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Scientifictionist, v. 2, issue 2, whole no. 8, March-April 1947
Page 8
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GOOD THING --Down to STFist #7: cover: pretty crappy: - ever hear of the idea of drawing straight parallel lines in pencil before lettering in ink? -- Stein, I presume. Well conceived (altho stereotyped) - but not on YELLOW PAPER! "Utopias Made to Order" -- good. I might even say: a GOOD THING. A bit of elaboration on the theme is needed, though. More and better articles of this kind and calibre, please. I like the idea of 1 or 2 book reviews per issue - as long as it is of an unique book (as 4e's Stapledon review) and when of sufficient importance. Searles' Burroughs-review was definitely out of place, as far as I am concerned - when it merited only one line:- '"Escape on Venus": the usual Burroughs, even more so than usual.' AMONG THE CLASSICS - Wertenbaker? Maybe so, I haven't gotten to him yet. When I settle down with my old Amazings and Astoundings, I'll keep him in mind. May even read a Hawk Carse or something, too. Brecker's "Astonishing Stories etc" -- good. Stein's page -- nuts! Letters -- 3 cheers for Hadley. AN IDEA!: since you have Cockroft (&, in a pinch, Stein) why not do something really good? like: a) conduct a poll, finding 2 or 3 or 4 (or the number you can handle) favorite pro-mag covers and b) reproduce them in full color as your covers! With or without the original scare-head on top. That, done rightly, would be a GOOD THING (according to me). For some peculiar reason yours is the only mag (almost) that I take trouble to comment on. Not that my comments are anything to be taken seriously, even if they are legible and coherent (which they usually are not). Keep giving me what I like, Hank, and I'll probably keep on egoing your boo - in my own left-handed way. Earl Leeth, Lt. Cmdr, USNR, NATS, VR-8, Box 53, Honolulu, Oahu, T.H. Dissertation on Utopia I received SFIST 2/1, and here are the inevitable comments. Inevitable, because anything that I've ever argued about, when I see a dissertation somewhere, it will draw my comment. The first comment is on Joe Kennedy's excellent article, UTOPIAS MADE TO ORDER. This man Kennedy is certainly a versatile chap. He seems to be able to slant his style to anywhere -- witness the publication of his letters in the proz, and compare the style to this article. Well, that is off the subject. In regard to the whole new subject of Utopias, I would like to call to your attention that portion of Groff Conklin's introduction to THE BEST OF SCIENCE FICTION which deals with utopian novels. He says something like this -- "All utopian novels have an idea to sell, and in that resides their dullness." I agree with that 100% -- not because it was said by a person of authority, or anything like that, but because it is my opinion too. (Perhaps I shouldn't use that word. It might bring to mind some other opinions of mine..) anyway, I am inclined to think this way about all Perfect States, Utopias, anything of the kind.: There are, in this world, two million different ideas of the Perfection. Naturally, because no two individuals are alike. And there are also, as Joke points out, two (or more) schools of thought about the ultimate destiny of the human race. There are, of course, those who believe humanity is nature's experiment, which is due to flunk in about a year, or more. Nature tried the dinosaurs, this school reasons, she tried humans too. Dinosaurs flunked. So will humans. Now, I happen to agree with this particular school, although it has no bearing on the subject what I believe. (Please don't comment about my sentence construction.) Personally, I like Captain Future. I, however, like to think of myself as anything but a damfool idealist. The exact reason for my contempt of idealists I don't know. Now, it will be said, the subscribers to the theory of the soon-flunking of man will have no need for Utopias. They will reason that since the human race is due page 8
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GOOD THING --Down to STFist #7: cover: pretty crappy: - ever hear of the idea of drawing straight parallel lines in pencil before lettering in ink? -- Stein, I presume. Well conceived (altho stereotyped) - but not on YELLOW PAPER! "Utopias Made to Order" -- good. I might even say: a GOOD THING. A bit of elaboration on the theme is needed, though. More and better articles of this kind and calibre, please. I like the idea of 1 or 2 book reviews per issue - as long as it is of an unique book (as 4e's Stapledon review) and when of sufficient importance. Searles' Burroughs-review was definitely out of place, as far as I am concerned - when it merited only one line:- '"Escape on Venus": the usual Burroughs, even more so than usual.' AMONG THE CLASSICS - Wertenbaker? Maybe so, I haven't gotten to him yet. When I settle down with my old Amazings and Astoundings, I'll keep him in mind. May even read a Hawk Carse or something, too. Brecker's "Astonishing Stories etc" -- good. Stein's page -- nuts! Letters -- 3 cheers for Hadley. AN IDEA!: since you have Cockroft (&, in a pinch, Stein) why not do something really good? like: a) conduct a poll, finding 2 or 3 or 4 (or the number you can handle) favorite pro-mag covers and b) reproduce them in full color as your covers! With or without the original scare-head on top. That, done rightly, would be a GOOD THING (according to me). For some peculiar reason yours is the only mag (almost) that I take trouble to comment on. Not that my comments are anything to be taken seriously, even if they are legible and coherent (which they usually are not). Keep giving me what I like, Hank, and I'll probably keep on egoing your boo - in my own left-handed way. Earl Leeth, Lt. Cmdr, USNR, NATS, VR-8, Box 53, Honolulu, Oahu, T.H. Dissertation on Utopia I received SFIST 2/1, and here are the inevitable comments. Inevitable, because anything that I've ever argued about, when I see a dissertation somewhere, it will draw my comment. The first comment is on Joe Kennedy's excellent article, UTOPIAS MADE TO ORDER. This man Kennedy is certainly a versatile chap. He seems to be able to slant his style to anywhere -- witness the publication of his letters in the proz, and compare the style to this article. Well, that is off the subject. In regard to the whole new subject of Utopias, I would like to call to your attention that portion of Groff Conklin's introduction to THE BEST OF SCIENCE FICTION which deals with utopian novels. He says something like this -- "All utopian novels have an idea to sell, and in that resides their dullness." I agree with that 100% -- not because it was said by a person of authority, or anything like that, but because it is my opinion too. (Perhaps I shouldn't use that word. It might bring to mind some other opinions of mine..) anyway, I am inclined to think this way about all Perfect States, Utopias, anything of the kind.: There are, in this world, two million different ideas of the Perfection. Naturally, because no two individuals are alike. And there are also, as Joke points out, two (or more) schools of thought about the ultimate destiny of the human race. There are, of course, those who believe humanity is nature's experiment, which is due to flunk in about a year, or more. Nature tried the dinosaurs, this school reasons, she tried humans too. Dinosaurs flunked. So will humans. Now, I happen to agree with this particular school, although it has no bearing on the subject what I believe. (Please don't comment about my sentence construction.) Personally, I like Captain Future. I, however, like to think of myself as anything but a damfool idealist. The exact reason for my contempt of idealists I don't know. Now, it will be said, the subscribers to the theory of the soon-flunking of man will have no need for Utopias. They will reason that since the human race is due page 8
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