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AST—1L — — —— — ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION Contents for October, 1942, Vol. XXX, No. 2 John W. Campbell, Jr., Editor, Catherine Tarrant, Asst. Editor Novelettes LUNAR LANDING Lester del Rey . 9 They set out to rescue the first ship ever to land on the Moon and found it wasn’t the first by a long shot. The Moon seemed, for a while, a pretty busy place ANACHRON, INC Malcolm Jameson . 56 Selling the goods of an overproducing world to all the ages via time machine was a noble idea—but door-to-door salesmen in medieval France had certain difficulties QRM—INTERPLANETARY ....... George O. Smith . 109 Interference isn’t always electrical in nature, even when it’s man- made and interferes with interplanetary radio. Short Stories WARRIORS' AGE Peter Risk .... 32 A glimpse into another age—another culture and a deadly way of life. THE SECOND SOLUTION A. E. van Vogt ... 41 If a thing must be invented or discovered!, if the knowledge of the race is great enough to do the job—then someone, or perhaps some two, will stumble on it inevitably. One man learned the Ezwals THE WABBLER Murray Leinster . 85 Robots are mechanisms capable of carrying out assigned tasks. The Wabbler was one—assigned to the task of committing sui- cide in a particularly devastating way. THE BEAST L. Ron Hubbard . 100 There in the jungles of Venus the Beast had to be killed—not only because it murdered, but because it had stolen something he -> couldn’t live without—an intangible, absolutely necessary thing Articles , THE PARIS GUN Willy Ley ... 50 The Paris Gun was not the Big Bertha—but it was big, a scien- tific achievement of the first order—and a military flop of the first rank I LATE-MODEL STARS R. S. Richardson . 90 You see them every clear night; astronomers study them for a lifetime. And what makes them tick? To date, the guesses are numerous, varied, and not quite satisfying Readers’ Departments THE EDITOR'S PAGE 4 THE ANALYTICAL LABORATORY 40 An Analysis of Readers’ Opinions. IN TIMES TO COME 83 Department of Prophecy and Future Issues. BRASS TACKS . 108 Concerning Purely Personal Preferences. Cover by A. von Munchhausen by M. Isip, R. Isip, Kolliker, Mondorf OUT THIRD Illustrations and Orban FRIDAY Monthly publication Isauod by 8treet 41 Smith Publication!, Incorporated, 79 Seventh Avenue, BACH MONTH New York City. Allen L. Grammcr, President; Henry W. Ralston, Vise President; Gerald H. Smith, Secretary and Treasurer. Copyright, 1942, In U. S. A. and Great Britain by NEXT ISSUE ON Street &. Smith Publications. Ine. Reentered as Second-class Matter, February 7, 1938, at the SALE OCT. 16 Post Office at New York, under Act of Conoress of March 3, 1879. Subscriptions to Countries In Pan American Union, $2.75 per year; elsewhere, $3.25 per year. We cannot accept responsibility artwork. Any material submitted must Include return $2.60 per YEAR for unsolicited manuscripts or postage. The editorial contents of this magazine have not been published before, are protected by copy- 25c per COPY right and cannot be reprinted without the publisher’s permission. All stories In this magazine are fiction. No actual persons are designated either by name or character. Any similarity Is coincidental. Printed In the U.8.A. STREET & SMITH PUBLICATIONS, INC. e 79 SEVENTH AVE., NEW YORK . T Why Can’t You Write?— It’s much simpler than you think! O many people with the “germ" of writing in them simply can’t get started. S They suffer from inertia. Or they set up Imaginary barriers to taking the first step. Many are convinced the field is confined to persons gifted with a genius for writ- ing. Few realize that the great bulk of commercial writing is done by so-called “un- knowns." Not only do these thousands of men and women produce most of the fiction pub- lished. but countless articles on business affairs, social matters, domestic science, civilian defense and war activities, etc., as well. Such material is in constant demand. Every week thousands of checks for $25, Earns Living $50, $100 and more go out to writers whose latent ability was perhaps no greater than yours. Writing—Before Finishing Course "I have always had tho The Practical Method desire to write. I saw your ad, borrowed the work demonstrates that the to learn to write la by writing! BJoney to pay for tha Newspaper way course. Before finishing Newspaper copy desk editors waste no time on theories or ancient classics. The your course, I had become story is the thing. Every copy "cub" goes through the course of practical criti- self-supporting as a cor- respondent for the stata cism—a training that turns out more successful authors than any other experi- papers. I believe that If ence. That Is why Newspaper Institute of America bases its writing Instruction anyone wants to be a on the Method. writer and will apply Copy Desk It starts and keeps himself to your course, he you writing In your own home, on your own will soon know whether time. And upon the very kind of actual assign- his living Is coming out WAR MAKES ^ of the writing market."— ments givpn daily to metropolitan reporters.