OCTOBER 2000 25 CENTS

Mumblings from Munchkinland -- the only West Australian fanzine published in Tasmania -- welcomes a new ruby to Ozl A GEM BY ANY NAME

I have seen the future. And it is pink.

Ruby Alida Nelson-Lee was born on the 22nd of October, weighing in at 9 lb. 10 oz. – a BIG girl! As Ella was quick to point out, the girls in the family now well and truly outnumber the boys. I put no faith in premonitions but it’s curious that Megan and I had less trouble agreeing on another girl’s name than we did a boy’s.

Exactly where “Ruby” came from I don’t think we know, but “Alida” was the first name of one of my great-grandmothers (yep, that’s her above, watching over her namesake). Alida’s husband was John Anton, after whom my middle name was given. By coincidence careful planning, Ruby will share the same initials as her paternal grandfather. Funnily enough, this would still have been true if we had gone with another second name we were considering. For years, one dead end in the Cady family tree – my paternal grandmother’s branch -- had been when Josiah Cady Jr. married a mysterious Abigail, surname unknown, back in the 18th century. Thanks to a genealogical website, I discovered Abigail’s surname was Boswell and that the Boswell family history has been researched extensively – back to the 15th century, anyway. Fascinating for me, but Megan preferred Alida and, truth be told, so did I. We hope Ruby likes it, too.

The birth itself went more quickly than either of the first two, though not without pain for Megan. She made the mistake of getting out of the bath too soon, probably, so despite hot towels across her lower back she was still screaming for it to end sooner than it did. A small part of her discomfort was due to the tag-team of midwives we had. Both of the midwives who had visited us for the prenatal check-ups had told us they would be travelling around the expected date of Ruby's birth. There was a small window of inopportunity during which neither of them (we thought) would be in Launceston, so a third midwife was briefed and dropped in to see us a few times. Giving birth would have to be the most personal and vulnerable experience of a woman's normal life, so the relationship between her and her midwife has to be bloody close (pardon the pun). Naturally, Ruby decided to make her move during the inopportune period for our primary midwives. Our third midwife arranged for yet another to be on hand and Megan had invited a good friend with nursing experience along as well. Wendy, Megan's mum, had flown in some days before to look after Lauren and Ella.

Anyway, getting out of the bath prematurely was due in part to unclear or misunderstood advice from one of the midwives, so Megan was not happy when told that things had not progressed as far as she had thought. I think the midwives were a little surprised at the foul cursing which followed, though Megan's exclamation of "Far out, brussel sprout!" at one point did lessen the tension.

After several hours of this, our baby was born. Megan immediately asked me what it was and at the instant I was perplexed. It was obviously a healthy baby; what did she mean, “what is it?” Of course what she meant was: “Is it a girl or a boy?”

Before the birth, we had asked Ella if she wanted another sister or a little brother this time and she had said she wanted a brother. Why? “Because I don’t have one of those yet”. Megan was concerned that I might desperately want a boy, for the same reason. It doesn’t worry me, really. I am a bit envious of Megan, for I suspect she will develop closer relationships with the girls than I as they grow older. But I am a very happy and proud dad, and I was delighted to tell her that we had another girl when I finally came to my senses.

Ella and Lauren are both delighted with their new sister, too, as demonstrated by their eagerness to help with baths, nappy changes and rocking Ruby to sleep – not to mention smothering her with hugs and kisses! Lauren was two years old a fortnight before Ruby’s arrival and has only just begun putting complete sentences together. Nevertheless, she summed up the situation from her point of view nicely by announcing to her playmates at the childcare centre: “I’m a big sister now!”

- 2 - RUBY AND HER SISTERS

NELSON-LEE - Chris and Megan are hapJlY to an· nounce the birtli of Ruby Alida, a sister for Ella ana Lauren at the Launceston Birth Centre, October 22, 2000. Many thanks to Wendy, Anna, Yvonne Marguerite, Jean and Elaine. FROM SUNBEAMS TO CAMELLIAS

In early 1939 Vol Molesworth and Ken Jefferys formed a Junior Science Club in Sydney. This, Vol wrote in his A History of Australian Fandom was "regarded as opposition to the JASFCC, especially as Molesworth and Castellari were personal enemies at the time". The Junior Australian Science Fiction Correspondence Club had been founded the year before by Veney, Castellari and the Russell brothers. Vol doesn't say why Bert and he weren't getting along. Bert recalls that he and Vol had started as copyboys at The Sunday Sun within a week of each other in January 1939: "We got on reasonably well in the first year...I never thought of us as 'personal enemies'". (Graham Stone has pointed out that Vol did not use this wording in his Outline History of Australian Fandom in 1953.)

"For more than three months the two organisations ... battled silently for members", Vol continued. "Through newspaper publicity [the JSC] enroled thirteen members". He gives no further details about where this publicity appeared, but The Sun seemed like a good place to look if an opportunity arose.

In July I attended a two-day seminar at the State Library of New South Wales. After the first day's sessions concluded I went for a wander through the Library and -- small world! -- found Graham Stone catching up on his journal reading. We had a snack and a chat, during which I asked him if he knew where Vol's "newspaper publicity" had appeared. "Almost certainly in the children's section of The Sunday Sun and Guardian Magazine," he replied. "It was called Sunbeams."

Encouraged by this confirmation of the likely source, I decided to spend a bit of time searching some of the microfilmed copies of The Sun there and then. This was great fun, to start with. WW2 had not yet started in early 1939, but the newspaper headlines of the day are preoccupied with the prospect of war -- except when Prime Minister Lyons dies suddenly, in April, to be succeeded by Robert Menzies. The ads and fashions alone are fascinating -- familiar yet strange at the same time -- and I couldn't skip the episodes of "Speed Gordon" which appeared in each issue of the Sunday papers.

Eventually, just as I was getting somewhat bleary-eyed from watching newspaper type whiz by, I spotted this tiny ad in the April 30 edition of Sunbeams (page 2). The author's name on the bottom line is partially obscured on the original also, but by comparing the address to those in fanzines of the day it is clearly Ken Jefferys. Graham informs me that Ken was a cousin of Vol Molesworth.

Within three months, both the JSC and the JASCC had collapsed, clearing the way for the creation of the Futurian Society of Sydney later in the year by former members of both clubs. At least some of the JSC's recruits from Sunbeams became active in the FSS. I thought I'd made a scoop when I came across a "short story" in another Sunbeams (March 5) called "Trip to a Planet" by one Donald Lawson, aged 14, of Eastwood. But Graham doubts it could be the same Don Lawson who participated in Futurian Society activities after the war because their ages don't match.

How the Australian Futurians adopted the term from their American counterparts is well known. And the high rate of success by members of the American group -- specifically, the Futurian Society of New York -- as professional sf editors and writers is also no secret. Wollheim, Pohl and Lowndes all became editors of pulp sf magazines whilst still Futurian members -- and much of their respective magazines' content was produced by fellow Futurian writers. They were not shy about boosting their members' efforts, as the page opposite illustrates.

The Australian Futurians would have noticed the success of their American namesakes and quite a few were willing to have a go themselves, despite vast differences in the local publishing scene. Years ago, Graham located short stories by Vol, Eric Russell, Alan Roberts and possibly Colin Roden and David Evans published in The Sun or The Mirror from 1943 onwards. Evans also had a few in Quiz, a humour magazine, and there may have been others.

- 4 -

The most ambitious, however, was Vol. His six-penny novelettes for Currawong Press began in 1943 with the Frankenstein-like Ape of God and its sequel, Monster at Large. A number of detective stories with fantastic-sounding titles, including Prelude for Death, The Wizard Returns and Satan's Understudy followed, as did a trilogy of space stories concerning the Stratosphere Patrol, published by Transport Publishing Co. The werewolf story Wolfblood was also published around this time.

After the war, Vol acquired a printing press and began producing Futurian Press titles, the first of which was Stan Larnach's Checklist of Australian Fantasy (1950). This was followed by Vol's own Blinded They Fly (1951), Let There Be Monsters! (1952), both seemingly inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft, and the first part of his Outline History. Futurian Press also published a volume of poetry by Lex Banning as well as Zero Equals Nothing (1951) by Graham Stone and Royce Williams.

Graham Stone subsequently provided editorial advice to Frew Publications for their reprint magazines Future Science Fiction and Popular Science Fiction in the mid-50s. He encouraged them to include new stories by local writers such as Norma Hemming (another Futurian member after her immigration from the UK in 1949). Graham went on to a career at the National Library of Australia and, of course, remains a pre-eminent bibliographer, researcher and publisher of Australian sf.

Another Futurian bibliographer, Don Tuck, was by this time publishing regular author listings in fan magazines like Etherline. His self-published A Handbook of Science Fiction and Fantasy (1954) would eventually become the three-volume Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy which won a Hugo Award in 1984. It is still the most useful sf reference work for pre-1969 material.

The Futurian Press imprint founded by Vol Molesworth saw at least one more title, his non-fiction Logic: notes for beginners in 1957. After excelling in Philosophy at Sydney University, Vol had became a part-time tutor there and self-published several volumes of lecture notes including the above, Foundation Stones of Logic and a few on the concept of goodness. In 1958, his Landmarks in Logic was published by the Law Book Co. and they added a second edition of Logic for Beginners to this in 1963. A final work, Factors in Effective Communication, was published by the West Publishing Corporation in the year of his death, 1964. Several more literary efforts by Molesworth, Cry for Me, Sydney and Concerto for Typewriter were never published. He would almost certainly have become more prolific had he lived longer.

Vol's fellow cadet at The Sun, Bert Castellari, never lost interest in the sf genre but did not rejoin the FSS after the war. He would have published hundreds of thousands of words, however, in his long career as a journalist and, later, press secretary to several ministers in Labor governments. In 1994 Daruma Press published his The Fire of Experience, a collection of interviews with Members of Parliament discussing their varied backgrounds, political beliefs and the nature of political representation. This didn't sell as well initially as Bert had hoped, but with the change of government in 1996 it would have been a useful source of information about many of the then new ministers of the first Howard cabinet.

Eric Russell was another Futurian who graduated to professional writing after his work on Ultra and other fan magazines before and after the war. He became a freelance journalist, specialising in local histories and biographies, beginning with Willoughby : a centenary history of the Municipality from earliest times (1966). Histories of other suburbs around Sydney have followed, as well as several annotated collections of historical photographs, entitled Old Sydney Town : from Phillip's settlement to Macquarie's new order 1788-1810 and Victorian and Edwardian Sydney from Old Photographs. One of Russell's more recent titles is Not a Dead See : some people and episodes in the life of the Diocese of Liverpool, 1880-1996.

Russell's introduction to Woollahra : a history in pictures (1980) is particularly interesting, being a nostalgic account of the area in which he grew up. It is fascinating for its detail of day-to-day life before the war as well as its glimpse of the author's science fictional interests:

- 6 - "On Saturday afternoons the picture theatre on the corner of Wallis and Oxford Streets resounded with the sounds and screams and laughter of the regular matinee audience of children, and with booing if the film broke. Cowboys and Indians of the Old West galloped across the silver screen in true cliff-hanger serials; Harold Lloyd got out of trouble again; and we were petrified when Ming the Merciless seemed to be getting the better of Flash Gordon."

Other sf connections can be found among the acknowledgements pages of Eric Russell's books. Stan Larnach is listed in Drummoyne : a western suburbs' history from 1794 (1982) as is Stirling Macoboy in The Opposite Shore : North Sydney and its people (1990).

The name Macoboy may be familiar for several reasons. He was another early Futurian, joining the FSS in 1944 and becoming one of its most active post-war members. His talents were many and varied: he designed the banner for the short-lived FSS News (below), supervised the production of two LP discs which sent messages from the Sydney fans to the 8th World SF Convention in Portland, Oregon in 1950, and joined in many a club argument. (Arguing was a talent shared by all of the Futurians.) In 1952, he departed Oz to work in radio in the USA and study the exciting new industry of television. In this role he met a number of famous personalities and worked with many, including Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone.

However, the more likely reason that the name Macoboy will be familiar to many is that he has been one of Australia's best-selling authors for decades. His most popular titles, including the series beginning with What Flower is That? have rarely, if ever, fallen out of print since first publication. Our family had a well-thumbed edition of What Tree is That? on our shelves for years before I realised Stirling's connection to sf circles. He has also been a chief gardening consultant for Better Homes and Gardens for years.

Other titles by Bill -- his nickname comes from several gardening ancestors -- include Trees for Flower and Fragrance, Shrubs for Bloom and Beauty, The Colour Dictionary of Camellias and The Joy of Flowers. Altogether, his gardening and botany titles have collectively sold millions of copies in Australia and overseas -- far outstripping any of the other Futurians. When I first met Bill, in early 1999, his most recent book was The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Camellias.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Bill on two occasions at his home and studio in Edgecliff, just over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Although born in Hobart, he has lived in the Neutral Bay area almost all of his life. His gardens, as you would expect, are extraordinary. So too is the inside of the house, due to the many original paintings on the walls. And the piles of books, papers and references which cover every flat surface -- despite having developed Parkinson's Disease, Stirling remains an active and enthusiastic author, as well as a charming host.

Now if only we can get him to write a book on his Futurian Society activities!

- 7 - TIM'S TRAVELS 2: A VISIT TO THE ACKERMANSION

Continuing the exploits of a world traveller, who, in late 1999, went to visit a cousin of ours living in the City of Angels and wound up touring Mr Monster Movie's Museum...

Needless to say, I knew of Forrest J. Ackerman well before I ever started planning my visit to Los Angeles -- even had a copy of his "Mr. Monster's Movie Gold" in the library -- so it follows that I was also aware of his vast collection of science fiction and horror movie memorabilia. However his name wasn't one of the things that popped into my head the first time cousin Ruth, a then resident of LA LA Land and my duly appointed guide for the duration, asked me what I wanted to do during my stay. Universal Studios and comic shops were my initial priorities.

Ruth, obviously dreading the prospect of three weeks scouring musty comic shops, sent me a few handy websites on "things to do in Los Angeles". My recollection is a bit hazy but amongst the many testimonials to magical kingdoms, Beverly Hills, various theme parks, the odd movie studio and a certain large, talking rodent, I believe it was the reference to "Frankenstein's Mansion" that caught my eye. The details underneath were sufficient to apprise me of the existence of the Ackermansion, a.k.a. the Forrest J. Ackerman Museum, located in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. I clicked on the link but sadly something wasn't working; I never made it to the official webpage. Not that it mattered. I had learned enough. Cousin Ruth was duly informed.

A few weeks later I was in the city renowned for its fabulous freeways, speeding along number 5, the Golden State Freeway, with Ruth at the wheel. We made it to the Griffith Park exit without incident (an achievement in itself when travelling on an LA freeway). Upon entering the park itself, however, our difficulties began. The chief difficulty being that the Forrest J. Ackerman Museum was nowhere to be found.

We stopped at the local Ranger's station, secure in the knowledge that there would be no one better to point us in the right direction then the people whose job it is to know every inch of Griffith Park. It came as quite a blow, therefore, when the friendly Park Ranger quite candidly admitted that he had never heard of the Forrest J. Ackerman Museum and started asking questions like "What's in it?" Sadly, our answer did not have the desired effect of making him smack his forehead with an open palm before exclaiming loudly, "Oh, THAT Forrest J. Ackerman Museum! Of course, it's just down the road; you can't miss it."

Rather, he proceeded to suggest that what we really wanted was the Gene Autry Museum, which was just down the road. I guess Park Rangers don't get out much. Suffice it to say (with apologies to singing cowboys everywhere) we didn't want the Gene Autry Museum. But we went there anyway, hopeful that someone on the premises might be more culturally, and geographically, enlightened than the Californian Park Ranger Service. Upon arrival we split up, Ruth taking the museum gift shop whilst I tackled the ladies at the ticket counter.

- 8 - I won't go into detail. Although there were two or three of them on the hand, and despite being backed up by loads of goodwill and a bank of computers, the ladies were unable to place me any closer to the illusive Ackermansion. Things looked grim.

Ruth had better luck. Emerging from the gift store in a triumphant blaze of glory she waved high above her head a small, nondescript book on things to do and see in Los Angeles. It included an entry for the Forrest J. Ackerman Museum complete with street address. It transpires that the museum is, in fact, no more nor less than Forrest J. Ackerman's own home and castle, situated halfway up a narrow, twisting roadway in a little section of suburbia that nestles quietly on the fringes of Griffith Park. Acquainted with the facts, we located it without difficulty.

The poet Burns said, "The best laid plans of mice and men..." He might just as well have said, "Sorry, no one's home." Which is to say, no one was home. At least, it seemed that way, even though there was a car parked out front. We rapped on the front door and checked out the gate that barred entry to the rear of the house, all to no avail. Ruth had one last trick up her sleeve.

Our handy new guide-book promised that the museum was open "seven days a week, from 9:00am to 5:00pm" and listed a telephone number. My estimable cousin pulled out her ubiquitous mobile phone and dialed. She reached an answering machine and launched herself into a plaintive plea for pity that was truly inspiring, if a little lean on the truth.

"Hello, Mr. Ackerman. We're phoning from just outside your house. My cousin Tim, who's from Australia and who has come all the way from Australia just to meet you and see your museum. He has to catch a flight home this Friday and it would mean so much to him if you would be able to let us drop by this afternoon. Thank you so much." She left her number.

It could be suggested that Ruth had entered the realms of hyperbole during the course of her message. Indeed, as we made our way to Hollywood Boulevard and Graumann's Chinese Theatre (physiological note: my hands are the same size as Gary Cooper's) I suggested as much to her. She didn't seem too fazed, especially when a call came from Forry inviting us to come back up. Scoffing our burgers and fries as we drove, we were soon back at the Ackermansion.

As requested, we presented ourselves at the side gate and buzzed the intercom buzzer. It was but a moment before the ominous voice of 4E issued from the speaker, intoning us to enter if we dared. We dared. We followed a straight, narrow path along the side of the house to a rear garden in dire need of attention. Waiting just outside a basement door was a somewhat frail looking gentleman in a bold red shirt with white decoration, welcoming us with a congenial smile. Of course, it was Forrest J. Ackerman. He greeted us very cordially and ushered us into the basement of his mansion.

Up until this point there had been practically nothing to distinguish the house from any of the others on the street. The only 'giveaway' had been a tiny metal plate by the side entrance intercom indicating that the house was situated in 'Karloffornia'. Upon entering the basement, though, one quickly became aware that this place was a little different. Something to do with the thousands of books, posters and other myriad bits and pieces of science fiction and horror literature and movie memorabilia clogging up every available inch of space.

Amongst the treasures in the basement of the Ackermansion were "life- masks" of horror stars like Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., Vincent Price and Peter Lorre -- plaster casts made to assist make-up artists in the execution of their duties. Models from sf classics of the Fifties were also on view -- actual props from Earth Versus the Flying Saucers, War of the Worlds and others I've sadly forgotten.

There were hidden treasures, too. Filing cabinets stuffed with movie stills, lobby cards and newspaper and magazine clippings totalling in the hundreds of - 9 - of thousands. Less hidden were the bookshelves lined with sf pulps from the 1930s, 40s and 50s (including a complete collection of Amazing Stories). Mr Ackerman casually mentioned that the 'duplicates' and 'extra duplicates' were housed in the garage...

Forry guided us around with a relaxed easiness; anecdotes, quips and bad puns flowing effortlessly, more than suggesting a familiarity born of constant use. He took us through a veritable maze of bookshelves. Amid the many sf, horror and fantasy titles was a small surprise in the form of a sizeable collection of Esperanto books. Ackerman is a proponent of the international language and speaks it fluently (as he demonstrated by flirting with Ruth, who speaks Spanish).

Our tour continued upstairs. We bypassed the first (ground) floor and went straight for the top flight, where Ackerman took us through three rooms. The first belonged to Karloff and Lugosi, with posters, props, original artwork, photographs, a Dracula cape, hypnotic mummy and vampire rings, and the like lining the walls and all available table and cabinet space.

The second room was reserved for Ackerman's favourite movie, Fritz Lang's classic of 1927, Metropolis. On view were artwork, photos and designs form the movie, but most striking was an original prop from the film -- a life size model of Rotwang's feminine humanoid, one of the most famous robots in movie history.

The third room was Ackerman's bedroom. He rather surreptitiously called me in, in such a way that I gathered the invitation was for me only. (Ruth came in anyway.) His basic reason was to show me artwork by an Australian artist but my attention was distracted by some of the more adult material on display -- the cause, one assumes, for Ackerman's desire not to invite Ruth into the room.

Returning to the first floor Ackerman took us to the Lon Chaney room, dedicated to his favourite actor, where a colourful display of paintings, posters, models and photographs paid tribute to the Man of a Thousand Faces. We continued in a circuit, through one or two other rooms with a variety of sf memorabilia, the kitchen, back past the stairs and into his lounge room. Most notable here, perhaps, were the Virgil Finlay works taking up a good section of one wall.

- 10 - It was at this point, with our tour coming to an end, that Ruth enquired as to whether I would like my photograph taken with Mr. Ackerman, and whether he would mind. As neither he nor were opposed to the proposition, Ruth did the honours. And it was at that point (having carried my camera from one level of the house to the other without ever removing it from its case) that I enquired as to whether Mr. Ackerman would mind if I took some photos.

I met his reply (he didn't mind at all) with mixed emotions, happy at being able to snap some shots, not so happy at the realisation that both the basement and top floor were now "long gone". Muttering "fuck, fuck, fuck" to myself, I ran about the first floor and snapped what I could.

A final memento came in the form of an autographed photograph of our host in the company of Boris Karloff (a personal favourite of mine). There remained only the task of signing the guest book, which Ackerman introduced with one final anecdote, of a small child who ran about the house with wild excitement and then wrote "Not bad" as his comment. With only a short line to fill, I was reduced to a standard "Very interesting", or some such other hopelessly inadequate description of my visit.

Forrest J. Ackerman's major concern about his collection is what will happen to it once he's gone. Whilst some expressions of interest have been made from time to time, he has yet to secure any sort of permanent home for what is truly a unique and valuable collection. It's a sorry prospect and I couldn't help wondering, as Ruth and I made our way back down that twisting little suburban street, "If Gene Autry can have his own permanent museum, why the hell can't Forrest J. Ackerman?"

Postscript:

In May 2000 Forry was awarded US$724,500 in damages in a libel suit against Ray Ferry, current publisher of Famous Monsters of Filmland. If he can collect, he intends to use the money to establish a proper museum for his collection.

Some colour pictures of the author with Forry in the Ackermansion appear on page 14 ⇒

- 11 - Eric Lindsay, Airlie Beach, Qld. 17 April 2000

Many thanks for Mumblings #15. You have done a wonderful job of finding and obtaining material by the various old guard fans. I hope that you can long continue to do so.

I remember some strange thing. I bought my first typewriter second hand from the Stott and Underwood where Bill worked (although this was much later I would imagine). Amazing how some of the things Bill mentions bring up strange memories of things not recalled in decades.

Didn't really know Don Tuck was still with us, but I am delighted that he is. Do you have a copy of his encyclopedia?

As an aside, have you considered putting back issues up on the web? Joe Siclari and the Fanac people (http://www.fanac.org) have space for fanzines, and are encouraging fans to let them put issues of fanzines on the web.

======

Bert Castellari, Curtin, ACT 3 May 2000

It's always interesting to see your own spoken word as transcript. I hope everyone enjoys it. I realised as I read that not all of my wisdom and experience recorded very clearly on that tape and with that machine.

Page 10, last para, first sentence. What I said was that for a year I went to school in Bondi, not with a girl. In 1935 I was 11 years old and few of us had girl friends at that age.

I'll write to you later about the Nazis and the FSS (page 13).

- 12 - Harry Warner Jr, Hagerstown, Maryland 8 May 2000

Your new issue of Mumblings from Munchkinland is another delight for an oldtimer like me in fandom. I hope it appeals equally to the young sprats who take at least some interest in fandom's older days.

Naturally, the illustrations help to preserve the persistence of the past. In all my years of wandering through secondhand book sources, I've never come across a copy of the book you advertise on the back cover. I've found copies of several other books that were advertised at one time or another but didn't buy them as their contents didn't seem as exciting as Sex Harmony and Eugenics. Can it be that everyone who once bought a copy of this book jealously retains it, even though by now he or she would hardly be physically able to profit by its information?

The conversation with Bert possesses very great interest for me, giving me a more rounded concept of a fan whom I knew only in a more limited sense from correspondence and fanzines when fanzine fandom was young. I remember clearly, for instance, how surprised I was in the late 1930s or early 1940s when I learned that he and one or two other Australian fans had finished school at the age of 15. I don't think it occurred to me at that time that this was something a great many Australian teenagers did. I'm not sure it was the wrong thing to do in education. If the United States public schools graduated high school students after ten years instead of the present twelve years, it would get them out into the world just about the time they've matured physically.

The Second Deluge was one of my favourite stories in the old days, although I doubt if Bert and I had ever shared opinions about it then. I too read it in an Amazing Stories Quarterly which I had bought at an odd little store in downtown Hagerstown that sold classical music, old dime novels, second hand books and old magazines. The store was run by a gentleman who was probably the only person in Hagerstown who actively campaigned for the communist way of life. For some reason, I fell into the habit of re-reading this story every December just before Christmas. I can't imagine why because it has no connection in its events with the yuletide season.

It's good to see the letter from Don Tuck. I'd lost track of him after he had his encyclopedia published via Advent and wasn't sure if he was still with us.

And I failed to mention when I was writing about Bert that he might have been able to buy the theme from Things to Come that Bill Veney liked so much. The score for that movie was composed by Sir Arthur Bliss, if memory serves, and I believe there was a two- or three-record release of a suite drawn from the music, probably from HMV records in England. (I just read the other day in a recent collection of H.G. Wells' writings that the author was badly disappointed in many aspects of the movie. He seemed to think The Man Who Could Work Miracles had translated to the screen more successfully.)

I hope you'll be able to run more of "Tim's Travels" in future issues. He seems to have managed to see more famous sights in Asia than people who pay thousands of dollars for guided tours in that part of the world.

======

Graham Stone, Sydney, N.S.W. 22 May 2000

I don't know about the Amazing Bert mentioned. The issue that came to mind was February 1928: Spherical vessel, illustrating "Baron Munchhausen's Scientific Adventures" by Gernsback. But this is unlikely; issues of the twenties were very rarely seen even then and one in particular wouldn't have stood out as hard to get. May 1930 for "The Universe Wreckers" by Hamilton might have been it, but again none of 1930 were easy to find.

- 13 - THE ACKERMANSION Key to Ackermansion Photographs:

1: Tim with Forrest J. Ackerman in front of some originals by Hannes Bok. 2: One of the many Frank R. Paul original paintings, this one for the gorgeous December 1932 Wonder Stories. 3: Cover paintings of Boris, Lon, Jr., and Vincent in costume for Famous Monsters of Filmland. 4: Bits & pieces from various sf & fantasy flicks, including a mask from the AIP quickie Invasion of the Hell Creatures aka Invasion of the Saucermen and a Ray Harryhausen figure from 20 Million Miles to Earth (both made in 1957). 5: Posters and memorabilia in the Lon Chaney room. 6: A collage of early Frank R. Paul sf magazine covers.

======

First up, apologies to Sheryl Stone for misspelling her name not once but three times last issue. I usually make a point of checking names and thought I had this time, too, but realised my mistake when addressing a copy to the Stones. It shall never happen again, Sheryl (he said hopefully).

I must hear as well as I spellcheck, for apologies are due to Bert Castellari also, for the reason he gives in his letter to this issue. Thanks also to Bert, along with Graham Stone, Stirling Macoboy, Tim, Ella, Lauren, Ruby & Megan for their contributions to this issue.

Much of the inspiration for this issue's cover will be obvious. After the war Campbell made a point of diminishing the adjective in Astounding Science Fiction in size, design and by choosing colours which tended to make it fade into the background. The style shown here was circa 1950; ten years later, it faded away completely to be replaced by Analog.

All of the thought about Ruby's birth and what could go wrong naturally brought to mind Judith Merrill's famed short story, "That Only a Mother", which first appeared in the June 1948 Astounding. And how might aliens of another species react if faced with a human baby -- even one as gorgeous and healthy as Ruby -- when they realise that she is non-malleable?! Edd Cartier drew the Rigelians shown here for another Astounding story, Eric Frank Russell's "Exposure" (July 1950), as well as the header for "Brass Tacks" on page 12 and, just for the sake of completeness, the cover of the book advertised on page 11. It was a good year for books, judging by this ad; the bad news is, you won't get any of them at those prices these days! On the back cover -- well, it wouldn't be an Astounding without an Audels ad on the back, would it?

Bill Macoboy did the FSS News header on page 7. The robot from Metropolis (p.8) I downloaded from a Japanese website devoted to the film (www.ksky.ne.jp/~simaken). Just where I pinched the portrait of Boris Karloff in his most famous role (p.9) I can't recall.

Tim took all of the Ackermansion photos except the one of him with 4e, of course, for which we thank Cousin Ruth. All of the kiddies' photos are mine. If they don't appear in glorious technicolour you can rectify this by sending Huge Sums of Money. Tim and I may have inherited our camera skills from John Anton Nelson (below), whose photograph of Alida and himself was probably taken shortly after their marriage, one hundred years ago.

It shouldn't be as long as that before another Mumblings comes your way, but you never know. A LoC will help.

Chris Nelson, 23 Henty St., Invermay, Tas. 7248 AUSTRALIA (e-mail: [email protected])

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