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Spaceways, v. 3 issue 3, whole no. 19, March 1941
Page 11
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SPACEWAYS 11 ARE THE CLASSICS CLASSICAL? [[handwritten number "5"]] by TOM WRIGHT "Sometimes your editor wonders what the fans would really say about these masterpieces, if they were to read them in Amazing Stories today, as original unpublished works", said R. A. Palmer in a recent issue of Amazing Stories. Before this, he stated that "The Moon Pool", "Ship of Ishtar" and others were pure adventure yarns and that the "Skylark" series were just adventure, superhumans, and some copper bars driving spaceships at tremendous speeds. All summed up, it seems that Palmer thinks he's printing stuff as good as the classics. Is this so? Being a fairly new reader to stf., I think that I am in a better position to pass judgment on these statements than older fans. I am new enough to have missed the last skylark yarn by just a few months, but recently I have secured back copies of these mags and have read them at nearly the same time as the stories now appearing. Palmer states that "The Moon Pool" has absolutely no science. What, then, does he call it? It contains very accurate science about polarized light, radioactive water in the pool, the electronic composition of the walls around the Moon Pool, and enough more to fill quite a few pages. And how about that stuff he's been printing in Amazing (not to mention Fantastic Adventures)? "Liners of Space" and "Ben Gleed, King of Speed"; absolutely no science, unless he considers a space ship or future city science. Then he goes right back on what he says and writes "Black World", a direct imitation of Weinbaum's "The Red Peri". A girl pirate who never kills, caves on Pluto, Carver in love with her, her escape through space, the whole story practically a carbon copy of Weinbaum's story. This shows that he must think some of the classics are good. Next take Smith's epics: As Palmer said, Seaton was a superman, but isn't it entirely probably that future man will be superman? Could it be that Palmer doesn't understand or can't conceive of Smith's science? Not that I claim to understand everything that Smith writes; but I know that it's good, accurate science. Maybe Palmer's jealous because he doesn't get the epics. And as another proof, look at the ratings that "Gray Lensman" received in Astounding's Analytical Laboratory: a first for each part. Of course some of the old time stories don't seem so good when reread, but the majority seem even better. Yes, the classics are classical. Don't you think so? FROM THE CONTROL ROOM (concluded from pate 3) magazines; no telling how many more places it'll pop up. And we hardly think it would interest you readers very much to read it once again. This paragraph is meant mostly for the pro editors, to give them an idea of our situation, of course. It's too much to ask for exclusive publicity for S, alone, we realize , and so unless something happens to come in just a day or so before we begin mimeoing an issue and there's room for it, we can hardly use such items. (We take it for granted, of course, that S' readers all buy either or both Fantasy News, P. O. Box 84, Elmont, N. Y., and/or Fantasy Fiction Field Weekly, 1702 Dahill Rd, Brooklyn, N. Y., for the latest news of fantasy every week: they're each a nickel a sample copy and highly recommended for all the lastest dope and stuff.) We repeat, we want articles! There were a number of other things we meant to say this issue, but they'll have to wait until later. There's room to remind you to send your ratings on this issue, though, and ask you what you think of the new column beginning this month. And next issue, probably, will contain the material submitted to S' contest announced in the AnnIssue. But we still need a few articles for it, and can't put the things into print until they come in. If you've not entered, how about sending that article you've been meaning to submit, label it "contest", and maybe win an original Paul or Finlay or some hardtoget Australian fanzines?
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SPACEWAYS 11 ARE THE CLASSICS CLASSICAL? [[handwritten number "5"]] by TOM WRIGHT "Sometimes your editor wonders what the fans would really say about these masterpieces, if they were to read them in Amazing Stories today, as original unpublished works", said R. A. Palmer in a recent issue of Amazing Stories. Before this, he stated that "The Moon Pool", "Ship of Ishtar" and others were pure adventure yarns and that the "Skylark" series were just adventure, superhumans, and some copper bars driving spaceships at tremendous speeds. All summed up, it seems that Palmer thinks he's printing stuff as good as the classics. Is this so? Being a fairly new reader to stf., I think that I am in a better position to pass judgment on these statements than older fans. I am new enough to have missed the last skylark yarn by just a few months, but recently I have secured back copies of these mags and have read them at nearly the same time as the stories now appearing. Palmer states that "The Moon Pool" has absolutely no science. What, then, does he call it? It contains very accurate science about polarized light, radioactive water in the pool, the electronic composition of the walls around the Moon Pool, and enough more to fill quite a few pages. And how about that stuff he's been printing in Amazing (not to mention Fantastic Adventures)? "Liners of Space" and "Ben Gleed, King of Speed"; absolutely no science, unless he considers a space ship or future city science. Then he goes right back on what he says and writes "Black World", a direct imitation of Weinbaum's "The Red Peri". A girl pirate who never kills, caves on Pluto, Carver in love with her, her escape through space, the whole story practically a carbon copy of Weinbaum's story. This shows that he must think some of the classics are good. Next take Smith's epics: As Palmer said, Seaton was a superman, but isn't it entirely probably that future man will be superman? Could it be that Palmer doesn't understand or can't conceive of Smith's science? Not that I claim to understand everything that Smith writes; but I know that it's good, accurate science. Maybe Palmer's jealous because he doesn't get the epics. And as another proof, look at the ratings that "Gray Lensman" received in Astounding's Analytical Laboratory: a first for each part. Of course some of the old time stories don't seem so good when reread, but the majority seem even better. Yes, the classics are classical. Don't you think so? FROM THE CONTROL ROOM (concluded from pate 3) magazines; no telling how many more places it'll pop up. And we hardly think it would interest you readers very much to read it once again. This paragraph is meant mostly for the pro editors, to give them an idea of our situation, of course. It's too much to ask for exclusive publicity for S, alone, we realize , and so unless something happens to come in just a day or so before we begin mimeoing an issue and there's room for it, we can hardly use such items. (We take it for granted, of course, that S' readers all buy either or both Fantasy News, P. O. Box 84, Elmont, N. Y., and/or Fantasy Fiction Field Weekly, 1702 Dahill Rd, Brooklyn, N. Y., for the latest news of fantasy every week: they're each a nickel a sample copy and highly recommended for all the lastest dope and stuff.) We repeat, we want articles! There were a number of other things we meant to say this issue, but they'll have to wait until later. There's room to remind you to send your ratings on this issue, though, and ask you what you think of the new column beginning this month. And next issue, probably, will contain the material submitted to S' contest announced in the AnnIssue. But we still need a few articles for it, and can't put the things into print until they come in. If you've not entered, how about sending that article you've been meaning to submit, label it "contest", and maybe win an original Paul or Finlay or some hardtoget Australian fanzines?
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