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Imagination!, v. 1, issue 9, whole 9, June 1938

Page 7

IMAGINATION! #9 38 June   7

WHO IS WARNER VAN LORNE?

By Braxton Wells

Out of a fog of uncertinty, conflicting rumors & strange misty statements looms the curious snigma known as Warner van Lorne. Queer tales told over aftermeeting cups or whisperd in fan club-rms: Is Warner Van Lorne really Donald A. Wollheim?
There materializes a scene from about 3 yrs ago. It was midnite & there had been an NYBISA meeting that Sunday afternoon. The place was a cafeteria nr Times sq & Daw. They were conversing about the latest issue of Ast. Daw is unattentive. Pohl says he thot a certain yarn by a new writer--one Van Lorne--stank. Daw remarks casually that he thot it rather good. Pohl, disbelieving that anyone could doubt his judgement, remarks "I'll bet you're Van Lorne". Wollheim smiles & says "No". Under pressure he admits that he had science fiction publisht under a pseudonym. Phol was certain that Van Lorne wad Daw & claimd to detect a similarity of styles. Daw, under fire from all the others, now, merely shrugged his shoulders.
From that nite on the story that Wollheim was Van Lorne was spread far & wide, Fred Pohl pumping it for all he was worth. Fan after fan heard of it. To all direct questions, Don, evasive, replyd that he liked Van Lorne's yarns. Many fans came to believe that he was the mysterious new writer.
What are the facts? Is Wollheim really Van Lorne? When askt pointblank, Wollheim has never admitted it. But he has never denyd it. Neither did Allen Glasser ever deny he was Anthony Gilmore. Nor did Ackerman ever deny that he had horns. (Whadya mean, had, Wells? I still hav! Honk honk! FJA) Daw definitely states that he had stf publisht under pseudonym & that there was a "V" in it.
When Willis conover rcvd the FANTASY Magazine subscription lists from Julius Schwartz, he discovered both DAW & WVL were listed as subscribers. Would Daw have 2 subscriptions? Van Lorne's adres is given as Stony Creek/NY. Wollheim says definitely that he knows someone in Stony Creek. --But there are towns by that name in other states. Has any fan ever written to Van Lorne in Stony Creek?  There is no record.
F. Orlin Tremaine once made an appointment to see Van Lorne at his home. But he failed to find him. Several mos. later, during last summer, Tremaine went again to Stony Creek & met Van Lorne. He was in close association with him for about 2 or 3 wks. But Tremaine has never met Daw!

What were  Daw's actions last summer? Fans can account for every wk and there is no evidence he was in upstate New York. He spent a wk away from the city, but there are fans in Washington/DC who can testify to his presence there. Yet a former New York fan turnd up in Los Angeles & said that Wollheim was positively Van Lorne. That it was common New York knowledge he had a contract to write for Ast. But he couldn't give definite proof.
In local circles (NY) it has been a yr since anyone has said that Don was Warner. The rumor has died out. if we put the evidence together it seems obvious that Warner Van Lorne is not Donald A. Wollheim. But then who is............?

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IMAGINATION! #9 38 June 7 WHO IS WARNER VAN LORNE? By Braxton Wells Out of a fog of uncertinty, conflicting rumors & strange misty statements looms the curious snigma known as Warner van Lorne. Queer tales told over aftermeeting cups or whisperd in fan club-rms: Is Warner Van Lorne really Donald A. Wollheim? There materializes a scene from about 3 yrs ago. It was midnite & there had been an NYBISA meeting that Sunday afternoon. The place was a cafeteria nr Times sq & Daw. They were conversing about the latest issue of Ast. Daw is unattentive. Pohl says he thot a certain yarn by a new writer--one Van Lorne--stank. Daw remarks casually that he thot it rather good. Pohl, disbelieving that anyone could doubt his judgement, remarks "I'll bet you're Van Lorne". Wollheim smiles & says "No". Under pressure he admits that he had science fiction publisht under a pseudonym. Phol was certain that Van Lorne wad Daw & claimd to detect a similarity of styles. Daw, under fire from all the others, now, merely shrugged his shoulders. From that nite on the story that Wollheim was Van Lorne was spread far & wide, Fred Pohl pumping it for all he was worth. Fan after fan heard of it. To all direct questions, Don, evasive, replyd that he liked Van Lorne's yarns. Many fans came to believe that he was the mysterious new writer. What are the facts? Is Wollheim really Van Lorne? When askt pointblank, Wollheim has never admitted it. But he has never denyd it. Neither did Allen Glasser ever deny he was Anthony Gilmore. Nor did Ackerman ever deny that he had horns. (Whadya mean, had, Wells? I still hav! Honk honk! FJA) Daw definitely states that he had stf publisht under pseudonym & that there was a "V" in it. When Willis conover rcvd the FANTASY Magazine subscription lists from Julius Schwartz, he discovered both DAW & WVL were listed as subscribers. Would Daw have 2 subscriptions? Van Lorne's adres is given as Stony Creek/NY. Wollheim says definitely that he knows someone in Stony Creek. --But there are towns by that name in other states. Has any fan ever written to Van Lorne in Stony Creek? There is no record. F. Orlin Tremaine once made an appointment to see Van Lorne at his home. But he failed to find him. Several mos. later, during last summer, Tremaine went again to Stony Creek & met Van Lorne. He was in close association with him for about 2 or 3 wks. But Tremaine has never met Daw! What were Daw's actions last summer? Fans can account for every wk and there is no evidence he was in upstate New York. He spent a wk away from the city, but there are fans in Washington/DC who can testify to his presence there. Yet a former New York fan turnd up in Los Angeles & said that Wollheim was positively Van Lorne. That it was common New York knowledge he had a contract to write for Ast. But he couldn't give definite proof. In local circles (NY) it has been a yr since anyone has said that Don was Warner. The rumor has died out. if we put the evidence together it seems obvious that Warner Van Lorne is not Donald A. Wollheim. But then who is............?