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Scientifictionist, v. 1, issue 4, April 1946
Page 2
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COMMENTARY ON AN EXCELLENT BOOK by Bob Tucker The Best in Science Fiction edited adn with introduction by Groff Donklin; preface by John W Campbell, Jr published by Crown Publishers, New York, 1946. 806 pp., $3.00 Because there have been but two other scientifiction anthologies published, Donald Wollheim's Pocketbook and his Portable Novels of Science, it is comparatively easy (and unfair) to say this particular anthology is the greatest ever published. The fact that this is but the third of an extended line of similar work to come does not detract an iota from the statement ot it's quality. There will be other purely scientifiction anthologies, and they will have to be mightly good to usurp the title of this volume. The book contains forty stories. It is a happy commentary upon present-day scientifiction magazines that all but three of them were first published in pulp magazines. Of those three "outsiders" one first appeared in Once A Week magazine which later became Colliers and the other two, one by Poe, and one by Doyle, are presumably in public domain. Astounding Science Fiction (including the Clayton, Astounding Stories) is represented gloriously: 25 stories out of the 40. Campbell may well feel proud of his magazine and this volume. Eighteen scientifiction (?) periodicals were examined for material when the compiling of this anthology began. Only seven made the grade. Other than those mentioned n the proceeding paragraph, representation is as follows: Thrilling Wonder Stories adn the old Amazing Stories are present with four yarns each; Wondep Stories is represented twice; Argosy adn the Ziff-Davis Amazing Stories contribute one story each. The remaining magazines which failed to measure up are: Air Wonder Stories, Astonishing Stories, Cosmic Stories, Famous Fantastic Mysteries, Marvel Tales, Miracle Science and Fantasy Stories, Mystic Magazine, Planet Stories, Science, Stories, and Unknown Worlds. Never mentioned and presumably never considered or examined were: Marvel Science Stories, Dynamic Science Stories, Future Fiction, Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Quarterly. Be it noted that not all mentioned were scientifiction publications. Astounding authors predominate, naturally, and three of them are represented twice each: Anson MacDonald, Don A. Stuart, and Robert Heinlein. (Actually making four for Heinlein) Donald Wandrei is the remaining author with two to his credit. In his excellent preface, Campbell points out how badly the general public is misleading itself concerning scientifiction. Pron to accept "Buck Rogers" as scientifiction, he reminds the public that Buck is to scientifiction what "Dick Tracy" is to detective fiction--and no serious-minded murder-mystery addict would consider Dick Tracy as representing the field. In passing, and as a between-the-lines "let this be a lesson to you," Campbell mentions that the first Buck Rogers yarn which appeared in the ancient Amazing Stories concerned a rocket weapon manned by infantrymen. [See AMONG THE CLASSICS in Scientifictionist #1--ed] The U.S. army happily put that weapon to brilliant use a few years ago and called it the bazooka. Again, in telling of MacDonalds 1941 atomic yarn, SOLUTIONS UNSATISFACTORY, he reports that the story was read and widely discussed by men the Manhattan Project. And in a forwarding to Cleve Cartmill's DEADLINE which was published in the March, 1944 issue of Astounding, the editor tells more fully the story of how the army descended upon the magazine and demanded to know how they knew the inner details of the Manhattan Project. DEADLINE, you see, was so ac- page 2
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COMMENTARY ON AN EXCELLENT BOOK by Bob Tucker The Best in Science Fiction edited adn with introduction by Groff Donklin; preface by John W Campbell, Jr published by Crown Publishers, New York, 1946. 806 pp., $3.00 Because there have been but two other scientifiction anthologies published, Donald Wollheim's Pocketbook and his Portable Novels of Science, it is comparatively easy (and unfair) to say this particular anthology is the greatest ever published. The fact that this is but the third of an extended line of similar work to come does not detract an iota from the statement ot it's quality. There will be other purely scientifiction anthologies, and they will have to be mightly good to usurp the title of this volume. The book contains forty stories. It is a happy commentary upon present-day scientifiction magazines that all but three of them were first published in pulp magazines. Of those three "outsiders" one first appeared in Once A Week magazine which later became Colliers and the other two, one by Poe, and one by Doyle, are presumably in public domain. Astounding Science Fiction (including the Clayton, Astounding Stories) is represented gloriously: 25 stories out of the 40. Campbell may well feel proud of his magazine and this volume. Eighteen scientifiction (?) periodicals were examined for material when the compiling of this anthology began. Only seven made the grade. Other than those mentioned n the proceeding paragraph, representation is as follows: Thrilling Wonder Stories adn the old Amazing Stories are present with four yarns each; Wondep Stories is represented twice; Argosy adn the Ziff-Davis Amazing Stories contribute one story each. The remaining magazines which failed to measure up are: Air Wonder Stories, Astonishing Stories, Cosmic Stories, Famous Fantastic Mysteries, Marvel Tales, Miracle Science and Fantasy Stories, Mystic Magazine, Planet Stories, Science, Stories, and Unknown Worlds. Never mentioned and presumably never considered or examined were: Marvel Science Stories, Dynamic Science Stories, Future Fiction, Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Quarterly. Be it noted that not all mentioned were scientifiction publications. Astounding authors predominate, naturally, and three of them are represented twice each: Anson MacDonald, Don A. Stuart, and Robert Heinlein. (Actually making four for Heinlein) Donald Wandrei is the remaining author with two to his credit. In his excellent preface, Campbell points out how badly the general public is misleading itself concerning scientifiction. Pron to accept "Buck Rogers" as scientifiction, he reminds the public that Buck is to scientifiction what "Dick Tracy" is to detective fiction--and no serious-minded murder-mystery addict would consider Dick Tracy as representing the field. In passing, and as a between-the-lines "let this be a lesson to you," Campbell mentions that the first Buck Rogers yarn which appeared in the ancient Amazing Stories concerned a rocket weapon manned by infantrymen. [See AMONG THE CLASSICS in Scientifictionist #1--ed] The U.S. army happily put that weapon to brilliant use a few years ago and called it the bazooka. Again, in telling of MacDonalds 1941 atomic yarn, SOLUTIONS UNSATISFACTORY, he reports that the story was read and widely discussed by men the Manhattan Project. And in a forwarding to Cleve Cartmill's DEADLINE which was published in the March, 1944 issue of Astounding, the editor tells more fully the story of how the army descended upon the magazine and demanded to know how they knew the inner details of the Manhattan Project. DEADLINE, you see, was so ac- page 2
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