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Fantascience Digest, v. 2, issue 3, March-April 1939

Page 26

Page 26     FANTASCIENCE DIGEST

and Smith was a very good analysis.
I disagree with the statement of "The Eternal Wanderer" that the "Black Flame" was just an adventure story laid in the future. You couldn't take any place in the world today and have a situation on which you could place a plot like that of "The Black Flame.*
Mark Reinsberg's column of AMAZING news was good, except that he seems a little bit too much pro-AMAZING and anti-all other magazines.
I can answer some of the questions in the question department, but I know I can't answer them all, so I'll just keep my guesses to myself and wait for the answers next issue.
I am very much in favor of having even margins on both sides of the column, unless they are as much trouble as Harry Warner says they are. They improve the appearance and readability of the magazine 100%. (They definitely [[underline]]are[[end underline]] a great deal of trouble; perhaps even more than Harry Warner stated they are. It takes at least twice as much time to have even edges, and I, for one, don't believe they are worth the time expended--RAM)

[[underline]]SAM MOSKOWITZ[[end underline]]: I certainly did like the latest FD immensely. (I would use tremedously, etc., but I must save something to describe the next issue.) But seriously, you certainly pack plenty of pleasure into your pages, and your position as one of the best 5 fan magazines should go unquestioned.
Cover was passable. Your mimeographing made even punk stuff read good. I hope you can keep up the quality mimeographing.
Now for the material. "The Arts" was just so-so. Warner is very good at writing articles. You should be happy that he plans to flood you with same. I already knew most of what Warner wrote; his own opinion was what I liked. I wish you would print this explanation in re "Keller the Great." This article was the second I ever wrote; way back in February, 1937. I sent it to Fantasia where it was accepted. Hahn has since turned it over to Bob Madle. I didn't have a chance to rewrite it, either. Incidentally, Bob Madle has the [[underline]]first[[end underline]] article I wrote; "Case History," which is even worse than "Keller the Great." (How many of you wish to read Sam's first attempt at fan writing? Let me know, and if most of you are in favor of it, it will appear in an early issue.) "Whither Science Fiction"--inane. "The Spotlight is [[underline]]VERY[[end underline]] good. Doesn't Rothman ever get tired of comparing Smith and Campbell? Campbell is certainly a much more talented and versatile author. Smith seems to have a one-track mind. "The Eternal Wanderer" told us nothing new, although it was tolerably interesting. Reinsberghit a new high in quality this issue. Tell him to keep it up. "Out of Space"--there is little to comment on. Maybe you should have a hundred questions and give a prize for the three highest marks or something. Thompson wasn't bad; in fact, he was quite good. Readers' comments in this issue decidedly superior to last, and very, very interesting. Finally, Helen Cloukey constructed her short article quite nicely. The entire atmosphere of the magazine is one of pleasure. I can't see how anyone could help but like it.

[[underline]]RALPH MILNE FARLEY[[end underline]]: Tell Willis Conover, Jr., to write up his "Something Different" as a real story about twice its present length, with serious names for the newspaper and the Russian scientist, keeping the same O. Henry twist (no pun intended) at the end, and I bet he can sell it to an stf mag.

[[underline]]DANIEL McPHAIL[[end underline]]: A bit of comment on the Jan-Feb ish: The cover was a bit crowded, but considering the difficulty of transferring drawings to a stencil,

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Page 26 FANTASCIENCE DIGEST and Smith was a very good analysis. I disagree with the statement of "The Eternal Wanderer" that the "Black Flame" was just an adventure story laid in the future. You couldn't take any place in the world today and have a situation on which you could place a plot like that of "The Black Flame.* Mark Reinsberg's column of AMAZING news was good, except that he seems a little bit too much pro-AMAZING and anti-all other magazines. I can answer some of the questions in the question department, but I know I can't answer them all, so I'll just keep my guesses to myself and wait for the answers next issue. I am very much in favor of having even margins on both sides of the column, unless they are as much trouble as Harry Warner says they are. They improve the appearance and readability of the magazine 100%. (They definitely [[underline]]are[[end underline]] a great deal of trouble; perhaps even more than Harry Warner stated they are. It takes at least twice as much time to have even edges, and I, for one, don't believe they are worth the time expended--RAM) [[underline]]SAM MOSKOWITZ[[end underline]]: I certainly did like the latest FD immensely. (I would use tremedously, etc., but I must save something to describe the next issue.) But seriously, you certainly pack plenty of pleasure into your pages, and your position as one of the best 5 fan magazines should go unquestioned. Cover was passable. Your mimeographing made even punk stuff read good. I hope you can keep up the quality mimeographing. Now for the material. "The Arts" was just so-so. Warner is very good at writing articles. You should be happy that he plans to flood you with same. I already knew most of what Warner wrote; his own opinion was what I liked. I wish you would print this explanation in re "Keller the Great." This article was the second I ever wrote; way back in February, 1937. I sent it to Fantasia where it was accepted. Hahn has since turned it over to Bob Madle. I didn't have a chance to rewrite it, either. Incidentally, Bob Madle has the [[underline]]first[[end underline]] article I wrote; "Case History," which is even worse than "Keller the Great." (How many of you wish to read Sam's first attempt at fan writing? Let me know, and if most of you are in favor of it, it will appear in an early issue.) "Whither Science Fiction"--inane. "The Spotlight is [[underline]]VERY[[end underline]] good. Doesn't Rothman ever get tired of comparing Smith and Campbell? Campbell is certainly a much more talented and versatile author. Smith seems to have a one-track mind. "The Eternal Wanderer" told us nothing new, although it was tolerably interesting. Reinsberghit a new high in quality this issue. Tell him to keep it up. "Out of Space"--there is little to comment on. Maybe you should have a hundred questions and give a prize for the three highest marks or something. Thompson wasn't bad; in fact, he was quite good. Readers' comments in this issue decidedly superior to last, and very, very interesting. Finally, Helen Cloukey constructed her short article quite nicely. The entire atmosphere of the magazine is one of pleasure. I can't see how anyone could help but like it. [[underline]]RALPH MILNE FARLEY[[end underline]]: Tell Willis Conover, Jr., to write up his "Something Different" as a real story about twice its present length, with serious names for the newspaper and the Russian scientist, keeping the same O. Henry twist (no pun intended) at the end, and I bet he can sell it to an stf mag. [[underline]]DANIEL McPHAIL[[end underline]]: A bit of comment on the Jan-Feb ish: The cover was a bit crowded, but considering the difficulty of transferring drawings to a stencil,