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Fantasite, v. 2, issue 3, whole no. 9, August-September 1942

Page 31

FANTA-SCRIPTS

BOUQUETS AND BRICKBATS FROM THE READERS

HARRY WARNER, JR.: I was somewhat relieved to see The Fantasite in drabber dress. Not that I don't like a nice, colorful, huge fanzine, but whenever a fanzine's quality becomes slightly poorer these days (in format, that is) I feel better about using 16 lb. paper in Spaceways. I had quite a struggle with myself, trying to decide whether the nicer appearance that 20 lb. gives was worth the greatly increased cost (since the heavier paper double postage costs). As you'll see by the coming Spaceways, I've decided to let the customer squawk. I can use 20 lb. for the covers and three of the eleven interior sheets, but no more. However, this is still a very excellent issue. My only complaint is the absence of a drawn front cover -- I've come to expect great art from you. As you know, colored inks means little to me, so the absence of them doesn't make me a bit sad. The printer matter, as long as it's readable, is the main thing. ((I heartily agree, but such assertions are heresy to Gergen. SDR)) The Franfoto is remarkably clear. I thought at first it was a refinement of your mimeo-photo process introduced last issue, but have since come to the conclusion this was reproduced by some other means -- probably ordinary printing press. Right? ((Right. We borrowed a cut of Fran from the Hastings newspaper, which had used it in connection with the class play she appeared in, and had a local printer run us off enough copies for The Fantasite. EDS.)) I think I enjoyed the long letter section in the issue the most (gad, the syntax!). That must have been quite a postal from Sam Russell. I'm glad to see some of the letters bearing me out in my dislike for the proposed Handbook, although I'll admit that a single publication devoted to one future wouldn't be too bad an idea. We almost have such a magazine in Captain Future at present, however, only the shorts and reprint being non-conformists. While I don't mean anything derogatory to the NFFF, two of three "firsts" Fortier lists for it are doubtful -- Speer wrote a long history of fandom three or four years ago. (("Up to Now", distributed at the Nycon)), so theirs won't be the first. And didn't the LASFL or LASFS put out a booklet for new fans for the benefit of its new members? ((Yes, last year, but it was very brief and confined itself to describing the activities of that one club. SDR)) "Hell Fire" isn't nearly as interesting this time. I can't understand what a certain long letter was doing in the readers' section of this issue if John Reitrof mustn't criticize under his correct name. Why in the world would anyone want two "conventions", one at each end of the country? When they were being held annually, alone in the field, thousands of words of publicity and the efforts of all fandom managed to get only from 75 to 100 fans there each year. Halve that number, and they won't be conventions at all, but merely regional conferences. I might suggest that the next time someone cuts a stencil and forgets to cut out his ribbon, he make a giant mental effort and remember that it's always possible to cut the page over again and throw the bad one away instead of using the inferior stencil. "Fantasiana" very interesting. I wish Smith would wipe the dust off that index of Weird Tales' first ten years and sell or give

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FANTA-SCRIPTS BOUQUETS AND BRICKBATS FROM THE READERS HARRY WARNER, JR.: I was somewhat relieved to see The Fantasite in drabber dress. Not that I don't like a nice, colorful, huge fanzine, but whenever a fanzine's quality becomes slightly poorer these days (in format, that is) I feel better about using 16 lb. paper in Spaceways. I had quite a struggle with myself, trying to decide whether the nicer appearance that 20 lb. gives was worth the greatly increased cost (since the heavier paper double postage costs). As you'll see by the coming Spaceways, I've decided to let the customer squawk. I can use 20 lb. for the covers and three of the eleven interior sheets, but no more. However, this is still a very excellent issue. My only complaint is the absence of a drawn front cover -- I've come to expect great art from you. As you know, colored inks means little to me, so the absence of them doesn't make me a bit sad. The printer matter, as long as it's readable, is the main thing. ((I heartily agree, but such assertions are heresy to Gergen. SDR)) The Franfoto is remarkably clear. I thought at first it was a refinement of your mimeo-photo process introduced last issue, but have since come to the conclusion this was reproduced by some other means -- probably ordinary printing press. Right? ((Right. We borrowed a cut of Fran from the Hastings newspaper, which had used it in connection with the class play she appeared in, and had a local printer run us off enough copies for The Fantasite. EDS.)) I think I enjoyed the long letter section in the issue the most (gad, the syntax!). That must have been quite a postal from Sam Russell. I'm glad to see some of the letters bearing me out in my dislike for the proposed Handbook, although I'll admit that a single publication devoted to one future wouldn't be too bad an idea. We almost have such a magazine in Captain Future at present, however, only the shorts and reprint being non-conformists. While I don't mean anything derogatory to the NFFF, two of three "firsts" Fortier lists for it are doubtful -- Speer wrote a long history of fandom three or four years ago. (("Up to Now", distributed at the Nycon)), so theirs won't be the first. And didn't the LASFL or LASFS put out a booklet for new fans for the benefit of its new members? ((Yes, last year, but it was very brief and confined itself to describing the activities of that one club. SDR)) "Hell Fire" isn't nearly as interesting this time. I can't understand what a certain long letter was doing in the readers' section of this issue if John Reitrof mustn't criticize under his correct name. Why in the world would anyone want two "conventions", one at each end of the country? When they were being held annually, alone in the field, thousands of words of publicity and the efforts of all fandom managed to get only from 75 to 100 fans there each year. Halve that number, and they won't be conventions at all, but merely regional conferences. I might suggest that the next time someone cuts a stencil and forgets to cut out his ribbon, he make a giant mental effort and remember that it's always possible to cut the page over again and throw the bad one away instead of using the inferior stencil. "Fantasiana" very interesting. I wish Smith would wipe the dust off that index of Weird Tales' first ten years and sell or give