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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 10, Spring 1946
Page 259
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 259 Thumbing the Munsey Files with William H. Evans Allstory for April, 1906 has "The Tide of Terror" by Claire Tucker. It depicts what happens when a tide of tremendous proportions---many times normal---strikes the coast of England from the Atlantic. This story is quite well done. Argosy's first fantasy was published fifty years ago in this period. Nathaniel T. Babcock's "Man in the Brown Beard" appeared in the magazine's February, 1896 issue; I don't remember much about this tale, but it did not impress me. In May, 1906 we have "After the Locomotive Flew Away" by George Carling; a device for "arresting" gravity in any object to which it is connected is used by an inventor here to prevent a rival railroad from indulging in nefarious competition. He lightens locomotives, causes entire bridges to float away, and accomplishes other humerous things until he is successful. In the same issue professor Jenkin reappears with an idea for quick travel via the Jack-and-the-Beanstalk route; what happens as a result is amusingly related in "Quick Transit by Beanstalk, Limited," by Howard R. Garis. Frank L. Pollack's "Finis," which was reprinted in Famous Fantastic Mysteries not long ago, was published in the June, 1906 Argosy. This unusual story presents the interesting theory that there exists at the center of the universe an immense sun whose light has not yet reached us. What happens just before Earth's last sunrise, when the rays of the central sun are about to blot out all life, is very well told. A new member of the Munsey family made its debut in March, 1906. Scrap Book lived up to its name, reprinting much fantasy from ancient sources. Most of these stories are well known, and hence require no comment. The first number had Poe's "Descent into the Maelstrom" and Irving's "Devil and Tom Walker." The next featured the fine "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" of Ambrose Bierce. May printed two more: "The Tapestried Chamber" by Walter Scott and "The Man in the Air" by Frederick L. Keates. 1906 found The Monthly Story Magazine---as Blue Book was known in those days---quite packed with fantasy. January contained Bertram Lebhar's story "The Red Devil" and Charles M. Williams' "War on Steel," which concerns a device that renders metal useless, as well as an early aircraft tale, "The Light of the Obelisk" by Harry B. Allyn. March of the same year produced "Five Men from Atlantis" by F. S. Knight-Adkin and Edgar Franklin's pleasant fantasy, "The Man with the Minute Glass." Travelling forward ten years, we find Allstory in full stride. "Lost---One Mylodon" by Elmer B. Mason appears in the April 1, 1916 issue, and in the next one the old master Edgar Rice Burroughs starts a three-part serial "Thuvia, Maid of Mars." The April 15th number has Frank Condon's atmospheric tale "Footprints" and the next one "Blood of Sacrifice" by Lillian B. Hunt. Two weeks after this appeared "The Savage and the Savant" by Nalbro Bartley. On June 3 the occult detective Semi Dual begins a three-installment investigation of a mysterious disappearance of securities from a bank vault in "Box 991," which was written, of course, by J. U. Giesy and Junius B. Smith. In the same issue is "The Master Ray" of Leslie Ramon. Wilton, a scientist, invents a device enabling him to control people from a distance. He uses this in an attempt to revenge himself upon a woman who once jilted him, but is foiled. This story is not of particularly high quality. Achmed Abdullah offers in the June 10th issue a little dream fantasy about a college teacher who imagines that he is Attila, and who goes insane; eventually, however, he returns to normalcy after some highly embarrassing adventures. The title is "Professor Barker Harrison---Tartar." Still a monthly periodical, Argosy has but one fantasy in this period of 1916: Edison Marshall's "Who is Charles Avison?" which has been reprinted from the April issue in a past Famous Fantastic Mysteries. Marshall offers the concept of two earths, on opposite sides of the sun, with identical inhabitants.
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 259 Thumbing the Munsey Files with William H. Evans Allstory for April, 1906 has "The Tide of Terror" by Claire Tucker. It depicts what happens when a tide of tremendous proportions---many times normal---strikes the coast of England from the Atlantic. This story is quite well done. Argosy's first fantasy was published fifty years ago in this period. Nathaniel T. Babcock's "Man in the Brown Beard" appeared in the magazine's February, 1896 issue; I don't remember much about this tale, but it did not impress me. In May, 1906 we have "After the Locomotive Flew Away" by George Carling; a device for "arresting" gravity in any object to which it is connected is used by an inventor here to prevent a rival railroad from indulging in nefarious competition. He lightens locomotives, causes entire bridges to float away, and accomplishes other humerous things until he is successful. In the same issue professor Jenkin reappears with an idea for quick travel via the Jack-and-the-Beanstalk route; what happens as a result is amusingly related in "Quick Transit by Beanstalk, Limited," by Howard R. Garis. Frank L. Pollack's "Finis," which was reprinted in Famous Fantastic Mysteries not long ago, was published in the June, 1906 Argosy. This unusual story presents the interesting theory that there exists at the center of the universe an immense sun whose light has not yet reached us. What happens just before Earth's last sunrise, when the rays of the central sun are about to blot out all life, is very well told. A new member of the Munsey family made its debut in March, 1906. Scrap Book lived up to its name, reprinting much fantasy from ancient sources. Most of these stories are well known, and hence require no comment. The first number had Poe's "Descent into the Maelstrom" and Irving's "Devil and Tom Walker." The next featured the fine "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" of Ambrose Bierce. May printed two more: "The Tapestried Chamber" by Walter Scott and "The Man in the Air" by Frederick L. Keates. 1906 found The Monthly Story Magazine---as Blue Book was known in those days---quite packed with fantasy. January contained Bertram Lebhar's story "The Red Devil" and Charles M. Williams' "War on Steel," which concerns a device that renders metal useless, as well as an early aircraft tale, "The Light of the Obelisk" by Harry B. Allyn. March of the same year produced "Five Men from Atlantis" by F. S. Knight-Adkin and Edgar Franklin's pleasant fantasy, "The Man with the Minute Glass." Travelling forward ten years, we find Allstory in full stride. "Lost---One Mylodon" by Elmer B. Mason appears in the April 1, 1916 issue, and in the next one the old master Edgar Rice Burroughs starts a three-part serial "Thuvia, Maid of Mars." The April 15th number has Frank Condon's atmospheric tale "Footprints" and the next one "Blood of Sacrifice" by Lillian B. Hunt. Two weeks after this appeared "The Savage and the Savant" by Nalbro Bartley. On June 3 the occult detective Semi Dual begins a three-installment investigation of a mysterious disappearance of securities from a bank vault in "Box 991," which was written, of course, by J. U. Giesy and Junius B. Smith. In the same issue is "The Master Ray" of Leslie Ramon. Wilton, a scientist, invents a device enabling him to control people from a distance. He uses this in an attempt to revenge himself upon a woman who once jilted him, but is foiled. This story is not of particularly high quality. Achmed Abdullah offers in the June 10th issue a little dream fantasy about a college teacher who imagines that he is Attila, and who goes insane; eventually, however, he returns to normalcy after some highly embarrassing adventures. The title is "Professor Barker Harrison---Tartar." Still a monthly periodical, Argosy has but one fantasy in this period of 1916: Edison Marshall's "Who is Charles Avison?" which has been reprinted from the April issue in a past Famous Fantastic Mysteries. Marshall offers the concept of two earths, on opposite sides of the sun, with identical inhabitants.
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