edition on the site, so that file must exist somewhere. I’m thinking about going on a search for it…

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Heidelberg University has it online:

click on the 1919, 1920, 1921 at the bottom

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Online sources:

1919 — Volume 1: File:Der Orchideengarten 1919.pdf - Wikimedia Commons

1920 — Volume 2: File:Der Orchideengarten 1920A.pdf - Wikimedia Commons and File:Der Orchideengarten 1920B.pdf - Wikimedia Commons

1921 — Volume 3: File:Der Orchideengarten 1921.pdf - Wikimedia Commons

Also the Heidelberg University Library: Making sure you're not a bot!

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Thanks for the links! That could take some of my time…

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Poe, Wells, and Dickens were English-speaking. Were they published in English, or were they translated?

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I guess so. There weren’t many people in Austria knowing English a hundred years ago, so English stories in an otherwise German language publication would have been lost for most readers.

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Not only is this strange wording, but who thinks of Poe, Voltaire and Dickens as defining the early 20th century?

The SF Encyclopedia has a good brief article that is a better historical explanation.

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Also: Voltaire?! That is off by a few centuries.

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I was quoting the article.