GAn GL. Sprague de Camp Special

LAN'S LANTERN 24

L. Sprague de Camp.... photo by Mark Evans ... Front Cover Table of Artists Tables of contents, artists, colophon, ...... 1 L. Sprague de Camp...... Lan...... 2 An Encounter with L. Sprague de Camp Teddy Harvia -- 11 Colin P. Langveld... 3 Cathy Howard -- 18 Viewpoints & Verses: The Poetry of L. Sprague de Camp Terry Jeeves -- 1 Robert Coulson ..... 4 Colin Langveld -- 3 L. Sprague de Camp — Engineer and Sorcerer David Thayer -- 11 Poul Anderson ...... 6 Phil Tortoricci — 9 Art and Appreciation ...... David Thayer ...... 11 An Image of the de Camps ...... Lloyd Penney ...... 11 DEDICATION Some Comments on L. Sprague de Camp David Palter ...... 11 To Maia, as always; L. Sprague de Camp: An Appreciation Frederik Pohl..... 12 To Sprague and Fred, Impression ofL. Sprague de Camp..Mark Blackman ...... 13 To Sprague...... Julius Schwartz. . . .13 May they give us another fifty years The Complete Enchanter ...... Ben P. Indick ..... 14 L. Sprague de Camp: A Critical Appreciation of reading pleasure. John Thiel ...... 16 Thank You, Sprague de Camp ...... Joanne Bloom ...... 17 Why You Are Receiving This You have a contribution (art, article) in this Lan's Lantern #24 is published and edited by George issue . You've sent me a contribu ­ "Lan" Laskowski, 55 Valley Way, Bloomfield Hills, MI tion (to be published in a 48013 USA. Phone: (313) 642-5670. Lan's Lantern is future issue) . available for articles, art, letters (calls or post­ Loc received (to be pub­ cards) of comment, even money (US$2) , and the whim of lished next issue). the editor. The opinions expressed are those of the Trade You wanted one contributors, and may or may not be those of the edi­ We're in an apa together. tor. This is Lantern Publication #10, a division of . - - I would like you to con­ tribute to the next special LanShack Press Unlimited. Lan's Lantern #24 is copy­ issues (1988: on William F. right (c) November, 1987, by George J Laskowski Jr., Temple, Lester del Rey and Arthur C. Clarke; 1989: except where otherwise noted. Contributions (art, art­ Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Fritz Leiber, Ted icles, reviews, letters) become the property of Lan­ Sturgeon, A. E. Van Vogt). Shack Press, but will be returned upon request. Al] This is your last issue un­ rights return to the contributors upon publication. less you send me something. from the editor (Ramblings 24.1)

°L. Sprague de Camp

L. Sprague de Camp. I've seen the name on books for as long as I have been read­ and Fantasy. The contributors ing SF, but have never read as gathered here talk about his work much of his stuff as I would have and their personal contacts with liked. In my attempts to keep up him, his accomplishments and with the current output of SF and inspirations. One fan started a Fantasy, it seems unlikely that publishing company because of I'll ever find the time to read Sprague de Camp. Unable to find a much of what I have in the col­ copy of Wall of Serpents, Alex lection until after I retire. Berman obtained permission to Which, unfortunately, will publish it, and (with Sid Altus) include the works of L. Sprague started Phantasia Press. He has de Camp. been publishing special edition What writing of his I have ever since. read has been interesting and I've met Sprague de Camp on fun. Lest Darkness Fall is one of several occasions — MARCON, IN­ my favorite books. It did not CONJUNCTION, at Worldcons-— and inspire me to take Latin (I al­ have been impressed, as most ready had my MA in Latin when I people have, with his aristocra­ read the novel), but it allowed tic bearing; he is the quint­ me to see that someone else was essential gentleman. My personal familiar with the Romans, and contact with him has been almost didn't treat it as a dry subject nil, more out of embarrassment (like many of my colleagues in because I have read so little of grad school did!). his fiction than for anything The Lancer editions of The else. But I have observed him. I Tritonian Ring and The Carnelian have seen him deal firmly but Cube were read early on; I don't gently with some of the more recall their plots, but I do re­ aggressive fans, heard him call enjoying them. expound on a multitude of topics The first book of his that I with various fans, and seen the checked out of the library (soon care with which he treats after I was allowed into the Catherine, his wife. "adult" section) was The Glory Sprague de Camp is a gentleman that Was. It caught my interest

# 2 & I have gotten to know better because of my love of mythology through observation and through and my interest in ancient the writings herein. These make history. me want to know him on a more Those were fun times in my

Lantern personal level. So at the next

younger days. Now we are all convention we attend together, I older, and Sprague is celebrating will not hesitate to say hello, his 50th year as an author of SF talk to, and shake the hand of /lan's the great Aristocrat of science Oi fiction, L. Sprague de Camp. An Encounter

with

L Sprague de Cam

by Colin P. Langveld

1977 was to prove to be an in­ teresting year for me. It was my first convention, my first World- con, and my first trip to the USA. In at the deep end you may say. I was lying by the side of the Fontainebleau's Olympic size swimming pool. I had not long arrived; culture shock had just started doing funny things to me. By my side was a cousin I hadn't seen since I left South Africa. It had been twenty years since we had last met. The mysteries of fandom had brought us together. We were heavily involved in a discussion on pre-christian Welsh religion when a man who was sit­ ting nearby joined our conversa­ tion. We were by no means offend­ ed as his knowledge of the sub­ ject far exceeded ours and very soon his rich and cultured voice had us captivated. This went on for some time, the talk moving from this to that and only reached an end when I Not only had I met my first SF realised that I had been sitting author but one of my favorites. I in the Florida sun longer than had always been slightly nervous was good for me. We exchanged in­ of how I would handle this sort troductions. There is no way for of thing when it came about. me to describe my feelings when There was no need to worry. How m he said, "I'm Sprague de Camp and glad I am that my first introduc­ rn te n a L you have just shaken the hand of tion to the professionals was to the man who shook the hand who be L. Sprague de Camp. He is an

unaffected, approachable gentle­

shook the hand who shook the hand / 4 2 # etc. etc. of Charles Darwin." man, a credit to his trade. We stayed. I was a gentle The book I am illustrating in

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CL. Sprague de Camp works through Richard the First and Shamy] of the Avars, and concludes: Mr. de Camp in his stripes of gold lace,

Studying specifications and charts, by Ordering tests on aeroplane parts, Sitting a desk at a nautical base.

It echoes both Kipling and Ogden Nash. Juanita, being a t r e b o R more serious-minded person than I am, prefers "Nahr Al- Kalb”, which she set to music. It presents the eternity of the Nahr Al-Kalb, or Dog River, flowing endlessly to the sea near Beirut, as ephemeral armies, from Ramses' spearmen to De Gaulle's riflemen, tramping along its shores on the way to a fleeting glory There are poems, both serious and irreverent, inspired by the works of Burroughs, Lovecraft ("Shadows Over Squa­ mous") and Howard. "Conan the Limmerian" follows the Cim­ n o ls u o C merian's career in 15 verses of limerick form. I tend to prefer the material based on history or ar­ chaeology or some of the ones from natural history, or perhaps some of the ones about writers. De Camp tends to look at magic from his own wry viewpoint, as in "Old Heroes": But think of Cuchulainn assailed by arthritical pains, A Sigurd whose sword-arm by aches in the bursa is stayed, Or Sampson too gouty for frolics and fights sanguinary; A Beowulf bound to his bed to attacks coronary, Or Conan no longer in fettle to pleasure each maid, And speedy Achilles retarded by varicose veins! Would they be heroes, I wonder? To which I can only respond with a quote from Patriot's Dream by Barbara Michaels:

"There weren't any heroes. All those big, stately figures we read about — Jefferson and s_ his slaves, Morgan and his rheumatism —" “ "That's what a hero is, you ignoramus. A man g. with rheumatism who gets on his horse and rides 2 off to battle." »

As de Camp points out frequently in both his fiction and in these poems, glory has very little to do with real life, but heroism does. And cynics have more fun than optimists. CL. Sprague de Camp - Engineer and Sorcerer

by Pou] Anderson

As a student of the myriad awed by his erudition and capti­ ways of man, L. Sprague de Camp vated by his ability to tell a has from time to time looked upon story, none of which has changed his own society with the same ob­ since. When I began to write pro­ jective eye he uses on peoples fessionally myself, it became whose geography or history make clear, once I was hitting my strange to most of us. He himself stride, that there was a consid­ does not seem to find them very erable de Camp influence on me, alien — and he has encountered though I will never match him in many at first hand. Though he any of those areas he has made knows more about cultural differ­ uniquely his own. In short, what ences than most professional an­ the deuce am 1^ doing introducing thropologists, his basic judgment him? appears to be that human beings The sole rationale that comes everywhere and everywhen are much to mind is this. De Camp belongs the same at heart: limited, fal­ to that generation of writers lible, tragi-comic, yet endlessly whom John Campbell inspired to interesting. So in the civiliza­ create the golden age of science tions of antiquity or among more fiction and fantasy, beginning recent "primitives" he sees en­ about 1937 when he took the helm gineers and politicians not un­ of what was then called Astound like ours, while among us he dis­ Stories. Critics be damned, it covers taboos and tribal rites was the golden age in all truth, not unlike ours, while among us when people such as Isaac Asimov, he discovers taboos and tribal Lester de Rey, Robert A. Hein­ rites not unlike theirs. The in­ lein, L. Ron Hubbard, Malcolm sight has directly inspired at Jameson, Henry Kuttner (especial­ least one story and added philo­ ly as "Lewis Padgett"), Fritz sophical as well as occasional Leiber, C. L. Moore, Ross Rock- piquant ironies to most of the lynne, CLifford D. Simak. George others. 0. Smith, Theodore Sturgeon, A. Therefore I wonder what he E. Van Vogt, Jack Williamson, and thinks of this curious custom we more and more either appeared for have of prefacing a collection of the first time or, for the first one writer's work with remarks of time, really showed what they a colleague. It strikes me as could do. De Camp stood tall in especially odd when the former is this race of giants. Gifted new

#24 senior to the latter, and senior writers have made their consider­ in far more than years. That is, able marks on the field through­ I was a boy when L. Sprague de out the years afterward, but the Camp's first stories were pub­ excitement — the sense of utter­

Lantern lished; I spent a decade being ly green pastures suddenly opened

Copyright (c) 1978 by Poul Anderson.

/lan's Originally published in The Best of L. Sprague de Camp, Del

6 Rey Books, 1978. Reprinted with permission of the author. — will never come again. Compar­ reading public starved for honest ison to the Periclean and Eliza­ narratives in which real things bethan periods may strike you as happen to person one can care overdrawn, but you might think of about.) And thus we arrive at a jazz in its heydey, or quantum justification for this foreword: pnysics in the 1920's and 1930's, the fact that, many younger folk or cosmology and molecular bio­ may not be acquainted with his logy today. fiction, and in any event will The era was brief, choked off not know what a towering figure — though not oVernight — by he has been — and is —in the America's entry into World War field of imaginative literature. Two. A number of key creators The present book, which spans found that they had more urgent most of his career, ought to rem­ business on hand than writing edy that. If you haven't read a stories. They included de Camp. de Camp tale before now, you have Hostilities having ended for a treat in store, and I am here the time being, he returned to to tell you so. his proper business and had much Second, since an anthology can to do with pulling science fic­ hold but a limited part of an tion out of the dismal state into author's work, you might allow me which it had fallen. Besdies As­ to steer you onto other things, tounding as of yore, he was an as well. What follows will not be important contributor to numerous a bibliography or a scholarly other magazines in the field. The study, but just a ramble through publication of science fiction a few of the good memories, lit­ books, not as rare one-shots but erary and personal, that Sprague as a regular thing, was being has given me. A lot will be omit­ pioneered then, and his became ted; I should not take up space landmarks. Of all this, more which could be used for an extra anon. story. But perhaps you will get a However, he began increasingly better idea of his achievement to write other things. These in­ and of what to watch for in book­ cluded some grand historical fic­ stores and libraries than you tion but became primarily nonfic­ would from something more formal. tion, with emphasis on science, As I have remarked, he began technology, and the history of writing nonfiction early on. In­ these. Factual material, accur­ deed his very first published ately and vividly presented, was work was an important book, still not new to him — he had written in print and once cited in a Su­ it from the start of his career preme Court decision, whose self- — but soon it comprised the explanatory title is Inventions, overwhelming bulk of his output. Patents, and Their Management. I don't know whether to regret Not being an inventor of anything this or not. On the one hand, we except occasional recipes, I must have doubtless lost a number of confess to never having read marvelous yarns; on the other this. However, in my teens I was hand, we do have these perfectly delighted and enlightened by the splendid books about elephants articles he wrote for Astounding, pieces like "The Long-Tailed

and ancient engineers and H. P. s Huns" (on urban wildlife), "The

Lovecraft and dinosaurs and.... Lantern Luckily for us, of recent Sea King's Armored Division" (on years L. Sprague de Camp has from Hellenistic science and engin­ time to time been coming back to eering) , and "Get Out and Get Under" (on the history of mili­ storytelling, especially to fan­ #2&/ tasy. (He is also pleasing afici­ tary vehicles). The subjects onados with light verse and fa­ demonstrate the range and depth

miliar essays, but these are of of of his interests; the titles ? less immediate interest to a indicate the humor with which he made the facts sparkle. 8 /L a n 'sL a n te rn#24 his come field funniest fantasy, woman we ten in New hero constructed that's sprightliness. With Harem dle muscular Practically of works Siegfrieds of French supposed universe mon cle Central. of puffing does, did toughs a a calls bears along the Howard them. race restrial novel as the is as a assumption spect ing. laughter lously

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not true. There has been a shift of emphasis, as might be expected problem is how to avoid the weird #24/ of a writer who is not content to remedies that well-meaning

repeat himself endlessly but, friends try to apply to him. Yet 9 instead, keeps experimenting and when war breaks out, its horrors developing. Yet recent stories are quietly described; we are not spared. lo/lan's Lantern #24 years quite ter rather These velopment, pain derring-do ca. ventures exotic exceed does and realized the are the and cantation, tion same though, the with what 1 Inspector's mostly Conan gave view more "hyperspace" and undertook adapted nal able nally been holds Aristotle and thank that recommended nonfiction, the ished left ite) Ishtar ight-hearted

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the tourist circuits, but into Goethe wrote the second part of strange places hard to reach. He Faust in his eighties. Long may doesn't brag about it, but if you L. Sprague de Camp go on, to the can get him to reminisce, it joy of us all. makes great reading or listening. By the time this is in print, — Poul Anderson he will be past his seventieth Orinda, California birthday, but he doesn't look or June, 1977 act it — and, what the hell,

Art and Appreciation by David Thayer

L. Sprague de Camp's Lest Darkness Fall, published in 1939, was one of the first SF/Fantasy novels I ever read. It made a lasting impression on me. I took four years of Latin in high school and long have been a WW II buff. The novels combines both elements. My illustration depicts the allegory rather than a particular scene.

An Image of the de Camps Some Comments on L. Sprague de Camp by Lloyd Penney by David Palter I've met the de Camps only a couple of times, and one of them was at the International Festival L. Sprague de Camp is chiefly of Authors in Toronto in October distinguished as a fierce ration­ 1985. There had been a large re­ alist, and lifelong crusader a­ ception at the Spaced-Out Library gainst irrational belief systems. on the University of Toronto Ironically, as a writer of fic- s campus, and the SF authors were tion his style is quite remini- co there in force. As my wife Yvonne scent of that of the late L. Ron lantern and I were leaving, we noticed Hubbard, who was, of course, one that some of the visiting pros of the gurus against whom de Camp were getting ready to leave, and had fought. De Camp's "Incomplete the de Camps were parked (liter­ Enchanter" series is not only an #24/11 al ly) in the back of a passenger exceptionally enjoyable fantasy, van, witting with the side doors but a pioneering work which has open, waving to whoever would inspired generations of fantas­ wave back...nice people. ists . CL. Sprague de Camp

An Appreciation by Frederik Pohl

When I first became a full- but not for my standard fraction­ fledged professional editor at al cent a word. I had to match the age of nineteen I coveted Campbell's lavish rate to get John Campbell’s talents, his them. self-confidence and, most of all, There's one other thing that I his authors. The year was 1939, would like to put on the public and among the brightest and best record about me and Sprague de­ of the Campbell authors of the Camp, and it's well past the time Golden Age was L. Sprague de I should have done it. When World Camp, so I set myself to woo him. War II was over and I took up It wasn’t easy. John had all the writing again seriously, the money in the world to hire auth­ first novel I managed to get pub­ ors away—he was paying a ful1 lished (in collaboration with C. penny a word for everything!—and M. Kornbluth) was The Space Mer­ the pathetic budget Harry Steeger chants . It did pretty well. Over had given me for Astonishing Sto­ the years it has earned us a lot ries and Super Science Stories of money, it has been translated allowed less than half that, on into several dozen languages and the average. there are a lot of people who say But deCamp was not an average that it launched a whole new gen­ autnor, and so I cozened him into re of science fiction stories. coming to talk to me at my of­ Maybe so. All the same, I want fice on East 42nd Street in New to point out that when Cyril and York. I knew that one way to win I were writing The Space Mer­ an author's heart was to buy him chants we were not at all con­ a free meal. To my surprise, that scious of breaking new ground. On didn't work with Sprague de Camp. the contrary. We were fully aware He joined me for lunch, and was of the light-hearted comedy L. willing to talk about stories. I Sprague de Camp had provided for was on my best behavior because Astounding's readers for a decade the man impressed me with his and more, and wanted very much to military bearing and precise hab­ achieve the same sort of tone in its of speech and, most of all, our book. This isn't to say that impressive age — he had to be in we deliberately copied Sprague's his mid-twenties, at least. But style; we wrote The Space Mer­ he impressed me most of al 1 when chants the way we did because the lunch was over. When time that kind of narration was con­ #24 genial to us and to what we want­ came for the check and I reached for it he put his firm, soldierly ed to say. But I don't think we hand on it and announced (as al­ could have written The Space Mer­ ways, in the third person re­ chants in that fashion if L. Lantern Sprague de Camp hadn't pioneered mote), "De Camp doesn't do that. We are going to go Dutch." the way, because it was his work I did finally get some stories that showed us how. of his to print in my magazines— 12/Lan's IMPRESSIONS O F Sprague 1. Sprague de Camp

From Julius Schwartz by Mark Blackman L. Sprague de Camp, you could If Heinlein is the Dean of SF, have been the death of me! It perhaps L. Sprague de Camp (RAH's was just that those damn Chester­ junior by four months) is its fields looked so good on you. Gentleman Squire. I have, of I was in my twenties and the course, long been impressed by century was in its forties and we his intelligence and dignity on were both impressionable, but you panels at conventions for years were already in your splendor. I but I recall being particularly got a chance to have lunch with in awe as, leaving a HEXACON ban­ you and I was most taken by the quet a couple of years ago, I seeming ease with which you moved watched him in the simple act of through the world. The joie de putting on a 7muffler with all vivre. The savoir faire. The je the elegance of tying a four-in- ne sais quoi. All that French hand. The man could give lessons. stuff. Men like you wore their My impression was only con­ charm as easily as other men wear firmed a few months ago at PHIL- their hair. I wasn't good at CON. Uncharacteristically, I was wearing hair even then. Some in costume, specifically, French guys have just got it and other cavalier garb: plumed hat, ta­ guys just have something else, bard, silky trousers and boots. but the century and I were young Thus attired, I entered a party and we hadn't caught on to that only to be immediately confronted yet. by de Camp and asked, "Ah, etes- I though that what you had, vous gentilhomme?" (Are you a Sprague, must have been something gentleman?) "Oui," I replied corporeal. Something one can (OK, stammered), "je suis gentil­ bottle...or maybe keep in a nifty homme du dix-septieme siecle. Et" little silver case in your lapel (hoping for a clever save) "je ne pocket and whip out for the la­ suis pas Gascon." (Yes, 17th cen­ dies like Maurice Chevalier did. tury, and I'm not from Gascony So in my own little lame way to (as was D'Artagnan)). One may be just like L. Sprague de Camp I only imagine if he greets those bummed a cigarette from you. I in medieval garb in Latin. picked up the only thing from you At one point the Sunday Times that wasn't admirable, and it was ran a piece on the film Conan the 30 years before I woke up and the Barbarian, which referred to "L. roof of my mouth didn't taste Sprague de Camp and his wife Lin like raw hamburger.

Carter." The gag was milked for I managed to lick it, Sprague, s

months among East Coast fans with and in the process grow up to Lantern lines like: "Poor Catherine, al­ realize that we are all incommen­ ways the last to know." surable, if not equal. For ex­ Not only is this de Camp's ample, now I'm in my seventies

50th anniversary as an SF writer, and the century (and you?) are in #24/13 but his 80th birthday as well. the eighties — and you're still Happy Birthday, Sprague! splendid. THE COMPLETE-----

------cENQt'A NTERj

by Ben P. Indick —

Fastidious in appearance, pre­ faraway and not always easily cise in language, fgelicitous in accessible climes, does he, there imagination, L. Sprague de Camp in the wilderness, or in ancient, has graced the pages and scenes crumbling, solitary places, also of fantasy for nearly a half cen­ spend that half-hour (or, frank­ tury. We recall his delightful ly, unbelievable ten minutes) yarns for Unknown, Astounding, curbing any vagabond hairs? I'll Fantasy and Science Fiction and bet a sesterce he does! so many others, always fascinat­ I have employed this somewhat ing, usually humorous. exotically named coin to note And we recall him at conven­ that one of the pleasures of tions, friendly, always ready to hearing a talk by Sprague, who is chat and even swap a memory. I not a reluctant speaker at all, myself am a person of less than is the sprinkling of foreign perfect carriage and appearance words, particularly, it seems to — well, let's face it, the grey­ me, French, which, like luscious ing hairs on my face tend to go chocolate chips in toll house in every direction helter-skelter cookies, adorn his language. The — I could not help but enmvy his words, native or foreign, are as immaculate appearance when I sharply and crisply delivered as first met L. Sprague at the WFC tne motion of the hand that Convention in Baltimore in 1980. wields that razor. Mercifully, Every hair of that well-shaped for the benefit of those of us goatee he sported was clippped as who are hopelessly rooted to one though by a ruler, none daring to tongue, he will allow the context stand even slightly askew from to clarify such erudition — its ranks. sometimes. He has, after all, Awed, when I came later to high expectations — of himself, write a conreport for IBID, my his audience, his readership. fanzine, I mentioned this, adding He has them as well of the that the man must spend at least subjects of his biographies, and admirers of H. P. Lovecraft and

#24 half an hour or more each morning upon this aspect alone of his Robert E. Howard have been alter­ toilette. I sent a copy of the nately amused and aroused by fanzine to him, and he he replied them. Lovecraft, this most pro­ fessionally self-conscious bio­ Lantern with good humor that contrary to

my fear, ten minutes sufficed. I grapher insists, should have been didn't think to ask then, but I more businesslike about his work,

Lan's wonder now, considering how he and Howard should have been a has been an inveterate traveler, more mature young man. Sprague, 14 archaeologist and researcher in however, is the first to admit his admiration for these two gi­ the magazine was simply a fan­ ants, editing a volume of HPL es­ zine, with no wide readership, I says, and, in the case of Two-Gun used actual names to enhance the Bob, devoting a fair amount of fun, being sarcastic with writ­ his life to "Conantics". He has ers, all distraught because no­ written them, edited them, and thing whatever by REH remained to seen them to film. It has been a be "collaborated." In despera­ happy collaboration for him, ar­ tion, they call in a medium to tistically, and, one hopes, fi­ bring back the spirit of Howard nancial ly. and thereby have him deliver a It was in this respect that, a pile of genuine new scraps, which decade ago, I was fortunate they could suosequently market at enough to see the measure of the much greater length. The scene man. Arnie Fenner, editor at ends in riotous pandemonium, with that time of REH: Lone Star Fic- all the writers getting comeup­ tioneer, a fine Howardian semi­ pance for their presumption. prozine, had asked me to contrib­ To my surprise, when I re­ ute an article. I always enjoyed ceived the issue, as well as back doing essays for fanzines, and, issues, it was a very well-print­ as a rule, they were commentary ed, quite professional magazine, on the writer or his writings. I filled with art and photography, was, however, at that moment ti­ and a full-color, full-spread red of arguing merits, demerits, cover. It also had a rather ex­ placements of commas, uses of tensive circulation. Shocked, I sorcerors and snakes, etc. Since cowered in fear of legal briefs. playwriting has always been an Happily, those who read it all avocation of mine, I decided to seemed simply to be amused, and I do a play on REH. To go one step heard from many of them to this further, I would make it a effect. I guess my sentimental screenplay. Arnie had the cour­ ending for the film saved me. age to publish the result, "Inci­ Nicest of all, however, was an dent at Cross Plains" in 1976, unexpected and unsolicited card issue #4. Although it is emi­ from Sprague. I had corresponded nently filmable — to my preju­ briefly with him a year or two diced eyes, even, in fact, a good back, but to receive a card of film — it would be strictly for praise from one of my idols — he REH buffs. The first two parts still and justifiably is — I am use several of his characters, still moved. He wrote: "Just a but in Howardian situations I word of appreciation for INCIDENT created; the fourth is romanti­ AT CROSS PLAINS, which I enjoyed. cized biography with broad artis­ In fact, it brought a lump to my tic license and a socko climax throat, and you know what kind of for the tragic death of the bril­ old bastard some of your fellow liant young Texan. Hyperboreans consider me. Kaor, The third part, however, is (signed)" one wherein I had fun with the And so, to the man who has burgeoning market of Howard imi­ traveled in time with Harold !3 tators, "collaborators", and even Shea, sailed the seas on the Gol­ 0)' honest writers who sought what­ den Wind, fought the bloody bat­ Lantern ever scraps poor Howard had left tles with Conan, and has known so behind, to work them as faith­ many glorious and often hilarious fully as they could into novels. adventures, I invite him and his

Since this this had been going on lovely wife Catherine to join me #24/15 so exhaustively, the trunk of the in a heady brew at our favorite agent for REH's estate, Glenn pub, Gavagan's Bar, of course, Lord, was down to bare wood, I and there to wish him many more postulated. And, since I believed adventures! CL. Sprague de Camp

A CRITICAL APPRECIATION by John Thiel

Does L. Sprague de Camp make Earth. He wonders if he will use it possible to write an apprecia­ it, and when some young hooligans tion of his work? Or is the man arrive showing that their perse­ controversial? I would say, af­ cution of him will be never-end­ ter following his work beginning ing, he decides to do so. It is with the first story of his that written in a particularly emotive I read, a short piece in the Au­ prose that suggests the author gust 1955 Astounding called believes that if this doesn't "Judgment Day", that the man rouse you to anger, you haven't doesn't like prosaic, banal atti­ been there. It is especially mad­ tudes being maintained. If you dening to SF readers that the appreciate his work, it hasn't main character is a scientist who mixed you up enough, hasn't got bears some resemblance to an SF you to think and wonder about fan. That's the kind of contro­ things. You feel too safe. I sus­ versy de Camp exults in. pect you wouldn't be unless you Nor was he uncontroversial found something to argue about in when he began writing adventure writing any evaluation of his stories for the pulps, particu­ work. larly his revivals of Robert E, Take, for instance, the story Howard's unfinished pieces. I I mentioned. "Judgment Day" is used to read these in Fantastic spine-chilling. I showed it a­ Universe, and elsewhere — it was round among my neighbors, consid­ one of the magazines that began ering that they had been discuss­ the trend back toward fantasy in ing such topics and were always 1953. A number of fanzines men­ ready for a new discussion. I tioned these works, and contro­ found that they reacted to it versy about Howard raged high. with some alarm; the story has (Interested readers might do well never totally left their con­ to find issues of Inside, whose sciousness since that time. editor Ron Smith did not ignore The two illustrations by Kelly the matter.) One outcome that was Freas gives you a good idea of mentioned among fans was that de the story: In a lively style por­ Camp's fantasy writing was redis­ traying the polarities of nature, covered (if one wants to use that there is depicted an old misan­ term), and articles appeared in thrope hating the world in one, fanzines saying that whatever one

#24 and in another a circle of child­ made of Howard, de Camp was a ren with bestial expressions of splendid fantasy writer in his glee gathered around a young in­ own right. Personally, I found tel lectualcthe crowd bully has nothing out of key in his Howard

Lantern just knocked down. The story con­ collaborations; I particularly cerns this same child growing up enjoyed reading "Hawks over and increasng his knowledge, and Shem". discovering a method of creating A sprig of laurel to de Camp an intellectual chain-reaction for promoting fantasy energetic­ 16/lan's which he feels will destroy the ally, finding plenty of it for readers, anthologizing it, and volume he put together with his writing many works of it, not wife, Footprints on Sand, at the ignoring, as so many other writ­ library and enjoyed it tremend­ ers have done, historical re­ ously. It's certainly one of the search — that is not really liveliest volumes of recent necessary, but one finds it nice times. His correspondence, I to read a fantasy which corre­ might add, bore a little cartoon lates with historical reality. I of him by Kelly Freas, which, al­ think de Camp is particularly though not really Freas' best good on sailing, but wonder work, does invoke a prodigious somewhat about his occasional spirit. . tallying of Nordic gods. Now, I have not made the car­ As for his science fiction dinal error of considering de shorts, most of them are collec­ Camp's work not to have their ups ted in The Wheels of If, The Best and downs. But the reward was of L. Sprague de Camp, and Tales survival. I survived the experi­ from Gavagan's Bar. This last, ence of reading the great snout­ consisting of tales written with ing battles of such books as The Fletcher Pratt, was influential Dragons of the Ishtar Gate and even when first published, coin­ The Tritonian Ring. And in coming ciding .so evocatively with Arthur through them, I'd been roughed up C. Clarke's Tales from the Wnite a bit, but I experienced new vis­ Hart. (Others like Spider Robin­ tas and new horizons, encountered son and Larry Niven have also new miasmas of allegory and myth­ used the tavern setting for a os, not seen in other books. series of stories.) So I'm thanking de Camp for You aren't going to forget any leaving me alone, and I'm also of the ideas L. Sprague de Camp thanking him for not forgetting played around with. For one me and his other readers by hav­ thing, he won't let you. In a ing finished Footprints on Sand. recent correspondance regarding I'm waiting for another book, and the book review column in my fan­ hoping to see one soon. zine, Pablo Lennis, he corrected Let us hope this latest edi­ facts with scatological accuracy tion of Lan's Lantern encourages and recommended a list of his him and keeps him in the mood for books. I found the recent deluxe writing.

As far as science fiction goes, I'm an extremely late star­ Thank You, ter: I was a married woman of twenty-two or three with a couple of young kids. Most enthusiasts seem to discover StF at the age Sprague de Camp of ten or so, reading first the “ pulps and then books, and are ad­ dicts soon after the first taste. Lantern I didn't realize that, and I did­ n't realize how many divisions

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