DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Sci-Fic Variety, issue 4 and issue 5, December 1941 and March 1942

Transcribe
Translate

Sci-Fic Variety, issue 4 and issue 5, December 1941 and March 1942

Front cover

Some months ago we started out in fan-dom a chain letter, designed to produce material for LeZ. As this is written that chain letter still is circulating. But what concerns us here is that one of the contributing items that letter drew is published herein. Dick Wil-son submitted it to LeZ, and altho we liked it, still it wouldn't fit into LeZ. So rather than return it and forever be in the bad graces of Mr Wilson, we shove it off on you herewith.

Anent the Dorothy Sanford story "A Point of View" printed in our last issue two mailings ago. Damon Knight asked in the last mailing who she was ((Gosh .. why didn't we turn that around)). Sanford is a pro-fessional author from California, a very good friend of mine. Altho she hasn't sold any science fiction she is tremendously interested in it, and mayhap will someday. Her sales are to slick womens and Farm maga-zines; she worked a very short while on a San Diego radio station. This monkeyish "Point of View" thing is a rejected vigenette from American. I expect to bring her to the Pacificon next year.

Also to Damon Knight's remarks on my reading of literature .. heheheh. What Damon doesn't know is that I have one of those books, "Condensed Literature to be Quoted by the Busy Man at the Proper Times". I find the impressions I make this way very telling.

We liked Trudy Kuslan's biting article in Sardonyx. Still and at the same time it reads like a flareback, as if she had been hurt by some-thing. Or someone. For despite the entertaining writing, she tells us nothing we do not already know or suspect. Phil Schumann's "Private World?" made engrossing reading. While we are on the subject, we take off our worn-out fedora to Paul Spencer, and thank him for the list of further Cabell books. Consider our interest aroused.

We are always reminded, along about this time of the year, of our dear loving cousin Si Gustily and his rocket ship experiment. These beer cans with the screw-on (and off) top make dandy ash trays you know. When empty you merely pound the top with a hammer. Not so, Si. He rather fancied that protruding "nozzle" atop the can resembled a rock-et tube. Which gave him an idea. Which he carried out. Which is why we now put forget-me-nots on his last resting spot. It seems he once fill-ed a beer can with carbon-tetra-chloride and lit a match to it to see if it would "take off". We sigh for Si.

We realize this is hardly the proper place to comment on a fanzine like NFFF's Bonfire, but inasmuch as all NFFF officers are members of the FAPA, they doubtless will read the comment. In issue #2 of the mag, it is mentioend that the issue was turned out on a three hundred dollar Hectograph. Ah! said we, just like the good old days at Mass. Tech., Nepenthe and Fanfare! But the words were choken off in our beard. We wound up the magazine wishing it had ben turned out on a five dollar tray. We would have liked to read the President's message.

A word here for Nova, the new Michigan fanzine published by EEEvans the Ashleys, with sundry help by Counts and Weidenbeck: while we were there in November, they told us it costs them $90 for the first issue.

Saving...

Some months ago we started out in fan-dom a chain letter, designed to produce material for LeZ. As this is written that chain letter still is circulating. But what concerns us here is that one of the contributing items that letter drew is published herein. Dick Wil-son submitted it to LeZ, and altho we liked it, still it wouldn't fit into LeZ. So rather than return it and forever be in the bad graces of Mr Wilson, we shove it off on you herewith. Anent the Dorothy Sanford story "A Point of View" printed in our last issue two mailings ago. Damon Knight asked in the last mailing who she was ((Gosh .. why didn't we turn that around)). Sanford is a pro-fessional author from California, a very good friend of mine. Altho she hasn't sold any science fiction she is tremendously interested in it, and mayhap will someday. Her sales are to slick womens and Farm maga-zines; she worked a very short while on a San Diego radio station. This monkeyish "Point of View" thing is a rejected vigenette from American. I expect to bring her to the Pacificon next year. Also to Damon Knight's remarks on my reading of literature .. heheheh. What Damon doesn't know is that I have one of those books, "Condensed Literature to be Quoted by the Busy Man at the Proper Times". I find the impressions I make this way very telling. We liked Trudy Kuslan's biting article in Sardonyx. Still and at the same time it reads like a flareback, as if she had been hurt by some-thing. Or someone. For despite the entertaining writing, she tells us nothing we do not already know or suspect. Phil Schumann's "Private World?" made engrossing reading. While we are on the subject, we take off our worn-out fedora to Paul Spencer, and thank him for the list of further Cabell books. Consider our interest aroused. We are always reminded, along about this time of the year, of our dear loving cousin Si Gustily and his rocket ship experiment. These beer cans with the screw-on (and off) top make dandy ash trays you know. When empty you merely pound the top with a hammer. Not so, Si. He rather fancied that protruding "nozzle" atop the can resembled a rock-et tube. Which gave him an idea. Which he carried out. Which is why we now put forget-me-nots on his last resting spot. It seems he once fill-ed a beer can with carbon-tetra-chloride and lit a match to it to see if it would "take off". We sigh for Si. We realize this is hardly the proper place to comment on a fanzine like NFFF's Bonfire, but inasmuch as all NFFF officers are members of the FAPA, they doubtless will read the comment. In issue #2 of the mag, it is mentioend that the issue was turned out on a three hundred dollar Hectograph. Ah! said we, just like the good old days at Mass. Tech., Nepenthe and Fanfare! But the words were choken off in our beard. We wound up the magazine wishing it had ben turned out on a five dollar tray. We would have liked to read the President's message. A word here for Nova, the new Michigan fanzine published by EEEvans the Ashleys, with sundry help by Counts and Weidenbeck: while we were there in November, they told us it costs them $90 for the first issue.