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Fantascience Digest, v. 3, issue 3, whole no. 15, November-December 1941

Page 12

Page 12    FANTASCIENCE DIGEST

more tips for you. First, don't try to hurry the process; there are simply no short cuts to a nicely-bound excerpt, unless you want to buy it already made. Second, don't make your first binding jobs on your best stories; practice on the worst ones first, then tackle the good ones. And here's a tip, not only for beginners, but for everybody. Always be on the lookout for new tricks and ideas that you can incorporate into your work, and don't hesitate to try them, for that's the only way to prove their worth.

Lastly, don't take it for granted that, because the average story runs to magazine length-- 135 pages or so-- you must limit or build up the stories you bind to approximately that length. By using heavier (cardboard) covers, and heavier staples, you can build up your bound excerpts to 400-500 pages safely; if necessary for added strength, reinforce the backstrips and cover-hinges with cheese-cloth. Thus you can collect the works of your favorite author in one "book." For example, in my own excerpt collection, I have William Gray Beyer's series of stories bound up in this fashion; it runs to about 300 pages. Likewise, the ARGOSY fantastics of Murray Leinster (there are about thirteen yards in all, by the way) I have bound up on one volume; they run to about 450 pages.

In closing, i would advise against bothering with serials that have appeared in book form if you can get the book instead. Having a novel in a professionally-bound book is better, of course, than doing it yourself; but often-- as with some of Merritt's works-- the book is far harder to get. So bind the story up yourself if you have to-- and be assured that if you take the time and patience enough on the job to do it right, it will compare favorably in appearance with the professional version. And good luck to you in your work.

The Decadent Age in Magazine Science Fiction
4    By Robert W. Lowndes
   
   (Note: The writer makes no pretense, in this article, of speaking for any save himself. He would be interested in knowing how many, if any, of the "oldtime fans" agree with him. "Oldtime fan" in this case is to be taken as a descriptive of an enthusiast in magazine science-fiction of not less than ten years standing . . . . The term "decadent" is among the many abused expressions in our language; it has come to mean, for many people, sheer contempt and a brand of inferiority. Not so is it used here. When the writer says "decadent" he is employing an analytic adjective in denoting a type: no comment upon desirability or goodness is to be connoted therewith.)
   When one speaks of a period of decadence in the arts, in music, or in literature, it is usually assumed that this period follows a classical or "golden age" era. The particular art heretofor has been flowing onward, keeping pace with the flow of progress in the world without,

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Page 12 FANTASCIENCE DIGEST more tips for you. First, don't try to hurry the process; there are simply no short cuts to a nicely-bound excerpt, unless you want to buy it already made. Second, don't make your first binding jobs on your best stories; practice on the worst ones first, then tackle the good ones. And here's a tip, not only for beginners, but for everybody. Always be on the lookout for new tricks and ideas that you can incorporate into your work, and don't hesitate to try them, for that's the only way to prove their worth. Lastly, don't take it for granted that, because the average story runs to magazine length-- 135 pages or so-- you must limit or build up the stories you bind to approximately that length. By using heavier (cardboard) covers, and heavier staples, you can build up your bound excerpts to 400-500 pages safely; if necessary for added strength, reinforce the backstrips and cover-hinges with cheese-cloth. Thus you can collect the works of your favorite author in one "book." For example, in my own excerpt collection, I have William Gray Beyer's series of stories bound up in this fashion; it runs to about 300 pages. Likewise, the ARGOSY fantastics of Murray Leinster (there are about thirteen yards in all, by the way) I have bound up on one volume; they run to about 450 pages. In closing, i would advise against bothering with serials that have appeared in book form if you can get the book instead. Having a novel in a professionally-bound book is better, of course, than doing it yourself; but often-- as with some of Merritt's works-- the book is far harder to get. So bind the story up yourself if you have to-- and be assured that if you take the time and patience enough on the job to do it right, it will compare favorably in appearance with the professional version. And good luck to you in your work. The Decadent Age in Magazine Science Fiction 4 By Robert W. Lowndes (Note: The writer makes no pretense, in this article, of speaking for any save himself. He would be interested in knowing how many, if any, of the "oldtime fans" agree with him. "Oldtime fan" in this case is to be taken as a descriptive of an enthusiast in magazine science-fiction of not less than ten years standing . . . . The term "decadent" is among the many abused expressions in our language; it has come to mean, for many people, sheer contempt and a brand of inferiority. Not so is it used here. When the writer says "decadent" he is employing an analytic adjective in denoting a type: no comment upon desirability or goodness is to be connoted therewith.) When one speaks of a period of decadence in the arts, in music, or in literature, it is usually assumed that this period follows a classical or "golden age" era. The particular art heretofor has been flowing onward, keeping pace with the flow of progress in the world without,