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New Fandom, v. 1, issue 6, 1939
Page 19
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NEW FANDOM 19 time peruse three pound volumes from cover to cover. I then answered that he might easily find an outline of that theory and the facts related to it in an article which could be read in about half an hour. He said he would do that, if I could tell him where to find it. The result was that I gave him a copy of ASTOUNDING with my article "Ice Age Ahead?" Of course, the man just could not help glancing over the other contents of the magazine. And though he doesn't admit it, I think he is reading science fiction now. In his case science was the introduction to science fiction ... or you might also say (it does no matter greatly which viewpoint you take) that a science fiction magazine was an introduction to science, to a science another [sic] than his own. Much to my surprise I have seen that that definition also holds true for that group of "the neighbors". Much as the stories fascinate some of them, the main attraction seems to be the information that can be gathered from the stories. Now we do not write stories anymore in the same style as Jules Verne did. Then it was perfectly permissible to furnish all the necessary (and unnecessary) scientific explanations by having the heroes converse with each other or by introducing some sort of dumbbell that did not know anything about science. The result was that all these heroes sounded as if they had swallowed the whole Encyclopedia Britannica --- one simply cannot do that anymore, Authors have to proceed differently now, they have to assume more knowledge, they have to distribute it very evenly and thinly...or they have to write articles. That is, at least in my own opinion, the only way really to develop and to explain a scientific thought, and it does not necessarily have to be boring which it would tie in a story. Of course I have met some that did not give two hoots about the science in science fiction stories but cared only for action. Well, I suppose that type has a right to live too. But usually I found to my surprise, that casual readers — or should I say occasional readers, meaning stray readers — accept science fiction from a much different angle, They regard it, and rightly from their point of view, as an Introduction to Science. A̲U̲C̲T̲I̲O̲N̲ ̲P̲H̲E̲N̲O̲M̲E̲N̲A̲L̲!̲ Fans really started something when they introduced auctions to science-fiction. The one at the World Science-Fiction Convention drew in seventy five dollars and an enormous mess of items were auctioned at unbelievably low prices. "What happened here was that there was such a tremendous amount of stuff, that regardless what the auctionneers [sic] received for it, the total mounted steadily. Also if full time were taken on each item the auction would still be in process. Some originals had to be auctioned in batches of 12 and 15. Among the notable items were original Wesse's, Schneemans, Cartiers, Isips, Orbans, Gilmores, and Kramers from Street and Smith, Original Krupa, Fuqua's and McCauley's from "Amazing", also a number of back and front magazine covers by Krupa, Fuqua, McCauley and others, Thrilling Wonder contributed some Wesso's and Pauls and Binders. Science-Fiction contributed an original Paul cover which sold at the ridiculously low price of $1.95, a number of Pauls and Schneemans. From Weird Tales was obtained a number of Finlays.
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NEW FANDOM 19 time peruse three pound volumes from cover to cover. I then answered that he might easily find an outline of that theory and the facts related to it in an article which could be read in about half an hour. He said he would do that, if I could tell him where to find it. The result was that I gave him a copy of ASTOUNDING with my article "Ice Age Ahead?" Of course, the man just could not help glancing over the other contents of the magazine. And though he doesn't admit it, I think he is reading science fiction now. In his case science was the introduction to science fiction ... or you might also say (it does no matter greatly which viewpoint you take) that a science fiction magazine was an introduction to science, to a science another [sic] than his own. Much to my surprise I have seen that that definition also holds true for that group of "the neighbors". Much as the stories fascinate some of them, the main attraction seems to be the information that can be gathered from the stories. Now we do not write stories anymore in the same style as Jules Verne did. Then it was perfectly permissible to furnish all the necessary (and unnecessary) scientific explanations by having the heroes converse with each other or by introducing some sort of dumbbell that did not know anything about science. The result was that all these heroes sounded as if they had swallowed the whole Encyclopedia Britannica --- one simply cannot do that anymore, Authors have to proceed differently now, they have to assume more knowledge, they have to distribute it very evenly and thinly...or they have to write articles. That is, at least in my own opinion, the only way really to develop and to explain a scientific thought, and it does not necessarily have to be boring which it would tie in a story. Of course I have met some that did not give two hoots about the science in science fiction stories but cared only for action. Well, I suppose that type has a right to live too. But usually I found to my surprise, that casual readers — or should I say occasional readers, meaning stray readers — accept science fiction from a much different angle, They regard it, and rightly from their point of view, as an Introduction to Science. A̲U̲C̲T̲I̲O̲N̲ ̲P̲H̲E̲N̲O̲M̲E̲N̲A̲L̲!̲ Fans really started something when they introduced auctions to science-fiction. The one at the World Science-Fiction Convention drew in seventy five dollars and an enormous mess of items were auctioned at unbelievably low prices. "What happened here was that there was such a tremendous amount of stuff, that regardless what the auctionneers [sic] received for it, the total mounted steadily. Also if full time were taken on each item the auction would still be in process. Some originals had to be auctioned in batches of 12 and 15. Among the notable items were original Wesse's, Schneemans, Cartiers, Isips, Orbans, Gilmores, and Kramers from Street and Smith, Original Krupa, Fuqua's and McCauley's from "Amazing", also a number of back and front magazine covers by Krupa, Fuqua, McCauley and others, Thrilling Wonder contributed some Wesso's and Pauls and Binders. Science-Fiction contributed an original Paul cover which sold at the ridiculously low price of $1.95, a number of Pauls and Schneemans. From Weird Tales was obtained a number of Finlays.
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