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Fanfare, v. 1, issue 1, December 1939
Page 10
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bably highly criticized. It is commendable to note that with only three months in the fan world to back me up I could still see, without additional information, that Wollheim was essentially all wrong (it was Wollheim who had written the account in IO). It might be timely to elucidate upon some of the points and choices made in the summary. Keen analysis of the summary will reveal the following: The two old-timers, Amazing & Wonder, never stooped to competing with each other. They maintained an equal standard of quality before 1933 & each was satisfied that there was a place in the field for the other. This statement is backed by the fact that T. O'Connor Sloane was always a very good friend of Gornsback & even served as one of the assistant editors of "Amazing" when Gornsback first brought it out. Throughout 1933, Astounding Stories as a competitor just wasn't. The change in hands to S&S worried the old-timers little during 1933. The beginning of 1934 shows a change in the situation. Astounding is beginning to show her teeth. Her material takes on the aspect of quality, in the space of three issues, Jan, Feb & March, she turns the pages to 160, this with the lowest price in the field, twenty cents, makes the position of Amazing & Wonder a bit more insecure. They realize now that they have a fight on their hands, apparently, to the uninformed all the aces are held by the old-timers, but this is not true. Astounding is backed by a rich firm which pays its writers twice as much as Amazing and four times as much as Wonder when Wonder did pay. Wonder had just taken on a new 17-year-old editor who doesn't know the ropes. Astounding has one of America's greatest editorial minds behind it, F. Orlin Tremaine, the man who made True Story what it is today. Also "Amazing" was edited by a tired, old, conservative gentleman, who still believed in ethics. From March, 1934 on "Astounding" definitely takes the leading position, she forges ahead of her competitors in every phase of the game. Amazing continues her staid course with the hope that her reputation will uphold her. Wonder tries to fight it out, Hornig, turning out a magazine that breathes hotly upon the neck of Astounding all the way through, that actually surpasses it in many phases but limited by a thousand and one almost insurmountable conditions. By early 1935, Hornig, despite the fact that he is working entirely with new authors, and Gernsback is not paying for stories, limited to 128 pages with an impossible price of 128 pages [sic] finally shows its [heels?] to Astounding. But just as Wonder figures it can coast awhile, Tremaine applies the pressure. He raises "Astounding" to dazzling heights, flaunts an unsurpassable line of ballyhoo at the fans, & talks them into telling the old-timers to go to blazes. By May, 1935, Wonder & Amazing are staggering, Tremaine has cleverly lured all important readers away. Amaz- [sic] begins to realize that it is fight or die and is turning out a very good magazine. Wonder which had attempted to coast is forced to lower its price or be wiped out. Hornig gets back into harness again, but it is too late. Amazing & Wonder subsist on borrowed time while Tremaine coasts through the summer months of 1935 & sort of regains his breath after a tremendous six-month drive. Amazing is fighting a losing battle, first Wonder, already has been caught unawares and hasn't a chance. Sept., 1936, Tremaine starts in again. His competitors are weak, first Wonder, then Amazing attempt a clinch by falling into bi-monthly publication. They're both licked, haven't a chance for a comeback, YET THEY'RE BOTH FIRST CLASS MAGAZINES! Wonder, backed on an unsound economic system, collapses quickly and is gobbled up by
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bably highly criticized. It is commendable to note that with only three months in the fan world to back me up I could still see, without additional information, that Wollheim was essentially all wrong (it was Wollheim who had written the account in IO). It might be timely to elucidate upon some of the points and choices made in the summary. Keen analysis of the summary will reveal the following: The two old-timers, Amazing & Wonder, never stooped to competing with each other. They maintained an equal standard of quality before 1933 & each was satisfied that there was a place in the field for the other. This statement is backed by the fact that T. O'Connor Sloane was always a very good friend of Gornsback & even served as one of the assistant editors of "Amazing" when Gornsback first brought it out. Throughout 1933, Astounding Stories as a competitor just wasn't. The change in hands to S&S worried the old-timers little during 1933. The beginning of 1934 shows a change in the situation. Astounding is beginning to show her teeth. Her material takes on the aspect of quality, in the space of three issues, Jan, Feb & March, she turns the pages to 160, this with the lowest price in the field, twenty cents, makes the position of Amazing & Wonder a bit more insecure. They realize now that they have a fight on their hands, apparently, to the uninformed all the aces are held by the old-timers, but this is not true. Astounding is backed by a rich firm which pays its writers twice as much as Amazing and four times as much as Wonder when Wonder did pay. Wonder had just taken on a new 17-year-old editor who doesn't know the ropes. Astounding has one of America's greatest editorial minds behind it, F. Orlin Tremaine, the man who made True Story what it is today. Also "Amazing" was edited by a tired, old, conservative gentleman, who still believed in ethics. From March, 1934 on "Astounding" definitely takes the leading position, she forges ahead of her competitors in every phase of the game. Amazing continues her staid course with the hope that her reputation will uphold her. Wonder tries to fight it out, Hornig, turning out a magazine that breathes hotly upon the neck of Astounding all the way through, that actually surpasses it in many phases but limited by a thousand and one almost insurmountable conditions. By early 1935, Hornig, despite the fact that he is working entirely with new authors, and Gernsback is not paying for stories, limited to 128 pages with an impossible price of 128 pages [sic] finally shows its [heels?] to Astounding. But just as Wonder figures it can coast awhile, Tremaine applies the pressure. He raises "Astounding" to dazzling heights, flaunts an unsurpassable line of ballyhoo at the fans, & talks them into telling the old-timers to go to blazes. By May, 1935, Wonder & Amazing are staggering, Tremaine has cleverly lured all important readers away. Amaz- [sic] begins to realize that it is fight or die and is turning out a very good magazine. Wonder which had attempted to coast is forced to lower its price or be wiped out. Hornig gets back into harness again, but it is too late. Amazing & Wonder subsist on borrowed time while Tremaine coasts through the summer months of 1935 & sort of regains his breath after a tremendous six-month drive. Amazing is fighting a losing battle, first Wonder, already has been caught unawares and hasn't a chance. Sept., 1936, Tremaine starts in again. His competitors are weak, first Wonder, then Amazing attempt a clinch by falling into bi-monthly publication. They're both licked, haven't a chance for a comeback, YET THEY'RE BOTH FIRST CLASS MAGAZINES! Wonder, backed on an unsound economic system, collapses quickly and is gobbled up by
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