Transcribe
Translate
Fantascience Digest, v. 2, issue 3, March-April 1939
Page 6
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
Page 6 FANTASCIENCE DIGEST Bill David's idea. But Bill was his friend. His [[underline]]best[[end underline]] friend. Fists clenching and unclenching in maddening desperation, Jack paced the floor. He had been doing the same thing for hours now. Suddenly he turned to his typewriter and wrote: "Dear Mr. Jackson:-I believe it would be advisable to delay issuing that professional magazine until after the forthcoming convention. You can give a big talk at "The fifth National Science Fiction Convention" regarding your magazine. Play it up big. I'll even help you on that part. There is no necessity to announce the editor of the magazine at the convention. Just inform them that you plan to issue it. It will cause a great furor and will certainly boost the sales considerably. See you at the convention in six weeks. Sincerely, Jack Adams." Three weeks passed by relentlessly. Jack Adams worked like a madman whipping the convention into presentable shape. Six weeks in which to do it! Six lousy weeks to untangle a mess it had taken his friend nine months to work himself into, But Jack Adams worked! Worked hard! He sacrificed friendship in some cases, money, pleasure; in fact, everything! They called him "Grand Old Fan." Well, he would show them. He'd never let the fans down yet and he didn't propose to do it now. In keeping with his nature, Jack let his friend, Bill Davids, take all the credit for the work he was doing. Fans in the know realized that Jack was the brains behind the affair, but the ordinary onlooker it will all Bill Davids. Jack Adams had obtained all the glory he desired long ago, and he didn't aim to hog the lime-light. The work he was doing was what any good friend would have done under the circumstances. - - - - - - - - - - - - - The day of the convention was at hand. Jack Adams was there as he always was. He sat, however, in the regular seats. There was no hint that anyone but his friend, Bill Davids, had done all of the work. He felt very tired; there had been little sleep that night. It was a matter of getting last-minute affairs taken care of promptly. Still, he couldn't kick. There was a good job waiting for him after the completion of the convention; a job he had wanted all of his life. Even after he had obtained the job, he was determined to help the fan world to the best of his ability. The convention rolled along as smooth as silk. The attendance was close to three thousand. Not bad for a national gathering.If they only knew the elaborate measured he had taken to see that such a crowd would attend. There was no end of celebrites. There was J. Mortimer Hancock, publisher of the first "slick" science fiction magazine, and every other editor and author you could think of. He had even gotten many of the publishers to buy elaborate advertisements int he convention magazines. Advertisements sizeable enough to pay for the entire affair. And speaking of convention magazines, what a mess of them there were! How fans could turn out so many good ones in six weeks was a mystery to Jack. Yet, he had managed to publish a couple himself, so perhaps it wasn't much of a mystery after all. Bill Davids up on the platform was certainly doing a masterful job. He certainly was a good master of ceremonies. It was fixed so that Bill took all the credit for the affair, and the affair seemed to border upon the miracu-
Saving...
prev
next
Page 6 FANTASCIENCE DIGEST Bill David's idea. But Bill was his friend. His [[underline]]best[[end underline]] friend. Fists clenching and unclenching in maddening desperation, Jack paced the floor. He had been doing the same thing for hours now. Suddenly he turned to his typewriter and wrote: "Dear Mr. Jackson:-I believe it would be advisable to delay issuing that professional magazine until after the forthcoming convention. You can give a big talk at "The fifth National Science Fiction Convention" regarding your magazine. Play it up big. I'll even help you on that part. There is no necessity to announce the editor of the magazine at the convention. Just inform them that you plan to issue it. It will cause a great furor and will certainly boost the sales considerably. See you at the convention in six weeks. Sincerely, Jack Adams." Three weeks passed by relentlessly. Jack Adams worked like a madman whipping the convention into presentable shape. Six weeks in which to do it! Six lousy weeks to untangle a mess it had taken his friend nine months to work himself into, But Jack Adams worked! Worked hard! He sacrificed friendship in some cases, money, pleasure; in fact, everything! They called him "Grand Old Fan." Well, he would show them. He'd never let the fans down yet and he didn't propose to do it now. In keeping with his nature, Jack let his friend, Bill Davids, take all the credit for the work he was doing. Fans in the know realized that Jack was the brains behind the affair, but the ordinary onlooker it will all Bill Davids. Jack Adams had obtained all the glory he desired long ago, and he didn't aim to hog the lime-light. The work he was doing was what any good friend would have done under the circumstances. - - - - - - - - - - - - - The day of the convention was at hand. Jack Adams was there as he always was. He sat, however, in the regular seats. There was no hint that anyone but his friend, Bill Davids, had done all of the work. He felt very tired; there had been little sleep that night. It was a matter of getting last-minute affairs taken care of promptly. Still, he couldn't kick. There was a good job waiting for him after the completion of the convention; a job he had wanted all of his life. Even after he had obtained the job, he was determined to help the fan world to the best of his ability. The convention rolled along as smooth as silk. The attendance was close to three thousand. Not bad for a national gathering.If they only knew the elaborate measured he had taken to see that such a crowd would attend. There was no end of celebrites. There was J. Mortimer Hancock, publisher of the first "slick" science fiction magazine, and every other editor and author you could think of. He had even gotten many of the publishers to buy elaborate advertisements int he convention magazines. Advertisements sizeable enough to pay for the entire affair. And speaking of convention magazines, what a mess of them there were! How fans could turn out so many good ones in six weeks was a mystery to Jack. Yet, he had managed to publish a couple himself, so perhaps it wasn't much of a mystery after all. Bill Davids up on the platform was certainly doing a masterful job. He certainly was a good master of ceremonies. It was fixed so that Bill took all the credit for the affair, and the affair seemed to border upon the miracu-
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
