Skylark of Space (version 2), The by E. E. Smith (1890 - 1965) and Lee Hawkins Garby (1892 - 1953)

The Skylark of Space is one of the earliest novels of interstellar travel and is considered a classic of pulp science fiction. Originally serialized in 1928 in the magazine Amazing Stories it is often categorized as the first literary space opera, complete with protagonists perfect in mind, body, and spirit, who fight against villains of absolute evil. (Introduction from Wikipedia)