by Various
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You may have the mistaken idea that "The Fantasy Fan" and the "ScienceFiction Digest" are in competition. The truth is that they are not. Weare working together, and it is our mutual opinion that TFF and SFDeach fill a separate niche in the fantasy field. Every active fan willwant both magazines. See the SFD ad in this issue. You won't want tomiss COSMOS, and the other SFD features.
SCIENCE FICTION IN ENGLISH MAGAZINES
by Bob Tucker
Of late, quite a number of English 'penny dreadfuls,' or known toothers as 'blood and thunders' are finding their way into thiscountry, from London.
These small magazines have very lurid covers. Almost every one ofthese publications run science fiction, or what could be termedscience fiction by a very broadminded person. The plots arescientific, even though some of the tales contain very little science.
The Wizard Magazine is running a serial named "The End of the World,"and in the same issue, another story, "Vengeance of the Incas," tellsof the Incas overcoming their enemies with a huge Sunray, which burnsup everything in its path. Another mag by name of Boys' Magazine isrunning a thriller "The 1933 Dragon Killer" and two others, "The Houseof Mocking Shadows," and "Tiger Boy," which, you may guess, is on thesame plot as Tarzan, Kaspa, Tam, and Jan. Still another pub., TheSkipper, is running "The Moon Men," and is about those gentlemenvisiting the Earth, intent on its capture, as usual. One of the weirdtype is in this issue; "The Ice Pirates."
A fourth mag, The Rover, is running a serial that is amazingly like astory that was in an American mag last spring. The story is "TheFlaming Avenger," and the author has his hero do the very same thingthe American did, and copied the idea completely, even down to theinvention the hero made, and used the invention to do the same workwith, that the American did. Of course, locale, names, and situationsare different, but outside of that, the two plots are similar.Plagiarism?
In some cases, the authors do put some good science into theirstories, although, for the most part, they write the stf stories, andforget to explain the method of science used. Others put some sciencein, but make it as brief as possible. And in no case, is the author'sname given in the magazines. Evidently they believe in playing safe,because there ARE copyright laws in that country!
MY SCIENCE FICTION COLLECTION
by Forrest J. Ackerman
(It is well-known that Mr. Ackerman is the most active science fictionfan. His collection is the most unique, if not the largest in theworld. You will be surprised to learn of the various things beside thestories themselves that can be collected.)
My files of the stf publications edited by Gernsback, Bates, Dr.Sloane, and Rose Bolton (Miracle Stories) are complete. I think thatcovers in a breath the 230 copies of standard stf. magazines.
In the line of further written material I have: the Amazing Storiesbooklet, "Vanguard of Venus"; Gernsback's 18 stf. booklets, and theone Science Fiction Classic; "Guests of the Earth," the firstFantastic Fiction Library publication; all of the Science FictionLibrary's releases; thirty-two booklets, mostly English, includingsuch titles as "A Round Trip to the Year 2000, The Robot Man, Invadersfrom Mars," etc; the illustrated Buck Rogers book of the 25th century;164 bound amazing stories from Argosy, Weird Tales, Popular,Excitement, etc, with a quarter of a hundred more in the process ofbeing made into books--including such stories of outstanding interestas "The Blind Spot, Men from Space, The Girl in the Golden Atom,Return of George Washington, Snake Mother," and other tales ofconsiderable value and popularity; the science fiction from Scienceand Invention bound from as far back as 1921, the stories being,besides the thirty or more Dr. Hackensaw's Secrets, Ray Cummings'"Around the Universe," and a number of short stf tales. The specialscience fiction edition of this publication is also included. Copiesof the futuristic cartoon strip, Buck Rogers, and such other newspaperstf. as the illustrated interplanetaryarn "Rocketing thru theUniverse," another called "Into the Deeps of Space," ClintonConstantinescu's "The Martian Menace" and other miscellaneous worksfinish up that part of my collection.
As for books themselves, I am not so interested in them, but do have"The Day of the Brown Horde", "Moon Terror", "Ralph 124C 41+", "Shipof Ishtar", "Purple Sapphire", "Conquest of Space" autographed,"Planet of Peril" and works of Burroughs, Rockwood, etc.
(Next month Mr. Ackerman continues and tells about the more singularsections of his collections--don't miss it.)
MY FAVORITE FANTASY STORY
by Allen Glasser
The first worthwhile work of scientific fantasy which I read was H. G.Wells' "Time Machine." I encountered it a good many years ago, and Ihave since read countless other scientales; but my affection andesteem for "The Time Machine" has not wavered, nor do I believe I willever have occasion to revise my opinion of it as the finest piece ofscience fiction ever written.
"The Time Machine" is outstanding as the most original of alltime-travelling stories, and also as a fictional forerunner ofEinstein's concept of the fourth dimension. But even were it notfamous on these two accounts, it would live because of its tensedrama, its superb imagination.
ABOUT AUTHORS
The two authors with the most stories to their credit are Dr. David H.Keller and Clark Ashton Smith, with Edmond Hamilton and Seabury Quinnabout tie for third place.... "An Adventure on Eros" in the September,1931 Wonder Stories by J. Harvey Haggard was the shortest story everto cop a cover, and C. Siodmak's "Eggs From Lake Tanganyika" in theJuly, 1926 Amazing was the next shortest.... Out of about thirtystories written by Robert E. Howard, two have appeared in StrangeTales and the rest in Weird.... Five fantasy authors are Nard, NeilR., Ralph T., T. R., and W. Knapp Jones. Keller has collaborated ononly one story; "The Time Projector" with David Lasser in Wonder....Raymond Knight, 'Ambrose J. Weims' of the KUKU radio program wrote theonly play Amazing ever published: "Just Around the Corner" in theJuly, 1928 issue.... After having several stories published, W. K.Mashburn, Jr., changed his name to Kirk Mashburn.... Philip FrancisNowlan's yarns in Amazing: "Armageddon, 2419, A.D." (August, 1928)and "Airlords of Han" (March, 1929) were the forerunners of the BuckRogers comic strip and the radio program.... Fletcher Pratt's stories,except for "The War of the Giants," "The Mad Destroyer," and "TheOnslaught From Rigel," are all collaborations.... Seabury Quinn hasthe honor of having the longest series of stories to his credit. Julesde Grandin, the little French detective has been a favorite of fantasyreaders for more than eight years, and has appeared in more than fortystories.... Victor Rousseau was the only author to have more than onestory in Miracle, Science and Fantasy Stories.... "The Moon Doom" inWonder was written by four authors, and was surpassed by the ScienceFiction Digest's super-serial composed by seventeen authors.... Morenext month....
EARTHLING SPURNS MARTIAN!
Inhabitant of Neighboring Planet
Doubts Visitor's Origin
(Special rocket dispatch to Martian News)
by Allen Glasser, Terrestrial Correspondent
SANFRAN-SISKO, Earth, Aug. 10: [delayed by meteors]--An amusingincident occurred here today when Sahr Kastik, Martian explorer who istouring the planets by astral projection, materialized suddenly beforeone of the city's inhabitants, a young Earthling named Efjay Akkamin.
The latter did not seem greatly surprised. "Where did you come from?"he asked calmly.
"From the world you call Mars," replied Sahr, using telepathy, ofcourse.
"Hooey," retorted Akkamin. "Martians are all twelve feet tall, withbig chests and at least four arms, and you look just like anybody elsehere."
"But I always assume the appearance of the natives whose planets Ivisit," Sahr explained. "So you see----"
"Nertz," interrupted Akkamin. "I have read too much science fiction tobe fooled by a phony Martian. So scram."
And there was nothing for Sahr to do but "scram," which is a quaintEarth term for making one's departure hurriedly.
SEQUELS--BY POPULAR DEMAND
by Walt Z. Russjuchi
Sequels to stories are few and far between, and the reasons forwriting sequels are still fewer. Briefly there are two. The first,because it is a time-saving device. An author wishes to write a story,and it is simpler for him to continue the adventures of a character hehas already created and who is familiar to the magazine world than tocreate a plot with a new locale and new characterizations. The second,because the readers demand a sequel. Perhaps they have liked acharacter in a story and would like to read more about him. Perhapsthe story ends unsatisfactorily or even disastrously, whereupon thereader wants a sequel with the hero coming out on top and the endingto be all for the best. In this article we are concerned with thelatter reason. Should we consider the stories that had sequels becauseof popular demand we will have a list of some of the best stories thathave been written (in the fantastic field).
The first noteworthy fantasyarn to have a sequel was George AllanEngland's famous "Darkness and Dawn," which appeared in the 1912Cavalier. For more than a year after the publication of this serialthe editor was constantly deluged with requests for a sequel. Finally,in 1913, it appeared, "Beyond the Great Oblivion," and then againbecause of further petitions for another sequel Mr. England penned"The After Glow," the last of the trilogy, which are so popular evento this day.
In 1918 A. Merritt wrote a novelette for All-Story that was destinedto make science fiction history. It was the famous "The Moon Pool."Those who read the story created a great demand for further adventuresin the strange domain of the "moon pool." Thus in 1919 Mr. Merrittobliged with "The Conquest of the Moon Pool."
In the same magazine appeared an occult interplanetary serial by J. U.Giesy, "Palos of the Dog-Star Pack." Readers acclaimed it one of thebest of the interplanetary stories, and two sequels, "The Mouthpieceof Zitu" and "Jason Son of Jason" appeared to satisfy the public'sthirsting for more adventures on the Dog-Star.
(Do not miss part two of this series, which will appear next month.)
PRINTS HIS "YARNS"
Westfield Man Writes Novelette of Scientific Type
(Special to the Journal)
WESTFIELD, July 11--In order to prove to his wife that the amount oftime he spent in his laboratory was not entirely wasted and was, amongother things, of considerable value in entertaining and instructinghis three children, Henry J. Kostkos, of 253 Scotch Plains Avenue,formed the habit of telling them stories of future science based uponhis experiments. One of these yarns, a novelette entitled "TheMeteor-Men of Plaa," appears as the feature story in the current issueof Amazing Stories magazine.
Mr. Kostkos' stories rival the scientific prophecies of Jules Verne,Conan-Doyle, and H. G. Wells. When told to his daughters, their eyesopened wide with interest as he related how inhabitants of the Earthwould some day travel in huge space ships to distant planets and thereencounter strange creatures who used wonder devices beyond the rangeof imagination.
To illustrate his yarns he built models of rocket ships and miniaturesets showing grotesque monsters, and performed electrical experimentsin his laboratory that often startled his children into credulity.
Engineering, science and writing are not new to Mr. Kostkos, who is aprofessional engineer. He has heretofore specialized in technicalarticles and papers. He is employed at Western Electric Company,Kearny Works, where he is in charge of special reports andpublications in the equipment engineering department.
[The above article was printed in the Elizabeth Daily Journal lastmonth.]
THE SCIENCE FICTION ALPHABET
by Allen Glasser
A's for Amazing, the first of its kind; It keeps going strong while the rest drop behind.
B is for Burroughs, the great Edgar Rice; No mag gets his yarns if they don't meet his price.
C is for Cummings, whose stuff is okay, Though some of his plots have grown rather gray.
D's for Dimension--the Fourth one we mean; It's mighty well known, though it's never been seen.
E is for Earthmen who wander through space, Calmly subduing each troublesome race.
F is for Forrest, most famous of fans; The letters he's written would fill sev'ral vans.
G is for Gilmore; the first name is Tony. His writing's okay, but that moniker's phony.
H is for Hamilton, who has written a lot; He sure makes good use of his favorite plot.
I's for Invaders who seek Earth to hold, Until they are slain by our hero so bold.
J is for Jupiter and each Jovian moon; To fantasy writers they sure are a boon.
K is for Keller, who lives in Penn State; He can't get a cover though his stories are great.
L is for Luna, our own satellite; It's appeared in more yarns than I'm able to cite.
M is for Mars, way up in the sky, Without it, we fear, science fiction would die.
(concluded next month)
FORECASTS
In our October number we will continue our Club News; Schwartz's 'Howto Collect Fantasy Fiction;' The Boiling Point; Forrest Ackerman'sdescription of his collection; our 'About Authors' and 'Conglamitorial'.Also, we will introduce that Chinescientifictionut, Hoy Ping Pong withhis satires; a new column by Allen Glasser 'In the Field of Fantasy;''Howls from the Ether' by the Spacehound; 'A Sad Story of the Future'by Ackerman; other articles; a new cash contest.
But--now comes the important announcement! We will print a brand newtale by Clark Ashton Smith in our November issue! Mr. Smith declaresthat "The Kingdom of the Worm" is one of his weirdest and mostoriginal stories. No one will want to miss this! And, to cap theclimax, his graveyard horror tale "The Ghoul" will appear in December.
TO STF COLLECTORS:
I am disposing of my entire scientifiction library, containingcomplete sets of every scientifiction magazine, 1924 to 1933, and anumber of scientifiction books. In addition to Amazing Stories,Science and Air Wonder Stories, Astounding Stories, Wonder Stories,Amazing Quarterly, Science Wonder and Wonder Stories Quarterly, WeirdTales, Strange Tales, the Argosy stf, The Time Traveller, ScienceFiction, and Science Fiction Digest, I offer such rarities as theAmazing Stories Annual, the Weird Tales Anniversary Number, the twoissues of Miracle Science & Fantasy Stories, and the first print of'The Face in the Abyss.' These magazines and books are in perfectcondition. They go to the highest bids; otherwise at original price.Write for a complete list.
Linus Hogenmiller 502 N. Washington, Farmington, Missouri
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COSMOS
The stupendous interplanetary serial which is written by Seventeen Masters of Science Fiction runs exclusively in the SCIENCE FICTION DIGEST
Other features in the September SFD
"The Girl from Venus" a short story by Rae Winters.
Biographies of L. A. Eshbach & P. Wylie
"Black Lem Gulliver" by P. S. Miller
"Alicia in Blunderland" by Nihil
"Fantasy Foolery" by Charles D. Hornig
Gossip columns end other articles.
25 cents for a special 3 month subscription, or 50 cents for sixmonths.
Science Fiction Digest Company 87-36--162nd Street Jamaica, New York
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SELLING OUT rare science fiction collection at bargain prices. Writefor list.
Allen Glasser 1610 University Avenue New York, N.Y.
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SCIENTIFIC and weird fiction (books and magazines) bought, sold,exchanged. Send want list and stamp for prices. "The Metal Giants," byEdmond Hamilton, 10 cents postpaid.
Swanson Book Company Dept. FF, Washburn, N.D.
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JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION
Oldest Science Correspondence Club In the World
Dues now reduced to $1.
For particulars write:
Clifton Amsbury 1312 Q Street Lincoln, Nebraska
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WEIRD tales packages: Selections of strange stories from issues datingback eight years; five for five cents! Postpaid! Think of it: TheDunwich Horror for one cent! And others similar by Dyalhis, Colter,Quinn, Smith, LaSpina, Leinster, Eadie, Kline, Rousseau. As manypackages as you want at five cents apiece.
Forrest J. Ackerman 530 Staples Ave., San Francisco, Cal.
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For Sale: Back numbers of Astounding and Weird Tales. Also new stfbooks, latest titles. Send stamp for list. For review on any stf film,or non-stf, inclose 3 cent stamp and write
"Tuckerservice" Box 260, Bloomington, Illinois