A while back, I did a quick survey of the two U. S. newsstand fantasy fiction magazines, F&SF and Fantastic, that had produced 20th Anniversary issues in 1969 and 1972, respectively. Both magazines made a bit of a fuss, as well they might, for as I realized as I thought about it that only one other primarily fantasy newsstand magazine in English, Weird Tales, had managed to get that far along...not even such notable colleagues as Famous Fantastic Mysteries, nor the little magazine Weirdbook, nor the UK's Science Fantasy had lasted two decades (one could suggest that Fantastic Adventures, which had been folded into its sibling Fantastic in 1954, after a couple of years of simultaneous publication, could count, but only by stretching the point).
This issue can be read here.
The ISFDB index:
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Contents
- 2 • Weird Tales (masthead) • (1941) • interior artwork by Hannes Bok
- 6 • Flight into Destiny • novelette by Verne Chute
- 6 • Flight into Destiny • interior artwork by Boris Dolgov
- 22 • A Bargain with the Dead • short story by Seabury Quinn
- 22 • A Bargain with the Dead • interior artwork by A. R. Tilburne
- 37 • No Light for Uncle Henry • short story by August Derleth
- 37 • No Light for Uncle Henry • interior artwork by Matt Fox
- 43 • The Shape of Thrills to Come • (1940) • interior artwork by Hannes Bok
- 43 • The Shape of Thrills to Come (Weird Tales, March 1943) • [The Shape of Thrills to Come] • essay by uncredited
- 43 • The Shape of Thrills to Come • [Weird Tales Decorations] • interior artwork by uncredited (variant of Weird Tales, July 1940 1940)
- 44 • The Book and the Beast • (1942) • short story by Robert Arthur
- 45 • The Book and the Beast • interior artwork by Harold Rayner
- 51 • The Whispering Wine • short story by Thorne Lee
- 51 • The Whispering Wine • interior artwork by John Giunta
- 64 • Lil • short story by Mindret Lord
- 64 • Lil • interior artwork by A. R. Tilburne
- 69 • A Vase from Araby • poem by Leah Bodine Drake
- 69 • A Vase from Araby • interior artwork by John Giunta
- 70 • Superstitions and Taboos (Weird Tales, March 1943) • [Superstitions and Taboos] • essay by Weill
- 70 • Superstitions and Taboos (Weird Tales, March 1943) • [Superstitions and Taboos] • interior artwork by Weill
- 72 • Under Your Spell • novelette by Henry Kuttner
- 72 • Under Your Spell • interior artwork by Boris Dolgov
- 93 • Frost Demons • poem by Joseph C. Kempe
- 93 • Frost Demons • interior artwork by Matt Fox
- 94 • A Bottle of Gin • short story by Robert Bloch
- 94 • A Bottle of Gin • interior artwork by A. R. Tilburne
- 105 • Necromancy • (1934) • poem by Clark Ashton Smith
- 105 • Necromancy • interior artwork by Richard Bennett
- 106 • The Wind • short story by Ray Bradbury
- 106 • The Wind • interior artwork by A. R. Tilburne
- 114 • Corey's Cat • short story by Harry Raymond
- 115 • Corey's Cat • interior artwork by John Giunta
- 121 • The Eyrie (variant) • interior artwork by Andrew Brosnatch
- 121 • The Eyrie (Weird Tales, March 1943) • [The Eyrie] • essay by D. McIlwraith [as by The Editor]
- 121 • Letter (Weird Tales, March 1943) • essay by Verne Chute
- 122 • Letter (Weird Tales, March 1943): Says Mr. Price to Mr. Bloch • essay by E. Hoffmann Price
- 124 • Letter (Weird Tales, March 1943) • essay by Alexander MacDowell
- 124 • Letter (Weird Tales, March 1943) • essay by Jim Mulligan
- 125 • Letter (Weird Tales, March 1943) • essay by Ivan Scofield
- 126 • Weird Tales Club • (1941) • interior artwork by Hannes Bok
- 126 • Weird Tales Club (Weird Tales, March 1943) • essay by uncredited
- 126 • Letter (Weird Tales, March 1943): Another Legend? • essay by Frank Wilsie
- 126 • Letter (Weird Tales, March 1943) • essay by Mrs. A. E. André
- 127 • Letter (Weird Tales, March 1943): Has Enjoyed Weird Tales Since 1925 • essay by S. P. Klepper
Weird Tales has few rivals in its influence among fantasy-fiction magazines. and those cited above might be most of that crew, if we add reference to Unknown Fantasy Fiction, Whispers and Famous Fantastic Mysteries and perhaps Beyond, Twilight Zone, Realms of Fantasy and Cemetery Dance, among a very few others. And the periodical book series, such as Shadows...Gerald W. Page's volumes of the DAW Books annual The Year's Best Horror Stories were also notable for publishing some first-publication fiction of note.
But editor Dorothy McIwraith, and the publishers of WT, did nothing to commemorate the 20th anniversary, at least not in an advertised, formal way. But they did feature fiction, as in many issues, from several of the most popular of their regular contributors, among them here Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury and Robert Arthur (among others, but I've just read or reread their contributions to the issue), and none of them are the regulars' best work for the magazine...even given that Bradbury's story, "The Wind", is one of his better-known works of the era. However, as urgently as the story tries to get across the cosmic uncanniness of a seemingly malevolent spirit of Wind pursuing the protagonist, the haunting is a bit more clumsily over the top than persuasive, as presented. Likewise, Bloch's "A Bottle of Gin" (where the bottle in question actually contains a djinn, or "genie") is more frantic than genuinely witty, striving too hard for comic effect and the effort distracts. Arthur's "The Book and the Beast" is a bit more sure-footed than his colleagues' contributions, but is also straining for effect, and slight...I seem to remember from reading it elsewhere that the Henry Kuttner novelet, at least, is a slightly better showing, but I'll check back in about that...Bloch, Bradbury and Arthur at their best are brilliant. They are close to their worst with these stories, thus still readable but uncompelling, despite the reputation "The Wind" had at one point (Arthur even included it in one of his Alfred Hitchcock Presents: anthologies in the '60s, where I first read it decades back).
For more of today's short fiction, please see Patti Abbott's blog.
6 comments:
Lots of familiar names here but I doubt I've read many. Unless they were collected in an anthology my library bought perhaps.
Robert Arthur's "Hitchcock" anthologies, both adult and YA, introduced me to a Whole Lot of writers, and other anthologists were not far behind...
I've been reading a lot of classic fiction this Summer: Tarzan and Doc Savage!
I'm always ready to delve into decades past...so much to touch base with, new and old.
Other favorite authors in this issue include Seabury Quinn and August Derleth; both can be hit-or-miss but when they hit their stride are hard to beat. As with Bradbury, Bloch, and Arthur (and Kuttner, too), I find even their minor writing to be worthwhile.
I think I'm more in sync with you there on Derleth and certainly Kuttner than Quinn, but I know what you mean. And I've had rather good luck with E. Hoffman Price's fiction over the years, if only having read a smattering.
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