^^^^^™ 1 FEBRUARY 1951 25« ANC SCIENCE FICTION » > -< Ui >l > X 3 \VXSV V V , S •--, A THE FIREMAN o By Ray Bradbury \ H | : . Galaxy SCIENCE FICTION February, 1951 Vol. 1, No. 5 Edilor-in-Chief VERA CERUTTI Editor H, L GOLD CONTENTS Art Director NOVELLA W. L VAN DER POEL Advertising Manager THE FIREMAN - * * < * ••.«.*«>.. GENE MARTINAT by Ray Bradbury 4 SHORT STORIES . AND IT COMES OUT HERE by Lester del Rey 62 Cover by CHESLEY BONESTELL .... •*»«*«*»#*•» «.*«> Illustrating THE PROTECTOR The Tying Down of a by Betsy Curtis 75 Spaceship on Mars in a Desert sandstorm SECOND CHILDHOOD GALAXY Science Fiction is published monthly by , by Clifford D. S/mafc 83 World Editions, Inc. Main offices: 105 West 40th St., New York 18, N. Y. 250 WEEKS IN AUGUST per copy, Subscriptions TWO (12 copies) $2.50 per year in the United States, by Frank M. Robinson 1 02 Canada, Mexico, South and Central America and U. S. Possessions. Elsewhere BOOK-LENGTH SERIAL—Installment 2 $3,25. Application for entry as second-class matter is TYRANN pending at the Post Office, New York, N. Y. Copyright, 1950, by World Editions, by Isaac Asimov 108 Inc. President: George A, Gogniat. Vice-President Marco Lombi. Secretary FEATURES and Treasurer : Anne Swe- reda. All rights, including EDITORIAL PAGE translation, reserved. Ail material submitted must be by H. Gold 2 accompanied by self-ad- L dressed stamped envelopes. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolic- FIVE-STAR SHELF ited material. All stories printed^ in this magazine by Groff Conklin 99 are fiction, and any simil- arity between characters and actual persons is co- incidental* Next issue at your newsstand first week In February o|^|s^k^l73 Printed in the U. S. A. Reg. U. S. Pat. Off* . DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT . GALAXY Science Fiction has: • The most attractive appearance in its field. No reader, whether Ph.D., M.D., D.D., hackie, housewife or haber- dasher, is ashamed to be seen carrying GALAXY! • The most beautiful covers in its field. Paintings by noted artists—and now CHESLEY BONESTELL!—are reproduced with the minutest fidelity on Champion Kromekote, the choicest cover stock obtainable! • The highest rates and most liberal policy on story rights in its field. GALAXY demands no share what- ever in the resale of any story that appears in it, which helps to explain why GALAXY has . • The best fiction in its field. The finest science fiction writers—and now RAY BRADBURY!—are consistently giving GALAXY their finest stories! • Could this be why GALAXY Science Fiction has made the greatest impact and is growing more swiftly than any other magazine in its field? • M'm, yes, it could be . and it is! For 1 2 issues of convincing proof, send $2.50 and your name and address to: WORLD EDITIONS. Inc. 105 WEST 40th STREET NEW YORK 18. N. Y. Yardstick for Science Fiction k MONG readers, writers and "The quality of everything that /% business rivals, there is no has appeared in GALAXY is so /~\ doubt that GALAXY has high that, when I write for it, I succeeded enormously. Of these, want to be represented by my best only our competitors are baffled by work." these phenomena: Guess at the name if you wish; • GALAXY is naive enough to you may even be right . but I'll believe in the publishing platitudes hold it until I have a definite an- of good characterization, believable nouncement to make. situations, credible conflict, all of Yes, there is enough good stuff which have been talked up for to be had, now that writers are years while the opposite was used. convinced GALAXY wants them Whether GALAXY really does to discard the shabby wrappings in use them can be attested to by a which science fiction has been letter from an author whose name embalmed; mummified, almost. would be instantly recognized: This policy was inevitable, for it "... I opened the first issue merely applies the standards of any with interest but without any spe- legitimate branch of literature to cial expectation, one way or the science fiction. I don't want to keep other. I recognized your name on this policy exclusively ours, for I the masthead . and I was im- do not fear good competition, pressed with both the ambitious which can expand the field format and the table of contents immensely, but I am mortally names. Then I read it, almost at afraid of retread private eye, west- one sitting—and realized I was ern and Congo Sam stories mas- reading the first fully adult science querading as science fiction. fiction magazine I had ever held in • As I mentioned in an earlier my hands! editorial, reader-editor collabora- ". Frankly, I didn't think you tion has often been offered, seldom could keep it up more than one meant. It was meant in GALAXY, issue, being fairly sure that there despite warnings even from read- was not that much good stuff to be ers that *the screwballs might de- had. But the second issue -was as mand old hat science fiction. None good as the first and so was the did. third . If GALAXY is a superior maga- GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION — zine it is due to reader participa- their inclination to give their work tion and guidance! away for nothing—while demand- • GALAXY has received the ing a share of resale price. excited support of the best writers • Because of our higher rates and of science fiction. These authors refusal to cut in on earnings that were not misled by party girls on are not ethically a magazine pub- our payroll, nor drugged into sub- lisher's, GALAXY is, as a natural mitting. They came voluntarily be- consequence, getting the finest sci- cause of our challenging editorial ence fiction stories. policy and the highest rates in the Also as a consequence, apparent- field. And just as important . ly, "Needle" by Hal Clement will • GALAXY buys only first maga- not be the current 'GALAXY zine publication rights. We retain Science Fiction Novel, though an- no other rights at all, whether nounced last month. A fraction of radio, pocketbook, anthologization, the book first appeared in another or any other sort. We demand not magazine, and since it is that pub- a single cent of the payment for lisher's policy to retain reprint the resale of any GALAXY story! rights, it has been refused us, de- This point may be obscure to spite the wishes of the author and non-writers, but it is of vital con- the publishers of the clothbound cern to "authors. Vital enough, I be- edition. lieve, for readers to have it Hal Clement has thus suffered a explained to them. serious financial loss—a guarantee Counting false starts, stories of almost the original price of the that won't work out, stories that story, and royalties that could very shouldn't have been written at all possibly make it much more but seemed good at the time, re- through having his interests "pro- search, productive labor, etc., it tected." takes a stupendous amount of It is dubious protection that can, writing at even the highest rates cancel a sale for an author and to support an author and his family yet often involve a demand for a on magazine sales alone. substantial part of the payment. In Any additional income a story- some cases, this demand may can bring in, through anthologiza- amount to as much as the original tion, pocketbook reprint, or other price of the story. resale, is important to him. We regret being unable to offer Realizing this, GALAXY does this fine book . but we do have not use fictitious excuses to deprive an ORIGINAL novel, "Prelude to writers of this income, such as re- Space" by Arthur C. Clarke. It's garding them as business infants good! And it's still only 25(f. who must be protected against —H. L. GOLD YARDSTICK FOR SCIENCE FICTION 3 . THE FIREMAN By RAY BRADBURY A master of science fiction presents his masterwork of frightening conviction . the world of the future WE are creating! Fire, Fire, Burn Books HE four men sat silently Mr. Montag sat stiffly among the playing blackjack under a other firemen in the fire house, T green drop-light in the dark heard the voice-clock mourn out the morning. Only a voice whispered cold hour and the cold year, and from the ceiling: shivered. "One thirty-five a.m. Thursday •The other three glanced up. morning, October 4th, 2052, A.D. "What's wrong, Montag?" . One 'forty a.m. one A radio hummed somewhere. ." ". fifty . War may be declared any GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION Illustrated by KARL ROGERS hour. This country stands ready to ." defend its destiny and . The fire house trembled as five hundred jet-planes screamed across the black morning sky. colored hair. Stacked behind them The firemen slumped in their were glittering piles of auxiliary coal-blue uniforms, with the look helmets. Downstairs in concrete of thirty years in their blue-shaved, dampness the fire monster itself sharp, pink faces "and their burnt- slept, the silent dragon of nickel THE FIREMAN quickly. and tangerine colors, the boa-con r 1. Answer the alarm strictor hoses, the twinkling brass. 2. Start the fire swiftly. "I'm thinking of our last job," 3. Be sure you burn every- said Mr. Montag. thing. "Don't," said Leahy, the fire 4. Report back to fire house. chief. 5. Stand alert for another "That poor man, when we alarm: burned his library. How would it feel if firemen burned our houses Everyone watched Montag.