Future” of SCIENCE-FICTION
GORDON PARKER sat in the cosy darkness of his study and nused over his blessings. Be was a coafortable, if not nec- cessarily wealthy, individual. Be had his own hone, a faaily and ■oney in the bank. And he had this study. It was quiet and intiaate; as he could be alone without being with drawn in complete solitude fron his faaily. The bookshelves, writing he be content? What more could a nan want? desk and plush chair were his aost personal, jealously guarded posses Thru the closed door of the study sions: effects----- he sailed wryly------sounded the blare of a radio. Fred after his demise. die, his young son, was listening to Gordon settled back in the chair that prograa of hilJLbilly ausic. and saoked his pipe slowly, with Which he disliked, but tolerated. Wonder where Vers, his seventeen year absolute satisfaction. Why shouldn’t old daughter, was. In her rooa prettying up for a date, he suraised. Another saile crossed his lips at the Illustrated by DONALD B. DAY thought of the allegedly "intoxicat ing" perfuse she used; "A Ntfht In Parts" or sone such naae. Be often aarvelled at the silly naaes, erotic ally indicative, of certain brands of perfuse. But the rest of his faaily probably regarded his liking to saoke and aeditate in this closed study as an idiosyncrasy. They tolerated his odd habits as he in turn tolerated
Besides his san, .daughter and wife, Gordon's Aunt Hildred Lived with then. Good old Aunt Millyl On the 6. The PANSCIBNT DUST______1 surface, as Victorian as any nine his studies at college, most of all and the shelves of unblemished books. sudden change momentarily paralyzed teenth-century spinster; underneath, Gordon had despised archeolofy. That word annoyed him. Why was it his faculties. He must still be however, good as gold; kindhearted, Before he took it, he had thought it always intruding on his thoughts? sleeping; had he been asleep or was generous and considerate. would be fascinating. Then he Possessions: effects. When you he just going to sleep? He sighed and refilled his depleted discovered how depressed he became at were alive, what you owned were your For Gordon Parker was still in his pipe. He had a wide and varied col contact with ancient, dry things. possessions. When you were dead, chair; still in his study. But there lection of books, but now he preferred The dust of past ages evoked in him a they became your effects. was a terrifying, bewildering differ to just sit and ruminate. shudder, rather than fascination. He remembered something else Frank ence. The walls were decayed, crumb One of his friends, an embittered Gordon arose and left the study, in had said. "Reality and illusion ling; the floor was covered with a cynic, had remarked that life was order to break the mood created by merge; it is impossible to define the thick carpet of dust, the smell of it only a half-illusion; that time and such.thinking. Freddie beamed broadly shadow from the actual substance." thick in his nostrils. He stared space, especially time, were in part at him from his seated position by Why, he believed Frank was insane! stupidly, uncomprehendingly, around ■ental falacies. Gordon didn't quite the radio and the grin was cheerful. He felt a sudden, uncontrollable the room. There were the bookshelves understand what he meant, for the As suddenly was the sawing of some chill of doubt and dread. Was he --- worm-gnawed and sagging; filled cynic always talked in abstractions. hill-billy's fiddle. Inside the so placidly sure ot what he termed with mouldering volumes. Like the Gordon had always opposed sardonic kitchen, Aunt Hilly and wife Betsy "reality"? Did not it merely touch archives of by-gone ages. pessimism. Be certainly had something were preparing a dinner whose odors immediate external things? If sane Everything was the same, only older. to live for. He enjoyed and apprec smelled delicious. He sniffed orthodoxy was right, mortal ambition Deterioration was prevalent everywhere. iated Life. Of course he had to die; delightedly and Betsy impishly chased meant something. If Frank's paradox Even the chair he sat in creaked, the everyone did sometime. Death and him out. In the living room, Vera met ical unorthodoxy was right, it meant legs weakening, and the plush was life were corresponding agents. But him, arrayed in a vivid red dress. little, if anything. And how was one rotted. The pipe in his hand he'd die pleased. "Daddy, how do you like my new per to tell?1 The shadow, tho not real in crumbled into ashes as he grasped it. Vhat after death?. fume?"' She brushed melodramatically the tangible sense, was an effect of Merciful heavens, what was wrong? Gordon shifted uncomfortably. Must by and Gordon complimented her, hypo the substance. How did Frank mean it? Gordon felt a penetrating fear. He n't start thinking about death. He critically, on her choice of perfume. Gordon found his pipe was cold and staggered to his feet and dashed out tried to accept it cheerfully, for it It was a trifle too sweet, he thought. lit it again with his silver Ronson. of his study. was inevitable. But, the fact was, No use in upsetting Vera by telling He'd got off on the wrong thought The rest of the house was the same he had always hated the thought of her that.tho. He felt sure her boy trends tonight. He called Frank a as before, too; except much----oh much dying. Anything that reeked of decay friend would overlook the extravagant fool and leaned back to take a nap. olderl And not a living thing could depressed him. That was why his home "fragrance", as she was a darn cute Forget the uneasy subject of death be seen or heard anywhere. It was as and the furnishings were modernly girl. Gordon was proud of his daugh and the instability of realism. He if he had stubled into a dying, es- styled. That was why he wanted every ter's pretty features. relaxed and inhaled on the pipe, if he had stumbled into a dying, des mote of dust cleaned up. And the Not yet time for dinner, so Gordon boon he was dozing off....into sleep. erted house. But this was his reason his study was not sound-proof. returned to his study. The morbid He liked pensive quietness, but not mood was gone. He settled in his IT WAb LIKE WAKING out of a long, if he had stumbled into a dying, des complete silence. The latter remind chair again, pipe in hand, to think. long dream. As if he had always been erted house. But this was his house! ed him too much of a cemetery; of the Yes, he possessed several blessings. a boy and the span called adulthood Bls home/ Something was wrong. He all-pervading atmosphere that sur His possessions were----- he thought was merely a dream. A rather sordid was dreaming, or seriously ill. rounded the graves of his parents, again of that word, "effects"'. Blast dream. Then he was fully aware of "Betsy! Aunt Milly! Vera! which he visited annually. Of all it! He frowned at the papered walls his surroundings. And the bizarre, Freddie!" He called the names of his 8______The FANSCIENT loved ones and the hollow echoes tired. Very tired. If he could only DUST...... ______2 nocked hin like the chuckling of dead sleep and forget this. It had to be as it would look years in the future. It had been so quick and bewildering. men. a dream. His family (how odd that sounded now! Wisps still clung; woiilld they ever He repeated the nanes. But now He reached down and dipped his Why?) had not been caught in the completely leave? He glanced around they sounded unfamiliar, as if they fingers in the dust; stirred it, cross-current of whatever had hap for his pipe, but could not find it. had never existed, save in the world shuddered at the dry, dead contact. pened. He was sure Ether had some "That blasted radio...... " of his nenory. As if he hadn't heard It was no dream. Only something thing to do with it. Too bad he What was wrong with it. Frank's their nanes for countless eons. cosmic had occurred; something which wasn't a scientist. There must be a gloomy words rang in his mind: Memory. MEMORY! had caused time and space to become plausible explanation...... "Reality and illusion merfe. It is A horrible speculation came into twisted, confused. If he waited, Gordon closed his eyes wearily. Impossible to clearly define the his mind, but he forced it out. Dear everything would adjust itself. This Dust filled the air; he wrinkled his shadow from the actual substance. God, an I going nad? He sat down, error, or whatever it was, would be nose. The thought came to him., "Why Past and Future are relative, with back in the old chair. He felt righted. The house around him was not look outside?" How did it look Memory an element that confuses both. outside? He tried to stand up but Kverythlni Is essentially Mental, an his body was heavy. He was tired; so Idea, a Concept. And Concepts are tired! Old, like the house. bleep. often created from Desire." Yes, if he could only sleep. This Gordon shivered from the touch of had occurred while he was asleep. the Unknown. He felt cold, almost Perhaps it would adjust if he went to inanimate. hhen he looked at them sleep again...... again, the walls of the study seemed less solid. The plush on his chair GORDON OPENED HIS EYES to the had faded. A feeling of awful under familiar outlines of his study again. standing slowed his steps as he The walls were as they were before, walked toward the door. "Concepts papered and new. The books on the are often created from des Irei ". shelves gleamed in virgin covers. The radio was harsh, jarring; and He sighed thankfully and leaped to somehow hollow. He paused, hand on his feet. The old feeling of safety the doorknob. He was barely breathing. and securitv returned. The flow had "Kverythlnf is an Idea,- the Shadow been righted. Whatever had caused and the Substance...... "< him to be projected into the future, Then he opened the door and screamed! the yet-to-be. He could hear the Beside the radio, a leering travesty radio on full blast. Freddie's pro lifted its head and looked at him.... gram. laughed in an empty, jeering voice. But it was not as before. The It was hideous, skull-like. Three radio did not sound cheerful. The more of the things approached him, tone wasn't good. There was something uttering unintelligible noises like still wrong....an element still awry. the gurgling of corpses. One of them The effects of his sudden, strange emanated a scent; the sickening sweet experience hadn't entirely vanished. scent of the dead, or the incense of 10 The FANSCIENT tombs. This one reached out a skel etal claw. Gordon backed up, hands fending off the monstrous beings. The study no longer afforded safety and comfort. Once again it was assuming the ap pearance of premature age. Webs fell from his eyes. He understood. He HATHOR knew. Lady of the Turquoise, Eye* "God in Heaven!" Gordon screamed, of Ra, Guardian of the Judgement "Get away from me! You aren't real! Hall, Hi^ity Dweller in the Fu neral Mountain, Beautiful of You are only shadows; illusions! Pace in the Boat of Millions of That was not the future 1 was pro Years, Lady of the Palm Tree; such are some of the titles of jected into!" Hathor (Hot-Hor—house of Horus). He reached in his pocket and pulled The name Hathor was Syrian and out a knife; clicked the blade open. used to identify this personifi cation of youth, life, and abun The figures leaped toward him, fran dance revered a long tine under tically, and just as he plunged the a score of names at many places. As Sesheta she was too strong icy steel into his throat, he sobbed: to be displaced by the later Ra ,and nothtnf can we call our and Osiris-Isis cycles so was in own but death! cluded in these theogonies in positions indicative of antiqui ty as well as attempted subordi nation. Also at an early date Bld BOOK OF SOIBNCB FICTION edited the Nile dwellers conceived a by Groff Conklin. Crown Publishers polymorphous monotheism and the New York. 5*5 pages. |?.0Q 1950 blending of many attributes with names to get the proper combina In reviewing an anthology, one tion of celestial power is hard is faced with several difficulties ly conducive to clarity. not encountered with other books. In her more homely attributes, One such difficulty arises when an she is seven virgin goddesses attempt is made to assess the worth known as the Seven Hathors who of the contents. One story may be presided over births with auspi of outstanding excellence, while cious omens and fortold the fu the next may be incredibly bad. ture of the new-born. In the difficult task of assemb In the Judging of the Soul, ling the third of Crown’s massive Hathor fills the needed place of science fiction anthologies, Groff preparing the way through the Conklin has succeeded in avoiding fiends of Duat and succoring the latter category. Unfortunately the stricken soul with figs from he has almost siKJceeded in avoiding her sacred Sycomore. the first also. The earlier Crown anthologies, Text...... MILES EATON "The Best of Science Fiction" and the "Treasury of Science Fiction", Picture...... LIN CARTER (Continued on Page 62) The NORWESCON REPORT 1J The FANSCIENT 12 the 64 page, two-color 2nd Anniversary Issue; 100-odd copies of which, together with some other material, were distributed at the CINVENTION just prior to the vote. Also in the meantime, in the first wild enthusiasm of their freedom from my dictatorship, Davis, Waible, the de Courcys and others put out an issue of the PSFS News Bulletin. Conceived in a spirit of good clean fun, it contained practically nothing of a factual nature. Nevertheless, a couple pf the articles drew immediate repercussions, notably the one telling of our plans (fictitious) for a rump convention if our bld failed and the one on the PSFS Nudist Colony. To counteract this, it was decided to put out another issue in which the "humor'’ was applied with such broad strokes no-one could possibly mistake it. Jack and Dorothy de Couroy put this out singlehanded. Meantime, Davis continued to needle Chairman de Courcy and the meetings continued to hustle thru the "business* in order to get to the Important part of the meeting, to wit: drinking beer. At this point, the weather took a hand. Shortly after Christmas, a snow storm, unique in this area, kept the roads out of town semi- impassable for two months. With Chairman de Courcy snowed in 11 miles east of town and Treasurer Newbury likewise, 9 miles in the other direction (neither with a telephone), things came to a standstill. Enough time has passed since the NORWESCON, the Eighth World Finally however, the cards, fluorescent ink for the backs and other Science-Fiction Convention, that it can be looked back upon with some supplies were assembled and turned over to Treasurer Ruth Newbury and degree of calmness. So much took place that no one person could take her husband, Forrest Davis. During the next couple of weeks, with an it all in, so this report must neccessarily be incomplete. assist from fellow-insurgent Waible, they were mailed to the members, Just before together with the now-notorious "confidential report"*. Mimeographed PRELUDE the CINVENTION, a long-standing difference of oppinion on NORWESCON stationary and mailed with the membership cards, most of in the PSFS came to a head. As founder and work-horse, the members considered it an official NORWESCON publication rather I had long exercized dictatorial powers. The conflict was brought to than an Individual fanzine and reacted accordingly. a head when, at long last enforcing the provisions of the constitution, It was shortly I, as treasurer, declared approximately half the membership suspended after this that Chairman Jack de Couroy, announcing his intention of for non-payment of dues. The announcement provoked quite a discussion departing forthwith for California, presented his resignation, naming with Jack de Couroy bringing into play for the first time the technique me temporary chairman and suggesting that all offices be declared which was to serve him so well in the Chairmanship of the NORWESCON. vacant and new officers elected. At the following meeting, by unan He resigned from the PSFS. To forestall this terrible fate, it was imous vote, the committee elected me permanent chairman and confirmed decided to hold an open meeting for all members and ex-members of the Juanita Sharp as Secretary and Ruth Newbury as Treasurer. At a sub PSFS, with the idea of deciding if it was the type of organization sequent meeting, John de Courcy appeared and demanded that the "con Portland fans wanted, and if not, changing it. fidential report" be withdrawn and a retraction of some of its state At this meeting, Jack ments be distributed to its recipients. The alternate suggested by de Courcy, acting as temporary chairman, did a magnificent job of de Couroy was that he would file suit and tie up the convention funds. railroading thru a remarkable new constitution he and Dot had prepared. De Couroy’s demand agreed to, nothing remained but to arrange to put The outstanding feature of this fannish magna carta was a clause on a convention. absolutely forbidding suspension of any member for non-payment of dues. It was now April-—we had close to 200 members, no In putting thia thru, he was ably abbetted by Jerry Waible, Forrest publicity in the national magazines, no meeting hall under consideration, Davis, Ruth Newbury and others (all of whom had been suspended for no official fanzines out, no local publicity and a great deal of dis non-payment of dues). agreement on many vital points. The pro magazines were written to. From this point, things really get confusing. The American Legion Hall was selected for the convention site. 1500 At virtually every meeting, the officers resigned en masse. At one copies of the first NORWESCONEWS were lithoed and copies mailed to the meeting the new constitution was repealed and at a later on the PSFS 1100-plus names on our mailing list. was abolished. For some period Jack was President and Dot Secretary, At about this time it was discov then they switched places. It finally ended up with Dale Donaldson ered that no membership cards had been mailed out for about 6 weeks, holding all offices of the non-existent organization. •Confidential Prqfress Report on the 8th World Science-Fiction Convention!1 In the meantime, the editors of efftfu, 9109 SV Oleson Road, Portland 19, Orefon. the PSFS having ebandonned the FANSCIENT, I took it over starting with The NORWESCON REPORT 14 ______The FANSCIENT had Rog worried for a while so the job of sending then out was taken from Ruth Newbury and given FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 as he took a later plane. to Secretary Juanita Sharp. Treasurer Ruth Newbury promptly resigned AFTERNOON Other later arrivals in on the grounds that she had been stripped of her duties. Bob Wever cluded Mel Korshak of was elected to take her place. Shortly after this, Davis went to Special Program at the Planetarium, SHASTA PUBLISHERS and Ted southern Oregon to work and things went smoothly for a while. On the Oregon Museum of Science A Industry Sturgeon who came from other hand, one thing after another delayed de Couroy’s departure for New York. California until he decided to remain until after the NORWESCON. He EVENING While most of then proceeded to work harder than he had as chairman; lining up the the early arrivals were preview of DESTINATION MOON and the DIMENSION X transcriptions, as well Transcriptions and Motion Pictures over at the Planetarium as refining and improving his Matter Transmitter. There were, of course show at the Oregon Museum minor difficulties such as Bob Wever1s taking a summer job in Seattle, of Science 4 Industry, we moved into the Assembly Hall. Located on bringing Monna Sheller in as the third treasurer. the mezzanine of the MULTNOMAH HOTEL, it is approximately 90 by 4-5 Then with the feet. Display tables were set up all along the right hand wall under NORWESCONEWS No 2 nearly laid out, another snafu turned up. The Legion the windows there. Most of the room was taken up by chairs in an Club fell on financial difficulties and to retrench they closed down auditorium set-up with aisles down the middle and at each side. At the club facilities including the restaurant and bars and put the the far end, a low platform was set up, backed by a black backdrop on building up for sale or lease. While we had an agreement that would which cut-out letters of fluorescent paper matching the membership assure the use of the hall, it was now much less desirable. Fortunately cards spelled out "NORWESCON”. On either side of the stage, screens we found space still available at our second choice, the MULTNOMAH served as wings. HOTEL and the NORWESCON was shifted there. The LITTLE MEN of the Bay area sent a delegation This change meant a lot of including proxy Dr. J. Lloyd Eaton and George Finnigan while from the extra work including redoing the whole issue of the NORWESCONEWS. The other side of the Bay, the GOLDEN GATE FUTURIANS had a group including delay on this caused us to abandon the plans for a third issue. Hans Ruch, Stewart Metohette, Jimmy Kepner, Mel Brown, Claude Plum and From Bill Khaphoide. here on there was nothing much to do except work. The Northwest was well represented by substantial Tho a few arrived groups from the leading local and area clubs. The NAMELESS ONES of THE CONVENTION earlier, the first we heard from were Harry Moore Seattle sent some 55 delegates including Gertrude Carr, William (Buck) and his party, Chuck Heisner from Lynn Haven, Fla., Austin, Alderson Fry, Jack Speer and Phil Barker. The Eugene (Ore.) Bob Johnson of Greeley, Colo, and Mack Rynolds of Taos, N. M. Arriving SFS had Rosco Wright, Ed Zimmerman, Norm Hartman, Bryce Decker, Sandy early, Mack established himself at what he described as a "flop house Fraser and others. Tom 1 Eileen Daniel were among the representatives across the street, while the rest went to a motel. Harry Moore moved of the TERRANS of Aberdeen, Wash. the following day to the Multnomah. My intentions were good. I had A registration booth was set up resolved to set a precedent on the first evenelng, by starting on time. THURSDAY, AUGUST 51 the mezzanine of the MULTNOMAH Thursday morn Virtually the whole program consisted of transcriptions and motion ing to take care of the early arrivals. pictures. At 7:50 the sound man was ready at tho transcription table. Registration Various mimeoed sheets had been prepared for The 8mm and 16mm projectors were set up, ready to go. For safekeeping, the aid of the delgates. all the records and films had been assembled and locked in Forrio Early arrivals Ackerman’s room. And Forrie Ackerman was nowhere to be found. For a included Steve Schultheis of Warren, Ohio; Walter A. Coslet; Frank half-hour, I dashed madlv about, tearing out handfuls of hair, while Kerkhoff of Washington, D. C.; Norm Stanley, Rookland, Maine; and a Mel Korshak, veteran of 8 conventions smoothed my brow and counselled delegation of 9 Michigan fans including Ray, Trev, Walter and Mrs. me to calm down every time I passed his table near the door. Finally Nelson; Martin Alger, George Young, Ed Kuss, Perdita Lilly and Agnes with Ackerman located and the transcriptions and films on hand, I Harook. Outlanders Rick Sneary and Mari Wolf arrived Thursday night stepped to the microphone for the first time. It was only then I as did Ackerman and EEEvans, followed later by Stan Woolston. realized I had not prepared a speech of welcome. So much to everyone’s Regis relief, I skipped it and got right into the program. tration continued on Friday with many more from far away including The opening Jean Bogart of Philadelphia; Doc and Jeannie Smith; John Millard of feature was the playing of a recording made by Roger Dard and a group Toronto; Boa Mahaffey of OIBER WORLDS; Claude Degler from Newcastle, of Australian fans, greeting the American fans at tho NORWESCON. This Indiana; "Rog Phillips" Graham; Bob Tuoker of the Box 260, Bloomington, was followed by a transcription of one of the DIMENSION X radio pro Ill. Tuckers with Mari Beth Wheeler; Ben and Phyllis Kelfer, Columbus, grams. Next Forrio Ackerman introduced and commented on a group of Ohio; Roger Phillips of Washington and Nancy Moore of Sharonville, films ho had brought. The first, MONSTERS OF THE MOON, was put together Ohio. by Bob Tucker from some bits of primitive process film found by Acker More fans, authors and editors were arriving. Howard Browne man and first shown at the CHICON in 1940. Next was a Gorman short was supposed to arrive on the next plane following Rog Phillips1 and 16 The FANSCIENT which was dug up by Maj. 0. G. Estes, showing a rocket flight to the moon. Following this, Ackerman commented on a film taken at LASFS meetings and another film.made by some of the LA gang, featuring a lot of gags and trick effects. Following an intermission, the film, "DEATH OF A SPECTATOR or NOT SO MUCH IN GOMORRAH", done by Joe Kennedy, Lloyd numbers Alpaugh, George Fox and. Ron Maddox was shown. It had been planned that the finale of the evening would be a panel discussion on fandom1s publicity. Already lined up were vociferous proponents of the "dignity be damned" sbhool, led by Forrest Davis. Several equally vociferous E^AVords i antagonists to this view were in mind, but either they didn’t come or arrived later, so this was called off and additional DIMENSION X tran scriptions substituted. The first evening’s session broke up about midnight with the delegates adjourning to the bar an various smoke- filled rooms. Stopping off briefly at the bar, where I met Poul Ander son, who had to leave early the following day, I also passed thru Rick Sneary’s room where a mob was gathering, before heading home for bed. That was the sad part of the convention for me. Determined not to pull an Ackerman by collapsing during the convention, I got to bed at semi-reasonable hours and so missed most of the fun which went on after the regular sessions. There may have been some SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 swapping done Saturday Morning. I forgot to ask. I was home MORNING cutting and running a stencil on a last-minute bunch of Swap Session illustrations that had just arrived from Jerome Bixby of AFTERNOON PLANET STORIES. Not too late, Introduction of Notables the afternoon session got under Illustrated ly way with a very small attend Muis won Presentation of Resolutions ance. Most of the gang was apparently recovering from the Editors and Publishers smoke-filled rooms of the previous night. I’d intended Guest of Honor: Anthony Boucher to open by introducing the Portland bunch, but apparently EVENING they’d all had a hard night, as practically none of them DIMENSION X Transcription were present. Mel Korshak TO THE TRUE DEVOTEE of may be tomorrow's science. Toward took over and introduced such The NORWESCON Auction prominent fans and pros as had philoneism----that is, to the true this end, nothing serves the purpose Melvin Korshak, Auctioneer managed to get out of bed. lover of novelty----a browide is an bitter than the camouflage of allegory. abomination, even tho couched in all The Chief Semanticist of the Alpha Bea Mahaffey and Howard Browne reported on the future plans for their respective magazines. At this point I was supposed to call on Mel the esoteric terwinology of his fav Centauri Expedition to Terra perused Korshak to report on SHASTA's plans, but somehow it got overlooked. orite cult. For that reason, he way the great books of cybernetics, The NORWESCON Guest of Honor, Anthony Boucher, was next introduced and after speaking briefly on what was good and bad about the present need to be coaxed, and wheedled, and dianetics and --- etics, and smiled. scienoe-fiction picture, he called for a general discussion which lasted cajoled before he can be wade to For he had already digested the for some time. attend seriously to the reactionary contents of Webster's Unabridged The evening led off with the playing of another (Continued on Page 57) hypothesis that today's platitude Dictionary! ______.12. numbers, words and ideas _____.— 18______The FAN3CIENT sake of their magical properties. As class of numbers. By ingenious proofs it is known The same old saw about the young eral, and certain numbers in particu a result of such investigation, it that no freatest prime number exists, author who was told in jest that lar, somehow became endowed with mag turned out that a number represented every word of his new book had been ical properties at a very early date, by the expression 2n-1 (2D -1) is and that no rational integral algebraic formula can represent prime published before! And yet, in the and thus share this questionable dis perfect when 2n-l is prime--- that is, numbers only. Tho the literature is light of new developments, the state tinction with words and certain other when 2n -1 has no divisors other than replete with formulas of restricted ment is dignified with some serious symbols in our racial culture. This itself and 1. This, of course, simp utility, only enough is known about ness and endowed with a completely number magic runs significantly thru- lified the problem immensely, since the apparently haphazard distribution new gender of flippancy. out the Old Testament, reaches its the only thing remaining to be done of primes thruout the number system Under the first category, it may be zenity with Pythagoras, and even was to establish the conditions under said that ideas have a curious way of lingers on in some modern "scientific" which 2“ -1 is prime. Ask a silly to be certain that the distribution is not haphazard. For example, begetting, by analogy and metaphor, treatises. Tho we may no longer question, you get a silly answer! certain arithmetic sequences of new ideas. Under the second, it is credit the existence of masculine and In order to fully appreciate the primes can be found, and the common implied that we may look forward to a feminine numbers, or of numbers irony of this impasse, it is essential difference is always a multiple of 6, rash of "new sciences", sometimes associated with all the vices and to realize that the problem of primes except for the sequences 1, 2, 3 &nd founded upon nothing more than a bad virtues, as did the Pythagoreans, we is a particularly obstinate one, and 1. 3. 5» Furthermore, the number of pun. In our semantic eagerness to may still cringe before the number that it besets the number theorist primes less than or equal to X equals construct a chemistry of words, we thirteen, especially on Friday. Thus seemingly at every turn. In spite of may have unconsciously lapsed into the transition from mystic numerology the consequent attention which the X/log X as a limit. Methods for the methods of the medieval alchemist. to scientific number theory has been problem has received, surprisingly finding these primes, however, have not progressed greatly beyond the The story is neither new nor old, a very gradual one, and is still far little is known about this perplexing but is omnipresent, for as long as from being complete. crude Sieve of Eratosthenes, which men dream dreams and see visions, the As an example of this subtle trans amounts to a trial division of each A SHORTCUT METHOD OF otherwise respectable sciences will ition, which often produced hybrid number by all preceding primes. EXTRACTING SQUARE ROOT have their mystic counterparts. The forms, we may point to such concepts Because of its poetic associations, present melange in the realm of words as perfect and amicable numbers. A Every square (N?) ts the sum a surprisingly large contribution to had a particularly close parallel in number is considered "perfect" if it of the first N consecutive odd number theory has been made by that other, and more universal lang is equal to the sum of its divisors, numbers. amateurs, and a considerable body of uage, mathematics, in the struggle of and two numbers are "amicable" if knowledge has been built up on the the analytic theory of numbers to each is equal to the sum of the 1 = 1 basis of intuition and conjecture. free itself from the strangling divisors of the other. A delicious 4=1 + 3 Many of these "hunches", such as 9 = 1 + 3 + 5 tentacles of numerology. Tho number little bit of anthropomorphism, n'est- Goldbach's conjecture that every even 16 = 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 theory has not yet enjoyed its mil- ce pasl number greater than 2 is the sum of 25’1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 lenium, the serious investigation of These gems of imaginative activity two primes, have neither been proved number relationships is now recog required very little science, but the For example: 16 is the sum of nor disproved. Another classic nized as a science in its own right. recipe for their discovery was a the four consecutive odd umbers, example is the famous "last theorem" A complete roster of number lore different matter. In order that the 1, 3, 5 & 7. Counting them, we of Fermat, in which it is stated that would fill many volumes, for it is prophecy might be fulfilled, it find there are four, hence 4 is Xn4-Yn - Zn has no integral solution almost as old as history itself, and became necessary to study numbers for the square root of 16. for n greater than 2. the end is not yet. Numbers in gen- their own sake, rather than for the NUMBERS, WORDS AND IDEAS______21 20 The EANSCIENT super-computers and super-computers). tongue in cheek when they selected The terms rational and irrational such everyday terms as slope and were being kicked about in both their field to denote their abstract form psychological and mathematical senses ulations, while chemists and biolog 170,141,183,460,469,251,731.687,303.715.884,195.' long before Korzybski pointed out ists were struggling with ten-syllable that numbers are relations, and that Latin and Greek monstrosities for such fractions are relations of relations. lowly items as butter and bread. Philosophers were discussing what How much more cryptic knowledge THE LARGEST KNOWN PRIME NUMBER they often referred to as "knotty lies along the hedgerows of mathemat problems" long before Kurt Lewin ical connotation and metaphor, within Altho it nay appear that the study recognized the applicability of topo reach of an analytical theory of of * such nonsense childish and logical manifolds to the human pro words, only some future poet and math unproductive, there is strong just cess of thought. We might almost ematician, some unsung Omar Khayyam, ification for the belief that number suspect that the mathematicians had may be able to say. theory simply has not arrived at its Golden Age. bhort cuts in computat ion, such as the extracting of square root simply by the counting of con secutive odd numbers, have already evolved from number theory, as has also a considerable body of new meth odology, such as the theory of con gruences. With the modern investiga tions in neuro-conceptual relation ships, such as are afforded by Seman number goes in the center space tics and cybernetics, it may turn out of the top row. The next con secutive number goes diagonally that prime numbers, and number down and to the right of the relationships in general, are subtly first and the sequence continues associated with human neurology, and in this direction. The fourth number will run over into square that neither of these problems can be B. Mentally transpose square B solved independently of the other, atop A and write in the number where it would appear (4th row, in fact they may be, in the final left-hand column) and continue analysis, equivalent . the diagonal. On reaching the But what of the Chief Semanticist bottom of square A, you find, that the next space is occupied by from Alpha Centauri? Simply this: the first number. When an occu- Folks were saying, "I reckon as how"', pied space is reached move to the next space above the last and,"The way I figure—long before and continue diagonally. Using Wiener pointed out the analogical numbers 1 thru 2$, the square relationship between super-computers totals 65 in all directions, 2 thru 26 totals 70, etc. and the human brain (that is, between '■THEN FOOLS COME IN ______22 The FANSCIENT or even tiny villages------had been actly, but like it." 22 apparent to them. But still, they "Then what?" asked the other. wore things in belts slung around "Patience, patience. We watch their waists which could only be and we wait." INCURIOUS EYES WATCHED the weapons. Several more times parties of Hidden in the flowering brancnes men, never less than three, emerged little ship jet down from the sky. of a tall tree, far indeed for from the ship and departed in A few watched long enough to see man’s eyes, the two original different directions. Never more flame burst from the nose, as it watchers gazed on this new activ than one party at a time and never halted its tall, and swung into a ity, still without curiosity. on the path followed by a previous long glide over the hill tops. Twogpalrs of eyes only, stayed “What now?" queried one. party. "They will go a short way into Finally the ship was sealed with it as it came to a final f0St the forest," replied the other, tight once again and blasted off in a clear space near the foot of "And then return.” from the ground, heading outward the hills. So it was. After a short look from the planet. And with their The owner of one pair of eyes around the glade, with many departure, the quiet, still world croaked, "They come...." exclamations of surprise and much burst into* activity. From all The second owner of watchful picking of specimens------carefully, parts of the planet, tiny flitting, eyes replied, "Sven as we, long with gloved hands---- and much plac flying beings sprang from the ago • •••** ing into containers and sealing trees and converged on the hills Together they took wing and fie™ up, the five men went into the whereunder the spaceship had rest over the trees, to nest in the forest, walking close together, ed. The hills and valleys swarmed center of the forest that filled moving warily. with them, until every tree seemed the plain. . Time elapsed. No telling how to bear fruit and flowers on every The ship, lying in the glade, long, for the watchers were not least twig. seemed strangely out of place. overly worried about the passage Silently they came, and silently Ihe tall trees, green and blossom of time, but sufficient time for they waited. The watchers com ing in colorful array; the silent the sun to move a good distance on muned together, joined by others hills, blue-purple in the distant its journey from horizon to hor of their own rank and kind. A de evening light, made a background izon, the five appeared once more, cision was reached and communicated most inappropriate to the stubby, carrying more specimens, but walk to the assembled throngs. Then in pitted-metal monster that had ing with an air that the watchers orderly array the creatures winged roared down upon them, belching rightly interpreted as that of upward, ever upward----- beyond the smoke and flame from its mouth. puzzlement. The watchers had a limits of the atmosphere----- and It lay there, silent and still now still upward, and outward from the to all seeming, while inside, busy vast amount of inherited memory on figures operated tiny airlocks, which to draw for their interpret sun. For man had come, and there taking samples of the atmosphere; ations of the actions of mankind. was no other planet within this At the port of the vessel, they system where these creatures could testing temperatures; making cul feel safe. Now they must make a tures from bits of soil and green were met by yet another man, who life raked thru double-doored exclaimed gladly at their return vaster journey than they had made apertures in the underside of the and made expressions which carried some centuries before. the sound of interrogation. The powers of these beings were hull. For two whole days, as vast------vast even compared with this world judged its time- -the "Six," said a watcher, "We can deal easily with six." those of man------but they could not ship lay there, before finally a live with civilized, mechanized man emerged, to sniff luxuriantly "No, comrade," said the second, "That is not the answer. Where man. That is why when man entered at the air and then to wave his the Industrial Era, the "little comrades out. one or two or six have come, more will come. In their millions they people" had fled the earth. The From the port, four other men smoke and dust of man’s machines stepped down onto the soil of this will come------and the more quickly quiet, peaceful-seeming world. if these six do not return. For was killing them. And now man had they have curiosity; that instinct reached their refuge, they must During their two days and nights flee again. Man, who did not be of watchfulness, not a single sign that makes the bird watch some thing bright, and peck and poke lieve in fairies, had unwittingly of mobile life, other than insects, driven them beyond his knowledge. had they seen. In their previous until it damages it. Not that ex- circle of the planet, "no towns---- The FANSCIENT 24 LANGUAGE IS ALSO A SCIENCE______2£ exact as atom smashing. ml#it encounter on a given planet. Broadly speaking, language is If the conditions are going to be the mechanics of expressing sufficiently similar to earth con thought and thou(£t bears a dis ditions so that his hero is not tinct relation to science. If entirely lost. then the language space inhabitants approached other conditions are not going to be too scientific subjects, as the writers different. aver, according to the principles If he is scared by the fact of science we know, then their that the thou^it processes of the language approach would be simi Martians mi^it be different from lar—probably not in the matter of those encountered on earth, he has using the same words but according only to remember that the thought to the same principles. Peonle processes of the Asiatic are not have been using languages fcr a the same as those in the Western long time, possibly longer than part of the world, yet they each they have known anything about have an understandable language science, and in that time they that can be learned, a language have learned a great deal about that can be explained by recourse them, possibly more than they have to the science of language struc learned about the physical scien ture, regardless of whether the ces. And In their learning'lan words are short or long, spoken guages have been reduced to under from the depths of their throats standable rules in as g?eat a de or whistled through their teeth. gree as has chemistry, physics, Another thing that the science electricity, magnetism, etc., all fiction writer should learn Is of which the fiction writer feels that some of the most complicated capable of handling In a plausible inflected languages are in the marr.er. So why make a hurdle of possession of the most primitive language, as one outstanding exam races, that progress in language ple? evolution Invariably tends to sim Languages, as we know them, and plify them, as in the case of the what we know in any realm 1 s *faat evolution of English from the lan we have to base our ideas on, are guage of the Angles and the Saxons. loosely classified according to The languages of the North Ameri characteristics of grammar as iso can Indians, gives one an adeepate lating, Inflectlrg and agglutina idea of how complicated a language ting. Chinese dialects are nearly can become. In the Navaho lan pure isolating languages In that guage, for example, the verb also additional words are used to modi becomes an adjective by a simple fy meaning rather than suffixes or change In Its structure. The Nava Interior changes. English in Its ho uses a different verb for put, process of change tends In the fu depending wn whether he is putting ture to become an isolating lan on his clothes, putting a potato (Spring Number, 1950) as it was on derstand on the instant strange guage. Latin and the Rons nee lan in a sack or a book on a table. the subject that I have been wait speech in a manner that amounted guages are inflecting because root All of those queer quirks in lan ing for a long time to see dis to a belief in miracles. And ^xat words are modified by suffixes in guage structure that the science cussed In relation to science fic heightens the paradox, they attemp accordance with gender, time, num fiction writer is afraid he might tion. I refer to the article ted to explain space science by ber, case, mood, etc. The Semitic encounter in unknown space, he can starting on page 28 of that issue our earthly knowledge of the prin languages are agglutinating, chan most probably find on earth, prin and entitled ’’The Language Prob ciples involved, but totally ig ges within the root word signify ciples that have been reduced to lem" . Like the author of the ar- nored the language of space, as if ing gender, number, etc. There an understandable science by earth tide, I have seen otherwise taartr language was something outside the the fiction writer has a simple linguists. ed science fiction writers "bardie realm of science. In fact, they scientific basis to decide what Since the times of the early the language problem with reckless Ignored the fact that language is kind of a language his space hero Greek scientists linguists have abandon, making their heroes un also a science with principles as 26 The FANSCIENT devoted themselves to theoretical THE GREEN MAN OF GRAYPEC by Festus language making, trying to devise Pragnell. Greenberg: Publisher, a simple language that could be New York. 190 pg. $2.50 1950 learned In a minimum of time and be used universally. The first This story, first published modern attempt In this regard was in the old WONDER STORIES in 1935» Volapuk, which was based on the is one of the best early treatments germanlc languages. Other at of the "atom world” theme. Some tempts, that have attained consid what rewritten from its earlier erable use and made language struc magazine appearance, it is still ture a science of more or less com eminently readable, even to one mon knowledge, have been Esperanto. who has read numerous other expos Ido, Interlingua, Occidental, and itions of the same idea. a score of others that I will not The story begins when his scien name for want of spaoe. If the tist brother sends the personality science fiction writer wants to of Learoy Spofford, former tennis design a language for his mythical champion, to occupy the body of a space dweller to use, and one that green skinned savage on the atom his hero will have no difficulty world of Graypec. The culture of In learning to use, he has re the world consists of the primitive course to the methods used by sev green cave-men, semi-intelligent eral hundreds who have spent their animals and decadent humans, all lifetimes trying to devise an ac controlled by a hypnotic undersea ceptable International language race of crustaceans. The green from the materials at hand. men and humans are trained hypno For a number of years, upward of tically to war on the free remnant a quarter of a century, I have been of the democratic human culture. using one of these so-called arti Spofford, in the body of the cave ficial languages, Ido. to corres man Kastrov, takes the lead in a pond with people all over the world rebellion to cast off the yoke of and have experienced no difficulty the crustaceans. in making myself understood, al This book is primarily good ad though you would hardly assune that venture, with a certain amount of the thought processes of an Okla comparison between the failings of homa printer, a Madagascar student, our culture and the failings of a Spanish laborer or a Japanese this fictional one. priest were the same. Yet the lan Typographically the book is at guage I have used to correspond tractive and it is graced with an with these members of different outstanding jacket by Hannes Bok., and dissimilar races Is a simple synthesis of modern languages re which adds no little to its visual duced to a granmar that can be appeal. learned in less than a week of Greenberg has apparently adopted spare time study. I once knew a a policy of avoiding the "heavy- man, totally uneducated, who knew science" type of story in their a half dozen complicated Indian selections and depending on either dialects. Are we going to assume plot or action to make an appeal that our science fiction hero, to a wide group of reader. If so, versed In all kinds of physical their end has been gained in this sciences, would be dumber than a one, as it will be of Interest to totally uneducated man, khowlng the general reader, not demanding nothing at all of the principle of that he accept a large number of language structure? new concepts---- and yet there is plenty of action and suspense to make it readable to the more blase THE END reader. ----Gilbert H. Williams 28 The FANSCIENT The FAN3CIENT 29
looks at
I And the art soheel student's work is exhibited every now and then ▲side from taking two years with the rest of his class'------so of what was sailed "Art" when I that ho has often found a patron attended High Sehool, I have had before finishing his schooling. ne artistic training. I found eut Ah, me!-- by learning the hard things the hard way, which was way, I learned all agloy. My duoing his pictures in------spatter tine. And the>, when the work was teeth fortunate and unfertunate. watercolors look like oils; my work! He did. them, he says, in the all dono, the publisher told him Fortunate, teacause I've yet te oils look like charcoal drawings bathtub, so that most of the fly about the halftone precess------poor meet somebody whe stuck thru an and like colored lithographs; my ing particles of ink which missed Parrish could have done the work entire art seheel regime whe had pencil work looks like ink work; the paper would be washed down the in any technique: watercolor, oil any originality. Every Big Name my gouaches look liko pastel. drain. Ho made mistakes, and had or pencil------lots faster------and it artist I've met er read abeut was In telling this yarn on myself, to do some of the work a second would have reproduced just as well. thrown eut ef the art soheel he I'm glad that I'm in good company. My error was in the same line. attended, because he refused te When Maxfield Parrish got his I aspired to become a magazine conform----he had ideas ef his own. first magazine job----te produce EDITOR'S NOTE: Any similarity epvor artist, so---- like Parrish----- Unfertunate, because ene dees halftone illustrations for Kenneth between the illustrations ac I studied current covers. A mag learn a let ef technical shert-cuts Grahame's story, "Its Walls Wore companying this article and the nifying glass disclosed that the at an art school------hew te letter, as of lasper", he looked elosoly work of any artist, living or colors were made by the juxtapos hew te make laycuts, hew te use at halftone pieturos, saw that they doad, is unbelievable. ition of microscopic dots of red, such magic as soratohbeard, "wgsh- were composed of minute dots, and yellow and blue inks. Eureka! I tene" papers and what have yen? so the poor man spent weeks pro** Illustrated by DONALD B. DAT. spent weeks producing a cover, executing it by stippling colored 3Q The FANSCIENT FANTASY, ART AND ILLUSTRATION inks. Without knowing it, I had and Claude Bragdon) and visited a haunted houses ef Morris’ were rediscovered Seurat’s peintiiliste few galleries, and—well whaddayuh giving me the willies. Morris, by technique, the I learned that fact know?---- those-there guys had some the way, introduced Jimself at a enly later, since at the time I thing! gathering as "Mme. Picasso". had never heard ef Seurat---- in At the time I was trying to But once I was removed from fact, I had never seen a real live design murals, and my mural stylo Morris’ pictures, I began to miss original painting except a few dull happens to look a great deal like them. I found out that I liked brown things at a museum; stuff Rousseau, so that’s what they them!----they really did convey the that would never appear on magazine called me---- "Hi, there, Rousseau!" eerie mood of haunted houses. I covers, painted by people with I worked in a room wherein hung was "getting religion", esthetic- names hard to pronounce, like Bot a lot of Morris Graves’ work; it ally speaking. ticelli, Titian, Vermeer and so on, was just after Morris’ "goat And, getting religion, I was and probably put into the museum period", and he was painting dark, horribly depressed when the other arguing back and forth! But it because nobody would want to have deserted, lopsided old Seattle painters sniffed down their noses wasn’t until I had left that group such junk hanging around in his houses in depressing colors, with at my own work. "Pretty", they’d and gene te New York to work as a own home. a great deal of paint squeezed say condescendingly, "But of course pulp illustrator that I found the My folks disapproved of Art, you directly out of the tube on the it’s commercial." difference between Fine Art and see. The only Art I ever saw was canvas, like a lot of varicolored They never did quite make it illustration. what was on calendars or in maga worms having a convention---- or was clear to me what the sin .consisted The guys in Seattle had called zines. The only reason I ever got it the d. t.s? of, in being commercial. We used illustration a "bastard art", to the museum was that one of my I asked my boss for heaven’s sake to have big arguments pro and con because Fine Art (they said) never Aunt’s suitors thought he’d make a to let me move out of that room commercial art. I maintained that needed any explanation; in fact, a hit with her by introducing me, before I went nuts. Altho I had all art was commercial, since good picture had no need for a her one and only nephew, to "gone modern" to a mild extent, I anything done to make money was title; you could call it "Compos culture. It was a dismal fizzle, still believed that pictures commercial. Now I can define what ition Number Twelve" and it still since I was more interested in the should be attractive, and those they couldn’t, then------fine art is stood on its own feet. But Ice Cream premised at the end of work done for quality’s sake; the illustration couldn’t stand by the trip, and I never again saw a money, if any, is incidental. itself; you had to have words----or museum until after I was 18. And Commercial art is work done to Literary Art---- to explain what the since I was brought up to believe make a buck; if it happens to be picture was all about. And since that my father and stepmother knew good work, fine; but the buck comes illustration was part Art and part best, and they said that Norman first. Literature, it wasn’t a thing by Rockwell was the Best Artist in What they were telling me, of itself. the World, I wasn’t going to fall course, was that my work wasn’t Now this made sense, te a point; for any of that----ugh-----Botticelli good. Maybe it wasn’t. But our but those guys said that Dali and stuff. Not me! discussions led up to the point Tchelitchev were fine art---- and if I’ve been leading up to—which is, you ask me; if any pictures need II what is art and what isn’t art? the aid of words to convey their It seemed my stuff was bad because messages, Dali’s and Tchelitchev’s Well, finally I had left Home it was illustration. I defended certainly do! and Stepmother, and gravitated illustrators by referring to the toward the company of real bona illustrations of William Blake, Ill fide artists, most of ’em long Durer, Rockwell Kent, Kay Neilsen, hairs, most of ’em graduates of and medieval illuminations. These Here’s the difference between art schools. They talked bewild- were oapital-A Art, and still Fine Art and illustration. eringly of Matisse and Picasso and illustrations, weren’t they? Artist Jim Brown decides to paint Rousseau and Seurat. They shud My detractors agreed that they a vampire. He dees a nice gruesome dered at me,, my work, and my ideas were, but they couldn’t tell me job of it, so that a fee-rocious of art. I shuddered right back, why. I then put forth that most critter glares at you out of a but since I was of the minority, I of the pictures of the Renaissance frame and gives you goose pimples. tried to find out about this-here- were illustrations of Greek Myths It has an effect on you; it stirs now Modern Art—I read books about and Bible Tales----and still passed your emotions at sight; it’s art. it (mostly Sheldon Chenoy's, with as great art. But artist Mike Smith decides to a dash of Roger Fry, Meier-Graffo Oh, we had a fine heated time illustrate a story of a vampire. The FANSCIENT FANTASY, ART AND ILLUSTRATION work; they like van Gogh’s heavy IV impasto. (You can spot a phoney by asking him what he thinks of Now there are other things which Breughel, whose work is very tight make or break a picture. I’ve ------if he likes it, which he will seen plenty of so-called Fine Art say he does, because Breughel is entirely devoid of texture, for among the Elect, you can have a instance----and draftsmanship---- aqd lot of fun asking why he condemns design—and related color. There's tightness in other painters.) A lot more to art than meets the For my money, fantasy art simply eye. But I think it's a safe rulo has got to be "tight". A sketch to say that if a picture causes a is a very nice thing, an impression. reaction in you, it's good---- pro But a sketch isn't convincing. vided, of course, it arouses the Not, anyway, when it tries to de action that its painter intended. pict something that never existed, I’ve seen a ghoul on a WEIRD TALES A sketch of a dragon is interest VI cover (by Lee Browne Coye) which ing, but it won't convince you simply made me laugh----it couldn't that dragons exist. Now for a look at the illustra possibly make me shiver—it looked But a tight, photographic paint tions in pulp magazines------fantasy like Mortimer Snerd. ing of a dragon, with every scale illustrations, that is. Are they Then another artist depicted in place, and dirt showing in be art? winged skulls flying around. If I tween the scales, and some of the I’m afraid that most of them waw a winged skull, I wouldn't scales chipped or broken off, and aren't.* Let's look at Richard cower, I'd snicker. How could tho some worn dull by being dragged Roe's work. He has a marvelous thing fly if it had no muscles nor over rough ground------none of which grasp of anatomy; he can make blood supply to enable the wings aould be shown in a sketch------such figures that are very convincing, to operate? How could it see whore a tight, photographic' painting with creases in the skin and bones it was going without eyes? What convinces you that maybe dragons sticking out. His monsters are Ho paints the scene wherein Beau could It do to me if it reached moT do exist---- because the thing looks wonderful----you'd swear they exist. tiful Belinda is soared silly by a It couldn't eat me----no stomach to so real it simply has got to exist. And yet----- vampiro. We see Beautiful Belinda contain me. Naw, I'd just snicker And so I try, in my painting, to His pictures don't hold together. cowering in dread from a ferocious and say, "You’ve had one beer too "make kodaohrernes of tho impos They look wrong, and are wrong, oritter looming over her. And we many, Bub.■ sible". I'm trying to arouse tho because they're off balance, as don't jump out of our skins. The And so we’ve come to Fantasy Art. omotion that the things depicted regards tonal qualities; they lack vampire iait threatening us. He's actually exist somewhere. And I the unity of an overall pattern---- threatening Belinda. Any feeling sincerely believe that what I'm too much detail crammed all in one we may have is derived from making is Fine Art. corner, or a big sweeping line of Belinda’s plight. Thus instead of Thore are all sorts of artwork, movement rushing on and on---- to being stirrod, or of being soared just as there are all sorts of nowhero—right out of the picture. out of ten year’s growth, we’re music or types of books. No Tho lines in a good picture lead getting our emotions second-hand— branch is better than the other, you right back into it, and around, thru Belinda’s plight. despite the claims of pseudo- and over, and under, always bring Find Art, then, speaks to you intolleotuals, who cannot see that ing you back where you started directly. Illustration speaks to "archie and mehitable" is as much from; hypnotic------you can't take you indirectly. But----quite often of a classic as "Ulysses". "Li'l your eyes off the thing. a smart illustrator turns out a Abner" is just as much art------in How about John Doe's work. John hunk of Fine Art without intending its field----atf Holbein's "Dance of evidently can't draw worth beans, to do so; he wants the picture to Death"• because to make a picture he copies have impact on you, so he drops But some of the phoneys think tho head and torso of a nude babe Belinda out of the scene and makes that if a picture's "tight", it from NAUGHTY NUDIE3 MAGAZINE, and the vampire leer at you, tho has to bo bad. They like Matisso, ■ticks on the tail, of a snake observer------as tho you personally who works broadly, with elegant orlbbdd from NATURAL HISTORY MAGA- wore Belinda. brush strokes visible all over his ZHI. The fact that tho girl-part ------35 FANTASY, ART AND ILLUSTRATION------The FAN3CIENT editors", these Jerks consider thing once, blink because you’re illustrations to be diagrams er was lit from above and the snake not sure whether the spots are story-action------as if the readers part was lit from below doesn’t bubbles in the picture, or in your hadn't sense enough to perceive worry John. He then adds a man own eyes, and that’s that. what's going on from the author s copied, line for line from von Of course, John has a snazzy words. They make no attempt to do Stuok’s "Plastiche-Anatcmie", which technique------a lot at 3tlppl! a“ anything except present a lot er was signed by von Stuck, and cross-hatch and scratchboard hood- detallsLno attempt to relate them because there’s some space left, lings. But technique isn’t an end into an overall etteo< or unity, he fills it full of '’arty" little in itself, only a means. Technique just a number of spots cut-out and sparks, sunbursts and bubbles. is only HCW you say a thing-—and nasted-on, like wallpaper design. Just where is the art in this what does it matter how a thing is Sturt like that belongs in Comic procedure? The gal is exactly as said if it’s not worth saying m a camera sees her. Art is not the first place. If a i3 Books. photography of things as they are; dirty and smelly, what’s the sense Art is the accentuation of in decking her out in diamonds and characteristics. The camera sees fUAnd then there’s that matter of just a mangy old oat walking across a street. Art can take that cat, signing John Doe’s monicker to a and by accentuating certain feline drawing swiped from von Stuck and characteristics, convert that cat signed by von Stuck. into something that throws the But you can’t blame John Doe too observer for a loop; an artist can much. He doesn’t get paid enough make that cat a demonic, sinister for his work to warrent going to devil stalking its prey; a woe any great length of effort or begone misfit of a quadruped for originality. The average payment lornly questing an abandoned fish per pulp-fantasy picture is >20. head; a tired aristocrat feebly Thus, to earn $1500 a year, John trying to strut in one last path Doe has to grind out 75 pulp etic attempt at dignity, for cats lustrations every 52 weeks. Speed have dignity—but the camera can’t is paramount. Art? As far as do it unless the operator of the is concerned, art has to be camera is an artist who patiently kept incidental. takes dozens of pictures uhtil he happens to get the right thing------VII and has to discard all the neg atives but one (which is as long, This new guy, Bill Bones, hoes as involved, as just going out and Interesting stuff. I wonder how drawing the oat). long he will last, because he’s And John Doe doesn’t convince. riding a good horse to death. He We know darn well that the snake has a distinctive style---- too dis woman is just an ordinary gal fitted tinctive. You never know from the with a snake's tail. John didn’t picture, what story you’re reading. accentuate the feminine character He uses the same approach to every istics; he could have elongated yarn he illustrates, whether it s the girl’s lines, emphasized the a story that's delicately poetic, slant of her eyes, the length of downright horrible, or brightly her tapering fingers, making her comic. He doesn’t seem to differ ominous and baleful; he could have entiate. We get the same people softened her lines, made her pose in the same surroundings, in the mere drooping and seductive------he same kind of lighting, in the same could have done lots of things, but kind of composition. ne, he just saved time and copied And then there’s a whole a naked babe, period! .t *o—ealled "artist** *»• aren't Composition-pattern? He never artist* at all. Lit* * number of heard of it! You look at the FANTASY, ART AND ILLUSTRATION, Ik The FANSCIENT looks like a linoleum pattern, he VIII is saying: "Lookit how interesting just lines alone can be!" To me, a good illustration is Indeed, artists are advertising something which catches the pro ---- their viewpoints, of course, spective reader’s eye----it areuses editorializing on whatever they’re an emotion in him, generally depicting. A gocd illustrator ad wender plus semething else---- maybe vertises whatever he found inter horror, maybe pleasure, maybe an esting in the story. Sometimes he aoute feeling ef "wrongness", aaybe is stuck with a dull story, and any ene ef a hundred things . If it’s has to (for the purpose of making plain unadulterated illustration, a few bucks) pretend that the he is feroed te read the stery te story was good. In that, case, see what the picture is all about. he’ll point-up the most promising If it is illustratien, but simul aspects of the story. taneously good art, he will want to Then there are some editors who read the story——in the hope that should stick to editing----- but no, it will do the same things to him they’ve got to louse things up. that the picture has done. Artwork makes magazines interest I don’t believe in depicting the ing by breaking up pages of solid action of the story—for one thing, grey type, so by all means let’s it’s repeating something, and I have artwork. If they’d leave it don’t care for repetition. Then, right there, and let the artist too, the reader is supposed to (who presumably knows his business) have a mind, and if he has to have take over, it might be fine. But a diagram to show him what happen no! What sells magazines? Why, when the lizards in the ed, a factual illustration is an lots of sensational stuff, of and get her racket repaired by only ten inches long, and didn t insult to his intelligence. I be course——nokkid girls, lots of manufacturing scale—polish to use thoir teeth and daws to scare lieve that an illustration should blood and gunplay. So let’s have beautify them, which sho calls The the girl, but instead threatened suggest the mood and events of the all we can get of it. Ornkster Process". her with hypnotic suggestion? story, thereby acting much the As an example, lotto pretend that The artist never gets to read the story. The editor calls him same as the "blurb" following the the editor needs a half-age draw IX title of every story. ing fer the yarn, "The Omkster in and says: "Now I want you You might raise the objection Process". This is a funny tale should draw a gorgeous blonde babe. As for my own work, all I can that such a picture is like an ad about the first expedition to Put her up front, real big, soe, do is state what I try to achieve, vertisement---- saying, "Let me sell Iapetus. A girl explorer lands and don’t put any more olothos on whenever circumstances are favor you on this-here-now-story!" among a colony of lizard people. her than you can help. Now behind able. I am for interesting pat Sure it is! But all art, fine Her rocket is busted. The lizards her, stick a lot of godawful look ing lizards----- they’re threatening tern, fer good characterization, or otherwise is advertising! think sho’s an ugly monster, but for a feeling of movement. And Only an idiot or a phoney would she managed to earn their respect her, soe? Make them look real sometimes when I manage to got take time to paint something mean. In en« •* oern!Tf,’ them, the engraver and the coarse, without purpose. When van Gogh stick.a wrecked rocketship. I 11 soft pulp paper fbul up the result. splashes his hues around in a need this day after tomorrow. Why de I stick to fantasy art, rendition of a landscape, he is The artist returns with the pic when it doesn’t keep me decently sayingr "Lookit all the wonderful ture, which is published, and thon supplied with the necessities of colors in Nature! See things as I the funs start squawking. How cone see them!" When Rubens paints the artist had the gal undressed? liWell, for one thing, there’s a lush nudes, he is saying: "Oh boy, The writing distinctly mentioned lot more variety in it than in isn’t flesh alluring, lots and sho was wearing a spaco-suit. How other fields of illustration. One lots of it! Yum! When Picasso come the rocket was shown as cdgar- week you’re drawing Martians, next depicts some oubistio maidens, he shapod when the story said it was week you’to doing lunar exped is saying: "Lookit the rhythm in a globe? How oome those huge itions, and the week after that, the human form; ain’t rhythm fun?" iragons are threatening the girl, When Piet Mendrain draws what 2i ______The FANSGIENT FANTASY, ART AND ILLUSTRATION ______22 y«u»re shewing a dryad emerging was financed by a gangster who I think that If I can make pictures ------pictures showing things not as from a tree. wanted "culture"! which arouse people’s imagination, they are----- which we all know too Straight advertising art pays There’s more of a chance to "get perhaps making them think a little, well------but pictures of things as better, but what a bore! You have established" in the "commercial I’m doing much better than the they might be, and could be; and to submit "roughs"--- loosely drawn field"----- in illustration and ad artist who portrays the crime, maybe by doing so, I can convince yet still fairly explicit versions vertising. Sometimes an artist’s bloodshed and poverty which can be people to start working toward ef the subject you’re stuck with— work "catches on" with the public. found in any newspaper. them. and after the "roughs" are finally And then the poor guy is expected There are some people who, when Most of the time I’m stuck with altered to suit the client, it’s by his doting public to turn out they are unhappy, like to sing stories that are pointless and a almost Impossible to instill any the same thing ever and over----- torch songs. Songs about how waste of words. I try, when spontaneity and design; and the until finally they get bored with abused they are, and what a mean illustrating them, at least to make finished picture shows people him and drop him where they found eld world it is, and so on. I them interesting patterns. One grinning their fool heads off at him. If he paints the same thing loathe torch-songs, and shut them may have to use a privy, but motor-oars and radios nobody would over and ©ver, he’s a "rubber off the radio whenever they come there’s no reason why he can’t use want to be caught dead with. stamp", and commercial as all get- on, because when a gal wails, "Now a privy of tasteful design. "Fine Art"-Gallery Art—Museum out—wanting to keep in the money. laughing friends deride me, and I think I’d be happiest design stuff—exhibition pictures-----are Esthetically, Harrison Fisher, I cannot hide my tears," I keep ing furniture and tableware; if I swell. Every real artist hopes Rockwell Kent, Bradshaw Crandall, thinking, "Well, if you’d stop had life to live all over again, I to devote all his time to them----- Norman Rockwell and countless that feeling sorry for yourself, think I’d be an architect. Not someday. But unless he has other •thers were ekay until the public and go to a beauty shop, and find having any training in Mechanical means of income, or has been pro demanded that they keep on doing something interesting to talk drawing, I think it’s a bit late moted by,dealers into being a "Big the same thing over and over. about, you wouldn’t be in the spot to start in at my age. and so itb Name"----he just can’t do it.. And But illustration----especially you’re in." fun to invent architecture and dealers of course are out to make fantasy illustration------demands And I think art that concen furniture and fashions all my own, money; they wait until a guy’s on variety. So I stick to it. The trates on graft, and corruption, in fantasy illustrations. the brink of death before they more fool I. And since some and death, and poverty and all And I like to think that perhaps start advertising him; once he’s editors don’t dictate how to draw sorts of ills----is like that. Who I’m having a bit of influence on dead, they can unload to collectors a fantasy illustration, I can wants to hang up a picture of a the kids who read the pulps. If I (at fancy prices) stuff they got oftimes throw in a lot of "quality" butchered man in their living room give them as much good taste as almost for free----- the artist is that I aould never get-away-with ----to stare at day after day? possible, in my work, they might dead and can’t turn out any more in advertising art. Several times Such a person is either a psycho get slightly in the habit of want works to glut the market with his I passed off pure abstractions as path or stupid. ing and expecting it, thereby in- type of stuff. And collectors buy illustrations! Boy, how smart I But there are some people who, finitesmally raising public stand pictures mainly for resale pur felt! when they feel lbw, sing happy ards. poses, not because they personally And I’m a violently Imaginative songs, or work songs, and snap out And I think that if nothing else, like the work. No kidding, many person. I like to draw, to photo of their depression. And I like my work has proved one thing------people buy pictures because "they graph some of the things my. imag to make pictures with that effect I can dream, can’t I? match my new living room walls"---- ination sees. I’ve tried other instead of building the living jobs, and was a dismal flop at room around the picture! And some them, because they didn’t offer people buy the picture because leeway for my imagination, and also they like the frame it’s in---- it because I had specialized at draw just fits with the antique chairs! ing for so long that I’ve become If people bought pictures for incapable of doing anything else. the interest in their pictorial I’ve been criticized because I content, I’m sure that the Art don’t draw pictures with "social Departments of the big department content". But I’m convinced that stores .would go broke. If an my work has a lot of social con artist wants to do gallery art, he tent. The mere fact that I don’t usually has to dig up a patron------draw crime, misery and sadism some rich Beauty Shop operator who should show that I disapprove of needs a pet artist to show-off to them, since an .artist draws only her friends (as one "Big Name" what he’s interested in------if he’s artist did); and another "Big Name" anything at all of an artist. And 40 The FANSCIENT THB "FUTURE" OF SCIENCE-FICTION and it adds that peculiar, indescrib able spice of enjoywent. Both science fiction and fantasy have an infinite The "Future” of nuaber of possible backgrounds and characters, widely differing froa the here and now. Yet science fiction has hardly begun to exploit all the possible SCIENCE-FICTION (and even probable) futures. The major science fiction magazines use stories which deal with a very saall percentage of the probable worlds. Let's look at the general background ky lambert becker bases of some of the aost coaaon types of stories. First, the complex tech nical civilization. At soae distant, future date, civilization has evolved into a highly stratified, coaplicated was the late Robert Howard, altho his stories were projected into the past vh.t n y rer °f scien« technical State, a governaent aore or rather than the future. Another read, 7 «ives hi" Kre“t" less deaocratic, with auch the saae M , PLeasure that any other for. cultural attitudes and habits as at faaous writer of this style was J. U. Giesy, author of the "Jason" series. , Ask the fantasy aftc. present. Such authors as E. E. Saith, h°"“° -diens hoXes of A. E. van Vogt, Robert Heinlein and The third type is eabodied in •“ U books and magaziaes away Isaac Asiaov have exploited this type the "Noble Savage", the uncivilized hrs attic, eve„ buying two cop.J of future world to the fullest, or barbaric culture which dwells in ° each issue so that there is no dwelling elaborately on crises in the ruins of once-glorious New York. peaaihality of losing a copy. Indeed, the history of such worlds and adding Perhaps the barbarisa has lifted ■ost real fans would hardly know how coaplexity on coaplexity. slightly, leaving saall city-states to answer such a question, so absurd The second aost coaaon projection holding the land, fiercely warring “Ould It seen. "Read it yourself„ into the future is the absolute mon with their neighbors and striving for they would say, "And whe„ yo„ sUrt archy JjKZjJPa^beloved of both science doainance. collecting magazines and going to fictiok^'cn.i authors. This This exhausts barely half the Illustrated by WILLIAM ROTSLER conventions, then see if you can an- world \abZpes--mych of***!^ culture of zj^^ibilities for future governaents. swer such a silly question." our pres^ fcti of tiae~^3t7»4**- Rawing only the past, as we do, it However, sone would not hesitate dealing with alien subjects, and the contains ^clkiurtt\£nd' kfng j^Mnis^W^iy •%/difficult to postulate future gov- to tell the inquirer that it is the weirdly fascinating subjects dealt of 1 ernaents based on future events and endless variety of background, the with in the stories. Such variety, ■tvf " 5T Way njt I be a'p?lfestnood, not on our present culture and fora peculiar twists one can find in plots they claim, can be found nowhere else plete wiM^aXired idol. The g^^Gat^ 'Bf governaent. We are not even sure on earth in any form of literature, exponent of this fora of fiction that our own civilization will sur- 42 Vive, Buch less dominate the future. The FANSCIENT THE "FUTURE" OF SCIENCE FICTION It would be just as reasonable and culture is L. Sprague de Camp, and he ------±1 has rather compromized with destruc group of these vital young ladies for probable that women a thousand years just as probable to write of a cul tion, leaving all future nations on the Australian youth to choose from. from now will regard the wearing of ture based on that of the Hindus, the The religion of the future civ lipstick as something "ugly and un Chinese, or even the Eski.osl Human more or less of an equal footing. There is yet to be a human hero in ilizations of the world has also been civilized"---perhaps by that time the history has taken many unobvious science fiction who is not of Eng left reladively untouched by author's Indonesian custom of tattooing the paths in the past, wiping out great lish, American or Northern European hands. The religious practices of face and torso completely will be sprawling empires which seemed to the "savage" peoples of the future fashionable, or even the African cus have every chance to survive and ancestry. This is, of course, ex cluding heroes of alien races, devel usually has to do with cruel idois, tom of cutting neat patterns of scars prospering little outland tribes, oped by the author. withered priests and the blood in the skin of the face and back. until they were masters of their world . sacrifice of lovely yoilng ladies------It is just as possible that the Srh was the case of Persia and Egypt. apparently for the purpose of making young beauty whom Our Hero goes Great Egypt had existed for four a leading illustration for the story. forward in time to see will shave thousand years of known and recorded Actually, most so-called "primitive her head and cover it with concentric peoples" have very little of the circles of green paint in order to human sacrifice in their nature, and hold her man. their "vicious" gods are not con In taking L. bprague de Camp's Such a concept stories of the Zamba world for would be unthinkable to sidered vicious by them. Some of the ■any science fiction readers real religious concepts of simple publication, SCIKNCK FICTION magazine a Chinese, Hindu or negro hero... peoples make more interesting reading has begun a policy which might lead Yet there are many fascinating than any dreamed up to date by science to the introduction of some of the plots which could be developed fro. fiction and fantasy authors. untouched concepts named above. How a non-caucasian, non-American future. Nor have the possibilities of ever, the average reader of some of Most of these plots are yet to be dress and adornment of future peoples the other magazines might not be able written and utilized----- a wealth of been adequately (and scientifically) to stand it----- indeed he yells if the untouched material. written into stories. The covers and heroine is anything but a nllk-and- An interesting concept which inside pictures of most magazines honey blonde in a short version of a tiny country ruled by a shadowy king. Plays a vital part in some cultures follow today's customs and dress well French bathing suit. Which is all Then came Cyrus to the Persian throne, (and is relatively unimportant in our enough----only less of it. The covers right, too. and his grandson Canbyses dictated own) is kinship. Among the Australian of the Standard Publication pulps Thus, science fiction has a long peace from the throne in Memphis to aborigines one finds tremendous im have even begun to show girls with way to go before it begins to cone an astounded Egyptian populace. portance placed on the precise relat the short hairdo that is the vogue close to the end of its possible (and It could happen here I ionship of one man to another. In now. However, it is highly improbable interesting) futures. Nor has it It is not a pleasant prospect, the central Australian deserts, the that our present customs will contin exploited the vast variety of social, and it is one which most science fic only person a nan can marry---- under ue and be taken up by the future religious and political complexes which are to be found in other parts tion authors have studiously ignored. pain of death------is one's mother's inhabitants of the world. Only such famous authors as Heinlein ("Beyond of the world. There is a tremendous The only writer of real importance mother's brother's daughter's daugh who to date has written of this This Horizon") and L. bprague de Camp lot to come, and so to the reader who ter! However, due to their kinship possible submergence of our present in his "-Zamba" series have come close reads science fiction because of its structure, there is usually a whole to adopting different customs for intense variety of story, we say: their characters. In fact, it is "You haven't seen anything yet!" ONE AGAINST NEGATION
ONE er Drift. Reversing the polarity reacted like an electric motor AGAINST whose .polos aro rover sod. A slow ing, a stop, then rotation in the opposite direction. But on a ship NEGATION cutting diagonally through the lines of tho drift at tremendous called government. Under many speods the static was terrific. names they all dictated a meaning The effect of the brake was un less thing called Equality and known. Sho brake mi ft do nothing Freedom. Some wore called Monar ----or anything. chies, some called Communistic- For instance it might actually states but tho brand dictated by work. Jak shuddered. Reversing his government was called Democra polarity suddenly mlft reverse cy. Enough was enouf. The Free his direction in tho same ratio. peoples struck. Success and the In his insulated cabin he might bulk of the worlds peoples were suddenly become only a thin layer with them. But the armed forces of organic matter coating the for JAK PARKY threw full load oi. in a pitched battle. And some workod with tho governments which ward bulkhead. the starboard nullifiors. The ship’ where in that dark cloud the lit sought to protect only those who Tho eyes on his tail wore close quivered like a live thing and tle island that hold the salvation profited directly from the systems, now. The Rodon clicked like the went into a tight helix. In his of tho Free People was hidden. "fell- calculated raids by both voico of fate. Seven---- , six and earphones he heard the static of Tensely he lot the eyes creep up sides proved profitable and furni one half----, six----- . Time ! His tho Ether Drift chatter across the on his tail. The Rodon ticked off shed subsistence. 3ien an exiled mind cried it. His hand plunged. smooth hull as it slipped sideways the nerciless distance. Ten----, sciontist sont word that he had The hull screamed as tho static across tho current. In the rear nino and one half---- , sift. Ills perfected a new Destroyer in his whipped across it. Every plate view-sifter ho saw two glaring clawed hand poised ovor tho brake hidden retreat in the dark cloud. sang lilce a harft string in tho eyes that watched him hungrily. button. Almost within range dann Jak had gone to got it only to be hand of a giant. The ship, now Thoy narked the glowing hulls of ’em. ’.'Jell lot ’em come, he’d pull set upon by nine patrollers. negative to the Ether Drift, arch two renaining patrollers. His the last trick yet. Remorseless He must escape. Ihe new brand ed like a bow------and stopped. eyos Planed with hate. ’Veil it ly tho oyes crept closer. of the same old tyranny to be set Jak Parny did not see the pa was bettor than seven. Only two It was a crazy thing ho intended up by his Free Peoples depended trollers go by. They passed in an with their guns dead on hin. The to do. Tho speed of his crate ex upon it. Tho new brand of Freedom instant of time, in a ten-thousan rest must have reacted too slowly ceeded that of light. As one of might be an improvement on the old. dth of a second. In a few moments and were now lost in the dark tho newest jobs that rode the Anyhow he had to escape, to save the wash of their space warp ham cloud. If he could elude these force-linos called the Ether Ekdft, his own life if nothing else. mered behind them like a thousand two and hide in the dark cloud him- it was among the fastest ships on So he intended to use his new meteors. Jak Parny did not hear seIf,they would nover find hin. He the spaceways. Unfortunately tho brake. Ohls device changod its this either. Jak Parny and his would have a chance. If not----he Patrol had thorn too. Damn them. own polarity. It was designed to ship ceased to exist in a throe was too lightly armed to last long Automatons of a soulless machine be used only in fields correspon dimensional universe. ding with the polarity of tho Eth END The FANSCIENT wobbled...... but still science-fic THE GROSSET A DUNLAP tion and fantasy disappeared from the retail shelf. And then came SCIENCE-FICTION CLASSICS the stasis. Now Science Fiction’s Bless L. Ron Hubbard and dianet- ics for breaking the deadlock. A THE ISLAND OF CAPTAIN SPARROW by literal deluge of hard-bound imag S. Fowler Wright. Grosset & ination and science poured over Dunlap. 298 pages. $1.00 1950 the parched and long-suffering fen. And at long last....mighty Grosset Famous Books only $1 FURY by Henry Kuttner. Grosset & & Dunlap put out four permanent Dunlap. 186 pages. $1.00 1950 volumes at one dollar each....a price within even the reach of a THE WORLD OF A by A. E. van Vogt. high school student. A decent Grosset & Dunlap. New York. distribution was assured, and 246 pages. $1.00 1950 review copies were sent out for publicity’s sake. Herewith the THE HUMANOIDS by Jack Williamson. first quartet: Grosset 1107 BROADWAY, NEW TORE 10, M. Y. (TWBNTY-FOUBTH STIEET) CHELSEA 2-1600 The FANSCIENT ______12 The_ZANSCIPTT THE HOUSE THAT STOOD STILL by A. down affer all that build-up. Then E. van Vogt. Greenberg, Publisher, too, as has happened occasionally New York. 1950 |2.5O. before in his stories, a few of the tag ends get left dangling, to This new novel, not previously leave a faint feeling of dissatis published in a magazine version, faction after one has finished the is typical of what his admirers tale. For example, just what sort have come to expect from van Vogt. of electronic equipment did those While not the best to come from cords lead to inside of the clay his pen, it is nonetheless a images? There is a scene in which swiftly paced and engrossing tale the hero examines them but is un that the reader will have diffi able to determine their function culty in laying down once he has without breaking the images, then been ensnared in its pages. the subject is never brought up The story opens with attorney again. Allison Stephens representing the In the resolution of this story, home-town interests of the Tanahill van Vogt again resorts to the deus estate, owner of far flung inter ex machina. While this is oftimes ests thruout California. As the a valid plot mechanism, it seems tale progresses he becomes aware more satisfactory if the hero can of a web of intrigue and mystery solve his own problems, rather centering about the Tannahill than having aid handed to him when residence, the Grand House. Built the going gets tough. by some unknown race, long gone, The binding and typography of it is the prize of series of plots this volume is pleasing, but a involving the return of a "dead" little more thought and artistry man in the guise of his nephew, expended on the jacket would un numerous masquerades and the at doubtedly pay dividends to the pub tempts of one woman to forestall lisher in increased sales. an atomic war. "The House that Stood Still" is In the first chapter, Stephens a book that will be enjoyed by all rescues this woman, Mistra Lanett, who have liked van Vogt’s magazine beautiful and immortal, from tort stories. In addition, it should ure at the hands of a mysterious prove palatable to the new reader group and his increasing interest in the field of science-fiction, in her leads him into involvement as there is no "heavy science" to Pictured with the immortals of whom she is slow him down. one. Possessing spaceships and a —Donald B. Day host of mysterious powers, as well as great financial and other power YOUTH WALKS ON THE HIGHWAY by in the community, they first scorn Richard Albert Wetjen. Ill. by the pitting of his merely human John Alan Maxwell. Ben Abrahamson, ingenuity against them. He is 70 pages |10.00 1946. Henry W. first ignored as being.harmless, only arousing them as he penetrates According to the jacket blurb, deeply into their secrets. "This is a story of youth’s first This story abounds with the experience of passionate love; the "wheels within wheels" and the in bewilderment of youth’s sexual Chabot tricacies of plot structure that hunger, of primal passion followed have become a trademark of the van by a Dionesiac frenzy that subsides Bringing the gifts of one of the great modern poets to fantasy writing, Clark Vogt story. At times one might into a larger view of love’s amaz Ashton Smith excells in the delineation of the other worldly. Perhaps no wish for some slight lessening of ing possibilities". where, is the contrast of the meeting of man with the completely alien better the intricacy, especially when the In elegant prose the author denouement seems a bit of a let- (Continued on Page 62) exemplified than in THE VAULTS OF YOH-VOMBIS, truly a CLASSIC OF FAKTAST. The FAM3CIENT maAOTIHIdm, rjuiouiaiu x Aurraum L. Sprague de Camp In the last couple of years, science thru his articles in some a host of new friends hare joined two dozen different magazines, his many old ones to rejoice in both popular and scholarly. He the return to the fantasy field of has also sold many book reviews L. Sprague de Camp, author of many and radio scripts, has done ghost of the most enjoyable stories in writing and is the author of two the silence-fiction field. textbooks, "Inventions and Their One of the mainstays of UNKNOWN Management" (with Alfred K. Berle, WORLDS in its heyday, ha has also International Textbook Co., Scran appeared enjoyably in ASF and a ton, 1937) and "The Evolution of number of other magazines with a Naval Weapons" (U. S. Government, number of their most memorable 1947). Mr. de Camp also lectures stories and articles. Few who professionally. have read them will forget such Mr. de Camp is best known for stories as "None But Lucifer" (on his humorous stories. Many of the which he collaborated with H. L. more recent ones are set in a Gold) and "The Undesired Princess" background that includes the or such articles as "Language for planet Krishna, site of his Decent Time Travelers". ASF serial, "The Hand of Zei". In addition to his fantasy As for his plans for the future, writing, Mr. de Camp has aided in we'll let Mr. de Camp tell you about popularizing various branches of them. ----The Editor I was born in New York City various odd jobs in between---- saw forty-odd years ago and educated mill hand, chainman on a surveying in various parts of the country, crew, and draftsman, for instance— but mere in Southern California and had travelled in North America, than anywhere else. In 1933 I Europe and Asia. So when a man found myself with degrees in aero offered me a job as editor and (I nautical engineering and in econ suppose you'd call it) consulting omics at a time when engineers were patent engineer I grabbed it. still being fired faster than they For the next five years I held were being hired. I had worked at several such jobs with publishing 52______— The FANSCIENT L, SPRAGUE de CAMP Biography______and educational institutions. For suits were sometimes tested. thirty-odd other non-fiction books mention Burroughs, Dunsany, Ed- a year I was principal of the Since then I’ve gone back to such as Abu *1 Fida’s "Geographie dison, Thorne Smith and Wodehouse. School of Inventing and Patenting turning out copy at an average d’Aboulfeda"; Bok, "The Milky Way"; I also learned a lot from the of the International Correspondence rate of a quarter-million words a Bonestell 4 Ley, "The Conquest of Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Schools. In addition to the pub year, nearly all of which I sell. Space"; Brown, "The Story of Maps"; where I was a fellow in 1941 and licity, textbook and trade-journal In 1959 I married a beautiful Butler, "The Myth of the Magus"; which I have revisited since. writing that comprised part of my blonde named Catherine Crooke. Chatterton, "Sailing Ships"; Davis, My attitude toward my profession jobs I started on fiction in 1956. Eleven years later we’re still "A Day in Old Athens"; Dixon, "The is frankly commercial. I write My first efforts were a short married and have a red-haired nine- Building of Cultures"; Duncan, primarily to make a living and story, "The Hairless Ones Come", year-old son who shows every sign ■Astronomy"; Durant, "The Life of secondarily because I like writing (which appeared in a now defunct of becoming a science-fiction fan. Greece"; Pratt, "The Third King"; and like to be self-employed and magazine of historical adventure We own a house in Wallingford, Thevenin, "Les Pays Legendaires"; to work by myself. I don’t mean Mtories, GOLDEN FLEECE) and a Pennsylvania (a Philadelphia sub Thompson, "Studies in the Odyssey"; that I am an unprincipled scoundrel novel, "Genus Homo", in collabor urb between Swarthmore and Media) 4c., 4o. At the moment I’m deep who will do anything for money; ation with P. Schuyler Miller and and cope with crab-grass, con in Perkins’ "Elements of Police but I know of no reason why writers recently published in book form. tractors and cocktail parties like Science". I also read regularly haven’t as much right to eat as When I saw that first check, my other bourgeois suburbanites. about 26 magazines (half of them other people. On the other hand I reaction was: This certainly beats I wouldn’t say that I had any science-fiction) and two news wouldn’t advise anybody to go into working; why hasn’t somebody told special hobbies, but I have betimes papers. the field unless he has a pretty me about it before? Hence in 1958 gone in for many games, sports and I work about 60 hours a week and strong urge; it’s a tough racket, I quit editing for full-time free hobbies, not so much as ends in belong to the careful, systematic and while it has great compen lance writing, and except for the themselves as to expand my own school of writers who meticulously sations it also entails great war years have been at it ever experiences to use in my writing. outline everything before starting frustrations and disappointments. since. With the sale of "The Thus one year I may be taking up and rewrite it at least once after I*»e had my share of both successes Command" (the first Johnny Black Spanish, the next shorthand and it’s done. It takes me anywhere and failures, and at that I’ve story) I found I could make money the next square-dancing. As a up to six weeks to plot a novel, gotten off easily compared to some being funny, which neither I nor result I can do quite a lot of but on final draft I turn out people. my friends would have suspected, things more or less badly; fencing, thirty or more pages a day. One Perhaps you’d like to know what as in private life I’m a rather archery, horseback riding, home of my little tricks is that when I I have id the works. Any time now serious gent. In fact my non photography and sign-painting, for lay a story in an imaginary setting the Fantasy Publishing Co. should admirers have called me a stuffed instance. In case anybody is (like Krishna) I invent a language bring out my old novel, "The shirt, and not altogether without planning a pass at Catherine, I’m for it with logical grammar and Undesired Princess". Then about reason. a passably good shot with almost phonetics. Being a pretty good January Prime Press will publish During World War II I was first any kind of hand firearm. I’m amateur phonetician, I base the my non—-fiction book, "Lost a civilian engineer for the U. S. active in several clubs and phonetics of my language on that of Continents: The Atlantis Theme in Navy and then an officer (Lt., Lt. societies, mostly of a literary a real language. Hence, Gozash- History, Science and Literature". 'Comdr.) in the Naval Reserve. My nature; and travel when I get the tandou is a kind of pig-Persian, This is 90,000 words of text and work was what in romantic moments chance. Right now I’m polishing and Avtinyk (in "Rogue Queen") a 20,000 of appendices and other end I call being a mad scientist my French for a hoped-for visit to kind of pig-Welsh. I have made matter, and excerpts have appeared inventing secret weapons, which Europe en famille next year. Very little use of pseudonyms in my recent articles in ASF and gives no idea of the paper-work I read a lot, sometimes for fun because my own name sounds more GSF. After that, Doubleday will and frustration involved in the and sometimes in connection with like a literary pseudonym than publish another novel, "Rogue process. Bob Heinlein and Isaac my work. In the last year I’ve most pseudonyms do. Queen", which is told from the Asimov worked in the same place as read a lot of hard-cover science I keep branching out, trying new viewpoint of a female e. t. and is technical civil-service employees, fiction and fantasy stories; a few things, trying to break into new all about love. Willy Ley and I though it is not true (as a writer detective stories; about twenty markets, trying to learn more are collaborating on a non-fiction for the late PHILADELPHIA RECORD lost-continent novels (by Ashton, about writing technique, on the book about geographical legends asserted) that we three were put Birkmaier, Bond, Cox 4c.); some theory that competition is getting (Sinbad, Prester John, 4c.), and to work on a space-suit project prophetic 19th-century science- tougher all the time and a writer I’m working on stories of various and made a hash of it. The nearest fiction novels (by Donnelly, who stands still will find himself lengths, including two book-length any of us got to space-suits was Bellamy, Wells, Ao.); in Classical stranded. Sometimes my experiments novels (at least one of which will that at various times I had charge literature, parts of Aristophanes, work and sometimes they don’t. My probably be published in 1951) and of the Laboratory’s cold-room and Pausanias, Plutarch, Polybius, writing has been influenced by too one collaboration with Fletcher altitude chamber in which pressure Thucydides, and Xenophon; and many people to list, but I might Pratt. I’m also revising Berle’s ______The FANSCIENT Lt SPRAGUE de CAMP Bibliography and my old textbook on inventions Krishna novels as book-originals; Humor in Science Fiction (article) OF WORLDS BEYOND, Fantasy Press 1947 and patents for its third edition. I should like to make an endless Hyperpilosity Astounding S F Apr. 1938 While I don’t know if there will series of them a la Tarzan. INCOMPLETE ENCHANTER, THE (Book) N Henry Holt, New York 1941 be any more Krishna magazine So, you see, I keep busy, which INCOMPLETE ENCHANTER, THE (Book) N Prime Press, Philadelphia 1950 serials, I may, if sufficiently is how I like it. (Consisting of "The Roaring Trumpet" 4 "The Mathematics of Magic", encouraged by readers, write more ---- L. Sprague de Camp with Fletcher Pratt) ** Incorrigible, The *** Astounding S F Jan. 1939 Inspector’s Teeth, The * Astounding S F Apr. 1950 INDEX to FANTASY and SCIENCE-FICTION STORIES by L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP Invaders from Nowhere Startling Stories Aug. 1941 Isolinguals, The Astounding S F Sep. 1937 Juice Super Science Stories May 1940 Title Magazine Date Justinian Jugg's Patent (article) Astounding S F Deo. 1940 Ananias Dynamic"”Stories Apr-May 1939 Justinian Jugg’s Patent (article) Astounding (British) Dec. 1940 Animal-Cracker Plot, The * Astounding S F July 194? Land of Unreason, The N Unknown Worlds Oct. 1941 Asokore Power Super Science Stories Nov. 1940 Land of Unreason, The N Unknown (British) Win. 1946 Best-Laid Scheme, The Astounding S F Feb. 1941 LAND OF UNREASON, THE (book) N Henry Holt 4 Co., New York 1942 Best-Laid Scheme, The Astounding (British) Feb. 1941 (with Fletcher Pratt) Blue Giraffe, The Astounding S F Aug. 1939 Lands of Yesterday (article) Galaxy S F Nov. 1950 Blue Giraffe, The Astounding (British) Aug. 1939 Language for Time Travelers (art) Astounding S F July 1938 CARNELIAN CUBE, THE (Book) N Gnome Press, N. Y. $3.00 1948 Last Drop, The Astonishing Stories Nov. 1941 (with Fletcher Pratt) (with L. Ron Hubbard) Castle of Iron, The ** N Unknown Apr. 1941 Lest Darkness Fall N Unknown Dec. 1939 Castle of Iron, The ** N Unknown (British) July 1941 Lest Darkness Fall N Unknown (British) Deo. 1939 CASTLE OF IRON, THE ♦♦ (Book) N Gnome Press, N. Y. 1950 LEST DARKNESS FALL (book) N Henry Holt 4 Co., New York (with Fletcher Pratt) LEST DARKNESS FALL (book) N Prime Press, Philadelphia 1949 Colorful Character, The * Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec. 1949 Living Fossil Astounding S F Feb. 1939 Command, The *** Astounding 3 F Oct. 1938 Long Tailed Huns, The (art-2 pt) Astounding S F Jan. 1942 Continent Makers, The * N Thrilling Wonder Stories Apr. 1951 Lost Continents (article) Natural History Magazine May 1946 Contraband Cow, The Astounding S F July 1942 Mathematics of Magic, The N Unknown Aug. 1940 Design for Life (drticle-2 parts) Astounding S F May 1939 Mathematics of Magic, The N Unknown (British) Aug. 1940 Divide and Rule (2 parts) N Unknown Apr. 1939 (with Fletcher Pratt) DIVIDE AND RULE (book) Fantasy Press, Reading, Pa. 1948 Mayan Elephants, The (article) Astounding 3 F June 1950 (with "The Stolen Doormouse") 13.00 Merman, The Astounding S F Dec. 1938 Emancipated, The *** Astounding S F Mar. 1940 Mr. Arson Unknown Worlds Deo. 1941 Exalted, The Astounding S F Nov. 1940 Mr. Arson Unknown (British) Spr. 1949 Exalted, The *** Astounding (British) Nov. 1940 None But Lualfer N Unknown Sep. 1939 Finished * Astounding S F Nov. 19*7 None But Lucifer N Unknown (British) Sep. 1939 Gavagan’s Bar (with H. L. Gold) Elephas Frumenti Fantasy & Science-Fic Wln-Spr 1950 Nothing in $he Rules Unknown July 1939 The Gift of God Fantasy A Science-Fic Win-Spr 1950 Nothing in the Rules From Unknown Worlds 1948 The Better Mousetrap Fantasy 4 Science-Fic Dec. 1950 Queen of Zamba, The (2 parts) ♦ N Astounding S F Aug. 1949 (with Fletcher Pratt) Reluctant Shaman, The Thrilling Wonder Apr. 1947 Genus Homo N Super Science Novels Mar. 1941 Roaring Trumpet, The ** N Unknown May 1940 GENUS HOMO (Book) N Fantasy Press, Reading, Pa. 1950 Roaring Trumpet, The ** N Unknown (British) May 1940 (with P. Schuyler Miller) (with Fletcher Pratt) Get Out and Get Under (art-2 pt) Astounding S F Dec. 1942 Science of Whithering, The Astounding S F July 1940 Ghosts of Melvin Pye, The Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec. 1946 (2 part article) Git Along ♦ Astounding S F Aug. 1950 Sea King’s Armored Division, The Astounding S F Sep. 1941 Gnarly Man, The Unknown Jone 1939 (2 part article) Great Floods, The (article) Astounding S F Oct. 19*9 Solomon’s Stone N Unknown Worlds June 1942 Hairless Ones Come, The Golden Fleece Jan. 1939 Solomon’s Stone N Unknown (British) Sum. 1949 Hand of Zei; The (4 parts) N Astounding S F Oct. 1950 Space Suit, The (article) Astounding S F Mar. 1948 Hardwood Pile, The Unknown Sep. 1940 Stolen Dormouse, The (2 parts) N Astounding S F Apr. 1941 Hibited Man, The Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct. 1949 Stolen Dormouse, The N Astounding (British) Arp. 1941 The FANSCIENT Summer Wear * Startling Stories May 1950 There Ain’t No Such!(article-2 pt) Astounding S F Nov. 1959 Throwback Astounding S F Mar. 19*9 Throwback Astounding (British) Jan. 1950 Undesired Princess, The N Unknown Worlds Feb. 1942 Unwritten Classics (article) Saturday Review of Lit Mar. 29, 1947 Warrior Race, The Astounding S F Oct. 1940 Warrior Race, The Astounding (British) Oct. 1940 Wheels of If, The Unknown Oct. 1940 Wheels of If, The Unknown (British) Oct. 1940 WHEELS OF IF AND OTHER SCIENCE Shasta Publishers, Chicago 1948 FICTION (book) I5.00 Why Do They Do It? (article)1 Astounding S F Sep. 1950 NORWESCON REPORT Continued Wide-Open Planet * Future Sep- Oct. 1950 Wisdom of the East, The Unknown Worlds Aug. 1942 DIMENSION X transcription following which veteran auctioneer Mel Korahai Wisdom of the East, The Unknown (British) Win. 1945 started with the auction. On sale were some 150 items, mostly from You Too Can Be a Nostradamus (art) Esquire Dec. 1942 Ray Palmer’s OTHER WORLDS, IMAGINATION and FATE, in addition to mater (THE WOLF LEADER by Alexander Dumas ((Allanson Translation)) Edited by ial from ASTOUNDING S F, PLANET, MARVEL, SUPER SCIENCE, FANTASTIC and with an introduction by L. Sprague de Camp. Prime Press, 1950) NOVELS, FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES and The FANSCIENT, as well as donations from numerous fans and proa. Prices on individual items STORY under the name of LYMAN R. LYON were not as high as at some previous auctions, with the top price of |54 paid by Phil Barker for the DEAR DEVIL cover from OTHER WORLDS. Employment Astounding B F May 1959 For the benefit of the younger and poorer fans, threw out a bunch of illustrations for from 25£ to |1.50, but in spite of this, the auction, (*) “Krishna-Vishnu" series. (*•) "Harold Shea-Reed Chalmers" series. which lasted till after midnight took in a total of |6O2.OO. (*♦*) "Johnny Black".series. (N) Novel. The SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 fanzine session had been sched This bibliography assembled from material from the files of L. Sprague uled in the morning on the de Camp, S. G. Norman Ashfield and Donald B. Day. MORNING assumption that only a few would be interested in it, but Fanzines the turnout was good and it better in hard covers. proved one Of the most success THE GROSSETyA DUNLAP AFTERNOON ful sessions of the NORWESCCN. With such a wealth of fine Bob Tucker, Rosco Wright, Ray SCIENCE-FICTION CLASSICS fhntasy and science-fiction scream "Authors on the Spot" Nelson, George Finnigan, ing to be blessed with hard cover, Coswalt and myself gave brief (Continued.) the very poor "Humanoids" by Jack Panel: "Titles in Hard-Covers" talks on phases with which we Williamson somehow slipped into were most familiar and this was value---- not for its readability. the hands of Grosset & Dunlap’s EVENING followed by a discussion on selection board, and thence into various problems of fanzine Not much need be said about van the hard-bound, one-dollar quartet. The "Matter Radio" publishing and policy. Vogt’s "World of A". This proves Williamson writes some mighty fine Thru the absolute fallacy of "never the fiction, but the tale of the Dianetics one of those snafus common to Twain shall meet"------that is, fan battered, bleeding Forester, and affairs of this kind, the tasy and science-fiction. Here is his struggle against perfection in MIDNIGHT program for Sunday afternoon an utterly fantastic story of a civilization, leaves the reader got omitted from the PROGRAM group of oft-murdered people who cold and somewhat reluctant to DESTINATION MOON Preview BOOKLET. In spite of this, a return to life with bewildering plunge into additional science good crowd was present to hear frequency, and who propose axioms fiction. This flummery....even at all the authors present speak briefly on what they were doing and their with scientific accuracy. Also a a buck.... should be purchased only plans for the future. Among those heard f^om Were "Doc" Smith, Ted Grosset &. Dunlap one dollar edi if one is determined to have Sturgeon, John 4 Dorothy de Courcy, Rog Phillips, Howard Browne, tion, this is a neccessity if one everything published by anyone for Anthony Boucher, Forrie Ackerman, E. Everett Evans, Arthur G. Stangland. is short the ASTOUNDING printing. placement on the interplanetary Mack Reynolds and Bob Tucker. Superior in pulp, A. E. looks even shelf. --- Dale C. Donaldson 58 The FANSCIENT The NORWESCON REPORT______59 Following this, Mack Reynolds acted as debate) ROCKETSHIP XM, as well as one asking John Carlos Minnotti to moderator for a panel consisting of E. E. Smith representing the authors, write an opera around Heinlein’s GREEN HILLS OF EARTH. Slaughtered was Mel Korshak for the publishers, Anthony Boucher for the editors and Rick Sneary’s resolution that the NJF should conduct the voting for Bob Tucker representing the fans. They discussed whether the most future convention sites. suitable titles had been selected for hard-cover presentation. Bidding for the 1951 convention site was The opened by Harry Moore, presenting the New Orleans bid, seconded by MhoR- evening session led off with a lecture-demonstration by John de Courcy Reynolds. George Young put in a surprise bid for Detroit (as late as of the first practical "Matter Transmitter"*. After explaining the the first day of the convention, they hadn’t planned to bid), seconded principle involved (C2RA«P*), inventor de Courcy unveiled the machine, by Ray Nelson and others. Will Sykora put in a bid for New York on a fabulous collection of dials, switches, lights and levers, wfiich behalf of the QSFL. After a number of people had spoken on behalf of when activated emitted an unbelievable caphony of hums, whines and various bidders (including Mel Korshak, who lost Detroit several votes howls. Transporting, as his first demonstration, his wife from an by citing a smoke-filled-room agreement at the TORCON as a reason upstairs hotel room was successful on the spatial co-ordinates but a Detroit should get it), the balloting was held. Tellers Rog Phillips, lag in the time element produced her clad only in a bath towel. Mari Beth Wheeler and E. Everett Evans announced the vote as: New For Orleans - 101, Detroit - 29, New York - 2, with one blank ballot. his next demonstration, de Courcy proposed to transport a volunteer, Joe Salta, to the rear of the hall There was some hitch here as he For the final evening, the hall was set up with banquet tables at one did not re-appear where planned. It was only after de Courcy had end of the hall; the other end cleared for dancing. In lieu of the produced a bell-boy with ice-water', an un-identified monster, and a usual after-dinner remarks, the time was devoted to tape-recording an previously evicted poet, that Joe was retrieved from a nearby sewer interview of Anthony Boucher for the radio program "On the Record" for where the transmitter had dropped him. KPOJ, Mutual affiliate in Portland. Ted Halleck moderated while Next Forrie Ackerman, who had Forrie Ackerman, myself and two Portland Newspapermen shot the questions been associated with the Los Angeles Dianetic Foundation, told of his at Tony. experiments with Dianetics and of the work the foundation was doing. While the "Masked Ball" has been traditional at the cons for Ted Sturgeon, who, as a long-time friend of Hubbard, had known of years, int the past this has been somewhat of a misnomer. While Dianetics for some time before the book came out, added some background costumes were encouraged, dancing was not. This year a band was hired material about Dianetics and some of the people concerned with its and it was really a masked ball, cabaret style. The tables were left introduction. This was followed by a period in which Ackerman and in place and set-ups were available, tho doubtless due to the two-day Sturgeon answered questions. Judging by the interest shown, this could closing of the liquor stores, few availed themselves of the opportunity. have gone on all night, but it was broken off at 11:JO to allow time to get to the GUILD THEATER for the DESTINATION MOON Preview. The At intervals during the evening, Ted Sturgeon acted as master of evening session and the preview were the two best attended events of ceremonies for various entertainment. With his guitar he rendered the convention with nearly 400 present at the theater. several songs, told some dialect stories and introduced dances by Laura The turnout Shay Hastings and some of her pupils. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 for the fan organizations was What was variously considered small, but the NEFF, SFI and the high of the low point of the evening came when the Portland Insurg MORNING FAPA proceeded with informal ents, "the editors of effigy", Forrest Davis, Jerry Waible and Ruth recruiting Monday morning. Newbury, t .ok pokes at Dianetics, General Semantics, War and fandom, Fan Organizations as well as other things with their lecture-demonstration of DIACYBER- Starting at 1 RI before the SEMNETIMANTIOS. Prominent in this demonstration was an eight-foot AFTERNOON business session, Kenneth Arnold "Chaotic Inferential" on which, by hanging various objects and labels, gave a brief talk and played ■Theobald Mackerel" demonstrated "how to identify".* A number of Kenneth Arnold some tape recordings he had persons were seen to leave the hall during the demonstration. It is made of interviews with others not known how many of these were offended and how many merely bored. Business Session who had seen flying saucers, little men, etc. Stubbornly defying the tradition for chairmen, I did not end the con EVENING The business by collapsing. During the final dance of the evening, I was observed session opened with Jack Speer jitterbugging strenuously, following which, with Gil William’s help, I The NORWESCON BANQUET reporting for the resolutions took down the decorations and removed our stuff from the hall before committee. Passed were resol falling into bed for 12 hours of solid sleep. Recording of "On the Record" Tape utions commending the producers From the standpoint of of DIMENSION X, DESTINATION attendance and memberships, the NORWESCON was unquestionably by far the The Masked Ball and Entertainment MOON, and (after considerable *for further details on DIACTBBRSKlfHETIMAlfTICS and the CHAOTIC IHfKRKMTIAL, see IHCIHKRATIOMS Ho. 2, Grape Press, 9109 SV Oleson Rd., Portland 19, Ore. T,friL<^fgSf‘Aoa?g,‘’^r.Hlt9t419e.,,OrW'SCOn (April 23, 19*9) for report see 60______The PANSCIENT most successful convention to date. With slightly over 550 members listed and just less than 400 peasant at the top sessions, the NORWES CON practically doubled the figures of previous conventions. As planned, rather than carry over a large profit, the funds were spent on the convention. The'excellent Turkey dinners served at the banquet fantasy POSTCARDS cost the NORWESCON COMMITTE |2.$0 a plate, but of this amount, the 174 persons attending paid only |1 each, the balance coming out of conven 10 raizs tion profits. In spite of this and other expenditures, around $130.00 DESIGNS by: is being passed on to the NOLACON. As for its success from the stand Cockroft point of the delegates, that can best be summed up in the words of Anthony Boucher, NORWESCON Guest of Honor, whose first convention this Grossman was, "The only thing that could prevent me attending future conventions Pederson is if I don’t survive this one." And so, ON TO THE NOLACON. Phillips Berry Donald B. Day, Chairman, Brown NORWESCON COMMITTEE. Eaton Estes Kroll Set of Day 10 । cards f la 75 3 sets $ 1 OAdditional sets ordered When DAVID H. KB n6' at the same time 25* inspi^i to write: V’THE em0M ’WAR a ten page story/lach page oAwhioh is illustrated by one of the postcards. *Hho the cards were designed independently, Dr. Keller has done a remarkable job of tielng them all into one unified narrative. THE FINAL WAR is being published in a mimeographed pamphlet, with blank pages to affix the cards, With the cards inserted, you have a beautifully illustrated SCIENCE-FICTION story as well as an album to keep the cards for your collec tion. Edition limited to 100 copies. TRICE: without the Convention CARDS, 25*. With the cards Inserted, 75* Support the NOLACON with your Membership!1 $1.00 to: HARRY B. MOORE, Chairnan, 270? Caap Street, New Orleans 1J, La. =— PERRI PRESS, =— Box 5007, Portland 13, Ore. 62 The FANSCIENT The FANSCIENT BIG BOOK OF SCIENCE FICTION money, that virtually any reader (Continued.) will bet far more than his money’s worth out of the "Big Book of BACK ISSUES of STILL AVAILABLE have been criticized because they Science Fiction". ----Donald B. Day ran too heavily to the recent tfeffinsciEnj stories from ASTOUNDING SCIENCE YOUTH WALKS ON THE HIGHWAY FICTION. Be that as it may, it is (Continued) certain that the earlier volumes No. 5 Cov-Day. AA-E. E. Smith, Ph. D. Ladd, Keller, $1.50 ea. skimmed the cream from ASF up to tells the tale of this ever-recur Klingbiel, Bladwin, Moffatt (with EARLY BUTCHERING, the time of their publication. In ring phenomenon, using symbols as which LOS CUENTOS stole), Phillips, Waible, Higbee. this volume, the base has been a device to achieve the brilliant somewhat widened with the majority effects that the ambitious under No. 4 Cov-Waible. AA-Jack Williamson. LEGEND OF INTER- 1.00 ea. of the stories drawn from the rest taking demands. The carnalities PLANETARY-Neil R. Jones, Moskowitz, Carson, Berry. of the field. A number of the incidental to love, so often a tales of the 1950-40 vintage are seeming profanation of a noble No. 5 Cov-Photo of JAEPHUS. AA-David H. Keller, M. D. .75 ea. represented both from the pages of emotion, are treated in this book EXTRAPOLATION-Henry Kuttner, Eaton, Grossman, Waible the science-fiction magazines and with remarkable purity and beauty. 4 from other sources. Also to be The story opens with Youth, the No. 6 Cov-Ruth Newbury. AA-Ray Bradbury. SEVEN AGES OF .50 ea. found are stories from virtually main character, walking the High FAN by Robert Bloch (which was reprinted in THRILL every one of the current crop of way (symbol or "the bewilderment ING WONDER STORIES), Berry, Eaton, Ladd, Phillips. fantasy magazines. Among these, of youth’s sexual hunger"). Foll together with several of the better owing this he comes to the Sea and No. 7 Cov-D. Bruce Berry (LOS CUENTOS stole this too) .25 ea. ASF stories from the last two there meets Dionysius, who takes AA-Will F. Jenkins (Murray Leinster). CHECKLIST years, are to be found virtually Youth to his ship. There he meets OF BRITISH PROZINES-Slater, Keller, Moffatt, Eaton, all of the best stories in the a variety of damsels, each symbol Ladd, Wetzel, Waible, 1st CHECKLIST OF FANTASY BOOK volume. Most pf the worst ones izing a different type of amatory are to be found among the stories experience, and each of whom teach No. 8 Cov-John Grossman. AA-Robert Bloch. "LITTLE »25 ea. from the worked-over lode of the him their particular lessons. NORWESCON" Report. Start of OUT OF LEGEND SERIES, early-’40s ASF. In this group are Dionysius’ daughter Lucina, kept Eaton, Waible, Krucher, Darrell C. Richardson, Gray. a number of not-quite-outstanding in chains, escapes and takes over tales; stories that should have the ship, enforcing a puritanical No. 9 Second Annish. Cov-Day AA- Robert A. Heinlein. .50 ea. been good, but lacked something. reign on it and putting her father, Eaton, Carson, Phillips, Wallrich, Arfstrom, Estes, Not to be considered in this together with Youth, ashore. There McAdams, Corley, Davis, Richardson, Waible, Keller, latter group, is H. L. Gold’s Dionysius shows Youth the start of Bullard, Barker, higbee, newbury, Ladd. ANGELMAN. "A Matter of Form", which was the another Highway. 64 pages—two colors. first of ASF’s "Nova" stories. As you’ve probably guessed by Other outstanding items include now, the book would be classed as No. 10 Cov-Miles Eaton. AA-George 0. Smith. Lin Carter, .25 ea. Kuttner’s "Margin for Error", sex or pornography by moralists. Berry, Richardson, Eaton, Grossman, Gardner, Davis, Graham Doar’s SatEvPost yarn, "The It’s more than that, however. It’s Stuart. Outer Limit", Eric Frank Russell’s a beautiful (no other adjective "Dear Devil" from OTHER WORLDS, properly describes it) story, with No. 11 Cov-Fbrrest C. Davis. AA-Theodore Sturgeon. Eaton, .25 ea. Noel Loomis* "The Long Dawn" and descriptions finer than anything Richardson, Manning, Slater, Ladd, McAdams, Barker. Damon Knight’s bitter "Not With a Merritt or Bok ever did. Bang". The jacket blurb, instead of be No. 12 Cov-DESTINATION MOON Photo. AA-Anthony Boucher. .25 ea. All of the 52 stories in the 545 ing an exaggeration, just a shade UNBELIEVITUDINOSITY-John & Dorothy de Courcy, Day, pages of this volume are readable too purple, is really an accurate INDEX TO KELLER’S FANZINE WRITINGS, Eaton, Bradley, and many are outstanding. The description of the mood of the Ackerman, Barker, Lin Carter, Tom Carter, EEEvans. regular follower of the magazines book and the whole work is written '.will find many stories here that with an air of (if you can imagine ihe has read---- the number depending it) purity. The drawings by Allan ;on how long he has been reading Maxwell display a precision and tfcfflnsciEnj land how thoroughly he covers the power equal to the text they ac current field. On the whole tho, company and are almost as remark 5455 NE 58th Avenue, Portland 15, Oregon tthis is such a big package for the able as the book. ---- Mark Walsted WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG Donald B. Day