Famed Author and Accomplished Explorers Club Member L. Ron Hubbard Honored by New York's Publishing Industry

NEW YORK, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Author and explorer L. Ron Hubbard was honored Thursday night at the Explorers Club headquarters before a packed hall with guests from New York's publishing industry, in celebration of his 70th anniversary -- February 19, 1940 -- as a member of The Explorers Club and the release of four new titles in his Stories from the Golden Age series of books and audiobooks.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100222/LA58345)

The four titles: the fiction adventures, Yukon Madness and Golden Hell; the fantasy thriller and perhaps only zombie story ever written by Hubbard, Dead Men Kill; and the western, The Baron of Coyote River -- in bookstores February 2010 -- were announced by president Galaxy Press, John Goodwin, following a presentation of Mr. Hubbard's literary accomplishments by a representative from his literary agency, Ms. Gunhild Jacobs.

"Hubbard was one of the club's most famous members," said Don Hartsell, the evening's keynote speaker, and founder and executive director of the World Air League. "And as he was one of America's earliest aviators, I was honored to have been asked to speak this evening." Hartsell finished by presenting a plaque to Ms. Jacobs which was inscribed, "In dedication to his life as an Explorer, Adventurer and Aviator, the World Air League grants and honors L. Ron Hubbard with its recognition as Explorer Patron of the World Sky Race."

Guests were treated to a live performance of "The Last Drop," a humorous science fiction story by Hubbard originally published in 1941. Featured in the performance were Barbara Rosenblat, (Best Audio Voice in Mystery and Suspense for 2008 and 2009); R.F. Daley (narrator of over 150 audiobooks); Emmy award-winner John Mariano (The Sopranos, West Wing, ER, Desperate Housewives); and Josh Robert Thompson (the voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson).

Hubbard's membership into The Explorers Club was part of a commitment to scientific expeditions and exploration by Hubbard begun in the 1930s and 1940s —taking him to the West Indies, Puerto Rico, and the Alaskan coastline (where he carried The Explorers Club flag to conduct radio experiments).

Already established as one of the top selling writers of high adventure, mystery, western, SF and Fantasy in the world of pulp fiction—with its 30 million monthly readers—the name L. Ron Hubbard (along with any of his 15 pen names), was regularly seen besides the likes of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler in those pulpwood pages. Hubbard used his experiences on expeditions to good effect. Wrote one editor of Thrilling Adventures magazine about how Hubbard got so much color into stories of faraway places: ". . . he's been there, brothers. He's been and seen and done, and plenty of all three of them!"

For more information go to www.goldenagestories.com.

SOURCE Author Services, Inc.