Ray Bradbury Sketch and circa 1941 Banter

"Ye Hermit of Hagerstown", Henry Warner, Jr., 303 Bryan Pl., Hagerstown, MD{?} _ for Voice - - well, it seems the only way I might be able not to get a {line?} in is to write in detail about it. Maybe that's the secret formula. Copver {?} time ("Beauty & the Bugle") of doubtful stfan {scientifiction fan} interest but doubtless of interest in other ways. No doubt about it, I don't doubt.

And there really seems to be little to say about the letters this time. Vincent Manning might be interested to know, though, that the reason I write in a fairly accurate version of English is that I'm completely a creature of habit - - more, so, perhaps than anyone I know. Every time I make a typing error I have to remember the word I did wrong, or _ to remember it at least, and make a conscious effort to get it right the next time; otherwise, it'll be wrong in practically the same way. If I do it wrong twice, then the habit is deeply enough engrained that I do the same thing wrong a long, long time. It's the same with me in everything. Therefore, I don't start to use Ackermanese, nonstopparagraphing, or any other eccentricity in letters, or I'd be bound to forget to change back when typing something important. If it weren't for that, I probably succumb to all the goofy ideas immediately and continue using them until the fad wore off.

These Australian fans give more trouble with copies of Horizons; I'm positive they're in some sort of conspiracy telling me they aren't getting their copies in an effort to corner the market on Horizons and sell later at a ridiculously high price. However, I'll probably try to find another copy of that issue of H{orizons} for Vol, although I have my doubts {as?} to my chances of success. Several guys ordering big bunches of back issues have about cleaned me out of stock.

About the little red gentleman on the editorial page, when I first opened this issue of VOM {Voice of Imagination} #11 he reminded me irresistibly of something. I spent hours over it, and then it suddenly came to me - - on a li{ttle?} ad for rather violent introductory cards that Corwin Stickney sent out with one issue of his magazine. Or at least I believe that's where I saw it; I haven't energy to look, and besides the temperature is about 10 {degrees} above in our barn-like attic and it would mean either freezing or going to all the work of putting on an overcoat.

(Well, just as well, Harry, for your search woudve {sic} been in vain; little redevil {sic} of a Marsian {sic} was swiped not from an old Amateur Correspondent ad but from something to do with a certain Sham Poo {sic}. Ditto our "Getting' in your Hair ad.)

_____

The seller states: Description:
"Voice Of the Imagination" - April, 1941
Edited & Published by Forrest J. Ackerman & MorojoIn addition to being a striving author, the young Ray Bradbury was a fine amateur artist - especially caricatures. Bradbury is present in this issue of "VOM" not with his poetry, essays, stories or puns(!) but with his own self-caricature! Because Bradbury was a popular fan personality he also became mentioned more and more in passing: letters, commentary, etc., and is additionally noted in this issue. These fanzine appearances of the legendary "Mr. B" are some of his rarest and hardest to acquire - even for the hardcore Ray Bradbury collector! The few times they are offered they are quickly snatched up. This copy has a few small chips from the front cover and a moisture stain along the top, but internally it is a nice copy never folded for mailing

Even 47 years ago, fans were fans ...

Discord: Edited and published by Redd Boggs
Number 13, July 1961

A Stir of Hugo.

This day my co-editor Marion {Zimmer-Bradley} called me a reteh. I wonder what is a reteh? You are an ungrateful reteh she said if you intend to let this issue go by without saying to everybody I am glad Discord was nominated for Hugo. I said but Habecua or Who killed Science Fiction? Or Yandra or Shaggy or Fanas will win. Oh mygod mygod she said what do you care? The big thing is to be nominated for Hugo. I will have bad anger she said if you don't tell thanks to all. Will you hang from ceiling and drip green if I don't I said. No she said I will stand here and tell you go hang boy.

Marion is a pretty I know. A pretty stubborn female. She would do as she said and I would have to do as she said too. And she is right all times. So I say thanks to all people. I am so happy at nomination of Discord for Hugo I run on the walls and laugh loud and screech hip-hooray. And Marion thanks you too.

David's Daughter Ann is Two

Two years ago this month Discord was founded (under the title Retrograde), but this seems hardly the occasion for an annish {anniversary issue}. After all, nine months intervened between the publication of the first and second issues, and the magazine was not established on a regular basis till April 1960. However, since a number of policy changes have been made and will be made, this may be the proper occasion for writing one of those tiresome editorials concerning the magazine itself which I prefer to avoid as often as possible. Here's the way it looks from here:

Subscriptions: Reader response to issue #13 was very good, though below the level I think it should attain on a fanzine exchanged for letters of comment. It seems likely that Discord has reached the point where readers take it for granted and feel that it will continue without much further encouragement, and Marion and I foresee that reader response – barring the advent of some furious controversy – will never again reach the level it reached last summer and autumn.

_____
Discord

The JULY 1961 issue of the fanzine DISCORD (a journal of personal opinion), Number 13, co-edited and published by Redd BOGGS (Minneapolis, MN.) and Marion Zimmer BRADLEY (Rochester, TX.), featuring:
Cogito (A Stir of Hugos; David’s Daughter Ann is Two; Discordant Colors) ..Editorial
Voices of Discord (After 1929—What?) …Algis BUDRYS
Reviewing Stand…Magazine Reviews (by Marion Z. BRADLEY)
A Meeting of Minds…Readers Department (A. J. BUDRYS, Bob LICHTMAN, Avram DAVIDSON, Donald A. WOLLHEIM, Leslie GERBER, et al.)
Artwork: William ROTSLER, Arthur THOMSON, Dick SCHULTZ
14 pages.

1968 Notice of Tragedy

Science Fiction Times
No 452
March 1968

Silverberg Home Burns

The home of Bob and Barbara Silverberg was badly damaged by a fire which broke out in the attic about 4. a.m., Tuesday, February 13 {1968}. No one was injured (including the cats) but the roof and the attic were destroyed, and about half of the third floor was badly damaged. There was little damage on the first two floors.

Bob's entire science fiction collection, and his extensive library of rare books and research materials were destroyed. Also partially destroyed were his Science Fiction Writers of America files (Bob is currently President).

The house, in the Riverside section of the Bronx, was formerly the mansion of New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. While it is being rebuilt, the Silverbergs are temporarily living elsewhere in the area.

Groff Conklin Obit

Science Fiction Times
No 457
August 1968

Groff Conklin

Groff Conklin, leading science fiction anthologist, died July 20 at his summer home in Pauling, NY. He was 63 years old at the time of his death, which was due to emphysema. His permanent home was in New York City.

Mr. Conklin edited a total of 38 science fiction and fantasy anthologies. His first, The Best of Science Fiction (1946) was the first hard cover collection to specifically use the term "science fiction" in its title. With very few exceptions, Mr. Conklin selected stories for his books which had not been published in other anthologies.

He was editor of Grosset and Dunlap's series in the early 1950's, and was book reviewer for Galaxy magazine for five years starting with the first, October 1950 {?}, issue. Mr. Conklin was also active outside the field. For the last three years he was science editor for the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language which is being prepared for publication next year. He wrote books on home improvement and maintenance, and had been a freelance writer on scientific and technical subjects. He was formerly book editor for Robert M. McBride and Co., and scientific researcher for the N.W. Ayer & Son advertising agency.

- Howard Devore

Otis Kline

Kline's Mars Novels
By James Turner

Science Fiction Review
April 13, 1964
Number 17

The Mars novels of Otis Adelbert Kline appeared after his Venus series, though Avalon and Ace have revised them to appear otherwise. They are inferior to the Venus books while remaining fun.

The Mars of Kline is similar to Burroughs'. Wild, predatory beasts prowl the landscape, high adventure and lost (roles?) abound, science and barbarian stand side by side. One reviewer suggested that Kline's Mars and Burroughs' were in parallel time tracks.

There is a difference: Kline's world is aeons ago when life prospered. Mars was in its prime, not dying like Burroughs' Baroum today.

The Swordsman of Mars (Argosy 1953 Granden, Avalon, Ace) tells how Harry Thorne, rescued from suicide by one Dr. Morgan (also responsible for sending men to Venus), is sent mentally to Mars to inhabit the body of Burgen Takkor, who will use Thorne's body. (See, Prince of Peril for Takkor's story).

Thorne is to eliminate Sel Han, a previous exchange, who is well on his way to becoming a dictator in a Martian land. Before this violent adventure is over, Thorne falls in love with a princess, is sentenced to life in the mines for _?, escapes, and with the aid of friends, undoes Sel Han and the despotic and communistic government. The book suffers from the ancient gimmick of substituting a royal baby for that of a commoner.

This book was as like the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs that the Index of the Weird & Fantastica in Magazines and A Handbook of Science Fiction and Fantasy both credited it to Burroughs.

The second in the series is better. Jerry Morgan, nephew of Dr. Morgan and a cashiered Army officer, travels to Mars bodily in a strange vehicle that transports him through space and time. He even becomes The Outlaw of Mars (Argosy 1933, Avalon, Ace), leading commoners (his title is "The Commoner") against the tyranny of one of the kingdoms and a strange "Torturer." At the end, he refuses a throne to marry and roam the surface of Mars.

Like John Carter, he never hesitates to use his superior muscles and uses as little of Thorne as Carter did of Ulysses Paxton (see ERB's The Mastermind of Mars). In fact, Morgan and Thorne never meet, though Morgan does loot a home belonging to the wife of a friend of Thorne's.

It is said that Burroughs rated Kline as his best imitator. Upon reading the proceeding books, it is easy to see why.

James Turner

Lin Cater Essay and more

Science Fiction Times: The World of Tomorrow Today
No. 455
June 1968

More Conan Due

The phenomenal success of the Lancer series of Robert E. Howard's stories of Conan and others continues to bust {sic} all records with a gusto that would make the Cimmerian warrior grin with pride. At this moment, with well over a half million copies of the seven books in print (to be gracious, 650,000 copies were printed in all, and warehouse stock is down to the last few hundred copies), Conan is just about the most exciting thing on the paperback stands, from the dealer's as well as the reader's viewpoint.

And now the way has been cleared for several more Conan books, for L. Sprague de Camp has just announced that on May 7, 1968 an agreement was signed between himself and Martin W. Greenberg of Gnome Press, resolving the long-standing lawsuit over rights to the Howard properties and reassigning all rights to the Howard estate. This frees a number of stories and one novel for paperback publication.

L. Sprague de Camp has also announced a list of the new volumes forthcoming . Three collections are planned. The first of these, Conan of Cimmeria, includes three of the Howard & de Camp stories form the Gnome Press hardcover, The Tales of Conan, as well as two new Howard and de Camp stories, "The Tale of the Lost Woman" (which has only had one magazine appearance) and "The Snout in the Dark" (which has never been published). This book will also contain three brand new pastiches written by de Camp and Lin Carter "Curse of the Monolith" which will appear in the first issue of Lester del Rey's new magazine "Worlds of Fantasy", and two as yet unwritten collaborations, "The Lair of the Ice-Worm" and "The Black Tower".

The second collaboration, Conan the Swashbuckler, contains the two Howard novellettes. "Black Colossus" and "Shadows in the Moonlight" two Howard amd de camp stories, "Hawks Over Shem" and {...the rest of the text unavailable}
_____
Science Fiction Times: The World of Tomorrow Today
No. 455
June 1968

The Letter From The Kid in Podunk
A guest editorial by Lin Carter

Like everyone else who has ever had a few books published, I sometimes get a letter from readers. In my case these readers are usually young ones, which figures, since my column in IF seems primarily to have attracted new comers to science fiction, and since my fiction, being action adventure yarns, also appeals mostly to kids.
An amazing number of these letters are from kids who want to be writers. After some polite comments on this or that of my novels, they usually get around to a series of questions about the craft. Questions which can be boiled down to How Do You Guys Do It, Anyway. I don't know why they pick me to supply the answers about writing rather than choose some of my more successful or more highly talented colleagues, but come to me they do. Maybe they feel Zelazny would snub them or can't get Laumer's(?) address or think Heinlein is too busy. Or maybe, because they are used to hearing me gas on through the pages of innumerable issues of IF, they feel they "know" me personally.

Like any writer with a grain of humility (and in my case, its only a grain), or like any writer who was once a kid fan and used to pester Ed Hamilton and other nice people with the same sort of letters and remembers the patience and kindness of these pros towards that annoying kid down in St. Pete, Fla.. I take great efforts to make certian I write a letter in reply to every single one I get.
My advice to Writers of Tomorrow is not very deep stuff. I mostly advise them to steer clear of Famous Writer's Schools and such-like tomfollery. and I tell them the only way to learn is to (1) Read. Read a littl of everything you can get your hands on. Don't stop after Proust and sartre and Camus and figure there's nothing else worth reading. Try a little Baumer and Mundy just for the hell of it. And don't be afraid to read Burroughs just because "everybody knows" he couldn't write his way out of the proverbial paperbag. Go ahead ... it's just possible he might have something to teach you about plotting or description or dialogue, who knows? In a word, read every bloody thing from the Mahabharata to Marvel comics, and don't be ashamed if you find yourself enjoying some of the stuff down at th lower end of the spectrum.

And (2) write. Keep on writing, and don't worry about Making A Sale. That takes years. I wrote seven novels before selling one, and I consider myself lucky. (Sinclair Lewis had to write ten before he got lucky.) And, if science fiction is your bag, write novels. Because science fiction is a novelist's medium and always has been. Because novels are more fun to write than short stories, more room to swing your arms and walk around in, and they pay better too. I usually Qualify this last by saying, Unless you are one of those rare types with that peculiar quirk of mind that can come up with short story plots (I am not, and can't), in which case the magazine editors will love you.


These answers, admittedly, basic stuff, fail to satisfy a few of my correspondents, who bring up more seasoning questions like what should I write about? and, How do you know where to start a story?, and like that.

To the first query I make this reply, just tell a story. A story is about people who are going somewhere or doing something and to whom things are happening. Don't get literary. Don't worry about Abt(?). Don't get psychological, or symbolic, or don't write in order to Protest. In Sam Goldwyn's words (and they are wise words), "You gotta Message, call Western Union." And don't be ashamed to be called "Just a story-teller" Some very groovy guys were "just" storytellers and not artists. Doyle, Haggard, Kipling, Merritt Stevenson, Sabatini, and Doc Smith, for example.
To the second question, which is impossible to answer honestly, I generally fall back on the Red Queen's advice to Alice, "Start at the beginning, go on until the end; then stop." It's as good as anything you'll find in the "how-to-write" books. But the reason I'm gassing on about this, is to ask a question of my own" why do so many good science fiction readers want to become writer? Why do they have to write letters asking How Do You Guys Do It, Anway? Do mystery novelists het such letters from their readers? I know a couple and they tell me No. Do readers think there is some Mystique about writing science fiction or fantasy or Sword & Sorcery. One kid asked me if you have to live in New York and know publishers personally. I said, No, but it doesn't hurt; and I pointed out that a few fairly successful writers named Vance, Anderson, and Leiber live out on the California coast. Which is just about as far from New York as you can get and still be on the same continent and in the same continent, and in the same country.

There's no mystique about writing science fiction. The real question is why do so many science fiction readers want to become science fiction writers? Because a hell of a lot of times they do. In fact, most writers are lifetime fans of the stuff, and this is most absolutely, positively certainly NOT true of western {... the rest of the text missing}.

From an obituary of Nov 1968

Frank Owen

Frank Owen, 79, died at his home in Brooklyn on October 13 after a long illness. He was an author who also wrote under the pen name of Roosevelt Williams and Richard Kent. He was mainly known for his Chinese fantasy stories and many of his works were published in Weird Tales from October 1923 through the 1930's and early 1940's. Several of his stories were also published in Oriental Stories, Best known to fantasy fans was his collection The Porcelain Magician published by Gnome Press in 1945. His other fantasy collections were published during his most active fantasy period from 1929 to 1938. The first issue of Avon Science Fiction & Fantasy Reader (Jan 1953) saw Owen's first appearance in the sf & fantasy field with the publication of his short story "One-Man God."

Sam Moskowitz on P Schyler Miller (1975)

A Canticle for P Schuyler Miller
Sam Moskowitz
Introduction

When I was doing the series of articles for Amazing Stories that eventually were collected as Seekers of Tomorrow, I needed 30 days, involving most of my evenings and weekends, to do the research and write each piece, which averaged 5,000 words or so in length. The death of P. Schuyler Miller and the final deadline of the earliest issue of Analog that the biographical obituary could be fitted into, left me with one complete weekend to accomplish the job. I had been recommended to Ben Bova by L. Sprague de Camp, and the length limitation given me was 2,000 words. Working from the top of my head, I could have done it in four hours, but I felt that Miller deserved better.

I spent 26 hours over the weekend, researching, rereading his works, calling his sister on the phone and doing the writing. I had contacted his company a few days earlier and gotten whatever information they could feed me. I had to write with extreme care, because there would not be time to extensively rewrite or retype; the copy had to be good enough to go to the printer with hand corrections. The big problem was that, even slighting the tail end of Miller's writing career. I had a 5.500 word piece. Diane King, Associate Editor of Analog, made me a Xerox of my complete copy and I told Ben to cut it down to the 2,000 words needed, but with the understanding that I was going to later use the entire piece elsewhere.

It is my hope to eventually include the article in some furtue hadcover book, but for the present, I wanted to bring it out soon enough after the publication of the shorter version in Analog so that the entire thing had some relevance. To squeeze it into Analog's February 1975 issue at all, Ben had to substitute it for The Reference Library column, and the hidden cost to me was a rave review of my Doubleday book The Crystal Man which was discarded to make room for it.

There are fascinating aspects of Miller's association with science fiction that are little known, and I wanted to put them on record. His influence as both a writer and a fan of science fiction was greater than is generally realized. The emphasis here is entirely on his science fiction achievement. His contributions to archaeology and natural science has not been covered, though so much of these interests are woven into his science fiction that it might prove fruitful to do so in a special study.

It is the continuing regret of any historian and literary critic that too often the people they write about, whom they like, are no longer around to read what was said about them. I regret it particularly in Miller's case, and accept it as an emotional price to be paid when writing about some of the people who play a role in the unfolding panorama of scientifictional events.

Sam
_____

Published in a limited printing of not over 300 copies by Sam Moskowitz, 344 ?vill Ave., Newark, NJ 07107, with the assistance of Ross Chamberlatz (?) for stenciling and Archie and Joyce Katz for mimeographing. Copies will be distributed through The Fantasy Amateur Press Association and a portion of the remainder sold to several dealers on an advance-of-printing order basis.

An Early (High School?) Story by Lin Carter

_____
This fragment was exhibited in a recent auction on the ebayeum
_____

My Uncle Who Is A Mad Scientist
by Lin Carter

My Uncle Bolivar was as friendly and interesting a person as you'd care to meet. He had only one slight disadvantage. He wanted to be a Mad Scientist.

As a boy, I was simply fascinated by him. I used to spend hours on end in his Secret Laboratory (which was in the attic and could only be reached by a rickety stairway) watching him building time machines or disintegrating rays or some such jolly gadget.

His secret Laboratory was a wonderful place. It was long and narrow and had a sloping ceiling that leaked on rainy days. Along one wall he had a long workbench cluttered with tools and things. He had a pickled brain in a flask, acting as a paper-weight. In one corner stood a half finished robot he was using as a halltree, and in another corner stood a Little Gem Home Model Cyclotron, in which he kept his Scotch.

All his leisure time was spent in devising new ways to conquer the Earth and making inventions. First he invented a heat ray. He wanted {...no further text available}.

Fantasy Fan of 1945

Text:

1945 Fan Journalist

The Role of the F.A.P.A.

By Donald A. Wolheim

A new fan might easily find certain confusion in his first contact with the organization referred to enigmatically, as FAPA. He'll see it mentioned – but no one will contact him and try to make him join. He'll hear of intriguing fan magazine titles which he'll never encounter in the ads in the fan mags he gets, or in the reviews of Startling Stories. Finally he'll track down something definite on an officer of the organization, and write, asking to join. He'll send a rebuff in the form of being politely told that he'd have to wait maybe a year or more before he could be considered for membership, and besides, they’d want to know who he was, and what made him think he was good enough to join.

So what is this organization, the Fantasy Amateur Press Association? What does it do? How did it come about? Let me try to reconstruct the scene that called for the formation of the group. In that way, its purpose will also become understandable.

Fan magazines didn't develope {sic} in a big way until about 1936. There had been fan magazines published before that - - but with only very few exceptions, they had been the official organs of clubs. Remember that organized fandom never existed prior to late 1929, that any sort of developed fan clubs didn't really grow in any number until 1934. Before that, there were the scienceers in New York, and the first International Scientific Association in the U.S., but they were pioneers, experiments, gropings in the dark. Several members of the Scienceers had the idea of bringing out a fan magazine to sell to stf {scientifiction} readers as a commercial idea. Edited by A;;en Glaser, it was entitled The Time Traveler. It ws not the official organ of the club. It was not the organ of anything. It was a fan magazine, pure and unattached. There was a split in friendship among those who were putting out the Time Traveler, about its seventh or eighth issue. {… the rest of the text unavailable}

1952: 1st Australian SF Con

The seller states: FIRST AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION"
March 22, 1952 - Edited & Published by Nick Solntseff
___
Science Fiction has always been extremely popular in Australia, but it wasn't until well after WWII - March 22, 1952 in Sydney - that the "Auzzies" realized their 1st Convention. The SF Commitee consisted of Chairman William D. Veney, Secretary Graham B. Stone, Treasurer Nick Solntseff, Auctioneer Arthur Haddon, and Film coordinator Lex Banning. The Convention extended over three days and included films, an auction, various programs of what is Science Fiction and The Futurian Society meeting. This program booklet also contains many congratulatory pages from fellow enthusiasts in America - Forrest Ackerman, Roy A. Squires, Mel Korshak, Lloyd Eshbach and the booklet was dedicated in memoriam to H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Abraham Merritt, and Stanley Weinbaum.

National Fantasy Fan Jan. 1968

The official organ of The National Fantasy Fan Federation Volume 27, Number 3. Editor and Publisher: Don Miller January, 1966 EDITOR’S NOTES Since this is the first issue under a new editorship, it would seem appropriate to say a few words at the beginning of the issue concerning our plans and editorial policy for the forthcoming year. TNFF will be monthly during 1968. Most of the issues will be 10 pages in length, and will be mailed to all members via 1st-class mail; however, time, money, and material permitting, we will try to get out an occasional 20-page, 3rd-class issue —- we make no promises, however. Editorials will be kept to the minimum, to conserve space and save wear and tear on the members. Oh, yes -- from this point on we will no longer use the editorial “we”, but will stick to the plain and ordinary first—person singular, “I”; this will avoid confusion between editorial opinions and official club policy (and will also please Don Franson). However, if /w/e/ I occasionally slip and use "we" instead of “I”, please forgive /u/s/ me; with 100% use of the editorial “we” in all of my other magazines, it will be very difficult for me to remember (I even find myself using “we” in conversation!). As stated in TIGHTBEAM #46, the primary focus of TNFF during 1968 will be on club news and activities, with strong secondary emphasis on news and activities of “outside” fandom; the remaining space will be filled with general material, with special reference on timely reviews of books, magazines, fanzines, movies, etc. Volunteers are urgently needed to: 1. Keep me posted on apa activity; 2. Keep me posted on forthcoming conventions and other club and regional activities of general interest; 3. Keep me posted on news of time, place, and program (if any) of clubs around the country (this can be done on a regional, or even an individual club, basis -- certainly with more than one person involved In the reporting); 4. Keep me posted on clubs, conventions, and other fannish news from outside the U.S.; 5. Keep me posted on forthcoming movies, TV shows, books, magazines, etc. (again, probably involving more than one reporter); 6. Review fanzines; 7. Review prozines; 8. Review books; 9. Review movies, TV shows, etc. Don’t force me to have to rely exclusively upon my WSFA JOURNAL sources for extra material for TNFF —- N3F certainly has enough members to be able to develop its own sourcesl
In brief-1967 NFFF Story Contest winners: 1st Prize ($20), “The Feline Technique” by Doris ‘ Beetem; 2nd Prize ($15), “The Seeding” by Evelyn Lief; 3rd Prize ($10), “The SAH Effect” ‘by Chet Gottfried.
(Source: THE WSFA JOURNL #51) If your report, etc.,doesn’t appear in this issue, it’s because we don’t have it yet. We are typing this issue on Jan. 2, and are including every bit of N3F material on hand. (Undoubtedly something will arrive in tomorrow's mail) Deadline for each issue will be on the last day of the preceding month -— so mail early -- if I don’t have it by the deadline, it will have to wait until the next issue. (Sorry about those “we’s” earlier in this paragraph, Don.) “The Con Game” in this issue was reprinted from THE WSFA JOURNAL #51. DLM

Science Fiction Collector 1939

_____

Unfortunately not all fanzines had spectacular covers, but each editor tried their best.
_____
The seller states: The NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1939 issue of the fanzine SCIENCE-FICTION COLLECTOR, Volume 5 Number 4 (Whole No. 28), edited by John V. BALTADONIS (Philadelphia, PA.), featuring:
Et Cetera……………..
Cold Water and No Soap……………..by Jack ERMAN
Morojo vs Moskowitz……………..by MOROJO
The First Side – The True Side……………..by Donald A. WOLLHEIM
Book Note – “The Invisible Police” ……………..
Fan Magazine Review……………..review of FUTURIA FANTASIA (Fall 1939, Vol. 1 No. 2 - edited by Ray BRADBURY), and other fanzines
The Readers Say……………..Erle M. KORSHAK, Donald A. WOLLHEIM, et al.
The Eternal Wanderer……………..by Oswald TRAIN
Fantaglimmerings……………..by Robert A. MADLE
Vacancy (poem) ……………..by Larry B. FARSACI

Cover illustration and interior illustration by John V. BALTADONIS

A VERY GOOD+ copy, hint of age and minor fading. Digest-sized. 32 pages. Addressed on back (in pen) to: Russell J. HODGKINS (Los Angeles, CA.).

For those of you who read

Thanks for reading up until now.
From this point forward, I'm going to be less prompt about daily posts.
It's great, and it looks like a few dozen people are reading this each day (tahnks, thanks, thanks). However, the number of antiquarian zines popping up at auction are slowing down, and it has also impacted my ability to feed the Lovecraft blog. So the posts will be less frequent but still keeping up.

I invite you to go to the antiquarian thread at Horror Mall where Jimster, Vampduster, Dread C, Carcosa, and so many others post their antiquarian research and fun scans.

Horror Mall is at http://www.horror-mall.com/forum/

And the antiquarian thread is at .. .click!

or go:

http://www.horror-mall.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=70&pid=40348&st=1560&#entry40348

More posts will be coming though, soon. :) Meanwhile browse past posts.

1937 Novae Terrae

The seller states: "NOVAE TERRAE " - October, 1937
Edited by Maurice K. Hanson, Associate editors Ed ward J. Carnell & Arthur C. Clarke
___
The singular honor of the 1st British Fanzine goes to "Novae Terrae" founded in 1936.
"N. T." would publish the young Arthur C. Clarke, and William F. Temple - not forgetting to mentioning such British notables as Ted Carnell, D. R. Smith, Eric C. Williams, S. Youd, and young American Claire Beck brings news from back home that the Science Fiction tales of the late Howard Phillips Lovecraft (HPL had died in March of 1937) published in "Astounding" "...were shortened by more than two-thousand words"...with an additional page of commentary on Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith.


A very good copy with a small moisture stain in upper right-hand corner.

Tolkein & George Barr

A poignant lament over the passing of Tolkein.
Great George Barr Illustration.

Rare Copies of 1956 World Science Fiction Society Publications

Two copies of The Journal Of The World Science Fiction Society from the Committee from 1956.

1946 Post-War Fantasy Fanzine (The Cosmic News-Letter)

{I found these and thought they were very interesting perspectives on the post-WWII fan mentality}

_____
The Cosmic Newsletter
Edited and published weekly by James V Taurasi, 101-02 Northern Blvd., Corona, New York. 5 cents a copy, 6 issues for 25 cents. "A COSMIC PUBLICATION".
_____
Vol 1
Monday July 8, 1946
No.1
_____
Editorial:
It seems that the weekly publishing bug has a good hold on us no matter what we try to do in the "fan publishing field" we end up with a weekly. Our first, in the field, was Fantasy-News, now owned by Will Sykora. The second was getting Unger's Fantasy Fiction Field under way. We edited and publsihed the first twelve or so issues of this famous weekly. A year ago, Ray Van Houten and us, issued the weekly Fantasy-Times; the only fan magazine ever published in LeHavre, France. It was issued free to the fans in the Armed Forces and lsited for twelve issues.
Now we begin The Cosmic News-Letter, a weekly fan magazine of personal opinion, some news and interesting items. We hope it brings to you a few minutes of pleasure each week and that you will not be bashful in using these pages for your opinions and views. We'll be expecting your letters.
Frankenstein
Arrived last week from Europe, via our European editor, Ray Van Houten, the Armed Service edition of Frankenstein by Mary W. Shelley. The picture story version of Frankie was recently published by Classic Comics No. 26. On the stands now is the Quarterly magazine Frankenstein No. 3. This is a cartoon magazine carring {sic} the strip that once appeared in Prize Comics.
{This was a 4 pp. 'zine}
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The Cosmic Newsletter
The World of Tomorrow Today!
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Vol.1
August 5, 1946
No. 5
Five Cents
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Philadelphia in 1947
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Sergeant Satrun Grows Up
The post-war plan for the pulp science-fiction magazines is slowly beginning to take shape. The war years are over, science fiction is getting back to its high level of the pre-war years. Thrilling Wonder Stories is taking its place in this plan by clearing up its trash in the Reader Speaks. Ever since Oscar J. Friend, back in 1940 turned the serious reader's column into the biggest joke of science fiction, the readers and fans of Wonder and Startling Stories have had to wade thru left over bottles of Xono and droolings of so called Sgt. Saturn in order to read the letters. When the younger fans began writing in letters as gooey as the Sgt's answers, most of us gave up reading the column. When Sam Merwin, Jr. took over, he added on the goo a little thicker which more than undone all the improvements he made in his selection of stories. At the First Post War Science Fiction Convention, Merwin saw how the fans felt about Sgt. Saturn when a motion was passed to give him a discharge.

1961 Lin Carter Letter

Hannes Bok = Box 137 = Cathedral Station = New York 25, NY = 11/16/61

Dear JEV:

I'd rather have liked to start out with, "Chanber of the Ugsome Gugglies; Hour of the Purple Swordfish; Year of the Ten Pickled Viffenyiggles", but I'm not good at it – but still get such openings via poet Lin carter's correspondence. Dannit, all my Lovecraft stuff is buried away in a mountain of cartons, so no chance to read it in over 5 years.

Re your being a cat-lover, this automatically makes you a good Joe (beg pardon, good John) and so I am woeful to have to tell you that right after cats of Ulthar tailpiece (you asked about) appeared, Mrs. Gnaedinger wheedled me into giving it to her to give to some fan (I think it was Darrell Richardson, but not sure).

Rather wish I could sales-pitch you by describing other cat-pictures I have for sale, but the truth is, I haven't any – and come to think of it, I may be missing-out on something good; every picture in which I used cats has sold almost as fast as painted. H'm, it gives me pause . .

Your name (Vetter) has been haunting me at least a dozen years. We had a family of Vetters up the block (Brothers, Phillip & John) and though I've never met them, only heard of them, their affairs somehow seem to keep intruding on mine; as for example, when fire burned them out of their apartment, WHY did I have to find Phillip's autograph-book on the stairway to the roof (where only I ever go) and HOW did it ever get there?

'Tis a puzzlement.

Thanks for your good note, and sorry I can't assist (sorry too to miss out on a sale!).

With yuggered yibbins,

Hannes

40 year old Tolkien letter found (Lin Carter?)

Facts Stranger Than Fiction

Tolkien postcard found behind fireplace
Lee Glendinning
guardian.co.uk,
Tuesday July 08 2008 16:26 BST


A demolition worker has discovered a postcard which was written to JRR Tolkien 40 years ago stuck behind a fireplace.
Stephen Malton, who runs Prodem Demolition in Bournemouth, was removing the fixtures from the author's former home in Poole, Dorset, before the property was demolished.
As he dismantled the carved wooden fireplace he found three postcards, the last of which was addressed to Tolkien and dated 1968.
Malton, 42, has now begun investigating how much he can sell the postcard for and said a collector in Belgium had offered $US500,000 (£253,186) for the card and the fireplace.
He said: "I've been in demolition most of my life. I have been doing this for 15 years, my father did it for 40 years before me.
"All of a sudden for this to land in your lap is just quite unbelievable."
The postcard is addressed to the author at the Miramar Hotel, Bournemouth, where he and his wife Edith spent many of their holidays.
It is signed Lin, which some have speculated could be fantasy author Lin Carter, who wrote A Look Behind the Lord of the Rings, published in 1969.
The postcard focuses on the landscape in Ireland, describing hedgerows along with walking and driving in the countryside.
It reads: "I have been thinking of you a lot and hope everything has gone as well as could be expected in the most difficult circumstances."
Tolkien moved to Oxford in 1972 after his wife died and sold the Dorset house for £23,000 to Stephen Frankel who put it on the market for £1m in 2006.
Developers bought the bungalow and secured planning permission to replace it with two four-bedroom family homes, which upset many of the author's fans.
Malton said he was hoping to sell the fireplace, postcard, a bronze fairy and stone gryphon which were found in the garden, at auction at a later date, but still could not believe his luck.
"You could have knocked me down with a feather," he said. "To find something with the Tolkien name on it is quite amazing. We have looked under the floors, if we find a Hobbit, that will be the icing on the cake."

Carl Jacobi & Clark Ashton Smith (1936)

The seller states: "Dear Friend Smith" - Signed original letter from Carl Jacobi to Clark Ashton Smith Friendly and interesting letter from "Weird Tales" - Arkham House author to fellow "Weird Tales" - Arkham House author! Carl Jacobi thanks Smith for recommending a lawyer, enabling Jacobi to recover from Hugo Gernsback the author's fees due him. Jacobi also notes other markets he's sold to and recommends to CAS. And the author closes - "I'd like to hear from you" and is signed "Jacobi". The nifty illustration is unsigned but I believe it is the work of Vincent Napoli; I'll continue digging and see if I can verify the artist. Letters between "Weird Tales" authors is not common!

Clark Ashton Smith Edited Typescript

The seller states: "SONG" - "Ah, let us not remember..." Signed original poetry manuscript by Clark Ashton Smith Hippocampus Press has just issued a three-volume set of "The Complete Poetry & Translations" by Clark Ashton Smith - surely the most important CAS event since the publication of "Selected Poems" by Arkham House in 1971 and I urge you all go get your copy as the printing is extremely limited! To celebrate this remarkable publication I am offering another signed poetry manuscript by Clark Ashton Smith, simply entitled "Song". I am unable to fine this particular sonnet in Donald Sidney-Fryer's bibliography, this no doubt was probabl a working title and must've been rewritten and published in a different version; I will continue researching and will fill you all in. For the nonce anyway, the half-page poem contains one word change in the author's hand, and is signed in full "Clark Ashton Smith East Auburn, Cal."

Lin Carter Drafted! Plus Roy Squires and Illustrator Roy Hunt

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Howdy podner: Feb FA {February 1951 Vol. 4 #6 Fantasy Advertiser} came, and pretty good it is, even without any of my articles or pix (this is a subtle hint). Coblentz had a middlin' interesting article: he should have given examples. I rather liked Clarke's long, rambling essay. - - cover this issue not-so-hot. This is Roy Hunt? Ghaa. Nothing to it, nothing new, fresh, original, just a f*cking comet moving by something-or-other. Let's see Grossman or somebody. Neil Austin. --Aristrom's pic on pg. 8 veddy {sic} good. -- Are you sure that double-spread out on pgs 17-18 isn't a set for Destination You-kno-What? Looks muchly like it, but according to what I understand, it's something from Galactic Pat. -- NEWS ITEM: I is jest been drafted. Report for physical Feb. 9th. Louses up my plans for my fanzine, but hope to have my first privately-pubbed collection of poems out before I go. will have an advert for you soon. How much is a full-pager, six$? Nice ish {issue}.

Lin Carter.
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The seller (Terrence McVicker) states: "Howdy podner: _ _ _ _"
Original Signed Postcard from Lin Carter to Roy Squires, editor of "The Fantasy Advertiser", posted "Jan, 31, 1951"

Before becoming a much published author and editor in the field of Fantasy, Lin Carter was an enthusiastic fan and collector. Roy Squires - publisher and friend to Ray Bradbury and Clark Ashton Smith, was at this time editing and publishing the much admired magazine devoted to collecting Fantasy and Science Fiction literature, entitled "The Fantasy Advertiser" which later became "The Science Fiction Advertiser" . Lin Carter was contributing articles to "TFA" and comments "FA came today and pretty good it is even without any of my articles or pix" (this is a subtle hint)"...Carter comments on various authors and artists - Arthur C. Clarke, Jon Arfstrom (Weird Tales artist) Roy Hunt (another artist) Neil Austin (artist) and in the wake of this enthusiasm notes...'NEWS ITEM: I is jest been drafted. Report for physical Feb 9th. Louses up my plans for my fanzine..." A lighthearted little card with good banter.

Signed in full "Lin Carter"
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As to the Fantasy Advertiser:
36 pages, cover is by Roy Hunt with highlights:
AE Van Vogt - The House That Stood Still , Aleandre Dumas - The Wolf Leader , and others
Stanton Coblentz - The Older Science Fiction Magazines
Arthur C Clarke - Space Travel In Science Fiction
Bob Silverberg - The Antiquarian Bookshelf

Henry Eichner

Henry M. Eichner (1909 - 1971) was an American medical artist, illustrator and writer. His nonfiction book on Atlantis, Atlantean Chronicles, was published by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. in 1971.
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In Tarzan Alive By Philip Jose Farmer, Win Scott Eckert, Mike Resnick: Henry Eichner gave some valuable Atlantean data. (p. lxxvii).

MARCH 1945 / THE PHANTAGRAPH, Volume 13 Number 3

The MARCH 1945 issue of the fanzine THE PHANTAGRAPH, Volume 13 Number 3, edited and published by Donald A. WOLLHEIM (Forest Hills, NY.), featuring:
The Purchase of the Crame (part 2 of 2/conclusion, by Cyril KORNBLUTH) Communique (verse, by John B. MICHEL)
A NEAR FINE-FINE copy. Digest-sized. 4 pages.