AND HE BUILT a CROOKED HOUSE Robert Heinlein
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Listerine kills millions of thegerms on mouth Fewer and Milder Colds in Tests and throat surfaces known as "secondary invaders” These tests showed that those who gargled with . often helps render them powerless to invade Listerine twice a day had fewer colds, milder colds, the tissue and aggravate infection. Used early and and colds of shorter duration than those who did often, Listerine may head off a cold, or reduce the not gargle. And fewer sore throats, also. severity of one already started. So remember, if you have been exposed to others Amazing Germ Reductions in Tests suffering from colds, if you feel a cold coming on, Tests have shown germ reductions ranging to gargle Listerine quick.! on mouth and throat surfaces fifteen minutes Lambert Pharmacal Co., St. Louis, Mo. 1 MEANS It takes brain to earn money—trained brain! THIS The man without training is usually the man without cash. You can train your brain! Thousands oi men have done it through spare- EMPTY time study of I.C.S. 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But the wind howled me down. "NEARLYRLY FROZEN TO DEATH, I had an inspiration. Ripping the aerial loose, I tied the lighted flashlight to it, and swung it over the side of the building. Luckily the light attracted someone in an apartment below. Thanks to those dependable 'Eveready’ fresh DATED batteries I was saved. EXTR*.i {S,&ned)sOl£&^ SK# The word "Eveready” is a registered trade-mark of National Carbon Company, Inc. Rational mbbow * PRODUCT FRESH BATTERIES LAST LONGER...^^ DATE-LlttV NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC,, 3 0 EAST 42nd STREET, NEW YORK, N . T. Cuil/tj Uf/ion Carbide E33 and Carbon Corjnnatiou — ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION TITLE REGISTERED U. 8. PATENT OFFICE CONTENTS FEBRUARY, 1941 VOL. XXVI NO. 4 The editorial contents of this magazine have not been published before, are protected by copyright and cannot be rep Tinted with out the publisher's permission. NOVELETTES MAGIC CITY Nelson S. Bond . 9 A new civilization starting upward lias troubles with misunderstand- ings. There’s a little confusion as to the meanings ol the old one. TROUBLE ON TANTALUS Schuyler Miller . 43 Moran didn’t want it, but he was being carried straight into the heart of the mystery of the almost unknown planet 1 SHORT STORIES CASTAWAY Robert Moore Williams 37 The lighthouse keeper understood correctly that he was a castaway —but didn’t understand at all just what sort of ship he’d ridden. —AND HE BUILT A CROOKED HOUSE Robert Heinlein ... 43 The ultramodern house—a three-dimensional projection of a fourth-di- mensional place. It had everything! After the earthquake, it had more! COMPLETELY AUTOMATIC ... Theodore Sturgeon . 84 The perfect automatic machinery of a perfected spaceship and the perfect incompetence of her crew, trapped by the automatic devices of their ship. THE BEST-LAID SCHEME . L. Sprague de Camp . 1(07 Concerning the possibilities for world conquest inherent in a time-traveler—and the toe-stubbing possibilities also present! ARTICLES THE KLYSTRON Stanley R. Short . 93 Discussion ol the first major advance in radio tubes since De Forest. GYPPED! Arthur McCann . .114 Two generations ago, astronomers wondered whether the canali on Mars were real or illusions. And they’re still wondering! SERIAL SIXTH COLUMN Anson MacDonald . .117 Second of Three Parts The U. S. army, reduced to a handful, hasn’t a chance against the all- conquering Pan-Asians—until they acquire genuine, luminous halos! READERS' DEPARTMENTS THE EDITORS PAGE A IN TIMES TO COME 47 Department of Prophecy and Future Issues. ANALYTICAL LABORATORY . 67 An Analysis of Readers’ Opinions. BRASS TACKS AND SCIENCE DISCUSSIONS 1S6 The Open House of Controversy. Illustrations by Binder, Cartier, M. Isip, R. tsip and Schneeman. COVER BY ROGERS All stories in this magazine are Action. No actual persons are designated either by name or character. Any similarity is coincidental. Monthly publication issued by Street V Smith Publications. Incorporated. 79 Sever Mi A verve, .Slew York City. Aden L. Grammer, President; Henry W. Ralston, Vico President: Gerald H. Smith. Treasurer and Secretary. Copyright. t94l, in U. S. A. and Great Britain by Street JL Smith Publications, Ine. Reentered as Secor.d-ciass Matter. February 7, 1938. at tho Post alter at New York, under Act of Congress ef March 3, 1879- Subscriptions to Canada and Countries in Pan American Union, $2.25 per year; elsewhere. $2.75 per year. Wa eannot accept responsibility tor unsolicited manuscripts or artwork. Any material submitted must include return postage. Printed in 16 the XJ, S, A. STREET & SMITH PUBLICATIONS, INC. • 79 7th AVE., NEW YORK 0 Most of Astounding’s authors are, in the professional sense, amateur authors, spare-time writers who earn their bread and butter in one field of work, and use their writing ability as a source of the jam supply. Astounding is at present—in fact, as usual—looking for new authors; the present invita- tion is a suggestion that you consider the following facts as applied to your personal case: Though it was pointed out that the navy has contributed a number of Astounding’s top authors, Astounding’s readership has contributed all the top-rankers. That readership is, naturally, where we expect to find the next dozen or so top contributors. Every individual story, no matter whose name it bears, stands exactly equal chance of acceptance or rejection purely on its individual merit. Write a better story than those now being accepted, and you get the jam with our blessing. From our past experience, authors don’t, generally speaking, “work their way up.” Heinlein’s first story, “Lifeline,” was the first he submitted here. De Camp’s first published story was his first submission; it was also a good yarn. Van Vogt, similarly, sold the first story he submitted, as have many of the other authors. Apparently, if you can write good, strong fiction, you can, and will, write good, strong fiction the first time. That statement is heretical—and pragmatic. It’s happened. “Jam” in the above sense is useful. Briefly, it amounts to the equiva- lent of a couple of new suits, or a suit and overcoat, for a, short story, a new radio with, say, FM tuning for a novelette, and a new car or so for a novel. I know perfectly well that there are probably twenty or thirty first-line authors undiscovered among the readers of this little squib. I wish I could convey somehow the feeling of frustration that conviction engenders in me. Somewhere is the man who is going to write the sort of science-fiction I want, the best science-fiction yarn of the bunch.