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Fantasy News Annual, v. 7, issue 1, whole no. 150, July 27, 1941

31858063099257_009

FANTASY NEWS     SPECIAL FEATURE SECTION    Page Nine

SOLUTION SATISFACTORY
by Leonard Grunbery.

[text in two columns]
[first column] Living in an apartment doesn't leave much room for hobbies. A science fiction hobby takes plenty of space and as I have over 500 copies of science fiction magazines the problem was well nigh insoluble. I built a seven foot tall bookshelf, but found it only a drop in the bucket. In the basement I still have three trunks full of carefully wrapped mags. Also to be considered are the effects of deterioration to the mags when displayed on shelves. Seeking a solution I thought of microfilming. Many important records of the U.S. gov't are now microfilmed to save space.
[illustration of author's handmade microfilm viewer.]
The cost is really not great. Using the best film available in 16 mm. with magazine load the cost per 160 page magazine comes out to 10c* With cheaper film the cost can be brought much lower. The largest item was the purchase of a second hand movie camera capable of taking single snaps, at $20.00.
Setting up the apparatus was not hard. To determine the field of the camera I took off the casing held the shutter open, and with a piece of waxed paper for a screen behind the lense, I sighted on a 
[second column] piece of oaktag ruled with the dimensions of the different sizes of mags. After recording the height, I have only to duplicate it and center the camera with a plumb line to get the perfect focus. The camera is held on a tripod made from a music stand. After that, the only labor is turning the pages and snapping the shutter. The viewer I made is very simple. It consists of a square box with a projection lense and two mirrors toreflect the image back to the upper face onto a ground glass screen the size of a magazine. This was the most space arrangement possible. A 60 watt bulb gives plenty of light. For projection on walls or ceiling (to read in bed), the ground glass screen is removed and the bulb changed to 100 watts. This gives good results in a dark room. 
The final film collection will fit onto one shelf of my bookcase. Thus I think I have found the solution. 
*$3.00 per 50ft magazine and 24 frames per ft; 2 pages per frame.
[line break]
MORE ODD ITEMS by FN Reporters.
Lloyd Arthur Eshbach, well known science fiction writer, sold his first story at the age of seventeen! It was "The Valley Of the Titans" published in the old AMAZING. The yarn was held for two years before publication..."Telegraph Plateau" by Harl Vincent, which appeared in the Nov 33 issue of ASTOUNDING STORIES, was written for THRILLING ADVENTURES... The pre-publication title of Vincent's yarn "Valley Of the Rukh" published in the Feb 35 number of AMAZING was Rukh's Nest", and it was intended as an Arabian Nights fantasy... Abner J. Gelula's old yarn in WONDER called "Vengeance Of a Scientist" was originally titled "Super X"... Nelson S. Bond has sold "Luxury Liner" and "Sincure" to THRILLING WONDER", "The Remarkable Talent Of Egbert Haw" to BLUE BOOK, "Crisis" to PLANET, "The Ghost of Lancelot Biggs" to WEIRD, and --- THE LOBBLIES ARE RETURNING! --- ARGOSY is readying a series based on the advertures of Mr. Mergenthwirker (P. 11)

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FANTASY NEWS SPECIAL FEATURE SECTION Page Nine SOLUTION SATISFACTORY by Leonard Grunbery. [text in two columns] [first column] Living in an apartment doesn't leave much room for hobbies. A science fiction hobby takes plenty of space and as I have over 500 copies of science fiction magazines the problem was well nigh insoluble. I built a seven foot tall bookshelf, but found it only a drop in the bucket. In the basement I still have three trunks full of carefully wrapped mags. Also to be considered are the effects of deterioration to the mags when displayed on shelves. Seeking a solution I thought of microfilming. Many important records of the U.S. gov't are now microfilmed to save space. [illustration of author's handmade microfilm viewer.] The cost is really not great. Using the best film available in 16 mm. with magazine load the cost per 160 page magazine comes out to 10c* With cheaper film the cost can be brought much lower. The largest item was the purchase of a second hand movie camera capable of taking single snaps, at $20.00. Setting up the apparatus was not hard. To determine the field of the camera I took off the casing held the shutter open, and with a piece of waxed paper for a screen behind the lense, I sighted on a [second column] piece of oaktag ruled with the dimensions of the different sizes of mags. After recording the height, I have only to duplicate it and center the camera with a plumb line to get the perfect focus. The camera is held on a tripod made from a music stand. After that, the only labor is turning the pages and snapping the shutter. The viewer I made is very simple. It consists of a square box with a projection lense and two mirrors toreflect the image back to the upper face onto a ground glass screen the size of a magazine. This was the most space arrangement possible. A 60 watt bulb gives plenty of light. For projection on walls or ceiling (to read in bed), the ground glass screen is removed and the bulb changed to 100 watts. This gives good results in a dark room. The final film collection will fit onto one shelf of my bookcase. Thus I think I have found the solution. *$3.00 per 50ft magazine and 24 frames per ft; 2 pages per frame. [line break] MORE ODD ITEMS by FN Reporters. Lloyd Arthur Eshbach, well known science fiction writer, sold his first story at the age of seventeen! It was "The Valley Of the Titans" published in the old AMAZING. The yarn was held for two years before publication..."Telegraph Plateau" by Harl Vincent, which appeared in the Nov 33 issue of ASTOUNDING STORIES, was written for THRILLING ADVENTURES... The pre-publication title of Vincent's yarn "Valley Of the Rukh" published in the Feb 35 number of AMAZING was Rukh's Nest", and it was intended as an Arabian Nights fantasy... Abner J. Gelula's old yarn in WONDER called "Vengeance Of a Scientist" was originally titled "Super X"... Nelson S. Bond has sold "Luxury Liner" and "Sincure" to THRILLING WONDER", "The Remarkable Talent Of Egbert Haw" to BLUE BOOK, "Crisis" to PLANET, "The Ghost of Lancelot Biggs" to WEIRD, and --- THE LOBBLIES ARE RETURNING! --- ARGOSY is readying a series based on the advertures of Mr. Mergenthwirker (P. 11)