Weinbaum had an important influence upon Science Fiction of the early '30s. He only wrote for a little over a year, even though stories continued to come out years after his death. Here's a quote:

"In an America where civilization has collapsed, a young man named Hull Tarvish sets out to see the world -- and to fight the rising power of Joaquin Smith's empire. (Prequel to The Black Flame.)

"Weinbaum's first published story, "A Martian Odyssey", changed science fiction forever. He died of throat cancer 15 months later, in 1935. However, stories he'd written before being published continued to come out for years after he died; so he continued to exert influence on the field after death."

(This blurb taken for consistency from DR. Drib's version for Sony at http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11569).