Fantasy Review #5

FAN TASY REVE rEL W Vol. f, No. 5 SIXPENCE - ocT.-Nov. 1947 REYERSE By WALTER GILLINGS The paper shmtage ha"s forcerl the suspension of Fantasy-The Magazine of Sclence Ficf,ion, after only three issues. It is not, expected that it will be able to resume publication for a.t least two years. It is no less than 1? years since, impr€ssed with the growing interest in the American science flction magazines entering this country, I began to dr'aw the attention of British publishers to the possibilities of this fietd. That was in days when an English magazine so specialised in its appeal was a rare thing, and the number of readers keen enough to seek out "remainders" of Amazing and T9onder Stories at threepence a copy was comparatively sma]]. Looking back now, I can see that the publishers I pestexed were probably right in their contention that it was not enough to make a British magazine a profltable proposition; though I never would accept the objection that, anyway, Verne and Wells had done it ali before. However, one very reputable flrm did issue a twopenny weekiy which sought to emulate the Gernsback touch and, when it transpired that all its readers were not errand boys, tried to make itself more respectable, only to fail dismally and wind up altogether. After that another big publishing house, affected by the trend towards specialisation in flction, seriously considered the project of a shilling magazine which would interest the enlarging fraternity of science flction readers and appeal to a wider public at the same time. This project occupied them, and the few British writers competent to meet its literary requirements, for over a year before it was decided to abandon the idea, Then, as a result of my importunings elsewhere, came Tales of Wonrler. whose flrst trial issue was followed in due time by its regular quarterly publication-and, in turn, by revival of the project which brought forth three issues of Newnes' Fantasy. Then, inconsiderately, came World War II. Only Tales of Wonder struggled on, until after 16 issues the beginnings of the paper shortage forced its suspension. In between times the American "remainders" (always a thorn in the flesh of British publishers) had given place to home-produced editions of Astounding and Unknown which, fortunat€]y, are still with us. And when, before the lvar was over, more impressed than ever with the prospects for [Continued Over] 2 FANTASY British science fiction, I enveigled yet thus compelled to shelve project publisher a which another in an ambitious scheme was intended should be deteioped on the for its post-war development through a most ambitious lines. publication, new I fondly imagined we Having waited in vain for manv had won through at lasf. That was nearly months for improvemcnt an ir.r paper-on four years ago, when none could see how supplies to permit it to be launched paper long the shorLage was going to re- the scale originally conceived. thev main with us, Iet alone how much more evelltual.ly starled Lhe magazine, tasl acute il was to become. Decemb-er,- in hopes of an early better_ Ii was only after the project had been ment of the situation. But aithoush the in active preparation for a full three conrenLs and price years publication remained unchinged, that of the new the idea of.monthly appearance had to Fanta.sy, privileged which I have been to be- abandoned and the circulation was edit for the Temple Bar Publishing Co., onry a small proportion of what would was actually embarked upon. And now; have been essayed had more paper been after three issues at intervals of four available. months, it is with a sense of exasperation 'Ihat the venture has been worth_while Tather than mere regret thaL we have to in all other respects is evident from the announce its suspension for an indefinite enLhusiaslic reception the magazine has period-perhaps years. for two or three been given by science flction ieaders on The reason for this early discon- both sides of the Ailantic, most of whorn- tinuance-and the only reason-is the only_ secured copies rvith difflculty orving persistently dimcult paper situation to the limited printing. The pubtisheri rvhich has held up the project from the wele, in fact, in the peculiar position of start. So long as this situation lasts it is having to. dectine subscriptions because impossible for the magazine either to ap- there were hardly enough copies to meet pear more frequently or to increase its the demands of their regular distributors. circulation, which has been severely So, once again, a British science flction limlted by the Paper Order applying to magazine has been strangled at birih bv new publications. The efiect of these prcrailing condiLions. This 1ime, roo, the restrictions, which it was hoped would circumstances are especially Iegrettable by now have been relaxed, has been to since the experiment shou,ed evirv sign prevcnL its becoming an economic of beiug highly successful, its sDonsors proposition for the publishers, who are having spared no exp(.I)se in r_he prepar.a_ tion of a magazine which rvould apDeal to the general readcr' {who had veiy liLtte chance of encouDtering itl as much as FANTASY REVIEW to the science flction devotees whose (fncorporating SCIENTIFICTION tastes British publisher.s have never and TO-MORROW-Magazine of adequateiy catered. for. the Future) In anticipation of regular monthly .A Journal for Readers, Writers and publicaiion, materiaj enorrgh fo produce Collectors of Imaginative Fiction at lcast a dozen issues had been accepted BT.MONTHLY:. SIXPENCE and paid for. Of rhis onlj. a srnall pro- Editorial, Advertising and pub- portion has been used to date, and many Iishing Ofnce: 15 Shere Road, fine stories by the nerv roster of British Ilford. Essex. wrlters encouraged by the project rvill have to remain in cold storage much Subscription rates: In Great, Britain and Dominions (exceDt longcr than they have alleady. Develop- Canada) 3/6 per 1'ear. Singlc coi:- ment of the magazine's editorial policy, ies, 7d., post free. In Canada and $'hich had been delayed unduly, will also U.S.A., 75c. per .yeat:. Single copies, suffer a further postponement, 15c., post free. In the Iast issue of FANTASy RE- VIEW, John Carnell related horv VoI. I. No. 5 Oct.-Nov. he had i94? succeeded in reviving an abortive project Editor.: Walter GillinEs. of eight years rvhich pro- Associate Editors: John Carnell, ago has, so far, J. Michxel Ro.senblum. D. R. Smith. duced two issucs of New Worlds in lb Arthur F. Hillman. Fied C. Brown. months. We wish in all sincerity thar; the Nigcl Lindsay, R. George Medhurst. worsening of conditions with which we John C. Craig. are threafened will not mean the cessa- A m e r i c a n Correspondents: tion of that publication and the virtual David Kisl1i (New York), Forrest (l{olll'wood). surrender of British science fiction to J. Ackerman the fate which has seemed to hang over it from the beginning. REVIEW As Others See Us LITTLE SUPERMAN, WHAT NOW? By William S. Baring-Gould* The growing interest in science fiction often confused with the story of super- has recently inspired several articles on natural horror. But it falls under the the field and tts 'rfandom" in American general heading of fantasy; lt seeks to periodicals. To date, the most accurate make you pause _and wonder rather picture has been given readers of than make your blood run cold, The "Harper's Magazine" by Willlam S. result is that most horror addicts can- Baring-Gould, who as promotion mana- not abide science flction, while the ger of "Time" rhas made a special study great majority of science flcbion fans of reader-groups, and as a fantasy fan care little for stories of mental or himself is a keen student of its develop' physical torture, .transplanted brains, ment. This interest hg may havs in' giant spiders, man-eating orchids, or heritod from his grandfather, the Eng' for the more commonplace yarns of lish clergyman-author; S, Baring'Gould, ghosts, vampires, werewolves and who wrote several books dealing with witches. ghosts, werewolves and curious myths, Science fiction deals with extrapola- tions of known science into the prehis- Gathered in the Slovak Sokol HalI on toric past or the possible future. It the outskirts of Newark, New Jersey, claims writers like Vardis Fisher who were 107 science flction readers, editors, look backward to reconstruct the life of anthors and artists. The occasion was the cave p€ople, a"s well as authors like their flrst post-war convention. The Aldous Huxley who look satirically for- editors and authors had grouped them- ward to a Srave New World. Its prac- selves on one side of the hall. Around titioners are often men of science them- and behind them were the fans; selves: Isaac Asimov is a research youngish and verging Nowards middle chemist, David H. Keller a doctor, age, many still in uniform, they might RoberL Heiniein a plastics research en- have b€en a seminar in economics at gineer, Norman L. Knight a chemist. any State university. .,John Taine:, is Eric Temple Bell, pro- Science flction. in the words of these fessor of mathematics at the California earnest young men and women, "stood Institute ol Technology; and Olaf at the cross-roads." Never in America Stapledon, M.A., Ph.D., lectures at had there been such general interest in Liverpool University in literature, in- scientific fantasies. Radar, atomic dustrial histoly, psychology and philo- power, super-microscopes, rocket-planes, sophY.

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