Key and/or rare and/or early stories from Kit Reed, Kate Wilhelm, Margaret St. Clair, Fritz Leiber, Harlan Ellison, Avram Davidson, Robert Arthur, Richard Wilson, Mack Reynolds, C. B. Gilford, Gordon Dickson, Victoria Lincoln, Poul Anderson, Mark Van Doren, Jack Williamson, Katherine MacLean, Harry Harrison, Brian Aldiss, Chad Oliver, James Gunn, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Rog Phillips, Nelson Bond, E. C. Tubb, David R. Bunch and others...Cover illustrations by Kelly Freas, Virgil Finlay, Brian Lewis, Dan Adkins, not really Mondrian and a sloppy typesetter, and a bonus by Hannes Bok...
As occasionally with these extensive "multimedia" posts I attempt, not only is the current pre-analysis text+ lengthy (and I need to get the analysis done!), but it's taxing Blogspot's per-post interface...at least with the aging Mac Air I'm currently working with.
So, this will be The Apparatus post, with the reviews post to come!
Part 2: reviews of stories from the F&SF and Fantastic Universe issues.
slightly (or more) revised/updated contents lists from ISFDB.com and The FictionMags Index offered below:
- The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1958
(View All Issues) (View Issue Grid) - Editor: Anthony Boucher
- Date: 1958-04-00
- Publisher: Mercury Press, Inc.
- Price: $0.35
- Pages: 132
- Format: digest
- Type: MAGAZINE
- Cover: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1958 by Frank Kelly Freas [as by Kelly Freas]
- 5 • Guardian Spirit • novelette by Chad Oliver
- 39 • The Watchers • poem by Anthony Brode
- 40 • Obstinate Uncle Otis • [Murchison Morks] • (1941) • short story by Robert Arthur (Argosy, July 19, 1941)
- 48 • The Grantha Sighting • short story by Avram Davidson
- 56 • The Wait • short story by Kit Reed
- 70 • No Evidence • short story by Victoria Lincoln • (1953) • (The Wild Honey, Rinehart, 1953)
- 78 • The Death of Each Day • short story by Margaret St. Clair [as by Idris Seabright]
- 88 • The Witch of Ramoth • (195o) • short story by Mark Van Doren (The Witch of Ramoth and Other Tales, Maple Press Co., 1950; illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg)
- 93 • Recommended Reading (F&SF, April 1958) • [Recommended Reading] • essay by Anthony Boucher
- 93 • Review: Spaceways Satellite by Charles Eric Maine • review by Anthony Boucher
- 93 • Review: Rocket Power and Space Flight by G. Harry Stine • review by Anthony Boucher
- 94 • Review: Wasp by Eric Frank Russell • review by Anthony Boucher
- 94 • Review: Year 2018! by James Blish • review by Anthony Boucher
- 94 • Review: They'd Rather be Right by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley • review by Anthony Boucher
- 94 • Review: The Mind Cage by A. E. van Vogt • review by Anthony Boucher
- 95 • Review: The Dreamers by Roger Manvell • review by Anthony Boucher
- 95 • Review: Earthman's Burden by Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson • review by Anthony Boucher
- 95 • Review: Robots and Changelings by Lester del Rey • review by Anthony Boucher
- 95 • Review: Those Idiots from Earth by Richard Wilson • review by Anthony Boucher
- 95 • Review: Three Times Infinity ed. by Leo Margulies • review by Anthony Boucher
- 96 • Broken Circuit • short story by Arthur Oesterreicher
- 100 • A Deskful of Girls • [Change War] • novelette by Fritz Leiber
- 125 • Poor Little Warrior! • short story by Brian W. Aldiss
Can be read here.
- Fantastic, April 1959
(View All Issues) (View Issue Grid) - Editor: Cele Goldsmith [eventually, Lalli, as well]
- Date: 1959-04-00
- Publisher: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company
- Price: $0.35
- Pages: 132
- Format: digest
- Type: MAGAZINE
- Cover: Fantastic, April 1959 by Ed Valigursky [as by Edward Valigursky]
- 5 • Editorial (Fantastic, April 1959) • [Editorial (Fantastic)] • essay by Norman M. Lobsenz
- 7 • The Abnormals • short story by Harlan Ellison (variant of The Discarded)
- 20 • After the Funeral • short story by Gordon R. Dickson [as by Gordon Dickson]
- 24 • Second Man to the Moon • novelette by Jack Williamson
- 25 • Second Man to the Moon • interior artwork by Leo Summers [as by Summers]
- 45 • Hear a Pin Drop • short story by Edward Wellen
- 52 • Keepers in Space • short story by Rog Phillips
- 53 • Keepers in Space • interior artwork by Virgil Finlay
- 67 • Coming Next Month (Fantastic, April 1959) • essay by uncredited
- 68 • A Dozen of Everything • short story by Marion Zimmer Bradley
- 72 • The Ecstacy of It • novelette by Kate Wilhelm
- 98 • The Arm of Enmord • short story by Jack Sharkey
- 115 • A Touch of Sun • short story by Arthur Porges and Irwin Porges
- 125 • According to You ... (Fantastic, April 1959) • letter column
Can be read here.
- Fantastic Universe, April 1958
(View All Issues) (View Issue Grid) - Editor: Hans Stefan Santesson
- Date: 1958-04-00
- Publisher: King-Size Publications, Inc.
- Price: $0.35
- Pages: 132
- Format: digest
- Type: MAGAZINE
- Cover: Fantastic Universe, April 1958 (1958) • by Virgil Finlay
- Notes: Vol 9, No 4. "Three Times Infinity" is not credited to Margulies in Santesson's review. Philip K. Dick is listed as Philip Dick".
- fep • The Army and Space Flight • essay by uncredited
- 4 • Deadly Silence • novella by James E. Gunn
- 56 • Behind the Sputniks • essay by Lester del Rey
- 66 • Birthright • short story by Margaret St. Clair
- 70 • Judgment Day • short story by Lloyd Biggle, Jr. (variant of Judgement Day) [as by Lloyd Biggle]
- 79 • Next Month (Fantastic Universe, April 1958) • [Next Month] • essay by uncredited
- 80 • A Spudget for Thwilbert • short story by Theodore R. Cogswell [as by Theodore Cogswell]
- 89 • Grand Prize • short story by Richard Wilson
- 93 • Origin of the Deros? • essay by uncredited
- 94 • Universe in Books (Fantastic Universe, April 1958) • [Universe in Books (Fantastic Universe)] • essay by Hans Stefan Santesson
- 94 • Review: Robots and Changelings by Lester del Rey • review by Hans Stefan Santesson
- 95 • Review: Three Times Infinity ed. by Leo Margulies • review by Hans Stefan Santesson
- 95 • Review: The Variable Man and Other Stories by Philip K. Dick • review by Hans Stefan Santesson
- 96 • Shapes in the Sky (Fantastic Universe, April 1958) • essay by Ted Bloecher and Isabel L. Davis and Alexander D. Mebane [as by Civilian Saucer Intelligence]
- 106 • Case History • short story by Nelson S. Bond [as by Nelson Bond]
- 110 • Full Quota • short story by William F. Nolan
- 119 • Microcosm • short story by Stanton A. Coblentz
Can be read here.
- Tales of the Frightened, August 1957
(View All Issues) (View Issue Grid) - Editor: Lyle Kenyon Engel
- Date: 1957-08-00
- Publisher: Republic Features Syndicate, Inc.
- Price: $0.35
- Pages: 132
- Format: digest
- Type: MAGAZINE
- Notes: Vol 1, No 2. The cover contains no artwork, just a listing of the stories in rectangular colored boxes. 'The Queen's Bedroom' is listed as 'The Queen's Bedchamber' on the table of contents. The cover manages to ascribe Poul Anderson's story to Mack Reynolds's pseudonym, and the "Mallory" story to a "Paul" Anderson.
- 2 • The Queen's Bedroom • novelette by Ledru Baker, Jr.
- 3 • The Queen's Bedroom • interior artwork by Rudy Nappi
- 23 • The Man Who Thought He Was Poe • short story by Michael Avallone
- 24 • The Man Who Thought He Was Poe • interior artwork by Rudy Nappi
- 35 • The Man Who Stole His Body • short story by Mack Reynolds [as by Mark Mallory]
- 42 • Mr. Tiglath • short story by Poul Anderson
- 43 • Mr. Tiglath • interior artwork by Rudy Nappi
- 57 • The Black Spot • short story by William B. Hartley
- 59 • The Black Spot • interior artwork by Rudy Nappi
- 67 • White Legs • short story by Mark Dane
- 76 • The Lucky Coffin • short story by C. B. Gilford
- 87 • Wise Beyond His Years • short story by Claude Ferrari
- 90 • Span Trap • short story by Sidney Porcelain
- 97 • Duty • short story by Tristan Roberts
- 100 • Dead End • short story by Mack Reynolds
- 101 • The Window • (1957) • short story by A. Bertram Chandler (Nebula Science Fiction #22, 1957)
- 114 • Miss Bard's Lover • short story by Elizabeth Luna
- 127 • The Frightened • short story by Michael Avallone [as by Boris Karloff]
Can be read here.
Can be read here.
General observations:
Somewhat randomly gathered issues, with a focus on April 1958 issue dates, built up around having my attention drawn to the F&SF issue again in a Facebook discussion (mostly focused on the Aldiss and to a slight extent the Leiber cover story), and a desire to look at four US and the sole UK fantasy-oriented newsstand magazines of the latest '50s...though Tales of the Frightened only had two issues, thus was barely a presence on the newsstands (along with its sf and espionage-fiction stablemates, similar two-issue mayflies). F&SF and Fantastic Universe and Science Fantasy by default eschewed interior illustration, and Tales in its two issues mostly did (extending to the cover on this second and last issue); Fantastic usually had about half the fiction or so illustrated, and I wonder if the tumult around former editor Paul Fairman leaving, and former assistant Cele Goldsmith (not yet married and Cele Lalli and then Cele Goldsmith Lalli in her subsequent Ziff-Davis editorial career) taking the editorial reins led to the sparseness of the illustration in this issue and those produced shortly before and after. And while Lyle Kenyon Engle's editing (if he was, and not simply leaving the task to Michael Avallone, who presumably wrote at least some of the stories not yet credited to him but to utterly obscure writers/bylines) was as casual as Paul Fairman's, his magazines did manage to snag some work from talented writers who weren't quite--or usually--in the yardgoods business (as in, I want your stories/copy Tuesday more than I want them good) that Fairman had encouraged his core stable of reliable (in fact, pretty brilliant: Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, Milton Lesser just about to legally change his name to Stephen Marlowe, Randall Garrett and Henry Slesar) young writers to engage in. As they did, apparently, for Fairman's three 1957 issues of the Fantastic spin-off Dream World: Stories of Incredible Powers, which Jerry House (in the comments) has previously warned us are rather dire to trudge through, so I've saved myself the wear and tear (though the first has a minor, then-new P. G. Wodehouse story)...and chose issues with rare/unreprinted (and often early) stories by the likes of Kate Wilhelm (a sort of Goldsmith "discovery" in her role as assistant editor at Fantastic) and Margaret St. Clair and C. B. Gilford. The MacLean/Harrison novella in the Science Fantasy issue was in fact essentially a reprint, from the November 1953 (and final) issue of the US magazine Fantasy Fiction, an issue edited by Lester Del Rey (apparently) as "Cameron Hall" (some sources credit Harrison as editor "Hall"; Del Rey had quit before it was published, but perhaps it was already "put to bed"; the previous issues of the short run were edited by Del Rey in the clear), and has been reprinted by the small press Armchair Fiction, presumably from the earlier edit, under the original title and in a double volume with Damon Knight's novella "Rule Golden".
And it dawned on me that there were at least two "semi-pro" magazines in 1958 in English devoted in whole or in part to fantasy fiction, Joseph Payne Brennan's Macabre and Ron Smith, et al.'s, Inside Science Fiction; Inside is coming close to being completely online; Macabre, alas, hasn't even had a best-of anthology nor other reprint package created, even though it published some interesting work in its nearly two-decade run. (Such other major labors of love 'zines as Amra weren't publishing much or anything in 1958, though soon would make up for that.)
The FictionMags Index listing for this issue of Fantasy Fiction.
This issue can be read here.
- · “The Magazine of Science Fiction Fantasy And” with spoof contents page/colophon/house ads; parody headnotes and ad copy throughout F&SF lampoon by Dave Foley and Ron Smith
- _5 · Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo · Dave Foley as Henna Zenderson (Zenna Henderson) · ss
- _8 · Through Time and Space with Ferdinand Fakeout · Dave Foley as Grundoon Briarpatch (Grendel Briarton aka Reginald Bretnor) · ss
- _9 · Bleak Fate Intervenes · Bob Leman as Thomas Hardy · ss
- _10 · The Night After We Land on Mars · Ron Smith as R. S. Dickson (R. S. Richardson) · hu
- _11 · The Story More Dull Than the Dullest Story Ever Written · Ron Smith as Pocahontas Smith (perhaps meant to riff on "Cordwainer Smith"/Paul Linebarger) · vi
- _12 · Recondemned Reading · Dave Foley as Anthony Twin (Anthony Boucher) · hu
- _13 · The Man from Out There · Dave Foley as Nonah McClunkrak (Winona McClintic) · pm
- _14 · Platitudes · Dave Foley as Walter Jose Alverez (Philip Jose Farmer) · ss
- _18 · House ad for other Quicksilver Publications and "Gone Last Issue" · Dave Foley and Ron Smith · hu
- _19 · Song of the Spaceways · Dave Foley as Fredric Beige (Fredric Brown) · ss
- _20 · Censured (parody of F&SF sibling magazine Venture Science Fiction) house ad: “The Same Old Story…” · Dave Foley and Ron Smith · hu (illustrated by Dan Adkins)
- 21 · Book Reviews · [Various] · br
- 21 · Review: The Third Level by Jack Finney · review by James E. Gunn · br
- Novels:
- 22 · Review: The Cosmic Puppets by Philip K. Dick and Sargasso of Space by "Andrew North" (Ms. Andre Norton) · review by Bob Leman · br
- 22 · Review: A Case of Conscience by James Blish · review by Larry Harris (aka Laurence Janifer) · br
- 23 · Review: Man of Earth by Algis Budrys · review by Larry Harris · br
- 23 · Review: Cycle of Fire by Hal Clement · review by Larry Harris · br
- 23 · Review: VOR by James Blish · review by Larry Harris · br
- 23 · Review: Who? by Algis Budrys · review by Larry Harris · br
- 24 · Review: Slave Ship by Frederik Pohl · review by Dave Foley · br
- 25 · Review: Occam's Razor by David Duncan · review by Robert E. Briney · br
- 25 · Review: Doomsday Morning by C. L. Moore · review by Dick Ellington · br
- 25 · Review: World Without Men by Charles Eric Maine · review by Martin Jukovsky · br
- 25 · Review · Big Planet and Slaves of the Klau by Jack Vance · review by Dan Adkins · br
- 26 · Review · High Vacuum by Charles Eric Maine · review by Bill Donaho · br
- 26 · Review · Twice Upon a Time by Charles L. Fountenay and The Mechanical Monarch by E. C. Tubb · review by Bill Donaho · br
- 26 · Review · An Elephant for Aristotle by L. Sprague de Camp · review by Lin Carter · br
- Short Stories:
- 26 · Review · The Graveyard Reader edited by Groff Conklin · review by Ron Smith · br
- 27 · Review · The Third Galaxy Reader edited by H. L. Gold · review by Ron Smith · br
- 27 · "Joe sent me." · Gene McIntyre · cartoon
- 28 · Review · On an Odd Note by Gerald Kersh · review by Ron Smith · br
- 28 · Review · The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction (Seventh Series) edited by Anthony Boucher · review by Larry Harris · br
- 28 · Review · The Variable Man and Other Stories by Philip K. Dick · review by Larry Harris · br
- 29 · Review · The Earth is Room Enough by Isaac Asimov · review by Larry Harris · br
- 29 · Review · Robots and Changelings by Lester Del Rey · review by Larry Harris · br
- 29 · Review · Starburst by Alfred Bester · review by Larry Harris · br
- 30 · Review · Those Idiots from Earth by Richard Wilson · review by Larry Harris · br
- 30 · Review · Time in Advance by William Tenn · review by Larry Harris · br
- 30 · Review · Pilgrimage to Earth by Robert Sheckley · review by Dave Foley · br
- 30 · Review · Fantastic Memories by Maurice Sandoz · review by Lin Carter · br
- 30 · "To the greatest goddam mother on Earth." · Bob Miller · cartoon
- Nonfiction:
- 31 · Review · Theories of the Universe: From Babylonian Myth to Modern Science edited by Milton K. Munitz · review by Robert Silverberg · br
- 31 · Review · Discovery of the Universe by G. de Vancouleurs · review by Larry Harris · br
- 31 · Review · The Sun by Giorgio Abetti (translated from Italian by J. G. Sidgwick) · review by Larry Harris · br
- 31 · Review · Guided Weapons by Eric Burgess · review by Larry Harris · br
- 32 · Review · Satellite! by Erik Bergaust and William Beller · review by Larry Harris · br
- 32 · Review · The World in Space by Alexander Marshak · review by Larry Harris · br
- 32 · Review · Once Around the Sun by Ronald Fraser · review by Larry Harrisx · br
- 32 · Review · The Inexplicable Sky by Arthur Constance · review by Lin Carter · br
- Reprints:
- 32 · Review · Children of the Atom by Wilmar H. Shiras · review by Dave Foley · br
- 33 · Review · Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke · review by Dave Foley · br
- 33 · Review · Satellite E-One by Jeffery Lloyd Castle · review by Larry Harris · br
- 34 · Review · 2nd Foundation: Galactic Empire (vt. of Second Foundation) by Isaac Asimov · review by Larry Harris · br
- 34 · Review · The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov · review by Larry Harris · br
- 34 · Review · The Martian Way by Isaac Asimov · review by Larry Harris · br
- 34 · Review · City by Clifford D. Simak · review by Larry Harris · br
- 34 · Review · The Short Reign of Pippin IV by John Steinbeck · review by Bill Donaho · br
- 34 · Review · Worlds Apart by J. T. McIntosh · review by Bill Donaho · br
- 34 · Review · Invaders from Earth by Robert Silverberg and Across Time by "David Grinnel" (Donald A. Wollheim) · review by Bill Donaho · br
- 34 · Review · City on the Moon by Murray Leinster and Men on the Moon edited by Donald A. Wollheim · review by Bill Donaho · br
- 34 · Review · The Skylark of Space by E. E. Smith · review by Bill Donaho · br
- 35 · Blurb Happy · Bob Tucker · hu (illustrated by Jerry Prueitt)
- 40 · Sound the Anti-Tocsin · Walt Willis · hu (illustrated by Art Castillo)
- 42 · Letters Found in an Author’s Drawers · Robert Bloch · hu
- 46 · The Slitherer from the Slime · (as by H. P. Lowcraft) Lin Carter & Dave Foley · hu; satire
- 51 · Miller by Moonlight · Bob Miller · cartoons
- 56 · How They Did the Doggie at the Curbside · David R. Bunch · ss (illustrated by Cindy)
- 62 · Khartoum · Anthony Boucher · vi ("a prose limerick") Stefantasy August 1955
Inside [#53, September 1958] ed. Ron Smith (25¢/30¢, 64pp, digest s/s, cover by Dan Adkins; cover as by “Mel Humdrum” after Mel Hunter). Back cover by Neil Austin. Details supplied by Ned Brooks, as revised by TM here.
Can be read here.
Can't be read online (and barely can be found otherwise)... |
An embarrassment of riches! I remember owning a couple of the magazines you feature: F&SF and FANTASTIC. Great reading at the time!
ReplyDeleteWow that is a lot of stories. And some fantastic covers. I am overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteAt very least very good reading, still, George, some of the magazines more than others, and that was a particularly impressive F&SF issue, and for various reasons useful examples of the others that might've shared rack space (or, with the FANTASY FICTION issue, did share content) with the others. (The FANTASTIC is time-displaced by a year in part because it was in the Ziff-Davis run where the magazine was stressing fantasy mostly for a brief period, and in the first months of Cele Goldsmith Lalli's largely successful efforts to make it a better magazine again.)
ReplyDeleteTracy, indeed, all the magazines were open to lots of short fiction (and the survivors, including the not too dissimilar F&SF of today, remain so)...the INSIDE index was the most work I've put in so far, with its plethora of book reviews and previously uncited or uncredited parody bits in the F&SF/Mercury Press lampoon pages. Even the FANTASTIC UNIVERSE cover, by the often brilliant Virgil Finlay, is interesting because rocketry and hardware generally was not Finlay's strong suit...