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Diablerie, v. 1, issue 3, March 1944

Page 13

                      THE WORKS
                    EDDIE CLINTON

   Comparisons, it has been said entirely too often, are odious. Well - - we are not going to compare. This article is going to constitute a frank discussion of two science fiction and fantasy writers with very similar styles - - L Sprague de Camp and L Ron Hubbard. By discussion it is meant to imply something of a critical analysis, perhaps; but above all, a barrage - - we are going to "Give 'em the works!" as L S de C himself put it in Divide and Rule.
   One might wonder how on earth such a combination as de Camp and Hubbard developed. A variety of reasons, which will become apparent as this article progresses. Both, for instance, are products of the "new" science fiction. (The quote marks are used to preserv the peace; there are exceedingly juxtapositive viewpoints on that matter.) Hubbard is an expansionist - - one would hardly call him a convert - - from the adventure field. I do not know whether de Camp wrote fiction before his entrance into the stfield, but that is immaterial. Both entered science fiction with identically the same type of material, humor; and both, need less to say, achieved great popularity under the Campbell regime.
   But this is still not a comparison; and here is where we begin to - - discuss.
   Think back. The names Hubbard and de Camp suggest great productivity; one has an idea of literally dozens of stories by these two men. They have definitely left an impression, if because of nothing more than the mass of material they have authored. 
   Now check back. Over your files, if you have any - or over the files of a fellow fan. For myself - - these numbers may be off slightly one way or another - - I count Hubbard 25 pieces, and de Camp 34 pieces, including articles and stories. These figures are for both Astounding and Unknown.
   At first this seems inconceivable. Particularly in Hubbard's case does the number appear surprisingly small. In fact - - Hubbard has written only ten stories for Astounding. If you spend a moment letting this sink in, any reasonable wager says that you'll get up and check for yourself. Yet it is immutably and quite definitely true. Listed they are: The Dangerous Dimension, The Professor was a Thief, The Tramp, Final Blackout, One was Stubborn, (under the pseudonym of Rene La Fayette), The invaders, Strain, The Slaver, Space Can, The Beast. Contract with de Camp - count in Astounding: 20, approximently five of them serials or serial articles (Yes, I think it's fair to include articles in this discussion; after all, half of de Camp's fame rests on his articles.) A list of twenty stories would be boring and occupy otherwise usable space, so a summary will suffice: The Isolingauls, the Johnny Black stories, Language for Time Travelers, The Merman Living Fossil, The Blue Girafe, There Ain't No Such, The Science of Whithering, The Stolen Dormouse, The Long-Tailed Huns, Get Out and Get Under, and in addition several minor efforts.
   Lest this begin to sound like a bibliography of some sort, we'll not list the respective writings of (next page)

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THE WORKS EDDIE CLINTON Comparisons, it has been said entirely too often, are odious. Well - - we are not going to compare. This article is going to constitute a frank discussion of two science fiction and fantasy writers with very similar styles - - L Sprague de Camp and L Ron Hubbard. By discussion it is meant to imply something of a critical analysis, perhaps; but above all, a barrage - - we are going to "Give 'em the works!" as L S de C himself put it in Divide and Rule. One might wonder how on earth such a combination as de Camp and Hubbard developed. A variety of reasons, which will become apparent as this article progresses. Both, for instance, are products of the "new" science fiction. (The quote marks are used to preserv the peace; there are exceedingly juxtapositive viewpoints on that matter.) Hubbard is an expansionist - - one would hardly call him a convert - - from the adventure field. I do not know whether de Camp wrote fiction before his entrance into the stfield, but that is immaterial. Both entered science fiction with identically the same type of material, humor; and both, need less to say, achieved great popularity under the Campbell regime. But this is still not a comparison; and here is where we begin to - - discuss. Think back. The names Hubbard and de Camp suggest great productivity; one has an idea of literally dozens of stories by these two men. They have definitely left an impression, if because of nothing more than the mass of material they have authored. Now check back. Over your files, if you have any - or over the files of a fellow fan. For myself - - these numbers may be off slightly one way or another - - I count Hubbard 25 pieces, and de Camp 34 pieces, including articles and stories. These figures are for both Astounding and Unknown. At first this seems inconceivable. Particularly in Hubbard's case does the number appear surprisingly small. In fact - - Hubbard has written only ten stories for Astounding. If you spend a moment letting this sink in, any reasonable wager says that you'll get up and check for yourself. Yet it is immutably and quite definitely true. Listed they are: The Dangerous Dimension, The Professor was a Thief, The Tramp, Final Blackout, One was Stubborn, (under the pseudonym of Rene La Fayette), The invaders, Strain, The Slaver, Space Can, The Beast. Contract with de Camp - count in Astounding: 20, approximently five of them serials or serial articles (Yes, I think it's fair to include articles in this discussion; after all, half of de Camp's fame rests on his articles.) A list of twenty stories would be boring and occupy otherwise usable space, so a summary will suffice: The Isolingauls, the Johnny Black stories, Language for Time Travelers, The Merman Living Fossil, The Blue Girafe, There Ain't No Such, The Science of Whithering, The Stolen Dormouse, The Long-Tailed Huns, Get Out and Get Under, and in addition several minor efforts. Lest this begin to sound like a bibliography of some sort, we'll not list the respective writings of (next page)