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. electronic calculators-these and dozens Much of the older work in the field of other marvels-turned-realities had seems dull by present-day standards, been forecast by science flction writers and so many of the prophecies of months and even years before. Suddenly pioneers like Verne have come true that more and more Americans rilere turning their books hardly read as sctence flc- to science flction for a hint ot what the tion at aU to-day. Nevertheless, tlhe future might have in store. But science serious collector of science flctlon wUl fiction was caught at a dlsadvantage. have some 64 volumes by Verne on his Almost overnight its best, seemingly shelves-side by side wlth others by farthest-into.Lhe-future plots had be- Wells, Shiel and Doyle. Ttle truly come the common stuff of the daily modern science flction stories which headlines. Science, it seemed, had have been published in book form flnally caught up with science flction. make a slim library indeed. But it is "Whiiher?" was thekeynote of the con- growing fast. vention. For the bulk of his reading, however, In the public mind science flction is the science fiction fan must depend on bhe news-stand magazines, These science *Cond€nsed from Harper's Magazlne' flction pulps are bought by well over by permission of the Publishers-' 250,000 Americans who spend somsthing ttarper and Bros., 49 East 33rd like $100,000 a month for their favourite Street, New York, U.S.A. reading, But science fiction is not alone 1 FA NTASY an American phenomenon. T?anslated launched several departments to keep into Spanish and Portuguese, much his readers "informed on the develop- American and British fantasy f.nds its ments in the greatest 'hunt' by science way to Latin American news-stands, flction fans in history for what may be and before the war science flction the most important of truths," and he magazines and books poured from the rvelcomes contributions. The letter presses of Germany, I'rance, Italy, writers on the whole take themselves Scandinavia and England and Amazint Stories very seriously. Not Best of all the American science fic- quite all the letters are in the same tion magazines, in the opinion of most strain, however. One calls the maga- fans, is Street and Smith's Astounding zine's Shaver Mystery exploit "probably Science-Fiction, whose editor, John W. undesirable and even dangerous." To Campbell Jnr., writes science flction many an honest science flction fan under the pseudonym of Don A. Stuart whose hobby has suffered so much, this as well as under his own name. More will go down as the year's greatest than half of the 40 stories in "The Best understatement. in Science Fiction" came from Astound- In no other field of literary endea- ing's pages, including all but one of the vour is there such a rapport as exists stories which appear under the heading among science flction readers, editors, "The Atom." Asto,unding's pre-Hiro- artists and authors. Fans form clubs shima interest in the atom was so great, to discuss their favourite "scientific- in fact, that U.S. Military Intelligence tion" stories, keep up a voluminous cor- investigated the magazine to discover respondence among themselves, and "'firho, on the Manhattan Project, had write hundreds of letters to editors and been talking," but was flnally persuaded authors every month. Many fans edit that to suppress the magazine's discus- "fanzines" (as opposed to the profes- sions of atomic energy "would be more sional magazines or "prozines") and of a give-away than to leave them they have set up their own Fantasy alone." Amateur Press Association (FAPA). Most of the other pulps which make Like the prozines, the fanzines have up the science flction field publish an their black side. H. C. Koenig, a" occasional "classic" (the fans'word for veteran s-f reader and collector, puts it almost any story which meets their this way in an article in Fantasy Com- somewhat rigid requirements of what a mentator: "The spawn of the science good science flction story should be) buf flction magazines Irresponsible in many of their stories science is a amateur editors who abandoned their subsidiary of sex; titillation is their god magazines without ev€n an excuse or and Edgar Rice Burroughs is his apology to their subscribers . . . editors prophet. These are the magazines who mutilated and distorted articles whose covers customarily carry a lurid without advising writers who contri- painting of a blonde in a form-fi.tting buted them; editors who made no effort space-sult valiantly battling a BEM to sa.feguard their subscribers from mis- (Bug-Eyed Monster). At best, these leading advertising." He also blasts stories are little more than trorse the lchildish arguments between fans operas transferred to an interplanetary . . . Reams of paper wasted on personal setting; the cowboys have been replaced feuds and controversies. . . Delightfully by clear-eyed young lieutenants of the frank descriptions of fellow-fans, such Galaxy Patrol, the Tndians by the ter- as:'mental perverts, literary whores rible, six-headed, manyJimbed Gliph and would-be literary prostitutes.' All Men of Saturn or llranus or Mercury. in the name of science fiction!', But a place at the very bcittom of the In normal years, fans regularly spon- list, in the opinion of most fans, should sor conventions to discuss the future of be reserved for Amazing Stories, the science flction. T'lre first "world con- one-time "Aristocrat of Science Fiction," vention" (known as "Nycon" for New now published by Zifi-Davis under tlre York Convention) took place in 1939 at editorshlp of Raymond A. Palmer. Caravan Hall. About 200 fans showed Palmer's most successful bid for new up to listen to speeches and see fan- readers has been "that mystery known tastic movies shown. At one point the by the name of the man who started it ehairman had to halt the proceedings all, The Shaver Mystery."x He has to throw out a group of six "Fruturians," a left-wing outfit v/ho work toward a xSee "The Shaver Mystery," by Nigel "ccientific socialist world state." Last Lindsay, June-July issue. [Please turn to Page 8] REVI EW D wa,Iter GnrinEs' FANTASIA U.S. fans convelged on Philadelphia for 5th World Science Fiction Convention, held three all-day sessions culminating in banquet. Speakers included editors John W. Campbell, L. Jerome Stanton, Sam Merwin, Donald A. Wollheim; authors George O. Smith, L. Spregue de Camp ("Adventures in the Occult"), Willy Ley and Thomas S. Gardner on space-travel. Many other celebrities present, among them Dr. Edward E. Smith, Theodore Sturgeon, David H. Keller. Next year's CANvention will be held in Toronto . Latest Amgrican fan mag. is Burroughs Bulletin, devoted to creator of Tarzar5 Barsoom and Pellucidar, run by worshippers at his shrine . . . Mummies of nine-foot giants said to have been discovered in caverns in Californian desert, once "part of lost kingdom of Mu." Search expedition planned by Amazing Explorations Inc. Shaver Mystery Mag., please copy . . . Dunsany fantasy, "If," presented on radio. Jarrolds preparing publication of "The Fourth Book of Jorkens Stories," also to appear from Arkham House . . . Time devoted cover and three pages to C. S. Lewis, Oxford don and best-selling writer, who told how "Out of the Silent Planet" trilogy was inspired by reading Charles Wi.lliams fantasies . . . Same issue carried illustrated review of J. O. Bailey's "Pilgrims Through Space & Time," leading ofi with gag-extrac| from "Flabbergasting Stories" Wiuiam F. Temple, writing again for U.S. mags., interviewed by local (Wembley) press on strengih of forthcoming book "Atomic Nightmare" skit in Courier by Peter Phillips, new British s-f writer expected to make debut in American fleld . . . COMPLIMENTS WITH CARE Another write-up for Editor Campbell's "The Atomic Story" in Saturilay Review of Literature, with reference to Astounding as "pulp actually read by highly educated people for its occasional thoughtful stories in which impact of rapidly developing science is more or less intelligently examined" Following Margaret'St, Clair's article on fantasy fleld (s€e p. 1, last issue), Writer's Digest published letters from Campbell ("AS-F is a specialist's mag.") and William L. Ilamling, who promised: "If anything new appears in the field, Amaaing will start it" . . . Alexander M. Phitlips completing "The Maniac Poltergeist," intended as companion volume to "The Mislaid Charm" . . . Unknown tales of A. E. van Vogt and wife E. Mayne llull being lined up for book presenLation . . . George O. Smith's Astounding stories, "Pattern for Conquest" and "Nomad" (under pseudonym Wesley Long), to see book publication September Air Trails and Science Frontiers article by R. S. Richardson, "New Paths to New Planets," illnstrated rvith Chesley Bonestell paintings of Mars, Venus, Jupiter. One of the Sun, with Mercury in transit, on cover of October Astounding . . . Richardson and Bonestell also collaborating on upand-coming Air Trails feature showing what life might be like in other stellar systems . Lewis Padgett's second whodunit, "The Day He Died," bringing him U.S. plaudits as "brilliant newcomer in crime fleld" . Horriflc murder mystery, "The Scarf," by Robert Bloch, forth- coming from Dial Press, New York . . . NSCHOOLBOYISH" LEY Reviewing willy Ley's "Rockets & Space Travel," U.S. Arrny Ortlnance magazine said: "Certain peculiarity of style characteristic of Ley's writing tends to give slighity 'schootboyish' cast to the text and the over-enthusiasm of the specialist is apparent" "Race to the Planets," illustrated article by Ley predicting trip to Moon ten years hence, in Mechanix lllustrated, accompanied by "Britain's Challenge" as seen by Alfred Eris Arthur C. Clarke's "Challenge of the Spaceship" again reprinted in Tononto Star Weekly Atomic car of the future, as depicted by Collier's in "Drearns Unlimited" feature, is wheelless, literally floats along roadway . . . "The Natural History of Nonsense," by Bergen Evans (Joseph: 7216), debunking pseudo-scientiflc superstition, refels to Fortean data on "bizatte downpours." American Argosy presented s-f novelette, "The Madman," by Pat Frank, whose "Mr. Adam" was staged on Broadway Current Ten-Story Detective has new "Taine of San ftancisco" tale by Dr. David H. Keller . . . September Dime Myste.ry had piece by liay Bradbury, "Wake for the Living," concerning mechanical cofrn . . . "Rockeb Ship Galileo'r (Scribner's: $2.00) is nevr' s-f juvenile by-guess who!- Robert Heinlein FA NTASY Creator of the jSlant THOMAS SHERIDAN has a long-distance interview with A. E. VAN VOGT

"Anyone can be a Successful Writer a bit of trade paper journalism to break they Learn How!" So sa,y the writer the monotony, he grew tired of the school-if ads., or something like thab. And heartthrob formula. It worked on him, if science fi.ction writers weren't con- none the less. In 1936. at the local sidered a race apart, they might find Writers'Club, he met Edna Mayne Hull, Alfred van Yogt willing-and modest who was writing for the magazine sec- enough to endorse their claims. tions of the Winaipeg newspapers, and Though- tris readers, full of admiration who was destined-as Mrs. van Vogt-- for his long string of Astounding to leave her mark on every piece of sci- stories, especially the famous 'Slanl" ence fiction he had yet to produce. Ttre concept, would quarrel with anyone 'E' in his initials is an acknowledgment who suggested he wasn't a genius at of the work she puts in on his MSS., science fiction. A natural-born super- and her own name has appeared on man. in fact. three stories in Unknown Worlds and Canadian-born, of Dutch parentage, eight in Astounding, including "The van Vogt was never particularly clever Winged Man" (May, June '44). he took to writing fantasy. At ..CHUMS" -untilschool he made the average grade, but BEGAN IT wasn't very studious. He joined in It wasn't until '39 that van Vogt games with the rest, but was happier turned from the grim realities of true when he could bury himself in a book confessions to the fascinating extrava. of fairy stories. And though he did gancies of science flction, in which he take a course at Ottawa University, he has since indulged with conspicuous considers himself not too well educated success. Though he had been a reader thus, living proof that it doesn't of the field since he graduated from -and,take more than the average amount of fairy stories as a schoolboy in a SaskaL brains to be a writer. chewan small-town. He started his writing career 15 years "I read my flrst s-f stories in the Bri- ago when, at the age of 20, he sold his tish boy's paper Chumsr" he recalled first piece to True Story Magazine. It wistfully. "As I remember them now, dealt with fhe sordid side of life, with they were good; anyway, there was grim realities-at least as he imagined plenty of imagination and exciiement. them. Though his own story up to then But I'd completely forgotten them by had been unromantic enough. Starting the time I bought my flrst copy of work at 16 as a clerk, then on a farm, Amazing in '26 and got immersed in then as a trapper-of muskrats and Seryiss' 'Second Deluge.' For a long rabbits mostly. A spell in his father's time I thought this was the first s-f I'd law offlce, preparatory to entering the ever seen. Then, Just recently, I re- civil service at Ottawa, Then back to membered how Chums used to thrill me Winnipeg when the job ran out after a as a kid." year; but he wasn't sorry-it interfered He followed Amazing religiously with his writing. through its early years. But when. in He went on turning out love stories '30, a Canadian ban on American maga- and radio plays for several years after zines cut off the supply he wasn't over- that, But in spite of winning first prize concerned, as by then the general run in a True Confessions contest and doing of science fiction had lost its hold on REVIEW ? him. So, when the ban was lifted and keeping me up to scratch when I was the magazines returned to the news- trying to build a reputation; for I ap- siands, he glanced at them only occa,- plied the same principle to aII my work sionally-until in '38 he chanced on the as 1 went along. August A$tounding containing "Who "SomeLimes, when you're halfway Goes There?" one of the pieces Editor through a story which seemed good John W. Campbell had wriLlen under when you started out, you suddenly flrtd his Don A. Stuart cloak. it's not what you hoped for. Scores of "I read half of it sfanding there at times I've stopped work there and then, the news-stand before I bought the issue and torn it up. But doing that has and f,nished it. Ttlat brought me back made all the difierence between making into the fold with a vengeance, I still a comfortabie living at writing and suf- regard that as the best story Campbell fering a sense of continuous flnancial ever wrote, and the best horror tale in pressure, and in this commercial age science flction." such liberary idealism is pretty imprac- For the next slx months his mind was ticable. full of science flction plots, and flnally "It's a problem every writer has to he senb one to Editor Campb€U asking solve for himself, the danger being that if it would make a yarn for Astounding. if you can seII second-rate work you Ca;rnpbell thought it would, gave the may not Lry so hard. Looking back newcomer some hints-"I was an abso- now, I think my own policy was mis- lute unknown as far as he was con- taken. I should have sold those stories cerned"-and bhe result was "va.ult of under a pseudonym." the Beast," which duly appeared in the But, having written "Slan!" in his August'40 issue. spare time while employed by fhe De- His second acceptanoe, with which paxtment of National Defence in he actually made his bow in the maga- Ottawa, van Vogts popularity was such zine for whicb. he wrote exclusively for that, when he found he couldn't turn eight years afterwards, was "Black De- out more thanltwo short stories in a stroyer" (JuIy '39). Both these tales year, he gave up his workaday job to de- got top marks in the issues featuring vote his fu]l time to science flction, them: in between caJne two other And, as from '42, his stories became al- pieces, then his masterpiece "Slan!" most a reguiar feature of Astounding- (Sept.-Dec. '40). Over this Campbell novelettes like "Recruiting Station" enthused, "Gentlemen, it's a lulu!" (Mar. '42), "The Great Engine" (July while presenting it as the flrst '43), "The Changeling" (Apr. '44); short Astounding serial to merit the "nova" stories such as "M33 in Andromeda" designation awarded stories of special (Aug. '43), "tr'ar Centa,urus" (Jan, '44), originality. Boosied as "bhe most pow- and "Film Library" (July '46). And elful superman story'science flction has three serials: "The Weapon Makers" produced," it got a recepLion so over- (Feb.-Apr. '43), "World of Null-A" (Aug. whelmingly enthusiastic as 'to place -Oct. '45), and "The Chronicler" (Oct., van VogN rigtrt in the top flight of sci- Nov. '46). ence-fantasy authors within 18 months In all, since his flrst appearanc€, he of his debut. has contributed more than 40 tales to Un- PSEUDONYMS? Astounding and its companion IDEALTSM OR knouvn, one of the last U.S. issues of Apart from the encouragements which featured his novel, "The Book of Campbell gave him, van Vogt attributes Pbath," which is to reappear in book his swift success in the fleld to the fact form shortly from Fantasy Pl'ess. thaf he didn't take his advice over a ."SIan!" and "The Weapon Makers" sfory he rejected, though now he wishes have already been reissued between he had. hard covers, and "World of Null-A" is "My second attemPt, a Piece called to see book publication next year. Sev- 'The Citv in the Sand,'he sent back be- eral of his short stories trave also been cause it was too much in the old tradi-' reprinted in s-f anthologies. tion of s-f and lacked the character and atmosphere he wanted. Still, he sug- ANYTHING GOES gested I wouldn't have anY trouble Mosb of van Vogt's work is intef- placins the storv in one of the ofher galacbic in setting; all of it ha,s a,n inagazines. I thought that over-and imaginative scope that knows no tore it up. That may have helped in bounds. In his stories, anything can 8 FA NTASY

happen, and invariably it does. yet in time. But, with me, science fiction is spite of fanciful beasts and giant trees, iargely a labour of love. That's whv I motor-cars thaf take to the air. and a olten work tweive hours a day. As idng thousand-and-one other marv'els. he as I can remember I've wanted to be a does not forget that he is dealine wii,h writer, and I hope to go on writing as human beings and ail his characters long as I live." live. .And however alien the flgments But how of his vivid imagination, he co-ntrives to stay alive in spite of the to give his tales an atmospheric high cost of living is one of his two detail big problems. The second, which makes them as reallstic as thev appropri-,,All are strangely fascinating. ately, is a psychological one. my life I've existed mentally a year or two He believes the science flction writer in lhe future, with the hope that some has the advantage over the writer of day I'd be able to take time ofi to have other types of flction because h€ does a little fun. So far that day has never not have to observe anv editorial caught up with me, or me with it. But taboos. "Sex, religion, phiiosbphy-any- just lately I've been able to adjust my- thing goes so long as it's handled the self to living only aboui two weeks in right way. Bub, of course, the story's the future, and one day I hope to get the thing to-dav rather than the scien- around to living in the present. Sti[. tiflc or fantasy elements, though fhey that won't stop me looking ahead far have to be taken care of." His advice to enough to keep up with my science writers up-and-coming is: "Don't be flction." stingy with your ideas. Use them lav- ishly-there's plenty more where they In '44 the van Vogts moved from came from." Tolonto to Los Angeles, where they have made a permanent home. In '46 He likes to start a story with a good they were the guests of honour at the title; he fi.nds it easier that way. Foulth World Science Fiction Conven- "Though good writing isn't easy at any tion.

Little Superman, What Now?-continuea rrom page 4 year the flrst fuU-scale meeting of s-f periments in time, and the depiction of fans since '41 was held in Los Angeles. the prehistoric past and the civilisa- Besides hearing author A. E. Van Vogt tions of the future. Tjrere are still speak, visitors had the opportunity to almost untouched fields; the Rhine ex_ meet and talk with such popular periments on extra-sensory perception writers as Lewis Padgett, Ross Ro€k- and simiiar investigations ard stlmutat_ lynne, C. L. Moore, E. Mayne Hull, Cleve lng many science fiction writers (Iike Cartmill and Lawrence O'Donnell. Padgett, for one) tb try their hand at Can science fiction hold its readers new advenLures of the mind. and add new ones to its already con- Perhaps €ven siderable body of fans? Most science more important, the current crisis in science fiction will fictionisfs believe that it can. Theoreti- almo,st certainly cal, laboratory science, on which the lead to better-written, oetter-cnar.acterised, more convincing writer of true science flction dra,ws, is yarns. Fans, normally years ahead of applied science editors and authors ar6 becoming increasingly aware that and engineering, they argue. The fact science flction, that it is not so to-day is a result of the to live, must have an element of stability which will attract war. But the gap will probably widen readers unless global pro- long after the gadgets in the again another war stories. have vides the impetus for a heavily acceler- become realities. To most aLed engineering programme. And if fans the new invention or the fantastic element is still the thing that attracts it does, science fiction witl bridge that them gap for the reader who wants to know to science flction rather than to next-where go detective or adventure or western fic- "Wrat do we from tion. But science flction here ? " wrifers are trying hard to oLrey the injunction of Meantime, there are fresh variants to H.G. Wells in his preface to a collec- be found on old themes such as life on tion of his "Seven Famous Novels,'- other planets, undiscovered worlds, to "keep everything human and r€al. space-travel, the Fourth Dimension, ex- once the magic trick is done.,, REVIEW Book Reviews The Saga of Science Fiction PILGRIMS THR,OUGH SPACE AND TIME: Trends and Patterns in Scientiflc and utopian Fiction' * t'll,lllt; $5'00' ,i"r*rTHr* We have been waiting to welcome liking, seeming to have lost interest this book almost as long as it has been at a time when it was. on its own ad- in preparation. It is the first attempt mission, in a rut. ever made to survey the whole fleld of His objections to the "cops and rob- science-fantasy, to trace its develop- bers, gangland fights and interpiane- ment from the beginning, to analys€ its tary pilacy" which have become a motivations and assess its intrinsic monotonous feature of the popular values. It, too, has a hislory. It started pulps, agd which many of us equally as a University thesis on the Wellsian deplore, indicate that he has overlooked romances, written 20 years ago; by '34 the better aspects of recent trends it had become a complete study of which are deserving of noLe even if English science flction from 181? to they have been encouraged wibh an eye 1914. Lur.ed on by Mr. Ben Abramson, to mass-appeal. Many stories which are the publisher, Dr. Bailey pursued hls quite honourable among their kind applaisal of lhe fleld, which by then have appear'ed in Astounding Science- had vastly enlarged and produced Fiction since the days of such "fairy (fhanks to Mr'. Gernsback) some pecu- tales of astronomy" as Fearn's "BIue liar ofi-shoots. Now at lasf it appears, Inflnity," which he instances as mark- taking due regard of more recent ing "the climax of the wonderful" in trends; though it would seem the this branch of fantasy literature. To author has given up ttte struggle to seLtle on a George O. Smith piece as keep pace with the full flower of the typical of current magazine material, medium during the last decade. with its "casual commonplaces," is For the science fiction reader who hardly doing justice to the healthy in- cares naught of the derivation or classi- fluence of such writers as Heinlein, flcation of the story he is enjoying, Padgett and Hubbard (not to m€ntion whether it be a piece of magazine Mr. Campbell himself) on the medium's space-opera or a profound volume of latter'-day development. Yet the index, Stapledon, bhis book may have no more comprehensive as it is, includes none than a passing interest. But for the of the names that make news in science earnest student of the medium it is an fiction to-day. invaluable work of reference from However, he does not ignore (as we which even the most erudite may learn might have expected him to do, in how much he has still to discover of view of his attitude) the strange this fascinating fleld, which too many phenomenon of fandom; in fact, such of us come to think of as though it devot€es as Langley Searles and Acker- were bounded by the rigid pag€s of our man, as well as the late lamented Love- favourite pulp. Indeed, browsing craft and Dr. Breuer, have assisted him through it, we began to feel twinges of in blinging the record as up to date as regret at how litUe we had explored in it is. But in leaving to us the task of 20 years. assessing the thousands of stories pub- Dr. Bailey, manifestly, has nob only lished in the magazines, he has missed a longer acquaintance with its broader the opportunity to discover for himself paths but has been able to spend a some of the more subtle changes which great amount of time reading a.nd have occurred, and are still occurring, digesting the books we have yet to get in the evolution of fantasy. around to. But his reading of maga- In spite of its limitations (which zine science flction is either much less may not appear half so conspicuous to extensive or, as we suspect, he has not those who have been less preoccupied persevered with his studies in this de- with prevailing tendencies than have partment. For he dismisses a quarter we), D1'. Bailey's work still merits the of a e,entury's evolution of the medium description of monumental, running as in tbis form a litUe too cursorily for our it does to 341 pp., including a biblio- 10 FA NTASV

graphy and index comprising some 300 of various themes we come across such pieces of science-fantasy. magazine "classics" (he does not call The rest of the book is in two parts. them that!) as Verrill's "Beyond the The first part traces the growth of the PoIe," Coblentz's "After 12,000 Years,' medium through the centuries, begin- Stribling s "creen Splotches,,' Smith's ning with the early romances of Wil- "Skylark of Space," and Murra.y Lein- kins, Cyrano, and other imagina,ry ster's old Argosy stories. But in the voyagers into the yet dimly understood end Dr. Bailey lumps the stories of the heavens, and with Holberg's venture magazines, specifically, along with into Earth's interior which anticipated those of the detective and Iove stoly Burroughs by nearly 300 years, It ex- pulps, dismissing them as "romances piains the advent of the Utopia, deals of escape," and challenging us with with the influence of the Gothic novel the assumption that "the most zealous which led to the blending of science science fiction fans entertain few iliu- and the supernatural in "Ftanken- sions that escapist lit€rature of this stein" and other 19th century pieces, kind has noteworthy esthetic value." and so proceeds to the age of Poe and He does, fhough, concede to it "the Verne and the new phase of mech- esthetic value of the myth," and in this anical marvels-to-be. Thence, continu- respect pays tribute to Lovecraft as ing the interplanetary motif, to Locke's one oi the most powerful and sensifive "Moon Hoax" and Hale's "Brick Moon," writers of our generation in this field. which seems to have been the precursor His stories, he says, are "splendid ex- of ail stories about artiflcial satellites, amples of scientific flction turned to And so through the satires and Utopias the uses of the tale of terror." Which of the Machine Age, with Butler, Bel- would se€ln to settle the question lamy and Hudson, to the future war whether the modern master of the stories of Grifith and the eclipse of macabre contributed anything to Verne by Wells. science f,ction, as carefully segre- Here Dr. Bailey pays due homage to gated by its anti-spook champions, Uhe vast contribution of the Master, or just wrote "weird stuff." whose boldness of imagination, true ap- In the second half of his book, Dr. preciation of the social signif,cance of Bailey runs ail his science flction advancing science, and creation of through a sieve and examines its com- character in his stories, he contrasts mon elements from a nicely objective with the schoolboy faoetiousness and viewpoint. He considers its various superb optimism of Verne. Though he literary treatments, its stock devices does not neglect the Vernian influence and characters, its conventions and on juvenile literature, as reflected in content-patterns, The alien beings, th,e "Frank Reade" tales of Lu their cities and sciences, the trips Senarens, which must have made as through space and time, the menaces mcny science flcLion fans among our and catastrophes, the worlds within fathers as the "Nonames" of The (exc€pting Mr. Shaver's), are all sorted Wizard do to-day. and analysed; the imaginary inventions Finally he traces the development of and discoveries which have so often tlre cosmic romance and the introduc- proved prophetic are likewise arrayed tion of psychological and m€taphysical for our further inspection in their problems into science-fantasy, so bring- separat€ compartments. This is a mas- ing us to the era of the speciafsed terly feat of categorisation. magazines (not forgetting Scoops!), the The social philosophies and prophe- Iise of "Buck Rogers" and "Superman" cies of the Utopistic writers are simi- incidentally, of fandom. But in larly assembled; and when Dr. Bailey, -and,approaching modern sciqnce fiction he in his final chapter, quotes from an prefers to deal with the novels of Bur- Astounding editorial of '45 and makes roughs, Lewis, Capek, Huxley, Wright, the admission that the stories in this Taine and others with whom the magazine are "of some importance as general reader may be familiar, and vehicles for conveying ideas (about the with the new master Stapledon, to situation now conflonting us) to a whose works he devotes many pages wide audience," we are inclined to for- The lesser-known works of Balmer give his omissions and applaud the im- and Wylie, England, Cummings and mense work and thought he has put Kline are 'given their share of atten- into this unique tome, which he might tion; and among the many story-out very well have dedicated to every lines with which he illustrat€s the use science ncbion fan. REVIEW 11 The Resur rection of Merritt THE FOX WOMAN,. by A. Merritt, and THE BLUE PAGODA, by Ilannes Bok. New Coliector's Group, New York. $3.00. Reviewed by Frank Ed.ward Arnold T'hough this new Merritt novel ap- fantastic concepts ant narrative pears four years afber his death, he strength for their effect, they are began writing it as long ago as 1923. marred by a somewhat over-flor.'id style Dissatis.0ed with various aspects of the and an excess of picturesque epithet, narrative, he abandoned it for comple- matched only by the extravagant tion later. But his busy life as a jour- prais€s lavished on them by his ecsta- nalist gave him little time for creative tic readers. work,- and at his death a manuscript yet, in his own vein, Merritt was a of Only the first four chapters was left, sound and able writer. along with notes for the__remainder. 1i'ew of his adnrirers can have strown From this difficult tfutt-T11"^:: P.oI so much devotion as Hannes Bok, of has made a bold and, on-bh€^w^hore, suc- wtto* it is said thai oni", as a uoy, he c€ssful attempt fo flnish the story. copied out the whole ot' .,1'he fVfbtai Abraham Merritt was one -of . the Monster', in longhand, this being ilre most popular among the grea;'antasy only way he could. then possess a copy. authors of 20-3f years ago. . Born .in He ha,s since acquireO a comptete cot- Pennsylvania, he was oliginally in- lection of Merritt's published works, tended-for_ the I-ary, but newspapers and has now fulfilled a long-standing claimed him and he remained with ambition to illustrate one of-them: ai them for most of his life. Travel.was appropriate ambition, for Mr. Bok must his passion, and with it archaeology, be one of the finest fdntasv artists since folklore,.astronomy, botany (one cor- the days of Sidney Sime,"and he is as ner of hls garden at home was,devoted right fbr Merritt as Sime was for Dun- to exotic drug-producing .plants)-,, an- sany. Being also a proven author, he thropology, magic and w.ibchclaft-all was perhafs the oniy man capable of subjecis to stimuiat€ a vivid imagina- flnisiing .,The Fox lvoman,' as Merritt tion. He loved the ruined temples of might have intended. Central and South America, where he The story tells of one Jean Meredith, wandered often and listened keenly to wife of an- elderly explorcr, who when tales recounted by the Indians. L_ost the story opens is b,eing pulsued by civiusations and litUe-known. peoples, bandits in a remote provi=ncb of Chind. haunted by evanescent monsfers, col- The bandits have murdered her hus- oured his thought and inevitably be- band Martin at the instigation of his came the material of his stories. brother Charles, who is greedy for his Most ol his eight published novels fortune. Sobbing for vengeance, Jean are very much in the vein of Rider finds sanctuary in the Temple of the Haggard, with a touch of the ear'ly, Foxes, ruled by her husband's wise old prose-poetic, time - machine creating friend Yu Ch'ien, priest of the fox cutt, w.ells.*' Lone explorers discover an un- and the mysterious Fox Woman, who knorvn and fantastic civilisation in takes spiritual possession of Jean- some remote corner of the earth, in- and also of her daughter, in giving variably ruled by a beautiful woman birth to whom Jean dies. The daughter of supernaiulal origin (the Snake gr'ov/s up part Occidental, part Oriental Mother, Norhala of "The Metal Mon- fox woman, to achieve the vengeance ster," or in this case the Fox Woman), desired by her mother.'narrative who conjures up unheard-of pow€rs to Merritt's own concludes oppose the sctremes of the villain. shorUy after the birth of the child. In Simple romantic adventures, relying on the second part, entitled "The Blue * These, in order of their original ap- With the exception of "The Metal Mon- pearance in the .4melic-an {r_gosy- are ster," €,ll have appeared in book form, the "T'he l\{oon Pool" (1918), "The Meta.I last three also being published in l.Cng- Monster" ('20), "The Face in the Abyss" land. All, too, have since been reprinted ('23), "The Ship of Ishtar" ('24), "Seven in various magazines, and more r-ecenily Footprints to Satan" ('27), 'Dwellers in in the "Murder Mystery Monthly', pocket- the Mirage" ('32), "Burn, Witch, Burn!" book series of the Avon Book'Co.. New ('32), and "Creep, Shadow, Creep!" ('34). York. T2 FANTASY Pagoda," Bok takes up the thread at a This first production of the New Col- point eighteen years later as the girl lector's Group is a large. slim volume comes from China to America to see wibh a black binding, gilt cover-leiter- the wicked uncle. He has done his cre- ing and six full-page Bok illustrations. ditable best to write in the Merritt Its general appearance is something fashion, though his own sfyle is brisker, like that of an old-time magazine, an more "modern" and less graceful than illusion that is oddly heightened by the Merritt's; and he has packed the story double-column printing. The edition is with fantastic inv€ntion and hectic in- limited to 1,000 numbered copies, which cident in a manner thab should satisfy immediately on release acquired con- evely follower of fhe Merritt tradition. siderable collector-value. The Fote of the First Men THE FLAMES: A Fantasy, by Olaf compromise between spirituality and Stapledon. Secker & Warburg, Lon- practical cunning is even older; nor is don. 6/-. there a great deal of originality in the Reviewed by ,rohn Beynon reflection that man's obtuseness and pettiness has him headed for his own The approximate 30,000 word length destruction. Even the ingenuities of of Dr. Stapledon's new story scarcely conception publishers' by which the sentient warrants his description of flames originating in the Sun may be ib as a novel unless they are using the resuscitated in the high temperatures word in an older sense. As one would attainable through atomic flssion, and expect, there is novelty in it, but it is Lhus, if men are willing, spread novelty more form the a of detail than of benison of their spirituality so that a or conrcn!, state of psycho-scientific symbiosis will The conception of vital and sentieni develop, can scarcely disguise that the flames as symbols of spfuit is about as story is a simple restatement of the old as sun worship, The attempt to view that homo still shows little pros- pect of becoming sapiens. "The story," say the publishers, .,may be taken as symbolising some of the NEW BOOKS contemporary human problems.', It may-and perpetual ones, too. It also Now ovoiloble indicates a line of contemporary pessi- mism. It does not see man taking vol- The Forbidden Garden Taine: untarily any way out of his present im- 16/6 - passe. But though it does not share the Away ftom the Here and Now- dejection of spirit which darkened Wells' obser-vations Clare Winger llarris: 13/6 flnal on our self- destructive career, there seems little The Flames-Stapledon: 6/- difference of expectation between the Travellers In Time-Science flction two authors concerning the fate of this anthology:19/6 civilisation. Legion of Spa,ce-Williamson: 16/6 Their main dissimilarity lies in scale Misla.id Charm-Phiilips: 10/6 of view. The spirituality with which Wells was concerned was limited and Thorne Smith fantasies-8 titles: almost measurable. It is implicit in his each ?/6 works that he considered man, with no and other tiUes very great modif,cations, to be evolu- tion's last word; failure. therefore, must mean utter defeat-the end. For * Dr. Stapledon, however, spirit-life in evolution-is more important than E. J. GARNELL such temporary manifestations of it as Road, Plumstead mankind. Were it not for that. he too 17 Burwash might be oppressed to the same un- London, S.E.18 happy sense of futility at the prospect of the unregenerate homo astutus blun- dering closer to the end of his tebher. REVIEW 13 artisi, Herschel Levit, has produced Wanted: More twelve comrnendable chapter headings, although they are not comparable with Cartier's peerless work, 'Wackies' Let us assure those who do not know THE MISLAID CHARM, by Alexander if aiready that Mr. Phillips has in- M. Phillips' Prime Press, Philadel- vented an hilarious series of misfor- phia, Pa. $1.75. tunes for his hero to overcome, in this story of a "Iiftle" man who falls foul Reviewed by .John Carnell of the tribal cha,rm of a bunch of To the fantasy addict, this rePrint gnomes from the Pennsylvanian mines. from the pleasantly memora,ble pages The charm is "borrowed" by one of the of Unknown Worlds stands out as an imps who goes Lo town and plays merry oasis in the midst of a growing desert heli with the hard drinks, to the morti- of weird and science flction stories. Too lication of Henry Pickett and the rest little has as yet been seen of the wacky of the human community who, natur- type of fantasy which Editor Campbell ally, cannot see the culprit. Complica- and his authors developed during the tions set in when the rest of the gnome '39-43 period, and we welcome bhis step community attempt to retrieve their in the right direction on the part of the charm, which is now in the possession new Prime Press. There are many even of hero Henry and a seductive blonde. better novels of this sort we should like Meanwhile, too, the charm has be- to see in book form. Outside of a few come endowed with a semi+entient life anthologised stories, the only others we of its own, and is experimenting with know ofn which were published during disastrous efiects upon both man and the war and are now unobtainable, are beast. In one breathless chapter, Phil- the de Camp "O'Shea" trilogy and his lips manages to outdo Thorne Smith ab "Lest Darkness Fall." his best, with an hotel scene which wiII "The Mislaid Charm" appeared in bring tears to your eyes. Altogether, it's Unknown early in '41, and was illus- a good story, and a good book to have trated by Cartier. tr'or the book a new on ihe shelf for an idle moment

AVAILABLE SOON: AEITHAn| Revela.tions in Black, by Carl Jacobi, 16/6. Night's Black Agents, by Fritz Leiber Jnr., i.6/6 IIOUSD Carnacki, the, Ghost-Finder, by William Hope Hodgson, to/ o. BOOIIS The Sle€ping and the Dead, edited by August Derleth and Stephen Grendon, 2216. NOW AVAIT,ABLE: Dark Carnival, by Iiay Bradbury, 16/6. The Purple Cloud, by M. P. Shiel, 8/6. Fearful Pleasures, by A. E. Coppard, 16/6. Slan, by A. E. van Vogt, 1419. The House on the Bortlerland and Other Novels, by William Hope Hodgson, 2716. The Firesiale Book of Ghost Stories, edited by Edward Wagenknecht, 2216. And the Darkness Fa,ilIs, edited by Boris ltarlofi, 16i 6. Best Supernatural Stories, by H. P. Lovecraft, 5/-. Dark of the Moon, edited by August Derleth, 16/6. The Night, Side, edited by August Derieth, 17/6. Skull-Face and Others, by Robert E. Howard, 2716. West India Lights, by Henry S. Whitehead, 16/6. The Clock Strikes Twelvo, by H. R,. Wakefield, 16/6. The Opener of the Way, by Roberb Bloch, 16/6. Who Knocks,? Edited by Aug,ust Derleth, 15/6. This Mortal Coil, by Lady Cynthia Asquith, 16/6. Free catalogue and particuiars from: G. KEN CHAPMAN (British Sales Representative), 23 Farnley Road, South Norwood, London, S.E.2S l4 FANTASY Satirica I Salad THE LADY FROM VENUS, by Garnett New and Forthcoming Books from Radcliffe. Macdonald, London. 8/6. Reviewed by John Beynon the prime press According to the publishers, blurb, *Box fhis book marks a new departure for 2019, Micldle City Station, fhe author; and if any others are think- Philadelphia, 3, Pa., U.S.A. ing of departing from the groovy trails of thrilierdom, one could not wish them be|ter than tha,t their way TIIE MISLAID CIIARM-Alexander 1l[. should take Phillips.-- A captivating fantasy, with them among such bubblesome freshets twelve illustrations by Herschel Levit. as Mr. Radclifie has found. $1.75 (10/6). We'd betber get this straight. Those for whom fantasy means the papier- VE-NUS EQUILATERAL George O. mach6 Gothic of Lovecraft. the incar- Smith Ten stories (456- pp.) of the nadrned streams of Howarcl, or' lhe engineers who operate the interplane- bogie-wogie of Lary communications system.-S3.00 With six Quinn, stop right here. full-page illusrrations. But should your taste run to a kind of G6i 6). salad in which numerous interplane- tary ingredienfs, both new and fami- EQUALITY oT A IIISTOR,Y OF LITH- liar', are taken straight gar- CONIA. A new edition of what we from the believe to be the flrst American Utop- den, dashed with friendly satire, ian novel. Limited edition of a raie dressed (undressed?) with Thorne book. $2.50 (r3/6). Smith, and served up in an Anita Ioos borvl, you .,The then should read Lady TIID TORCII-Jaok Bechdolt. The story from Venus," even going to the lengLh of an atomic war, the descent to a of buying it to enable the author to pro- new Dark Age and man's siluggle back duce more. to civilisation. A full-lengilr novel. (16/6). It is not inbended to imply that the s3.00 story is derivative, but to suggest the flavour you will find in ib. Mr. Rad- NOMAD-George O. Smith. The story of a man made homeless because of clifie has all the gadgets so flrmly in divided his hands loyalties; one to the Earth that he can use and flourish that bore him, the other to Ertene. the them without any of that lreavy Jusbi- cosmic wanderer to which he owed his Iication of marvels with which we are life and hls success. $3.00 (16/6). wearily familiar. He lets them flash and sparkle as the setting and not as 300-YDARS HENCE Mary Griffiths. the objects of his very enjoyable story. The - second in our series bf reprints-92.b0 of rare early American Utopias. "The Lady from Venus arrived on (Lgl6). Earth wearing nothing more than a smile," says the blurk)-but don't let .. Lhat put you off1 I doubt whether there . . AND SOME WEIIE IIUMAN'' is a phase as facetiously as that L.eslgr d9l Raf. Ten great tales, in-- trite crudrng the memorable ..Nerves,,, Here- in the whole of the book itself. The after Inc.," etc. 93.00 (f6i6).- satire (a much misused and therefore discouraging word, but here properly And a Collection of the short stories of employed) never loses its lightness and Theodore percepLion; Sturgeon, the title of which thele is a deft sketching will be announced later, $4.00 (f6/6). touch in many of the implications, nor is the undercurrent suggestion of ob- verse personality in the general tangle xSoie British Representative: of the Lady's adventures upon the bar- ' barous planet Urth without its subtle- E. ties. J. CARNELL Afber getting a great deal of fun out 17 BURWASH ROAD, PLUMSTEAD, of reading it, one is glad to feel that Mr. Radcliffe probably got a lot of fun LONDON. S.E. 18 "ffinrmew. g*1.+ out of writing it-and to hope that tre ",".xix,*di6t.;s,&|. I will enjoy his next as much. REVIEW 15 "A RunawaY rfforld" which she had The Feminine Touch published earlier in Weird Tales, and AWAY FROM THE HERE AND NOW: another piecs which seems to have Stories in Pseudo-Science. By Clare eluded us until now. Winger Harris. Dorrance, Philadel- Of them all, we have the most vivid phia, $2.50. recollections of "The Miracle of the Fleviewed by Thomes Sheridan Lily," whose breadbh of vision was Coming up agaiu quite un€xpectedly quite remarkable at the time, and of after all this time, the name of Clare "The Menace from Mars," which in Winger Harris sets us to reminiscing, spite of its title was highly original in She was the first woman writer to ap- its approach to the already well-worked pear in Amazing Stories, which she did invasion theme, In fact, most of Mrs. just 20 years ago by winning the third Harris' stories had a freshness of prize in Gernsback's fi.rst cover contest. touch and a very deflnite human inter- By inviting authors to write a story est which still endure to-day even if the around a perfectly meaningless piece of writing has dated, imagery by artist Paul, he discovered Although titles like "The Diabolical several useful contributors, not least Drug" and "The Evolutionary Mon- among them the lady scientiflctionist strosity" may suggest that these tales who, we are somewhat shocked to find, are too far away from the here and is now a grandmother. now for the reader of a more mature Yet we still recall her prize-wlnning brand of science flction (which, by the piece, "The Fate of the Poseidonia," way, has come to abhor the term which this book reprints with her other "pseudo-science"), they have worn well stories of those halcyon days, consoli- enough to satisfy the average reader's dating what we believe is her entire demands, and as examples of what contribution to the fleld. As well as the some cJ us used to enthuse over in the nine tales which appeared under her years before Astoundlng was thought name in Amazing and Scienc€ Wonder of, they are of peculiar intelest to all Quarterly between '27 and '30 there is followers of the medium.

Do You Write Faritasy Fiction? The writlng of fantasy for the popular magazines is a job the ordinary wrlting schools cannot teach. It is a highly specialised field, and however good your tutor may be, however successful you have been in other fields, you cannot expect to sell your fantasy stories unless you learn the secret of writing them for specific markets and really understand their requirements. Though the British market is practlc&lly non-existent, there is increasing scope for the new writer among the American magazlnes, whose rates of payment are high. ff you feel you might beneflt by the advice and assistance of one who is actively engaged in the fantasy fleld, \ilho has edited two science fiction magazlnes and has coached many new writers into print, I should be glad to ofier you my sorvices. These include the appraisal of your story-ideas and plot-outlines, the con- structive criticism of your manuscripts and help with their revision where necessary, the submission of your material to the most appropriate markets, and alt other assistance of which you rnay be ln need in your efforts to become a regular contrlbutor to this treld. I do not promise you immediate success, but if you have the capacity to write the material fantasy editors want I can, perhaps, enable you the quicker to achieve results. I shall be pleased to give your inquiry my personal attention. WALTER GILLINGS Authors' and Publishers' Representative I5 SHERE ROAD, ILFORD, ESSEX 16 FANTASV Among the Magazines with NIGEL LINDSAY .FANTASY BOOK' APPEARS When we'd dried our eyes after pip- the issue consists of eight reprints, ing them over the suspension of Fan- leading off with P. Schuyler Miller's tasy, we opened them to find Fantasy "The Arrhenius Horror," f1.om a ,Bl Book coming from the Land of No Amazing. Nelson Bond, R,ay Bradbury, Paper Rationing to flIl the gap. This William Hope Hodgson, Clark Ashton new, 25c. mag., with large-size format Smith and Lord Dunsany are also (not pocket-size, as originally in- represented. tended), is the product of the new Fan- Good news this month for Astoundi,ng tasy Publishing Co., Los Angeles, who readers who've been patiently awaiting are making a special concession to another Doc. Smith epic. His four-part readers who want to hoard their copies. "Children of the Lens,,, Iast of the The bulk of each issue is being printed "Lensman" series (of which the others, on ordinary pulp for general distribu- according to him, were but introduc- tion, and for the benefit of collectors tions to this one), starts serialisation 1,000 copies will be on better-class book in the November issue, with a Rogers paper. Subscription for 12 issues is cover to illustrate it. $3.00, but frequency of publication is The yet. new-style cover by Alejandro on uncertain as the September number ,lived up to No. 1 contains the flrst part of a two- Editor Campbell's blurbs-I'd like some issue serial by Bribish writer Festus more like that. A nice selection of tales Pragnell, "The Machine God Laughs"; in this issue, including Geo. O. Smith's "People of the Clater," a novelette of a novelette, "Meddler's Moon,', and Eric lost race in Antarctica by Andrew FYank Rrlssell's "Hobbyist." Among the North; "The Walls of Acid," an inter- shorts, P. Schuyler Miller's fantasy of pLanetary piece by Henry Hasse; "Th'e Thing on Outer Shoal, made a "Flight Through Tomorrow," by Stan- nice break. ton A. Coblentz, and other contribu- It's no news to Thrilling Wonder tions from Robert Bloch, Bryce.Walton veterans that Leslie Chat'teris. creator and Weaver \Mright. Promised for the of "The Saint," is one of us. Now he's futnre ale "Ship of Dalkness," by A. E. started v/riting fantasy as well as read- van vogt, "Star of the Undead," by ing it. The story goes that he did ,'The Paul Lavond, and stories by Pragnell Darker Drink" for one of Standard's and Manrice G. Hugi which appeared deLective pulps, but they bagged it for in Tales of Wonder's flrst issue just ten the October Wonder instead. Feature years ago. novel of this issue is "Donovan Had a The fourth Avon Fantasy Reader Dream," by James MacOt'eigh, in which features the first van Vogt story to ap- Venus is ruled by a matriarchy of Iitags pear outside the Street & Smith maga- the Earthmen upset the apple- zines which have published all his work cart.-until There's an amusing piece by to date. Title: "Defence." The rest of Robert Heinlein, "Jerry is a Man";

THE BRITISH FANTASY LIBRARY has pleasure in announcing a new service to its members. This will be known as the Liaison Department, and will operate to: Facilitate non-profit trading between members; Aiil exchanges of magazines a,nd books; Answer special queries on fantasy and science fiction; HeIp British fans contact others in the U.S.A. and othen par"ts of the . world. Details are available from Capt. K. F. Slater, Riverside, South Brink. Wisbech, Ca;mbs. The Library anil Chain Magazine Departments will continue to operate as before. Non-mcmbers wishing to join the Library should write to Mr. R. Holmes, 67 Lineside Road, Belle Vale; Liverpool, 15, for informa,tion about all three Depa,rt.ments. REVIEW T7 Francis Flagg comes back through the Amazlng, in which Ediior Palmer medium of Weaver Wright, and I{enry seizes on the Flying Saucers (or spots Kuttner and Manly Wade Wellman are before th€ eyes) as supporting evidence among the also-rans, of Mr. Shaver's contention that snace- ships do pass occasionally. Next issue, George O. Smith will b€ this way 'back This issue includes "Trail of the Astro- with "Quarantine," story of a gar," metallic plague with a new slant, by Henry Hasse, "The Third BoIt" and by Frances M. Deegan, and short Kuttner and Wellman will oblige again: stories Kuttner with an unusual novel about by Don Wilcox and Rog Phil- a world in which past and future exist lips. Wilcox will have a novel, "The Giants of Mogo," in the Nov€mber at the same time, and Wellman with number. "The Timeless Tomorrow," which has to do with Old Man Nostradamus. Finally, a word about Weird Tales, November Startling features which is approaching its silver anniver- "The sary. With the September issue it in- Man in the Iron Cap," by Murray Lein- price ster, and a reprint of Jack Williamson's creased its to 20c., but contents "Through the Purple Cloud." Current are unchanged. November issue has (Oct.) Famous Fantastic presents the another whimsical Matt Fox cover illus- ,Charles trating Roberl Bloch's "The Cheaterc," old Vivian fantasy, "City of pair you Wonder," which you'll probably have on about a of specs that makes your bookshelf, and a new Leinster see things as they really are. Other short, Day Deepies." novelettes are "The Inn by Doomsday "The of the Not Falls," a. haunted to mention a z2-page readers' depart- house story by AUi- ment son V. Ilarding, and "The Last Adam containrng no less than B6 letters, and Eve," by Bert David many of \ryhich are from people with Ross, an origi- get nal piece concerning the hour which back issues io rid of. Now's your the future will recognise as Earth's chance, collectors! last. There are also shorts by Stephen Chief attraction of November Fan- Glendon, Mary Elizabeth Counselman, tastic Adventures is Berkeley Living- Carl Jacobi, Seabury Quinn, and our ston's "The Lamp of Vengeance." And seafaring friend George (Chandler) I mustn't overlook the October Whitley.

ARKHAM TO ISSUE MAGAZINE A quarteriy magazine to feature America before, and occasional new weird and science-fantasy stories and stories. The Sampler wiII also carry non-fi.cLion material of interest to the fantasy book reviews by well-known collector will be launched next year by authors and critics, and make a feature Arkham House, Sauk City. It will be of readers'letters. called The Arkham Sampler and be First (Winter '48) issue. out next edited by August Derieth. January, will present the first of four Limited to 1,000 copies, the new instalments of H. P. Lovecraft's novel, magazine will cost $1.00 a copy or "The Dream-Quest of Unknown $3.00 a year to subscribers. It will con- Kadath," hitherto printed only in the tain as much material as an average rare omnibus voiume, "Beyond the Wall Arkham book and is being issued be- of Sleep"; other pieces by H. Russell cause the increasing cost of book pro- Wakefield, Stephen Grendon and Clark duction prevents presentation in book Ashton Smith, a history and chrono- forrn of all the material collected by logy of the mythical "Necronomicon" Derleth and his partners. on which Lovecraft based much of his The announcement of the magazine work, and the Introduction by August emphasises that, atthough it will fea- Derleth to his forthcoming science flc- ture flction, it is primarilv designed to tion anthology, "Strange Ports of Call." present 'turious, out - of - the -way The Sampler will have a permanent material in the field of the fantastic," cover design by Ronald Clyne. Among much of which is not cast in fiction other contributols to future issues will form. The flction will comprise re- be Fritz Leiber Jnr., Algernon Black- prints of stories which have become wood, Edward Wagenknecht and unobtainable, pieces never published in Robert Bloch. r8 FA NTAS Y Geoffrey Giles writes AEOI]T 'BOOKS The sudden flood of British fantasy usually associate with time-travelogueS. books which came earlier in the year You'll be familiar with some of them, would seem to have been dammed. if not all. But a few volumes, mainly of interest Another anthology which will prove to the weird tale reader, continue to irresistible to the weird tale fraternity trickle through, though all of them are is "The Sleeping and the Dead: 30 Un- pretty ancient stuff. canny Tales," whlch has been patiently As well as a new edition of M. R. awaited for almost two years. Edited James' "Collected Ghost Stories," by August Derleth and his paltner Arnold have published, at 7/6, "Un- Stephen Grendon, iN contains pieces by holy Rellcs and Other Uncanny Tales," old favoulites iike Machen, Wakefield by M. P. Dare, and "Not ExactlY and Blackwood as well as such as Ghosts," by Sir Andrew Caldecott, Bradbury, Bloch, Schuyler Miller, which are both very much in the James Boucher and Kuttner, among the more manner. "Twilight Stories," by Rhoda modern school. And, of course, there's Broughton (Home & Van Thal, 6/-), Lovecraft, represented by "The Dreams also presents ghost stories of Victorian in the Witchhouse." ';intage. And if your taste is for the You'Il be able to get this through really antique, "Chinese Ghost and Arkham House. from whom are also Love Stoi'ies," by P'u Sing Ling (Dob- forthcoming the first collection of son, 12,/6), is a selectioh of traditional stories by the popular Unknown writer, pieces by a; Chinese exPonent of the Frilz Leiber Jnr., "Night's Black medium first published as long ago as Agents," and another selection of new 1?40. and reprinted tales by the English "Ttre Best Stories of M. P. Shiel" writer L. P. Hartley under the title, have been re-assembled by Gollancz, "The Travelling Grave and Other and more "Tales of the Supernatural" Stories." And those who revel in Wil- are available in a Pan Book. The third liam Hope Hodgson won't want to miss in .the series of Charles Williams re- the. flrst complete collection of his tales prints by Faber, "Many Dimensions," of "Carnacki, the Ghost-Finder," ap- is to be had at ?/6; the new edition of pearing under the imprint of Mycroft Karel Capek's "I{rakatit" promised and Moran. some time ago is now forthcoming from THREE TAINE NOVELS Allen & Unwin at 8/6. Methuen have expgcting the Golden Rooms" with Any day now we're followed the "The third production of the f'antasy Pt'ess, the third in Vardis I'ish€r's series of the new John Taine novel, "The For- novels about man's emergence from the (9/6). And bidden Garden.'.' Due to follow it next brute, "Intimations of Eve" month is A. E. van Vogt's Unknown that. I think, is about the extent of the classic, "The Book of Ptath," which trichle, which hasn't kept us very busy. we're looking forward to re-reading in TIME-TALE ANTHOLOGY its lengthened version. Lloyd Arthur On the other hand, we're having to Eshbach, whose long experience in the work overtime keeping track of every- fantasy fi.eld has been turned to good thrng that is coming, either now or in account in his production of these the near future, from the other side of slick collector's items, informs us that Pond. Latest big tome to land in our he has added to his schedule an ex- lap is "TYavellers in Time," a collec- tended version of Eric Frank Russell's tion of time stories edited by Philip "Sinister Barrier," which ushered in Van Dolen Stern, noted for his "Moon- Unknown in'39 and saw book presenta- light Traveller" anthology of some tion here dnring the war. But that vears back. The new $3.50 volume, pub- won't come until next year. lished by Doubleday, comprises items Follo'ving a new, illustrated edition bv Wells, Max Beerbohm, Somerset of Dr. Edward E. Smith's "The Skylark Maugham. James Ttrurber and others of Space," the Hadley Book Co. will be who have.handled the theme of "a dis- reprinting two memorable Taine novels tortion of ihe normal sequence of time" from Amazing Quarterly, "White Lily" apart from the magazine writers we and "Seeds of Life." And the Fantasy REVI EW 19 Publishing Co., of Los Angeles, having TO HONOUR KELLER launched Fantasy Book, is starting out Yet another new publishing enter- with an ambitious programme of re- prise by and foI lantasy fans is the prints which should appeal to those Avalon organisation of Sam Moskowitz who want to get rid of some of Lhose and Wiiliam S. Sykora, who are com- o1d magazines they've hoarded for mencing operations bJ' issuing an an- years and can't bring themseives to rip thology of stories by ihat firm favourite out the stories they must ]

f! JO[f_31e thinking of insurance, con_ SMALL ADYERTS sult J. Michael Rosenblum, 4 Granse Spocial Rate to Collectors:2d. per Terrace, Chapeltown, Lecds, Z. We unde-r- worrl (5c. Canada and U.S.A.); mini- take all types ol iltsurance: iife. endow- mum 12 words, To Traders and others: ment, Rre.and burglary, householder's, 3d. per word (?c. in Canada and U.S.A.). property owner's. house purchase (via All atlvertisements in this section must be endowment policy), jewellery, accident, prepaial. Box nunbers 6d. (15c.) extra. etc. fnquiries iirvjted. WILL EXCHANGE for American fan- WANTED: USA scienee fietion maga- tasy books: Newnes' Fantasy Nos. 1, 2, zines published during and since the war. 3, good condition, hard to set. What British reprints not required. State con- have 1ou?-Box 108. Fantasy Reriery. dition and price. Box 107, Fantasy WHAT CAN YOU offer in exchanEe for Revierv. - Gernsback Science Fiction Series Nos. WANTED to complete set: Astounding 13-18?-Box 109, Fantasy Review. Dec. '30. Mags. for sale or exchange.-N. SCIENTIFICI'I0N The Itritish Lindsay, 311 Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Fantasy Review. A few- copies No. 1 and Devon. Nos. 3-7 available at 1/6 (35c.) per copy, TALES OF WONDER. A few good-as- post free.-Fantasy Review (Service new copies, Nos. 1-4, 6-10, 13-16 available Dept.), 15 Shere Road, Ilford, Essex. to U.S. collectors ai $1.50 per copy, post WANTED: "The Space R,aiders" free. Also at $1.00: Nos. 1, 4, 5,7,9, 12, (Beverley), "The Strans^e Invaders" in good condition. Fantasy Review (Llewellyn), "The l\,lachine Stops" (Service Dept.), 15 Shere- Road, Ilford, (Smith). Write: J. Wasso. Jr., P.O. Box Essex, England. 21, Bangor, Pa., U.S.A. We Don't Give Magazines Up Easily and Books Destruction of books by f,re and the scattering of Service libraries of Science-Fiotion during the war has made book- hunfing a laborious and often The Weird The Unknown disappointing occupation for col- - lectors to-day. If You cannot lOl- Sample Packet 101- trace a particular volume or are seeking a certain type of fantasY, CATALOGUE FREE. 'we are fully qualified to conduct the search for you. If we fail in our attempt, it will have cos| you Sell or Exchange Your Collection of no more than a postage stamp; if Science'Fiction. we are successful, we shall quote you reasonably. And we do not easily admit failure. Why not let Direct Mail Subscriptions to all us try? U.S.A. Science-Fiction Magazrnes E. WILLIAMS S.F PUBLICATIONS ll Clowders Road, (Dept. FRs), 16 Rockville Rd., Catford, London, S.E.6 Liverpool, 14

AIIYAITCN IITFOAMATION to Regula,r Bea,ders The OCTOBER 194? issue of ASTOUNDI NG SCI ENCE.FICTION (BRlrlsH EDlrloN) is now on sate.

The WINTER 1947 issue of UNKNOWN WORLDS (BRITISH EDITION) will be on sale SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1st.

9d. each

If you have any difnculty in obtaining your copies please communicate with: ATLAS PUBLISHING &.DISTRIBUTING GO. LTD. 18 Bride Lane, Fleet Street, London, E.C.4

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