Fantasy Review
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FA NI I'ASY RTV It\rv Vol. II, No. ll SIXPENCE ocT.-Nov. ,48 ,EXPANSTON The constructive criticism which FANTASY R.EVIEW has afiorded the fleid over the past two years, its reliable news and informative articles, and, not least of all, its capacity to survive, continue to evoke genuine appreciation from readers, writers, editors and publishers. Among its larger contemporaries who have given it encouragement, Startling Stories, has been most bountiful, pronouncing lt "Jiist about the most adult, alert and informed gazette in the entire fleld-with a surprisingly TransaUantic viewpoint," The comments of readers are far too numerous-and flattering-for us to quote, but they reflect the lnpatience with which our subscrlbersr await every issue and the keen interesL they find in it. So far, so good. These expressions pf satisfaction have been accompanied of late by a demand for the increase in size and scope which we promised in the beginning, and a desire for more frequent publication. Until now, both these improvements have been impracticable; but so insistent has the demand become for a bigger, if not better, FANTASY nEVIEW that lve can deny it no longer, and since lt comes from a steadily enlarging circle of readers in three continents we feel con- fldent enough to meet it without endangering continuity. As from the next issue. therefore. we shall add twelve pages to this journal, which will enable us almost to double its content of articles, reviews and regular features. To make this possible, we shall be compelled to increase the price to Onb Shilling; but we are assured thab this will flnd favour with our suhscribers. The yearly subscription, no'r, witl be 6/- f.or British readers and $1.50 for subscribers in Canada and U.S.A. Unexpired subscriptions will be adiusted to allow for the increase as from the D€c.-Jan. '48 issue, which will consist of 32 pages. Fbr the preseni, we cannot grant requests for more frequent publication, but \Me shall continue to appear at regula,r blmonthty intervals, secure in the knowledge that our readership will multipiy to an extent that will make possible stitl further developments. It would seem to be generally conceded that FANTASY REVIEW is quite indis- pensable to each devotee who wants to keep abreast of the iver-enlarging interests avaitable to him and be guided intelligently ln choosing between them' Yet there must be many more fantasy-flction readers in this country and abroad who would welcome an introduction to this iournal; and we know that our subscribers will assist us in bringing It to their notice. FANTASY B0B FRAZIER recalls the FIRST OF THE FANTASTICS The oldest rearlers of science fiction will be able to remember ..blood,, when their taste fd the fantastic was satisfied by their favourite whether it was rcnums,, 'Boys' Magazine,' or the transitory 'scoops' An authority here of rerates-*ii-"rt the rristoryx what was perhaps the first of all periodicals to feature *""rr *to"i*, cate"ea for tho you,rrg Americans of Jures verne's day anil gave firern many gtimpses of things to come. It is safe to say that no collector has a _complete file of the flrst regular peri- In the next issue odical devot€d entirely to scientiflction. Indeed, it is probable that not one in a WHY BLAME WELLS ? hundred tras ever seen a copy, in spite By JOHN BEYNON of the facb that hundreds of thousahds were circulated through the news- Such was the Frank Reaoe Library, stands 35 years before Amazing, Won. starhq Sept. 24, 1892, by prant fousei, der and Astounding appeared. It was New York publisher of low-priced litei- an illustrated weekly and usuallv con- ature. It sold for flve cents a copy then, sisted of 16 pages, exclusive of iovers, but three to flve dollars is the averaed but sometimes special editions were is- price paid for them by collectors toda-v. sued carrying as many as 48 pages. The Every issue was dedicated to the adven_ covers themselves, though not printed tures of Ftank Reade Jr. and his rn colours, were very sirnilar to those friends. F?ank was an inventor. vears of the fantasy magazines of to-day, ahead of his time, who conceived." con- featuring drawings of marvellous structed and operated airships, sub- machines, weird scenery, fearsome crea- marines, amphibious vehicles. tanks, tures, and daring heroes. But there eie_ctric searchlights, oxygen diving were no shapely heroines in Dalsv Mae suits, robots and terrible weapons, costumes; in fact, the cuties weie not equipped with which he travelled all only kept ofi the covers but, to a great over the world and into the ether. ex- extent, out of the stories as well. plored the deepest ocean depths, and on one occasion bored his way ttrrough the Earth from pole to pole. He discovered strange lands, peoples FANTASY REVIEW and fauna: witness the adventure of A Journal for Readers, Writers and his "White Cruiser of the Clouds, or Collectors of Imaginative Fiction The Search for the Dog-Faced Men," BI - MONTIILY and the account of his voyage in the Edttorial, Advertising and pub- "Electric lce-Boat, or Lost in the Land lishing Office: 115 Wanstead park of Crimson Snow." Once he ventured Road, Ilford, Essex. 100 miles beneath the surface of the sea Subscription rates: In Great ln his "hard shell', subrnarine boat: Britaia and Dominions (exceDt another, volcanic exploration took him Canada) Q/- per year. Single copi-es 7,000 miles underground. He captured 1/-, post free. In Canada and-the a comet that had gone astray to U.S.A., - $1.50 per year. Singte threaten the Earttr, and returned it to eopies, 25c., post free. its proper orbit; in the case of ,The ,.euest Vol. 2, No,. 11 Oct.-Nov. '48 Missing Planet,', he went on a Editor: Walter ' for a Fallen Star." cillinss. Steam and electricity-the latter _ Asociato Editors: Jo[n Carnell, still J. Michael ltosenblum, D. R. Smith. something of a novelty in the early Arthur F. Hil]man, Fred C. Brown. nineties-were the forces R,eade em- Nigel Lindsay, Ibank Edward Ar- ployed to operate his inventions; his nold, J. O. Newman. A. Vlncent creator, in spite of his lively imagina- Clarke. tion, never visualised gasoline. But his _ A g er.i,c.an Correspondants: descriptions of the helicopter, airplane David (New york)-, Forrest propeller, J. Ackerman-Ifishl (Hollylyood), gam arrnoured vehicles and bther -N.J.), *Condensed +..{oskowitz _(Newarki Joseph from Neeromancer. 1619 B. Baker (Chicago). Eastern Avenue, Baltimore. Md., U.S.A. Copyright by David A. Xfclnnes. REVIEW 3 of them. Probably to avoid being throsn out of the church, tarred and feathered by the Parent-Teachers' As- sociation, and denounced bv the news- papers. he wisely wrote ali his stories for' the Frank Reade Lihrary under the pen - name of "Noname.', IIe corres- ponded with Jules Verne, who admired trim for his wonderful imagination ; and, incidentally, he managed to find time marry flgaf,g, T*5':":I':rs-Hse;r, to and raise a family. Fruf JL, Those were the days when narrow- mindedness, masquerading as virtue, imposed so many restrictions on word and deed that to one who,has not actu- ally lived through them thev'that must seem incredibte. The customs of era, as dictated by those who established them- selves as a bulwark between ttre devil and the populace, prescribed certain kinds of reading and proscribed others. Much iavoured were the heavy, stodgy works of certain English authors; the product of America,n writers as a wtrole v/as considered crude. Regarded with distaste were the various types of in- expensive "light" reading turned out by Tousey, Street & Smith and other contrivances might have been written publishers of fiction popular among of the inventions of modern timest. those who could not afiord to spend a The author of the .Frank Reade whole day's wages on a single book. stories was Luis P. Senarens. the son The Frank Reade Library, costing of a Cuban tobacco merchant and his only five cents a copy, sporting an ex- American wife. He was born in Brook- eiting illustration on the cover and lyn in 1865, stalted writing at the age written in easily understood terms, was of 12, and at 14 was seliing his stories classed among the undesirables. Its regularly to various publications cater- critics thought it foolish, even sinful, to ing for juveniles. At 15 he wrote his f,U the mind with such "trash." But first long serial, "The Island Tyeasure," there seemed to be an ample number of which he sold to Frank Tousey for $210. reckless readers willing to take the From then on he turned out serials. chance of addling their brains by regu- novels, short stories, articles and poems larly following the adventures of ,'The for various publishers, and also wrote Boy Inventor"; and so the Tousey some plays. During this period his in- presses continued to rumble, steadily come from his literary activities aver- turning out thousands of copies of the aged $150 per week, which was im- Frank Reade Library every week. portant money i.n those days; and he Until, paradoxicaily, it brought about was also studying at St. John's College its downfail by its own popularity. As of Arts and sciences, from which he its circulation increased, more and gladuated at the age of 23. more graceless juveniles and trifling It was the fashion of the time adults were discovered reading it and, among writers to use many pseudonyms in some instances, as a result of ttreir and Senarens employed no Iess than 27 reading, ,,pilgrims trying to invent something.