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IFA Review, August 1940

Page 11

FANTASY COLLECTORS AND THEIR COLLECTIONS
           By Frederick Shroyer
No. 1. Dr. Charles L. Barrett. Bellefontaine, Ohio
   We walked through the library, shelves from floor to ceiling, and I, no longer attempting to suppress admiration, explained, "Doc, you've really got a collection!"
   Doc Barrett turned to me, fairly tall, with serious, tolerant eyes, and replied, "The rest of the library is upstairs."
   Well, picture it yourself. Hundreds of books, and hundreds of excerpts, ALL the magazines, piles of fan publications. And here's a little tip that I'll pass on, when you visit a fantasy collector you can size him up pretty well by his library. I've learned that from inspecting dozens of fantasy collections. If his library is all fantasy, he's liable to be a kid with a fairy tale approach to life. If his fantasy is side by side with books of conventional literature, history, and other subjects, the chances are that you will find an adult mind. Doc's library is universal in scope, and so is Doc's mind.
   We were seated upstairs. I was a bit tired from looking at a thousand items. Doc asked me about fans I'd met.  I told him my opinions of many of them. He chuckled, "It's amazing, from reading these fan publications, I have gotten the same opinions of various fans as you have. I'm interested in fans", he continued, "in a psychological sense".
  "And what are your conclusions?" asked.
   Doc leaned back in his chair, pushed a few 1924 Weird Tales out of the way so that he could strech out his feet. "Well," he began, "I've come to the conclusion that there are three groups of fans. The first group consists of kids who like fairy stories, don't know what the hell it is all about, but are harmless".
   "And the second group", I asked.
   "They're the misfits", he said. "Little inferiority complexes who have to manufacture attention. They try hard to be different, expound Utopias, and squabble in their little puddles. They are to be pitied, and I don't like them".
   Why?"
   "Because people judge all readers of fantasy by them. They've fouled the nest, so to speak. they make the most noise, are the most obnoxious, and unfortunately, people are apt, upon meeting these clamorous kiddies and perpetual adolescents, to feel that we're all that way. And since the more adult likers of fantasy are the quietest, they do little to offset this impression. In other words, because of this small, loud-mouthed bunch of misfits, we are all judged by their standards".
   "That's the truth!" explained. "Damned if it isn't!"
  "Someday," he continued, "the adult group will have to form a literary society excluding this bunch of play major generals---"
   "By the Gods," I piped. "Our minds occupy the same sewer. That's just what the Indiana bunch is trying to do at the present time!"
   "Good," exclaimed. "Perhaps we can make this thing respectable after all".
   "Now there is McElroy of Dayton." I began.
   "And Fred Fischer," he added.
   And then we called the roster. And by the way, the IFA, I found, is founded upon the principles agreed upon between Doc, Dikty, and myself. 
   "Hey!", he said, "You wanted to see my collection".
   "That's right", I replied. "But talking to you has been as interesting as any collection could be". And I meant it.

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FANTASY COLLECTORS AND THEIR COLLECTIONS By Frederick Shroyer No. 1. Dr. Charles L. Barrett. Bellefontaine, Ohio We walked through the library, shelves from floor to ceiling, and I, no longer attempting to suppress admiration, explained, "Doc, you've really got a collection!" Doc Barrett turned to me, fairly tall, with serious, tolerant eyes, and replied, "The rest of the library is upstairs." Well, picture it yourself. Hundreds of books, and hundreds of excerpts, ALL the magazines, piles of fan publications. And here's a little tip that I'll pass on, when you visit a fantasy collector you can size him up pretty well by his library. I've learned that from inspecting dozens of fantasy collections. If his library is all fantasy, he's liable to be a kid with a fairy tale approach to life. If his fantasy is side by side with books of conventional literature, history, and other subjects, the chances are that you will find an adult mind. Doc's library is universal in scope, and so is Doc's mind. We were seated upstairs. I was a bit tired from looking at a thousand items. Doc asked me about fans I'd met. I told him my opinions of many of them. He chuckled, "It's amazing, from reading these fan publications, I have gotten the same opinions of various fans as you have. I'm interested in fans", he continued, "in a psychological sense". "And what are your conclusions?" asked. Doc leaned back in his chair, pushed a few 1924 Weird Tales out of the way so that he could strech out his feet. "Well," he began, "I've come to the conclusion that there are three groups of fans. The first group consists of kids who like fairy stories, don't know what the hell it is all about, but are harmless". "And the second group", I asked. "They're the misfits", he said. "Little inferiority complexes who have to manufacture attention. They try hard to be different, expound Utopias, and squabble in their little puddles. They are to be pitied, and I don't like them". Why?" "Because people judge all readers of fantasy by them. They've fouled the nest, so to speak. they make the most noise, are the most obnoxious, and unfortunately, people are apt, upon meeting these clamorous kiddies and perpetual adolescents, to feel that we're all that way. And since the more adult likers of fantasy are the quietest, they do little to offset this impression. In other words, because of this small, loud-mouthed bunch of misfits, we are all judged by their standards". "That's the truth!" explained. "Damned if it isn't!" "Someday," he continued, "the adult group will have to form a literary society excluding this bunch of play major generals---" "By the Gods," I piped. "Our minds occupy the same sewer. That's just what the Indiana bunch is trying to do at the present time!" "Good," exclaimed. "Perhaps we can make this thing respectable after all". "Now there is McElroy of Dayton." I began. "And Fred Fischer," he added. And then we called the roster. And by the way, the IFA, I found, is founded upon the principles agreed upon between Doc, Dikty, and myself. "Hey!", he said, "You wanted to see my collection". "That's right", I replied. "But talking to you has been as interesting as any collection could be". And I meant it.