DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | K'tagogm-m, v. 1, issue 2, May 1945

Transcribe
Translate

K'tagogm-m, v. 1, issue 2, May 1945

Page 2

K'taogm-m: Thoughts and Random Opinions of Donald A. Wollheim of 98-50 67th Avenue, Forest Hills, N.Y. Vol. 1, #2. Written May 1945 for the Vanguard Amateur Press Associations

"THE WORD FOR ONE IS K'taogm-m; WITH A SLIGHTLY CHANGE OF TONE THE WORD STANDS FOR MAN ALSO, AND FOR TRUTH."
(Norman Matson "Dr. Fogg")

NEGOTIUM PERAMBULANS IN LUCIS

If the above latin is a bit off, we explain by stating that we have never studied the tongue and are guessing at the form opposing "in tenebris". It seemed like a good idea at the time.
*********
We had prepared a rather scorching little article in response to Mr. Jim Blish's first Tumbrils, but we have decided to withhold it from publication pending certain new developments in the mental life of Jim Blish. An interesting and absorbing discussion of the night before going to stencil seemed to give very great promise of new trends for the ambitious young man from East Orange. Time will tell.
********
Living in Forest Hills in Long Island has its advantages, but it also has its disadvantages. One of the worst of the latter is the slowness with which the United States Mail is devlivered in these parts. The Borough of Queens is assumed, evidently, by the our New Deal Postmasters to be a stronghold of Republicanism (which it is) in the otherwise Tammany and Labor swayed city of New York. And it is probably a subtle form of punishment for this conservativism that causes mail to be delivered through the many centers of Queens anywhere from one to six days after the same mail would arrive in Manhattan. We are reminded of the county in Alabama whose roads are dirt-rutted, unpaved and narrow though the rest of the state boasts reasonably good Macadam and highways. Investigation revealed that that single county alone voted to remain in the Union in 1861, and the rest of the state has been punishing it for its unorthodoxy ever since.
In any case, what we are driving at is that the recent mailing of the Fantasy A.P.A. has reached friends in NYC three days ago, but have not turned up at our door yet. But hearsay tells of an interesting article by Harry Warner chiding the Futurians of New York for taking such an up-and-coming fan as Larry Shaw and dragging him into the mire of Futurian corruption until as Harry is said to have predicted Larry Shaw will cease to be a fan in six months. For this dire fate we are cursed as the bane of all true fans. Or words to that effect. 
This is very sad, and it is quite true that Larry Shaw's fan activities have drastically declined since moving to New York. But we are not sure whether this is a tragedy in any way. If Harry Warner will prove just what advantage to the world or to the literature and the advance of science-fiction would be gained by Shaw's continuing to be an "active" fan and a publisher of fan magazines, we should be most grateful. For it is our feeling that by merely publishing fan magazines and writing enough letters to be rated by fellow fans as a top-notch fan, does not in itsself mean anything whatever. It has no constructive significance to be rated among the top twenty fans

Saving...

K'taogm-m: Thoughts and Random Opinions of Donald A. Wollheim of 98-50 67th Avenue, Forest Hills, N.Y. Vol. 1, #2. Written May 1945 for the Vanguard Amateur Press Associations "THE WORD FOR ONE IS K'taogm-m; WITH A SLIGHTLY CHANGE OF TONE THE WORD STANDS FOR MAN ALSO, AND FOR TRUTH." (Norman Matson "Dr. Fogg") NEGOTIUM PERAMBULANS IN LUCIS If the above latin is a bit off, we explain by stating that we have never studied the tongue and are guessing at the form opposing "in tenebris". It seemed like a good idea at the time. ********* We had prepared a rather scorching little article in response to Mr. Jim Blish's first Tumbrils, but we have decided to withhold it from publication pending certain new developments in the mental life of Jim Blish. An interesting and absorbing discussion of the night before going to stencil seemed to give very great promise of new trends for the ambitious young man from East Orange. Time will tell. ******** Living in Forest Hills in Long Island has its advantages, but it also has its disadvantages. One of the worst of the latter is the slowness with which the United States Mail is devlivered in these parts. The Borough of Queens is assumed, evidently, by the our New Deal Postmasters to be a stronghold of Republicanism (which it is) in the otherwise Tammany and Labor swayed city of New York. And it is probably a subtle form of punishment for this conservativism that causes mail to be delivered through the many centers of Queens anywhere from one to six days after the same mail would arrive in Manhattan. We are reminded of the county in Alabama whose roads are dirt-rutted, unpaved and narrow though the rest of the state boasts reasonably good Macadam and highways. Investigation revealed that that single county alone voted to remain in the Union in 1861, and the rest of the state has been punishing it for its unorthodoxy ever since. In any case, what we are driving at is that the recent mailing of the Fantasy A.P.A. has reached friends in NYC three days ago, but have not turned up at our door yet. But hearsay tells of an interesting article by Harry Warner chiding the Futurians of New York for taking such an up-and-coming fan as Larry Shaw and dragging him into the mire of Futurian corruption until as Harry is said to have predicted Larry Shaw will cease to be a fan in six months. For this dire fate we are cursed as the bane of all true fans. Or words to that effect. This is very sad, and it is quite true that Larry Shaw's fan activities have drastically declined since moving to New York. But we are not sure whether this is a tragedy in any way. If Harry Warner will prove just what advantage to the world or to the literature and the advance of science-fiction would be gained by Shaw's continuing to be an "active" fan and a publisher of fan magazines, we should be most grateful. For it is our feeling that by merely publishing fan magazines and writing enough letters to be rated by fellow fans as a top-notch fan, does not in itsself mean anything whatever. It has no constructive significance to be rated among the top twenty fans