August 2010

–e*I*51– (Vol. 9 No. 4) August 2010, is published and © 2010 by Earl Kemp. All rights reserved.
It is produced and distributed bi-monthly through http://efanzines.com by Bill Burns in an e-edition only.

Contents – eI51 – August 2010

Cover: “Argent,” by Brad Foster

…Return to sender, address unknown….41 [eI letter column], by Earl Kemp

The Anthem Series, Part VII, by Earl Terry Kemp

Back cover: “Threading the Needle,” by Ditmar [Martin James Ditmar Jenssen]

On his tenure with G.E.: "A broken-down movie actor named Ronald Reagan was working for the company. He was on the road all the time, lecturing to chambers of commerce and power companies and so on about the evils of socialism. We never met, so I remain a socialist."
                    —Kurt Vonnegut, introduction to the collection Bagombo Snuff Box

THIS ISSUE OF eI is in memory of Everett F. Bleiler and his very helpful SF bibliographies.

And, in the exclusively SF world, it is also in memory of Phil Klass.

#

As always, everything in this issue of eI beneath my byline is part of my in-progress rough-draft memoirs. As such, I would appreciate any corrections, revisions, extensions, anecdotes, photographs, jpegs, or what have you sent to me at earl@earlkemp.com and thank you in advance for all your help.

Bill Burns is jefe around here. If it wasn’t for him, nothing would get done. He inspires activity. He deserves some really great rewards. It is a privilege and a pleasure to have him working with me to make eI whatever it is.

Other than Bill Burns, Dave Locke, and Robert Lichtman, these are the people who made this issue of eI possible: Jacques Hamon and Earl Terry Kemp.

ARTWORK: This issue of eI features original artwork by Brad Foster and Ditmar.

The big difference between conservatives and liberals is that killing doesn't seem to bother the conservatives at all. The liberals are chickenhearted about people dying. Conservatives thought that the massacre, the killing, of so many people in Panama was okay. I think they're really Darwinians. It’s all right that people are starving to death on the streets because that’s the nature of work.
                    —Kurt Vonnegut, Playboy, May 1992

By Earl Kemp

We get letters. Some parts of some of them are printable. Your letter of comment is most wanted via email to earl@earlkemp.com or by snail mail to P.O. Box 6642, Kingman, AZ 86402-6642 and thank you.

Also, please note, I observe DNQs and make arbitrary and capricious deletions from these letters in order to remain on topic.

This is the official Letter Column of eI, and following are a few quotes from a few of those letters concerning the last issue of eI. All this in an effort to get you to write letters of comment to eI so you can look for them when they appear here.

Friday June 11, 2010:

Ross Chamberlain:  Found eI50, glommed my cover with relish (no ketchup), and even actually read great chunks of it as an appetizer... Shot a good bit of the morning that way (yup, I'm smilin', podnuh). As usual, good to see what some folk I've heard about most of my fannish life actually look like, or did at some point. So many interesting things going on behind the scenes (from my perspective) while I was growing up that I had no conception of.  Still true, I suppose.

eI is great for catching up on a lot of those things, but it also reminds me of how much I missed, as well. Okay, I'll stop before I go all maudlin on ya.

Fascinated with the Golden Age of Pulps databases but will have to wait a bit to invest. I don't have Access; I can get the Runtime but I wonder if Open Office’s Base, which I have (and am still trying to figure out how to use, damnit), will handle it.

Monday July 19, 2010:

Mike Deckinger:  I’m writing in response to the reported warning Robert Silverberg was given against using his own name, thus birthing “Calvin M. Knox”.

H.L. Gold has written that when he began submitting stories to Astounding, Campbell encouraged him to continue, but informed him that his readership could never accept a suspect name like “Horace L. Gold.”

Gold responded with the creation of “Clyde Crane Campbell,” who enjoyed a healthy run in the magazine.  It’s significant that John Campbell blamed the name change on his fickle readership, and not any of his own editorial prejudices, that might have swayed him toward gentile sounding names.
I also note that Isaac Asimov never had any trouble entering the line-up, despite the Semitic antecedents he bore.

Tuesday July 20, 2010:

Lloyd Penney:  I did it again, missed an issue, so this loc will be about two issues of eI, 49 and 50. Both are fairly big issues, so I think this is the work of the day.

49…More marvellous pulps, thanks to Terry. I hope there’s plenty of demand for this database, especially for historians and popular culture fans, not to mention SF fans with large collections. It’s been a couple of months since this issue came out; what’s the response been so far?

My letter…we did not go to Eeriecon this year, but I hope someone did who could tell me if they remembered Ken Krueger. I hope Joe Fillinger did something. Just as well we didn’t go; money is tight, and I am job hunting again.

Terry, more great research for the ages, and for our descendants, should they be interested, and I hope they will be. What I said last letter goes again, these great books should be preserved, and if they can’t be, may the stories carry on beyond the life of the paper. I seem to recall some of these covers from my trips to the local library when I was a kid. Garrett Serviss’s book was republished by Apogee Books, the space publishers from Burlington, Ontario, for the 2003 Worldcon in Toronto. Apogee’s owner is also behind Collector’s Guide Publishing, Robert Godwin. I have never seen copies of Witchcraft & Sorcery before…not exactly the kind of title that shows up at the public library or newsstand.

50…I am not that pleased with Microsoft software either, but it is the most familiar software out there, so I use it. So much software out there, and so little reason to trust much of it.

Goodwill, Salvation Army, Value Village…these are the places where I get most of my books. We hadn’t been in a while, so we had a look at all of them, and found that all stores had been cleaned up a lot. And, the book prices had been jacked up a couple of hundred percent, too. Nothing is cheap any more, not even in the second-hand shops.

More from Terry…there’s the reason I couldn’t collect these great old magazines and books…no space. I know many people locally who would probably do the same that Frank Robinson did, and that was pick over a collection, even that of a friend. I have tried for many years to use MS Access, and never did figure it out.

And with that, and all that great Ditmar artwork, plus Ross Chamberlain, too, I guess I am done. One page for two issues of eI is not very good at all, but it may be all I’ve got in me right now. As summer officially starts, more conventions and events arrive, and I am starting to enjoy my current status of being Hugo nominee. I know how people feel about the fan Hugos these days, but that won’t stop from doing a little basking in the spotlight, and accepting kudos from many, especially Canadian fans who didn’t know one of them could be nominated for a Hugo. Now that Dave Langford isn’t even on the ballot for Best Fan Writer, perhaps we may have a better chance.

Friday, July 30, 2010:

Robert Silverberg: I check out your ezine every time I hear there’s a new issue. Your son is doing some terrific work there. It’s a great magazine. And who the hell could have imagined that in the year 2010 you would be publishing an electronic fanzine? How could you have ever imagined, back there in 1962 at the worldcon, the sort of things you would be doing over the next fifty years?

Me neither.

Sunday August 1, 2010:

John Purcell:  Well, Earl, it’s been a long time since I've loced one of your splendid issues. Did you miss me? I didn't think so. This silence hasn't been for lack of trying, but merely a result of a very hectic life. Been very busy between work and family. That combination doesn't leave much spare time lying around. Well, let’s see if there’s anything worth commenting on in this particular June 2010 issue.

It sounds like you missed a really good time at the LA Vintage Paperback Show. Since the one-day show is open to the public, I would have loved browsing through the tables. For that matter, the dedicated web site (listed in the article) was fun to check out. My favorite title on the web page is Satan Was a Lesbian. Really? I never knew that... At any rate, get there next year, Earl, and tell us all about it. Also, it was neat to see an old Minn-stf friend of mine, Greg Ketter, pictured in the article. Wonder how much he brought back to Minneapolis. Seeing his picture makes me wonder how Dreamhaven Books (his store) is doing. Must still be in business, I guess.

Will Murray’s article was enjoyed, albeit brief. He is right in that the history of SF pulps is “reasonably well documented,” but there is a need for pre-Gernsback science fiction magazine publishing history, such as Argosy, Munsey’s Weekly, and others. Randy Byers has done a fair amount of rooting about old magazines for stfnal type stories, so he'd be a good source for an article like this.

I really liked the “Two Pieces of Silverberg” article (one of my favorite SF writers) and Earl Terry Kemp’s contribution. No real comments to make on them, but they were very enjoyable, and I felt you should know that. Happy?

With that, this is done. It will be good to see you at Corflu in February - plan on making it this time - so take it easy, and keep the fan fires burning. But not too hot; it’s summer.

Sunday August 8, 2010:

Justin Marriott:  Greatly enjoy reading your zine, and recently Robert Speray’s article on the LA Paperback Show.

He mentioned Paperback Parade as the only zine dedicated to vintage paperbacks. If he said it was the best, or the most influential, or the longest running, he would be correct.  But he isn't correct in stating it’s the only.  If you look closely at the picture of Dreamhaven Books table, you can see the evidence! 

Here in the UK I've just published the 15th issue of The Paperback Fanatic which is dedicated to genre fiction of the 1960s and 1970s.  Issue 15 included features on The Baroness sexy-spy novels, an interview with Warren ‘The Destroyer’ Murphy and an article on Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane novels. 

There is also a companion zine called Men of Violence, which over two issues to date has documented the men’s adventure series.

To me, wanting every habitable planet to be inhabited is like wanting everybody to have athlete’s foot.
                    —Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus

Anthem Series: Part VII

by Earl Terry Kemp

This is the seventh installment in the Anthem Series project, including: Grant-Hadley Enterprises, Buffalo Book Company, Hadley Publishing Company, Grandon: Publishers, Fantasy Fiction Field (FFF), Shroud: Publishers, Kenneth J. Krueger, Donald M. Grant, and The Phantagraph Press. The first part, Fantasy Press, appeared in eI27 (August 2006) and eI28 (October 2006). The second part, including: Visionary Publishing Company , Fantasy Publishing Company, Incorporated, Griffin Publishing Company, Carcosa House, and Fantasy Book, appeared in eI49 (April 2010). The third part, including: Prime Press, Avalon Company, and Chamberlain Press, appeared in eI42 (February 2009). The fourth part, including: Shasta Publishers, and Gorgon Press, appeared in eI33 (August 2007). The fifth part, Gnome Press, appeared in eI47 (December 2009). The sixth part, including: Arkham House, and Mycroft & Moran, appeared in eI44 (June 2009) and eI45 (August 2009).

By Way of a Foreword:

Have you ever been curious about the true story behind the story?

This is it, the very last word about the men and the publications that started the whole science fiction and fantasy industry as we know it today.

Without a doubt, it is the story of one man, Ken Krueger, a truly remarkable and enterprising individual, who spanned the entire history of this movement, from First Fandom, to first true book publication, and beyond.

Often forgotten and dismissed, his major contributions have too long gone unrewarded. Forgotten by subsequent generations, and dismissed by his peers, one person stands out, enduring the test of time having created a legacy of endeavor unmatched by any of his generation.

This is Ken’s story….

Grant-Hadley Enterprises

1945—1946

In 1945 Grant-Hadley Enterprises published its first, and only, modest effort. It wasn’t a book; rather it was a 26-page pamphlet. It consisted of five articles on H.P. Lovecraft by Rhode Islanders who had been associated with the writer during his lifetime. Two editions of this title were printed.

Meeting in a well-known Providence, Rhode Island, landmark, Dana’s Old Corner Bookstore, the two science fiction fans decided to publish a small volume about Lovecraft. After all, the Old Corner Bookstore had purchased H.P. Lovecraft’s library from his estate, what better place, and subject to begin publishing. The two partners, Don Grant and Tom Hadley, having been bit by the publishing bug, moved on to their next reincarnation as the Buffalo Book Company, with the addition of another partner, Kenneth J. Krueger, Jr.

1. 
Hadley, Thomas P. and Grant, Donald M. (editors)
Rhode Island on Lovecraft
Grant-Hadley Enterprises; Providence, RI  1945 26            $1.00
1st edition, 500 paper copies printed (green cover).
Illustrated with photos by Mrs. Clifford M. Eddy.
Drawings by Betty Wells Halladay.
2nd edition, 1,000 paper copies printed (brown cover, different illustrations).

Reference. ***Contents: [a] “Frontispiece”: Two photos courtesy of Mrs. Clifford M. Eddy. One of H.P. Lovecraft and the other of his wife, Sonia Greene, no date given. [b] “Foreword,” by the editors. ***The general reason for this publication is given. Few know about Lovecraft outside of fantasy circles. What follows are meant to be biographical sketches from people who knew him, and lived near him. [c] “Lovecraft as a Poet,” by Winfield Townley Scott. ***Scott divides Lovecraft’s work into two basic categories, before and after. The early poetry was written before his thirtieth birthday, between 1912 and 1920. It is highly imitative of the eighteenth century English poets Lovecraft so prized. Sometime in the mid 1920s, Lovecraft began to express a firmer sense of reality, a warmer sense of humor and of friendship in his poetry. He hit his stride between December 1929 and early January 1930. In three or four weeks, Lovecraft wrote “Brick Row” and “The Messenger” and, apparently within one week, the 36 sonnets, “Fungi from Yuggoth.” Scott concludes that when Lovecraft brought his horror themes into unaffected verse he sometimes wrote effectively. This made his poetry a minor portion of his overall work. [d] “Lovecraft and Benefit Street” (The Ghost, edited by W. Paul Cook), by Dorothy C. Walter. ***Walter sets the stage by describing Benefit Street in Providence, and the prior use it had made as a setting for novels written by David Cornel DeJong. She goes on to profile Lovecraft, as if her audience is unfamiliar with his writing, spending some time explaining his literary foibles. It is only in the final three paragraphs of her short essay that Walter returns to Benefit Street. Upon reading “The Shunned House,” she was astonished to find herself on familiar ground in Providence, wandering along Benefit Street. This is a street where apparently anything can happen. [e] “Howard Phillips Lovecraft,” by Mrs. Clifford M. Eddy. ***Mrs. Eddy begins her charming glimpse into Lovecraft’s life with their first meeting in August 1923. Her minute description of the man, arriving with a leather briefcase, “bursting with ‘National Amateur’ publications and manuscripts from his own pen,” is one of the best. As she continues her intimate account of their friendship, she tells of when Lovecraft encouraged her husband to submit “The Beloved Dead” to Weird Tales. It was later published by that magazine as “The Loved Dead,” a gruesome account of necrophilia. There followed discussions of his work in progress, “The Lurking Fear.” Mrs. Eddy believes that it was the publication of “The Loved Dead” and their continued encouragement of Lovecraft and his work that impelled him to submit his work for serious consideration and publication. Mrs. Eddy tells of Lovecraft reading his now famous “The Rats in the Walls.” His face changing at certain words. And how she shuddered herself to sleep that night. From his dread of the cold, to his constant kindness to children, a clear glimpse into the character of the man is given. Every aspect is covered, his fondness of cats, his distress when his beloved cat, Nigger Man, disappeared. His brief marriage to Sonia Greene. The manuscript he lost when he moved to New York, a freshly typed copy ghostwritten for the late Harry Houdini, about a weird experience of the master magician’s in Egypt. When Lovecraft returned to Providence, he continued his regular visits to their household, helping and encouraging Mr. Eddy to write and submit “Deaf, Dumb, and Blind” to Weird Tales, a story Lovecraft always considered his best. When news of his death in March 1937 reached them, they were stunned. ***This is by far and away the best glimpse into Lovecraft’s life written by any of his coterie of friends and acquaintances. [f] “Miscellaneous Impressions,” by Marian F. Barner. ***Barner was a neighbor and a cat lover, as was Lovecraft. She gives a detailed account of the shed in his backyard which became the clubhouse for the K.A.T. fraternity. She mentions a brochure he wrote about cats, not yet published, which he gave to her. His constant postcards over the years. His singing voice. All bits and pieces from another point of view that round out Lovecraft. [g] “A Glimpse of H.P.L.,” by Mary V. Dana. ***The shortest, and most obscure glimpse. Dana tells a rambling account of R.H. Barlow visiting her store. The books set he wanted. How he brought his uncle, Lovecraft, to consider the books and offer his opinion. Some intimate, but unknown jest traded between the two, and Lovecraft was gone. ***[e] is the best account of Lovecraft written. ***Required for the completist.

1946—1946

The Buffalo Book Company was formed by Donald M. Grant and Thomas G. Hadley of Providence, Rhode Island, and Kenneth J. Krueger, who lived in Buffalo, New York (hence the name).

Together they achieved a true first with the first book publication of E.E. Smith’s The Skylark of Space. It can be argued that Ken Krueger single-handedly started the post-war specialty publishing field. Stemming from his activity as the youngest member of First Fandom, he subsequently created the first major mailing list from his mail order book business during WWII, which became the foundation of many enterprises which followed. Thomas Hadley, Don Grant, and Lloyd Arthur Eshbach all used this list to begin their own independent operations.

But first they produced the noteworthy hardbound edition of The Time Stream, by John Taine. The book was quite professional in appearance, awakening hopes of a line of the best novels from science fiction magazines appearing in permanent form. However, the two original partners, Grant and Hadley, had problems distributing the book. With the help of Krueger’s extensive mailing list, they made successful headway, enough to encourage the three to go on to another book, The Skylark of Space, by E.E. Smith.

The changes the company underwent can be seen on the copyright page of the two titles they completed. The first includes G.H.E., the second doesn’t, illustrating the complete transformation of the company from a fan imprint to a business.

By the time the third title was in the works, Don Grant was in the military. Krueger, as always the super salesman, had plans for the company, but still in the military, was unable to become involved fulltime. Without Grant’s involvement, Krueger continued his struggle part time to make the business a success, and with Hadley’s resistance, help was found in an unexpected quarter. Lloyd Arthur Eshbach contributed a few ideas on how to appeal to the science fiction fan base by placing advertisements in the major magazines.

Grant continued in the military, went on to college after he was discharged, and in 1949 started The Grandon Company (which see), still hooked on publishing science fiction and fantasy.

With Krueger unable to prevent it, Tom Hadley transformed the business once again. Using substantial financial contributions from his family, Hadley thought he didn’t need any partners, and tried to go it alone with the Hadley Publishing Company (which see). Hadley used the distribution list and model created by Krueger, and the tips from Eshbach, as well as the various titles of forthcoming works to begin. But when the ideas were used up, so was the company.

Eshbach, having whetted himself in the publishing field, went on to found Fantasy Press (which see), once again, taking Krueger’s extensive mailing list as a building block. Eshbach had several partners to begin with, but was clearly the leading force, and as his partners disappeared from the scene, Eshbach carried on alone, and eventually failed.

As far as the Buffalo Book Company and its efforts, the Skylark of Space, by E.E. Smith in collaboration with Lee Hawkins Garby, was plagued with the obvious signs of the beginner on the part of all concerned. Doc Smith later told how he collaborated with his neighbor’s wife, Lee Hawkins Garby, for help writing scenes involving women. Later he would drop all reference to her help in subsequent reprints of this title.

The publisher’s name doesn’t appear on the copyright page. The front of the book is stamped in a hand-lettered logotype and in the same logo at the base of the spine. Krueger designed the logo for the company. Allan Halladay, the printer of the book, designed the jacket. However, with all these flaws, and contributions, it was Skylark in book form.

Without Ken Krueger, it would never have been published. He was the driving force behind this publication.

Ken Krueger is one of the unsung heroes of science fiction and fandom. He is not even mentioned in Advent:Publishers’ The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. His involvement in the field can not be fully measured. He truly deserves recognition for his life-long involvement, if not solely for his publication of Skylark.

Krueger’s persistence of vision is truly amazing; he never licked the publishing bug. Out of the service, he started Shroud, then Kenneth J. Krueger: Publisher.

If no one else will beat the drum for Ken, this reader will. Ken long deserves, at the very least, a Hugo, for lifetime achievement in the field. So, here it is, Ken, my friend, kudos.

1. 
Taine, John [Pseudo. of Bell, Eric Temple] 
The Time Stream
Buffalo Book Co. & G.H.E.; [Providence, RI & Buffalo, NY] 1945 [1946] 251            $3.00
500 copies printed, only 250 bound and sold.
Jacket by Allan Halladay.

Science fiction novel. ***From: (Wonder Stories, Vol. 3, No. 7, No. 8, No. 9 & No. 10, Issue 31, 32, 33, & 34, December 1931, January 1932, February 1932 & March 1932). ***Time is a continuous circular stream, and the wonderful world of Eos lies in both our past and future, although it is separated from us by periods of horror. Six persons use a technique for mental time-travel to explore the time stream, and discover that their destinies are interlocked in three major periods: Eos, San Francisco just before the earthquake of 1906, and a world of mass destruction when most of Earth’s overpopulation is destroyed to provide luxurious life for a favored few. The six finally piece together a history of mankind from monuments at one end of time, when man seems to be extinct, and from the adventures of members of the party. ***It was due to actions of members of the party in Eos that the wonder civilization of Eos fell. A girl introduced the element of unreason into a reasonable world in refusing to follow the advice of eugenic science, and the culture ultimately was destroyed by atomic energies. ***An ambitious and elaborate attempt to provide a history of mankind, which shows considerable imagination and ingenuity, although the story is more than a little injured by jejune writing and development. It is still an historical landmark in early American science fiction. ***We might note here that Taine is often brilliant in the use of small symbols and motives to provide a dynamic basis for his story. For years this reader was reminded of his Crystal Horde (Fantasy Press) whenever he saw Easter eggs; in this story clicks, like the snapping of a match, play an important part. ***First paperback edition: Dover, T1180, 532 pp., pa $2.00.

2. 
Smith, E[dward] E[lmer], Ph.D. and Garby, Lee Hawkins
The Skylark of Space,
The Tale of the First Interstellar Cruise
[Buffalo Book Co.; Buffalo, NY and Providence, RI] 1946  218            $3.00
1st book edition, 500 copies printed.
2nd book edition, Hadley, 1947 (which see).
3rd book edition, FFF, 1950(which see).
Jacket by Allan Halladay.

Science fiction novel. ***From: (Amazing Stories, Vol. 3, No. 5, 6 & 7, Issue 29, 30 & 31, August, September & October 1928). ***An old-fashioned space epic, perhaps the first important one, which has had tremendous historical repercussions in science-fiction. The Skylark of Space first appeared in the August 1928 issue of Amazing Stories. It was said to have been written in 1919—before there were any science fiction magazines—and to have collected numerous rejection slips before being accepted by Hugo Gernsback for his recently founded Amazing Stories in 1928. It was very popular, two more “Skylark” novels followed over the next few years and Smith began to make his name in the science fiction field for writing “space opera” on a grand, intergalactic scale. The “slang” in the first “Skylark” novel irritated a number of readers, including Miss Olive Robb, whose “war” with Smith in Amazing’s letter column started in March 1931, to the interest of many other readers. When Gernsback published Smith’s first “Skylark” novel he added “Ph.D.” to Smith’s by-line, presumably to show that real scientists wrote for Amazing. Other publishers continued the practice, and Smith soon became affectionately known in s-f fandom as “Doc” Smith (and he personally liked to say that “Ph.D. stood for ‘piled higher and deeper.’”) ***Seaton liberates the atomic energy of copper and builds a spaceship. Duquesne, his unscrupulous rival, steals Seaton’s discovery and his fiancée, and dashes off into space. Seaton follows, rescues his fiancée and Duquesne from the tremendous gravitational power of a dead star, and after hair-raising adventures upon a sword-and-ray-gun planet, in the “Green System” they return to Earth. Other motives include “disembodied intelligences,” mind-beings of incredible power who live in open space; wonderful discoveries and inventions. ***By a complete accident, Richard Seaton discovers the unknown metal “X,” when a small electric current causes a minute amount of copper to release its tremendous energy. Successive experiments prove it is controllable. Lost in thought, Seaton forgets all about his fiancée, Dorothy Vaneman, and his dinner appointment with her parents. Late in arriving, Dorothy and Seaton have a touching moment of true love. Seaton takes his ideas about his discovery to his wealthy friend, Martin Reynolds Crane. Together they are a match of complimentary skills. Seaton has the imagination, and Crane the practical acumen. They conceive of a bold plan, a space car. But first Seaton quits his government job, and in a quick move, bids on the discarded quantity of waste metal, thus becoming the sole owner of all the known “X.” His discovery is watched in earnest by “Blackie” DuQuesne, a fellow government scientist. DuQuesne is totally amoral, stopping at nothing in his quest for wealth and power. He has aided Brookings, owner of World Steel Corporation, in various nefarious clandestine operations, including murder for hire. This time he approaches World Steel with an amazing proposition. All they have to do is to kill both Crane and Seaton, take possession of “X,” and all the power in the world will be theirs. At first World Steel tries to go it alone, but they fail, accidentally blowing up a small village and killing hundreds of innocent people. DuQuesne takes over, and makes them pay for it. By then Crane and Seaton have set up an almost secret corporation, run by Dorothy’s lawyer father, allowing both of the gentlemen scientists to build their space car. World Steel has failed to eliminate both Crane and Seaton, and has stolen only a small portion of “X.” DuQuesne, in one bold stroke, steals more of the solution, and their plans for their space car. So now the two rivals are competing at breakneck speed to build their space cars, and to develop a power plant to give the world cheap power, or if World Steel has its way, to hold the entire world in an iron grip. However, Crane and Seaton are aware of what DuQuesne and World Steel are up to, and have built a larger, more powerful ship, the Skylark, in secret. They know that World Steel has sabotaged their original order of steel, and merely set it up in order to mislead them. DuQuesne wants it all, their plans, all of the “X,” and the elimination of both rivals. So he takes his finished ship and kidnaps Dorothy, with the help of a vile criminal, Perkins. Perkins has his own agenda under orders from World Steel, and has taken the helpless Margaret Spencer along in order to kill her and hide her body in deep space. Margaret has infiltrated World Steel, finding evidence of their foul play and theft of her father’s patents, worth millions. DuQuesne has made one miscalculation, the power of “X” is greater than Seaton originally conceived. DuQuesne’s small spacecraft goes at an ever increasing rate of acceleration, many times faster than the speed of light, until all of the copper fuel rods are used up. Lost in deep space, hundreds of light years from earth, his small craft is trapped in the gravity well of a huge, dead star. Perkins goes mad, and DuQuesne kills him with one blow to the head. Crane and Seaton, in their much more powerful Skylark come to the rescue. It is a near thing. It takes almost all of their fuel rods to overcome the grip of the gravity well. It also takes the titanic strength of both DuQuesne and Seaton to feed the rods into the Skylark in order to escape. It is here that DuQuesne becomes one of the team, provisionally. It is only with his help and scientific knowledge, combined with that of Crane and Seaton, that the Skylark has a chance of making the journey back to earth. Almost out of fuel, looking for a copper-bearing planet that they can mine, they find a near earthlike planet that is in the carboniferous era. The planet is too deadly, even with their “X” powered explosive weapons, so they flee only to end up on another planet controlled by a disembodied intelligence of tremendous mental power. Once again, they barely escape. But through these perils, both Seaton and Dorothy, and now Crane and Margaret, have fallen deeply in love. Almost out of fuel, they arrive on a green planet lit by multiple stars so that there really never is a night. On this planet, with a lighter gravity, the travelers are tremendously powerful, both physically and mentally. They rescue Nalboon of Mardonale and his ship from a huge flying beast that is nearly a match for the Skylark, even with its great weapons. Given a small group of slaves as a reward, they find that Nalboon is a villain. The leader of the slaves builds a small thought transfer device, the Osnomians are masters of electricity, and thus the travelers are able to speak and understand the native language. It seems Kondal and Mardonale are the only two great powers on the planet, and have been locked in a battle of world domination for thousands of years. Now with the arrival of the Skylark the tipping point has been reached. Seaton and the rest of the travelers enlist in the battle as agents of Kondal. The escape from Mardonale is a near thing, the Skylark is nearly destroyed. But in Kondal a new, much more powerful Skylark is built, made from arenak, a native metal made with the catalyst of salt. Salt being a rare chemical on the heavy metal rich planet. Arenak is many times stronger than steel. While the Skylark is being rebuilt, the two couples, Seaton and Dorothy, Crane and Margaret, find time to marry. The new Skylark is finished just as the final invasion from Mardonale begins. Through assaults by various new weapons, which only the Skylark is able to withstand, the Skylark finally defeats the invading fleet, saving all of Kondal. The five travelers, even DuQuesne, are rewarded with tons of platinum and rare jewels, which are cheap there, but will make them tremendously rich on earth. The trip home is quick and relatively uneventful. Crane and Seaton debate the fate of DuQuesne, who escapes at the last minute as they arrive on earth. DuQuesne has a pocketful of rare gems, enough to make him rich and powerful beyond his wildest dreams of avarice. The journey is over, but the reader knows that there will be another encounter between Seaton and DuQuesne. ***DuQuesne is by far the most appealing character and fills the first half of the story with his larger-than-life actions. The second half, the tale of the journey in space, lacks the spice that DuQuesne adds whenever he is in a scene, because he is removed from center stage and the focus is on Seaton and the other travelers, with much (too much) attention given to their “perfect” love. Seaton is much too stiff, too perfect a physical and mental specimen to be appealing. Crane is merely a yes-man to him, a Watson to his Sherlock. The two girls are window dressing, and the story could have been easily written without them. Nonetheless, this is a tremendous novel, filled with anxious page-turning excitement. Even as dated as it is, it is still a fresh, literate, intensely remarkable effort. ***Highly recommended for all ages. Clearly one of the most forgotten works of science fiction that should always remain on every suggested reading list. ***The sequels were written by Dr. Smith alone. ***First paperback edition: Pyramid, G-332, 1958, 159 pp., pa .35¢.

All manuscripts intended for publication by the Buffalo Book Company were taken over by the Hadley Publishing Company, which published a little less than half of them.

See also Hadley Publishing Company, Grandon: Publishers, Donald M. Grant: Publisher, Shroud: Publishers, and Kenneth J. Krueger.

Hadley Publishing Company

1946—1948

Don Grant and Thomas G. Hadley first came together to publish the booklet Rhode Island on Lovecraft, under the imprint Grant-Hadley Enterprises, with Kenneth Krueger they founded the Buffalo Book Company (which see).

Then Tom Hadley started Hadley Publishing Company. According to Jack Chalker and Mark Owings, Hadley had another different claim to immortality, also he invented the fan’s favorite drink, the Nuclear Fizz.

#

However, this does not appear to be the case. In 1954, just a few weeks before the science fiction Worldcon was held in San Francisco, Poul and Karen Anderson had their daughter, Astrid. To celebrate the occasion, they decided to produce a one-shot fanzine to distribute to their fellow fans at that convention. It was an eight-page, 5 ½ x 8 ½ mimeographed fanzine named The No Holds Barred Guide (reprinted in eI32, June 2007). It received fond acceptance at the convention.

In a unique twist of fate, Karen wrote the text for the fanzine and Poul, the writer, drew the artwork.

The Recipe for the Nuclear Fizz
1½ oz. Gin
1 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Lemon juice
Dash of angostura
Ice and soda to fill
Or (preferably)
Chilled soda. Silp.

“Silping is the technique of drinking an iceless drink as though there were ice in it.”

# Washington S-F Ass’n.

“The source of the Nuclear Fizz recipe is given as ‘Washington Science Fiction Association.’ I have forgotten which member of WSFA invented it.”
            —Karen Anderson

#

Hadley cut his two partners out of the scene. He didn’t need them. Hadley had substantial family money to publish whatever he wanted. But what he planned to do fell well short of what he managed to do. After Final Blackout appeared in 1948, competition had changed the marketplace. Hadley dropped out of publishing entirely.

Sadly, he had announced Skylark Three and Skylark of Valeron, by E.E. Smith; Tales from Cornwall and Tales of San Francisco, by David H. Keller; The Wizard and the Witch, by L. Ron Hubbard; and White Lily (The Crystal Horde) and Seeds of Life, by John Taine. The last two titles were eventually published by Fantasy Press.

Unable to complete these titles, even with endless amounts of family money, Hadley had managed to make a substantial contribution with the titles he did publish. All were thoroughly professional in manufacture, and were some of the best known, and written, novels of the era by the first-rate writers of that generation.   

1. 
van Vogt, A[lfred] E[lton] 
The Weapon Makers
Hadley Publishing Company; Providence, RI  [1947] 224            $3.00
1,000 copies printed.
Jacket and one interior by Betty Wells Halladay.

Science fiction novel. ***From: (Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. 30, No. 6, Vol. 31, No. 1 & No. 2, Issue 147, 148, & 149, February, March & April 1943). ***In the future the world is ruled by the Isher Empire. But the Isher dynasty does not rule alone. There is a parallel force-system, called the Weapons Shops, just as powerful as the Empire, which stresses the rights of the individual just as Isher stresses those of the state, or collectivity. The two organizations, Isher and Weapons Shops, exist in a balanced polarity, though mutually hostile. This dual system was founded by “Captain Hedrock”, an immortal man, who appears in this novel. ***But actually, this is two novels, rather than one. ***In the first novel, Neelan returns from space and discovers that his brother, with whom he had a psychic affinity, is considered dead. He wishes to investigate the death and becomes involved in the same situation as his brother had been: the construction of an interstellar spaceship. The Isher Empire is also interested in the spaceship, and traps Neelan, so that he, to escape death, must flee at full acceleration to another star. There he finds a race of super-intelligent spiders, that had also captured his brother on a previous expedition for experiments with emotion, for they are emotionless. During their experiments they resurrect Neelan’s dead brother. ***The second story tells of the adventures of Captain Hedrock, supposedly a liaison man between Isher and the Shops, who is really immortal and the founder of both. He becomes a royal favorite, and consort of the Empress Innelda, while the Shops suspect him of treachery. Through super-science—dimensional doors set all over, time travel, in which he divides himself in two and rescues himself—Hedrock wins out, and even poses as an inspector of the Shops. He sees that the duality is maintained. Hedrock, as the world’s only immortal man, maintains independent, complex ideals, which are the basis for the two systems that he has created, the Isher Empire and the Weapon Makers. His superior technology enables him to chastise both factions, and to release the secret of interstellar drive as a step toward the immortalization of the entire human race. ***A hodge-podge of far too many motives. While we must admire the juggling dexterity exercised to keep the motives in the air, we certainly cannot be satisfied with the stories, for the adventures of Hedrock and Neelan should have been separate books. We also feel that too many of the ideas seem rather burlesques than serious, although this is certainly not the author’s intention. ***The Greenberg and later editions differ from this version, as the novel was rewritten to make it follow The Weapon Shops of Isher (Greenberg, 1951, 231, $2.75). ***First paperback edition: Ace Double, D-94, 1955, 186 pp., pa .35¢, as One Against Eternity, with The Other Side of Here, by Murray Leinster.

2. 
Campbell, John W[ood] Jr.
The Mightiest Machine
Hadley Publishing Company; Providence, RI  1947 228            $3.00
1,200 copies printed.
Jacket and interior illustrations by Betty Wells Halladay.
FFF jacket on around 300 copies.

Science fiction novel. ***An old-fashioned science fiction thriller. ***From: (Astounding Stories, Vol. 14, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, Vol. 15, No. 1 & No. 2, Issue 49, 50, 51, 52, & 53, December 1934, January 1935, February 1935, March 1935, & April 1935). ***When Jovian-born designer, Aarn Munro and some friends are testing a new space-vessel, the Sunbeam, which uses the power of the sun, they accidentally crash into a meteorite and are thrown into another universe of a vast sun, Anrel, unthinkably far from our own cosmos. There, the Earth vessel arrives in the midst of a space-war between the Magyans (descendants of the people of Mu, from Earth) and Tefflans (satyr-like goat-men). The Magyans were once an Earth race. Centuries before, they had migrated to the vast system of Anrel, with their age-old enemy, the Tefflans, following suit. The Tefflans had been responsible for legends about the devil, fauns, pans etc. Since the Tefflans are completely evil and the Magyans are human, Munro and associates join forces with the Magyans. Harnessing the power of the sun, Munro destroys the planet of the goat-men, Teff-el, by throwing a moon down upon it, putting an end to their threat. ***Naive narrative, which progresses by an ever-mounting series of inventions. In its day it was one of the better space operas, but now it is very dated. ***First paperback edition: ACE, F-364, 1965, 220 pp., pa .40¢.      

3. 
Smith, E[dward] E[lmer], Ph.D.
The Skylark of Space;
The Tale of the First Interstellar Cruise
Hadley Publishing Company; Providence, RI  1947 303            $3.00
1st book edition, Buffalo, 1946, pp.218 (which see).
2nd book edition, 1,000 copies printed. Contains 4 interior illustrations by O.G. Estes, Jr.
3rd book edition, FFF, 1950, pp.245(which see).
Jacket and frontispiece by Betty Wells Halladay.
Reviewed elsewhere (Buffalo Book Company), which see.

4. 
Hubbard, L[afayette] Ron[ald]
Final Blackout
Hadley Publishing Company; Providence, RI  1948 154            $3.00
1,000 copies printed.
Jacket and illustrations by Betty Wells Halladay.

Science fiction novel. ***A thriller set in an England of the not-too-distant future. ***From: (Astounding Science-Fiction, Vol. 25, No. 2, No. 3 & No. 4, Issue 113, 114, & 115, April, May & June 1940). ***After a series of world wars, Europe lies in waste, devastated by military action and plague. Europe is a charnel house with three hundred million civilians and thirty million soldiers dead. Roving bands of soldiers and bestialized villagers are the sole survivors. America, which was not too badly damaged, has cut off contact with Europe, and is in a violently isolationist phase. ***Out of the semi-barbarism to which man has sunk, an officer, called the Lieutenant, is assigned to a force of English fighting men. The Lieutenant, a capable and honest man, leads one such band of soldiers. He cuts his way across Europe, combating sickness and hunger as well as opposing armies. When he is treated unfairly by his superiors, he seizes control of England from the Communists and sets up a dictatorship, trying to revive civilization. But his enemies return from America with American aid, for the United States now has an expansion policy which demands England as a colony. The Lieutenant cannot resist, for his weapons are puny compared to America’s, but he can protect England from the traitors who sold her to America, even if it costs him his life. ***A bitter novel, with a force and conviction, a realism and brutality, both in background and characterization, that lifts it out of the pulp medium in which it appeared, and makes it easily the best of Hubbard’s work. It is well worth reading. ***First paperback edition: Leisure, 1970, 191 pp, pa .75¢; cover art: Nick Gallaway.

Hadley also distributed the second (brown) printing of Rhode Island on Lovecraft.

Grandon: Publishers

1949—1958

Grandon: Publishers was Donald M. Grant operating under a new name and reduced schedule. Grandon is the name of the hero in the Kline novels; that’s the type of story Grant wanted to do. After Grandon: Publishers, when he changed his editorial standards to allow a wider range, he changed the publishing company’s name again.

In 1949, Grant once again entered the publishing field. Associated with him in this venture was James J. Donahue, a long-time associate and friend. Donahue was another Rhode Island native, a science-fantasy collector, and a full partner in the business.

Every publishing choice made produced slow sellers, which had the effect of slowing down the entire operation. Years would pass between the publication of one title and the next, until after the fourth title, this venture ceased. The selections Grant made were credible, but not outstanding or noteworthy. Slow sales could have been foreseen as a result of publishing what he wanted to, rather than a sharp analysis of the current marketplace, which would have indicated an entirely different marketing and publishing strategy.

However, Don Grant had learned several expensive lessons. Still bitten by the publishing bug, six years after the failure of this venture, Grant would try again, this time as Donald M. Grant, Publisher. Under this imprint he would find enduring success and lasting fame.

See the next entry: Donald M. Grant: Publisher. See also introduction to Buffalo Book Company and Hadley Publishing Company.        

1. 
Kline, Otis Adelbert
The Port of Peril
Grandon: Publishers; Providence, RI  1949  218            $3.00
3,000 copies printed.
Jacket and color interior illustrations by J. Allen St. John.

Fantastic adventure novel. ***From: (6-part series beginning in Weird Tales, Vol. 20, No. 5 thru Vol. 21, No. 3, Issue 107 thru 111, November 1932 thru March 1933 as “Buccaneers of Venus”). ***A sequel to The Planet of Peril. Another volume, The Prince of Peril, lies chronologically between these two, but since it is the same semi-juvenile chase and slaughter, it need not be summarized. ***In this volume Grandon and Vernia are married and living happily together. They are about to depart on their honeymoon. Grandon, who is now the ruler of Reabon, has other duties so he attends a confidential meeting with the rulers of several friendly kingdoms, Aardven of Adonijar, Ad, the ruler of Tyrrhana, and Zinlo, ruler of Olba. Zinlo is Harry Thorne, a fellow traveler with Grandon from Earth. His adventures on the way to his empire were told in The Prince of Peril. Narine, the second daughter of Ad, has been kidnapped on the high seas by the yellow pirates of Venus, the Huitsenni. They enlist Grandon’s aid, troops and ships to pursue the pirates. Grandon then goes on his honeymoon. But his wife, Vernia, is taken captive by the numerous Huitsenni. They have been hired to take her for the unnamed king of another country for his harem. Vernia immediately suspects that it is Zanaloth of Mernerum, a notorious lecher. Grandon, along with his stout soldier, Kantar the Gunner, pursues them to their hidden port. Before he arrives they have the first of their many adventures. Vernia is taken from the pirate ship by the second-in-command, San Thoy, who seeks to have his way with her. He takes her to the nearby Island of the Valkars. Hot on their heels, Grandon and Kantar board the pirate ship a moment to late to rescue her from San Thoy. Grandon must do battle with Grunk, Rogo of the Valkars. The Valkars, a toad-like race of poisonous amphibians have captured both San Thoy and Vernia, and are about to sacrifice Vernia to their living god, the giant serpent, Sistabez. Grandon slays the Rogo, rescues Vernia, frees the yellow captives, among them San Thoy. They make it to the shore, only to be retaken captive by the pirate leader, Thid Yet, who chains them and takes them to the Port of Peril. The “Port of Peril” is the stronghold of the yellow pirates. Vernia is presented to the obese and repulsive Yin Tin, Rogo of Huitsen, and placed in his seraglio. Grandon, Kantar, and their new friend, San Thoy, escape from the pirate ship. San Thoy introduces them to his brotherhood of revolutionary countrymen, the Chisoka. Together they now plot the overthrow of Yin Tin. Vernia meets the captive, Narine, and become fast friends in captivity. Grandon forms an alliance among the revolutionary forces of the pirates. This provides him with an opportunity to kill their king, but Vernia has been removed from his reach to the far north. As Grandon and Kantar are about to rescue her, the northern barbarian, the Rogo of the Ibbits, Kantar accidentally rescues Narina instead of Vernia, but they fall in love, so it’s all right. Grandon must pursue Vernia into the far north. The story then continues as a series of escapes: on Grandon’s part, from death; and on Vernia’s part, from a fate worse than death. Grandon rescues her from the Rogo of the Ibbits, a gigantic fur-covered ape-man, only to fall prey to a giant spider-like scorpion. He slays the insect, and rescues Vernia again. But on their way to freedom they are captured by the Huitsenni again. Thid Yet has now become their ruler, and he wants Vernia. Grandon must fight him. It is a near thing. But as Grandon defeats the yellow pirate, his friends have invaded in mass. Kantar drops from an airship to help Grandon clean up the palace. A combined army of allied nations, joined by rebel Huitsenni, have stormed and taken the port of peril. Grandon and Vernia are freed, and they set up the rebel leader as ruler of the new Huitsenni nation. But there is still another chapter, Zanaloth of Mernerum, the lecher who set everything in motion is dealt with. Kantar and his new wife, Narine, are made the rulers of his kingdom, to the delight of his oppressed people. It ends as everyone involved rushes to their wedding feast. ***No comment is necessary, although we might wonder why this story was resurrected from the pulp magazines where it had long lain deservedly dead. ***First paperback edition: ACE, F-294, 1964, 192 pp., pa .40¢.         

2. 
Merritt, A[braham]
Dwellers in the Mirage
Grandon: Publishers; Providence, RI  1950  295            $3.00
1,000 copies printed.
(1st edition: Liveright; New York, NY 1932]  295
Illustrated by Virgil Finlay.
Jacket by Russell Swanson.

Fantastic novel. ***From: (6-part series beginning in Argosy, Vol. 227, No. 1,January 1932). Also: (Fantastic Novels, Vol. 1, No. 5, April 1941) &(Fantastic Novels, Vol. 3, No. 3, Issue 15, September 1949). ***A supernatural thriller based on fanciful ethnology. It shows the double form used in many of Merritt’s novels, an early novella, upon which is tacked a novel. In this case, however, the novella was not published separately, and seems not to have been written as a separate story. ***During an ethnographic expedition to Central Asia, Lief Langdon meets modern descendants of the ancient Uighurs. They are fascinated by his appearance and his fantastic strength, and accept him as being of ancient Uighur blood. They initiate him into the cult of their monster god, Khalk’ru, and unwittingly he aids in a human sacrifice to restore the ancient fertility of the desolate land. When he realizes that the invocation has succeeded, and that a horrible octopus-like monstrosity has manifested itself and killed a woman, he is stricken with remorse, and is haunted for years by memories of his crime. ***Years later, Langdon and Jim, a Cherokee friend of his, are wandering about Alaska, when they come upon a valley hidden beneath a mirage, where in a subtropical world the ancient conditions still hold and the Uighurs are a power. The land is divided by a milky river which was once spanned by a natural stone bridge. It is thus the prototype of the Norse mythological cosmos. On one side of the river live the Uighurs, who still practice the ancient sacrifice to Khalk’ru, and are ruled by Lur, a witch; and on the other side live Pygmies, who were the pre-Indian inhabitants of America. There is hostility between the two peoples. When Lief enters the sunken land, strange memories begin to beset him, memories which are fanned by Lur, who becomes his mistress. They are resurgences of the personality of Dwayanu, the greatest of the Uighur warrior kings of the past. After a time Dwayanu seizes control of Lief, and he sweeps the land with war. Lief gains reascendancy only when Jim, his friend, is killed. Then Lief, in a last gesture, breaks the hold which Khalk’ru has over the land. He leaves, saddened and chastened, with Evalie, a girl from outside, who had been a foil for the more colorful Lur. (In reprint versions Evalie is killed, and Lief leaves alone. This was Merritt’s earlier, but less suitable, ending.) ***This last of the wonderland fantasies of Merritt’s is in many ways the best. Characterizations, though types, are convincing, the plot is consistent, and the book is full of ingenious extrapolations. We should add, however, that the style is a little obtrusive, while Merritt’s anthropology—which Merritt himself seems to have taken seriously—is nonsense. ***At Argosy’s request, Merritt provided a revised “happy ending” which has been used for all hard-cover editions. The original ending, intended for Weird Tales before Farnsworth Wright died, first appeared in the amateur magazine Bizarre (January 1941) as a separate item, and was used in Fantastic Novels (No. 5, April 1941), later magazine printings, and the Avon editions. ***First paperback edition: Avon, MM24, 1944, 158 pp., pa .25¢.      

3. 
Crawford, Joseph H. Jr.
333: A Bibliography of the Science-Fantasy Novel
Grandon: Publishers; Providence, RI  1953  80            $2.00
50 hardbound copies printed (no jacket), 450 paperbound.
Paperbound jacket by Roy Hunt.

Reference. ***Bibliography, with short synopsis. ***333 is concerned with those novels which are generally considered the best efforts in Science-Fantasy up to and including 1950. It deals primarily with American fiction, and as such, provides bibliographic information—publisher, date and place of publication—for the first American edition. In the few exceptions where important English novels have been included, first English edition information is provided. Each title is plot digested and discussed. An individual classification—one of the eight divisions which make up the entire field of Science-Fantasy—has been assigned to each title, and the possibilities of this division are explored in the work’s introduction. Text arrangement is alphabetical by the author’s last name. A cross index by title is provided. ***A must have for any serious collector.

4. 
Browne, Howard
Return of Tharn
Grandon: Publishers; Providence, RI  1957  253            $3.00
350 copies printed.
Jacket by Henry M. Eichner.

Fantastic adventure novel. ***From: (Amazing Stories, Vol. 22, No 10, No. 11 & No. 12, Issue 231, 232 & 233, October, November & December 1948). ***Tharn’s existence dates back to 1943, when Warrior of the Dawn, the first novel in the series, appeared as a long book. This sequel, complete in itself, takes up the thread of excitement in no less of a swashbuckling manner. ***Tharn is a good-natured Cro-Magnon—a true man of the dawn age, dating back to the morning of time on this planet. He fights for good and right at the dawn of time, 20,000 years ago or more. Tharn operates around the Mediterranean and encounters a barbarian society more advanced than most other cultures of that time. His adventures are decidedly fantastic, leading him through savage jungles to the barbaric kingdom of Ammad, majestic and intriguing in all its foreign might. ***Still a good read for the genre. ***No paperback edition.     

5. 
Munn, H[arold] Warner
The Werewolf of Ponkert
Grandon: Publishers; Providence, RI  1958 138            $3.00
500-350 copies printed (some autographed).
Jacket by Harry Whewell.

Fantastic short stories. *** [a] “The Werewolf of Ponkert” (Weird Tales, Vol. 6, No. 1, Issue 22, July 1925) & (Weird Tales, Vol. 44, No. 8, Issue 269, January 1953). Praised for over seventy-five years as a classic of lycanthropy. Inspired by a suggestion of H.P. Lovecraft. Munn himself remembered that the story was inspired by a letter from H.P. Lovecraft, which was published in Weird Tales. H.P.L. asked—and this was prior to the meeting of these two writers—why someone had not attempted a werewolf story as narrated by the werewolf himself. ***This rousing novel tells first of fifteenth century Hungary, where Wladislaw Brenryk, an honest shopkeeper, is attacked by a werepack and forced to become one of its slavish members, obeying utterly its sorcerous leader, the man known only as the Master. But, as their deeds become bloodier, Wladislaw and other pack members plot revolt. But is revolt possible against one as powerful as the Master. And, if they fail, what would the price of failure be? ***In the prologue the writer meets Pierre while traveling around Paris. In an indiscreet moment, the drunk Old Pierre tells the tale of a curse of lycanthropy that runs in his family. As proof, he gives the writer a small, ancient, book made of human skin. Told in Hungarian, transcribed into Latin, written in the book and bound with chains to secure it from theft during the Dark Ages, now translated into modern French and from that into English. ***Wladislaw Brenryk begins his tale at the end. He is imprisoned, about to die for some horrible crimes, and tells his tale to a priest who writes it down in Latin, which is later to be written on his skin after he is flayed alive for his crimes. After the death of his parents, he wandered, becoming successful as a trader. He settled in the village of Ponkert, opening a shop, selling silks and decorated swords. The night his world changed he is carrying a large amount of gold after selling a chief of a large Tartar caravan six of his best sword hilts. Brenryk lives far outside of town, and sometimes, like this night, considers it a mistake. He receives the clear impression of imminent evil. Soon he is being pursued by a pack of wolves. Cornered, he attacks one, killing it, and this stops the wolves from further violence. The leader, a small black wolf with terrible eyes, considers Brenryk carefully. The pack circles him, until the dead one begins to turn back into a man. In a panic he attacks the pack. All he can remember is the master ordered him to strip off his clothes as he changed into a wolf, feasting on his horses. So it begins, when summoned by the master, he leaves his house, his wife and baby daughter, turns into a wolf and hunts with the pack. He learns that this is his punishment for killing one of the pack, he is given the choice of death or becoming one of them to replace the dead member. Brenryk can not resist the master, but he identifies all the other members of the pack as townsfolks. He plots with one of them, Simon, to undermine the master and destroy him. Brenryk plants the seeds of greed into the minds of his fellow werewolves. Only the master is immortal, and if they destroy him and take his place, they can become immortal instead. But the master is wise to all these tricks, he has seen all of them before. On the night that Brenryk plans to spring his trap on the master, the master turns the tables, forcing Brenryk to kill his own wife and bring his baby daughter to the others to devour. He does all these things, but he partially remembers some peasant coming across them and something happening. But the next day, as a man again, he is remorseful, knowing he has killed his wife, and probably his daughter. A beggar comes to his door, seeking aid. Brenryk gives him a gold coin, a huge sum, and tells him to go tell all the people of Ponkert that he is a werewolf and has killed his family. The beggar flees in panic, but tells the people and Brenryk confronts the mob set on killing him. The tanner is the boldest and set on killing Brenryk. But a knight intervenes, knocking the tanner senseless and rescuing Brenryk from the mob, only to take him to stand for trial and sentence. So Brenryk finishes the narrative of how he became a werewolf, all the people he murdered with the pack, and about the master. He is persuaded to help find and eliminate the master. He is used as willing bait in the ruins of an old castle, to summon the pack to aid him. Thinking they are helping him escape his captors, the tables are turned and all in the pack are slain. The master barely escapes, and it is thought that he is mortally wounded. But on Brenryk’s final night alive, the master returns to him to offer his freedom for his unwavering loyalty. Brenryk refuses, the master departs, Brenryk is flayed alive. The writer picks up the thread of the story again, asking Pierre how it is that he is a descendant of the werewolf, if both wife and child were killed. But as it turns out, the baby daughter was rescued by the peasant, half imagined by Brenryk. *** This volume also contains the haunting sequel, [b] “The Werewolf’s Daughter” (abridged) (Weird Tales, Vol. 12, No. 4, No. 5 & No. 6, Issue 61, 62 & 63, October 1928, November 1928 & December 1928). ***Hugo Gunnar is a young gipsy. He has traveled far from his home in France, and now is part of the caravan led by Mirko, visiting the Hungarian village of Ponkert. On their way through the town to their campground, Hugo spots a beautiful young girl, and it is love at first sight. Mirko warns him about the witch, telling him the story about her, she is the werewolf’s daughter. Ivga has been raised by Dmitri, and now that first love has come to her, she questions him. She has often wondered why the villagers fear her. So Dmitri tells him the story of her real father, not him, who was also a werewolf. How Dmitri struck down the tanner that now works as a dumb laborer, made simple by the blow, and took Wladislaw Brenryk to trial. Finding his baby daughter alive, he secretly told Brenryk, making his last moments bearable. He promised to raise Ivga and protect her with his life. But now the old captain of the Black Guard is paralyzed from the waist down and can no longer protect her from the villagers. Daily they grow bolder, seeking an opportunity to kill her as the witch they believe her to be. Dmitri tells her about the book, made from the skin of her father, that tells his story, as it hangs from a chain inside the church in Ponkert. Ivga goes to read the tale herself, and has a ghostly encounter with both of her parents, which gives her the will to live on. On the way home, it is now late and dark, she hides, and Hugo stumbles over her. It is the beginning for the two of them, they profess their love for each other and make plans for the future. The next day, Ivga goes to the gipsy camp to see Hugo. She tells him that she is the werewolf’s daughter, but he responds by making up a beautiful story about his family. In it, one of his ancestors was also a werewolf, so both Hugo and Ivga have something in common. Now Ivga is relieved and not as worried about Hugo, he has stood true to her and their love. But Claudia, the gipsy fortuneteller is not so sure, she is convinced that Ivga is a witch. As Hugo walks Ivga home, they do not notice the idiot who was the tanner. He is planning revenge on both Ivga and Dmitri for making him an idiot. The next day, rumors spread through the village. Every wrong and hurt is now believed caused by Ivga. The villagers have become restless, and begin to grow bolder. Hugo insists that Claudia come and tell Dmitri and Ivga’s fortune, thus cementing his relationship on good will. Reluctantly, she comes, but she foretells Dmitri’s death, and only evil for Ivga. But Hugo shows his new weapon, a rapier, to Dmitri, who displays his old and trusted sword. Hugo demonstrates that he is a man to be reckoned with, capable of protecting Ivga. Now the villagers are bold enough, they come to Ivga to burn her, but stop short of killing Dmitri Helgar out of fear for his soldier friends. All day, Ivga is tortured on the stake, but not killed, that is for the next dawn. Dmitri prays to God for help, and finds he is able to stand. He staggers after Ivga, to free her. Hugo has also heard what has happened, and he runs after Ivga. Before Hugo reaches her, the master comes to her. Seeming to be in a dream, Ivga makes a promise with the master, agreeing that one or more of each of her descendants will be a werewolf under his control, and he will arrange to free her. She agrees. Hugo arrives and rescues her. They flee, followed closely by Dmitri, but they do not know it. They fear the mob of villagers that are pursuing all of them. They cross the mountains to the river, and get in a boat, sailing to freedom. It is a near thing. Dmitri stands guard at a narrow pass, fulfilling his promise to Brenryk to give his life to save his daughter. Dmitri dies as Claudia the fortune teller predicted, he slips on the dead body of the now headless idiot tanner. He is killed by a dead man, as he falls and is overcome by the remaining mob. Finally, after many harrowing adventures, both Hugo and Ivga make it to France and safety. They are helped by the unnoticed presence of the master, who accompanies them to their new home, and his new hunting ground. ***[a] is one of the best of the werewolf stories ever written. ***First paperback edition: Centaur, 1976, 148 pp., pa $1.50; cover art: Steve Fabian.

The jacket of Dwellers in the Mirage announced a Grandon edition of The Face in the Abyss, by A. Merritt, but it was not printed under this imprint.

FFF

1950—1950

Don Grant and Thomas Hadley’s publishing fever was very infectious (see introduction to the Buffalo Book Company). When Hadley went under, old-time fan and book dealer Julius Unger bought the back stock. The Skylark of Space was still selling so well it soon went out of stock. Unger decided a new edition was in order. FFF stands for Fantasy Fiction Field, Unger’s fanzine for many years. The FFF Skylark of Space is entirely new, not like the Buffalo or Hadley editions.

After Fantasy Press published both Skylark Three and Skylark of Valeron, Unger wrote to Eshbach urging him to reprint Skylark of Space. He had been selling the Hadley second edition and the two Fantasy Press titles as a set. When his stock of Skylark of Space was exhausted, he tried Eshbach, pointing out it would be a natural to have a matching set. Eshbach couldn’t be persuaded, so Unger went it alone.

Julius Unger secured permission from Doc Smith to reprint the classic space opera. It was an instant success, and sold out immediately.

It was the only title he produced under this imprint.   

1. 
Smith, E[dward] E[lmer], Ph.D.
The Skylark of Space;
The Tale of the First Inter-stellar Cruise
FFF; New York, NY        1950            245            $3.00
1st book edition, Buffalo, 1946, pp.218 (which see).
2nd book edition, Hadley, 1947, pp.220 (which see).
3rd book edition, FFF, 1950, 1,000 copies printed.
Jacket by Frank R. Paul.
Reviewed elsewhere (Buffalo Book Company), which see.

Unger also did some jackets for his back stock of the Hadley Mightiest Machine, labeling them FFF Publications on the jacket spine. There is, then, a Hadley jacket and Unger FFF reprint jacket. Unger did the same thing for The Black Wheel, by A. Merritt and Hannes Bok, as published by New Collectors Group,  that is he supplied it with an FFF jacket. It is interesting to note that it was not issued with a dust jacket.

Shroud: Publishers

1954—19--  

Shroud: Publishers was financed, in the beginning at least, by one Robert J. Fritz. Kenneth J. Krueger was editor-in-chief, and became so identified with Shroud that few people even remember R.J. Fritz. The press also was associated with a paperback publisher, SSR [Snappy Space Rocket] Publications (including early works by Advent:Publishers partner Robert Briney writing as Don Duane). All of it—Shroud and SSR—passed finally to Ken Krueger, who retained the back stock, the copyrights, and the Shroud name as a series title.

See also Kenneth J. Krueger: Publisher.

1. 
Chambers, Robert W[illiam]
The Maker of Moons
Shroud: Publishers; Buffalo, NY1954            82            $1.00
1,086 copies printed (bound sheets with a dust jacket).
Jacket and illustrations by Charles Momberger.
(1st edition; Putnams; New York, NY1896  401)

Science fantasy novel. ***From: (English Illustrated Magazine, July 1896). ***Chinese sorcerers, who are a menace to the world, specialize in the creation of life. ***A novel of horror, of the mysterious Lake of the Stars, and the monster that dwelt in its waters. ***The narrative opens when the narrator states his wish to reveal all he can of Yue-Laou and the Xin. He is later seen at a gold-shop, where a friend, Godfrey, shows him a golden chain. In the middle of the conversation they notice that a strange creature is crawling in Godfrey’s pocket; he says of this: “It is, I believe, the connecting link between a sea-urchin, a spider, and the devil. It looks venomous but I can't find either fangs or mouth. Is it blind? These things may be eyes but they look as if they were painted. A Japanese sculptor might have produced such an impossible beast, but it is hard to believe that God did. It looks unfinished too.” The narrator is then visited by a friend of his, a secret agent, Barris, who informs him of the discovery that gold is in fact a composite metal and that it can be made artificially—and also that there is a mob of people making it. A few days later, the narrator, the secret agent, and their other acquaintance, Pierpont, leave for Cardinal Woods by Starlit Lake. There they begin hunting, while the secret agent goes off to look around. During the hunt the narrator stumbles on a hidden fountain in the middle of the forest. There he meets a woman named Ysonde. They begin to talk, the narrator learning that she comes from Yian, but then she suddenly disappears. He is lead to think she was but a phantom and goes of hunting, learning the progress of Barris' operation. In the night, he then sees a Chinaman, whom others have reportedly seen in the region. He is mightily disturbed also by the fact that he cannot find the pond where he met Ysonde, even though he knew exactly where it was, finally acknowledging that Ysonde does not exist. He meets her again, however, and is thrilled. He asks her more about her origins. One of the things she keeps referencing is her former home, the city of Yian. The narrator, after he returns to his cabin, falls sick. Only after he recovers does he ask Barris where Yian lies. He denies the existence of the city, but after the narrator presses him, he finally exclaims that Yian does truly exist. “Yian is a city,” repeated Barris, “where the great river winds under the thousand bridges—where the gardens are sweet scented, and the air is filled with the music of silver bells.” My lips formed the question, “Where is this city?” “It lies,” said Barris, almost querulously, “across the seven oceans and the river which is longer than from the earth to the moon.” Barris also proclaims that it is both the center of the Kuen-Yuin and Yue-Laou, and also that he once lived and loved there, but that he was tricked by Yue-Laou, who is the Maker of Moons, who provided him with a lovely woman, with whom he fell in love, and then took her away. However, Barris does believe that Xangi, who “is God,” is greater then the sorcerer Yue-Laou and that he shall bring him again to his beloved. Barris goes to kill Yue-Laou. The narrator afterward goes off to find Ysonde. He meets hordes of fleeing animals and finally sees her. They both then witness, in horror, Yue-Laou bringing forth the Xin, a monster that now lives in the bottom of Starlit Lake. Barris shows up, but even though he “shoots” Yue-Laou, neither body is ever found. The Xin has taken them. (Shroud version ends.) ***(The original version contains the following. The story ends with a strange note:) Ysonde bends oven my desk, I feel her hand on my arm, and she is saying, “Don't you think you have done enough today, dear? How can you write such silly nonsense without a shadow of truth or foundation?”, bringing doubt to the credibility of the above narrative. ***The Shroud edition omits the last two paragraphs of the story to make it fantastic, and includes a brief essay on Chambers by Ken Krueger. ***Recommended. ***A short list of wonderful books that were sadly never produced by Shroud appears on the end flap of the dust jacket. They are: I Found Helen of Troy, by Thomas P. Kelley; Dracula’s Quest, by Bram Stoker; Amazon Quest, by Arthur J. Burks; and The Shapes of Evil, edited by Kenneth J. Krueger.

2. 
Burks, Arthur J.
Look Behind You!
Shroud: Publishers; Buffalo, NY1954            73            $1.00
80 copies hardcover, with jacket, $5.00.
650 paper copies, with jacket, $1.00.
Jacket design by Charles Momberger. Jacket and illustrations by DEA (Mrs. Margaret Domenick).

Science fiction and fantasy short stories. ***Contents: ***A collection of a long novel and five short stories concerning such diversified subjects as jungle demons, a trip to Hell, immortality, and a super-invention that could peer into the past. ***”Introduction,” by Kenneth J. Krueger. ***A tribute to Burks as one of America’s most gifted writers. [a] “All the Lights Were Green,” Dan Ralston is a very special pilot, he always gets where he is going without mishap. This mission will test his luck. He is flying the Venezuelan revolutionary leader, Ruymundo de Castro, to a hidden and barely accessible airfield carved out of the jungle on a foreboding mountainside. The two men, alone on the airplane, become friends of sorts as they meet the same dangers in the air. The fog, thick and close, never lets up, and the mountainsides are perilously close. In many ways, de Castro is just like Ralston, blessed with a certain kind of luck which has made him successful in his attempt to overthrow the current dictator. Approaching the landing field, Ralston sees a serious of green lights in the air, but de Castro can not see them. Ralston lands. He waits in the airplane, hoping that the weather will clear, but there is a problem and de Castro has been betrayed, the army of the dictator has found him, and they want him dead. He boards the airplane and Ralston begins to try to takeoff, but all the lights he sees are red. The revolutionary understands what it means, and departs to face his execution. Ralston is now free to leave, all the lights are green. ***Much better than the bad typesetting would indicate. [b] “The Kindness of Maracati” Bokai is the old wife of Maracati, chief of a Mundurucu maloca in Central Brazil. Upon the death of her husband, who has a reputation for absolute kindness, she begins to laugh uncontrollably, unable to stop. The villagers are disturbed by this and can not understand why. The story takes a flashback of 50 years and the reason for her mad laughter is explained. Bokai was really a very wicked woman. She committed adultery with the handsome Caru. Maracati had warned Caru what would happen to him. Bokai knew that if she was caught or found out, that both her and her lover would be killed by the villagers, but Maracati is kind. He kills Caru and brings his body back to their hut. He forces Bokai to dig a grave in the floor under their sleeping mat. Caru is buried there, later his body is joined by other family members, as this is the traditional way the villagers bury their dead. Bokai is saved from death by Maracati’s act of kindness. They live as man and wife, but he is never kind to her, never speaks to her again, even though they have several children together. Only on his death bed does he speak to her, telling her to never forget the act of kindness that saved her life. ***A splendid story, highly recommended. [c] “Our Daily Tuesday” Mark Gibney is a super-genius. At the age of seven he has a moment of inspiration and spends his early youth filling his mind with everything he will need to fulfill his vision. He knows how to stop aging, how to stay young his allotted lifespan. By some unexplained act of visualization, which he must never reveal to anyone because then it will stop working, he can maintain himself forever young. So on a perfect Tuesday he puts his plan into action and stops aging. Gibney goes through several wives, while he remains always young, until he decides to die, bored finally. ***This story does not quite work. [d] “Ye Impys of Helle” The narrator has discovered a unique use for ayahuasca, a habit-forming drug he found on a journey to the Amazon. By taking this drug, he experiences a type of telepathy. It takes the form of disembodied journeys wherein he can look into the deepest thoughts of anyone and see how they view the world. He can see that sinners think like saints, and that saints have lewd and lascivious thoughts. Each time he begins one of his journeys, an inner voice asks, “Are you sure you want this?” At first he thinks that the voice is a part of his own psyche, but soon he discovers that it is an imp of hell, the guardian of the doorway into other people’s minds. This does not discourage him, rather it is encouraging and he masters the technique further. In the end, he understands that he can look anywhere, and almost looks into Heaven, where he knows all mental activity will cease and he will also cease to be. In the nick of time he stops himself, because this time he did not hear the imp asking the question and realizes he was almost trapped. ***An interesting story that could have been reworked to better effect. [e] “Look Behind You!” (1) “Dark Room Shadows” Randolf Perssons, the narrator, is a busy-body. He has retired early from life and developed a unique photographic technology, with which he can peer into the dark and hidden secrets of his neighbors. Randolf decides to use his device to uncover the hidden secrets of Janet Leath. Janet is a saint in the town, always doing good works for everyone, friendly and helpful at all times, and much too busy to marry. Randolf discovers that she is like this because once, in her distant past, she committed adultery with a married man. He films her past with his device and sends her the film, for his noble purpose of eliminating hypocrisy, but what would be considered as a blackmail attempt by anyone else. Janet, the Angel of Pariston, goes missing after the film is delivered.  (2) “The Shadow Technique” Randolf explains how his technology works and the use he has made of it. He has taken secret film of all of Pariston’s most influential people and sends his anti-hypocrisy films to them. Janet returns after being missing for ten days and asks him to stop by for a visit. (3) “City of Dark Remembrance” Randolf feels good about what he has done by exposing the hypocrisy of his fellows. But as he walks around the small town, he notices a change has come over everyone. People are hushed and scurry around, looking over their shoulders, wondering who is spying on them, who is trying to blackmail them. He goes for his visit with Janet. Before they had been friends, now a cat-and-mouse game ensues. Randolf almost feels guilty, and almost admits that it was his film sent to Janet that has exposed her secrets. But he hesitates, still thinking that for some odd reason he has the moral high ground. Janet shows him the film which he sent to her. He notices that it has been expertly cut by someone, someone who would have to know a great deal about his scientific discovery. (4) “Always Look Behind You, Friend” On the verge of caving in, two visitors arrive, Randolf can tell that one is Janet’s ex-lover, the married man. The other is his wife, who knew all about the affair. In other words, there was no real secret hidden in Janet’s past, only her remorse that caused her to dedicate her life to doing good. Randolf realizes that it was either her ex-lover, Monk, or his wife, DeEtta, who has altered his film. Not able to stand it, that someone has made inroads into his discovery, he reveals his complicity. Then Monk and DeEtta start to talk to him about using his more advanced understanding of the principles involved to create real blackmail films of people, and to get rich from it. He asks Janet if she would accept money from blackmail, she says no. This clinches it, Randolf has realized how much wrong he has done, and in the hands of someone evil, like Monk and DeEtta, it will do even more harm than he already has. He goes home and commits suicide, blowing up himself and his secrets. ***(novelette, 10,000 words). ***Not recommended. [f] “The Chosen of the God” Lon Baldwin is suffering from a strange fever contracted in the wild jungles of Brazil. Over and over again the phrase, “Never bet the devil your head,” races through his mind. He imagines himself somewhere else in his fevered state, and he is there. Baldwin can hear the thoughts of everyone around him, all are repeating the phrase, driving him to the brink of madness. He stumbles out of the jungle into a remote village. The local witchdoctor, Huetinbin, offers a cure. If he sits at the caushikari, the witchcraft place, all night and really believes and asks for anything, it will happen. He believes, but everything he asks for only makes his condition worsen. So, finally, in desperation, he asks that all thought be removed from his mind. It is so. The next morning, the villagers find him mindless, and begin the process of taken care of one of the chosen of God. ***Some points of interest, but not sustaining. ***This was to be the first Shroud publication. ***[b] is best.

3. 
McDougle, William
The Female Demon
Shroud: Publishers; Buffalo, NY1955            76            $1.25
10 copies hardcover, no jacket.
950 paper copies, with jacket, $1.00.
Jacket and illustrations by Charles Momberger.

Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

Front without dust jacket.

Fantastic poetry. ***31 unusual poems from literary journals such as The Winged Word and Poetry Book Magazine. ***Contents: [a] “Introduction,” by Jack Woodford. ***Effusive praise from one Shroud contributor to another. In this brief introduction, Woodford mentions the recent death of McDougle’s wife and daughter, which goes to explain the repetitious nature, and the type of poems contained in this volume. [b] “Wurr Ghu” ***Dream journey through the dire forest of Wurr Ghu.  [c] “The Cool Parlor” ***A green goblin comes to taunt the dying Skinny Lizzie into singing one more song. [d] “Lobungo Isthmus” ***The plant and insect life along the Lobungo Isthmus become transformed into nearly supernatural things on a journey. [e] “The Island of Lillah” ***A dream journey to the eternal island of Lillah were all dwellers escape from death and the ultimate destruction of the universe. [f] “I Learned to Whistle in the Swarthy Night” ***A child learns to whistle away imagined fears in the night. [g] “The Female Demon” ***A man and his girlfriend take a journey on a ghostly train. The girl remains, sucked down into the pit. The man returns to safer harbors, lamenting his lost love. [h] “The Pink Mouse” ***Surrealistic nonsense that almost makes sense, about a demon and his pink mouse who liv”Fe in a strange house. The house is on the road filled with wandering dead who go to their appointed fate. Some stop by the house to escape their fate for a moment. [i] “From Out of Space” ***In a dream journey a man wanders through nameless corridors lined with closed doors. One is open and he enters. Inside he sees the fate of the Zumppo queen. She is damned for all time for freeing the Goddess Kamlan’s nine pink birds. [j] “The Traitor” ***A man is betrayed by his lover. She has found a weird and more preferred fate. [k] “The Escape” ***A lover betrayed again, this time escapes into madness. [l] “I Wandered Far With Magic” ***A magical dream journey shows the dreamer visions of hell. [m] “The Land of Ogarr” ***A wanderer is searching for his homeland, a wanderer land, Ogarr. [n] “The End of an Inn” ***Eat, drink and be merry, because tomorrow, like the Inn, we will all find our end. [o] “The Lost Village” ***A much remembered village is lost into the quicksands of the swamp, time and devilish doom. [p] “The Lodger” ***The anticipation of death, and an eternity of bitter poison to drink. [q] “Journey to the Valley of Obbyboomeraw” ***The traveler finds fear and strange signs in the valley, and runs away in horror. [R] “Fred Sands and the Goblin” ***A goblin jeers at the dying man, even after he is long dead. [s] “Tillie and Lillie” ***A warning to Tillie that she will soon come to dread after her laughter ceases. Possibly, she has killed Lillie in delight and will come to regret it later. [t] “To—“ ***Two lovers experience something wonderful and dreadful, retreating from it with only a memory. [u] “Water” ***An opium induced dream of floating on seas of fairies and devils. [v] “The Wind Has Risen From the Dead” ***A ghastly wind from the dead makes the dreamer familiar and no longer dreading death. [w] “The Dead Gray Sound” ***Fantastic creatures noisily fill a void of silence, the same silence of lost love and lost wedding rings. [x] “Intangible Contact” ***Lamenting a lost love, but still hopefully in contact for all eternity. [y] “Last Night I Saw Nine Goblins Jumping” ***Nine goblins cavorting around, getting drunk on moon gas-beer. [z] “Nightmare Rain” ***A man driven mad by the incessant dripping of rain drops. [aa] “Ghost Port” ***A demon sea, a demon port, and ghostly sailors on endless trips. [bb] “The Scratch” ***An incessant scratch on the window at midnight. When searched for, it is gone, and the listener wishes it were back. ***Reminiscent of Poe’s “The Raven.” [cc] “Deserted Coal Mine” ***An old miner has been waiting in a dilapidated shack for his wife to return. Rumors are that she ran away. But the miner is sure she went into the coal mine the day it blew up. At the end, the ghost of the wife joins the now dead coal miner in the ruins of the shack. [dd] “The Journey of No Return: 1933” ***A man’s wife dies, never to return again. [ee] “Gone” ***Two lovers share an enchanted moment, and then his wife is gone. [ff] “The Searcher” ***Life after death, and the journey to God. ***The illustrations by Charles Momberger are worth the price of purchase. They are first rate. ***[bb] is the very best.                          

4. 
Lovecraft, H[oward] P[hillips]
The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath
Shroud: Publishers; Buffalo, NY1955            107            $1.25
50 copies hardcover, with jacket, $5.00.
Hardcover jacket by Frank D. McSherry, Jr.
1,450 paper copies, numbered.
Jacket and illustrations by Charles Momberger.

Hardcover jacket.

Paper jacket.

Fantastic novel ***From: (4-part series beginning in the Arkham Sampler, No. 1 thru No. 4, Winter through Fall 1948). ***A very long over-written dream-quest in the Dunsanean manner. Randolph Carter seeks childhood memories. *** A tale of the ancient Gods, of Cthulhu, and of a weird quest through the horrors of antiquity for a strange lost city, and what Randolph Carter found there. ***There are occasional moments of interest, but the story is mostly in a vein of whimsy that seems to this reader simply silly. ***Randolph Carter dreams three times of a majestic sunset city, but each time he is abruptly snatched away before he can see it up close. When he prays to the gods of dream to reveal the whereabouts of the phantasmal city, they do not answer. Undaunted, Carter resolves to go to Kadath, where the gods live, to beseech them in person. However, no one has ever been to Kadath and none even knows how to get there. In dream, Randolph Carter descends "the seventy steps to the cavern of flame" and speaks of his plan to the priests Nasht and Kaman-Thah, whose temple borders the Dreamlands. The priests warn Carter of the great danger of his quest. ***The quest begins: Carter enters the Enchanted Wood and meets the zoogs, a race of predatory and sentient rodents. For a novice, such an encounter could prove calamitous, but Carter is an experienced dreamer and so is knowledgeable of their language and customs. When Carter asks the zoogs about Kadath, they don't know where it is; instead, they suggest that Carter go the town of Ulthar and find a wizened priest named Atal who is learned in the ways of the gods. In the cat-laden city of Ulthar, Carter visits Atal, who mentions a huge carving wrought on Ngranek’s hidden side that shows the features of the gods. Carter realizes that if he can go to Ngranek, examine the carving, and then find a place where mortals share those features—and are thus part-god—he must be near Kadath. ***Voyage to Oriab Isle: Carter goes to Dylath-Leen to secure passage to Oriab. Dylath-Leen is infamous for the black galleys that frequent its harbors. These galleys are steered by oarsmen who are never seen and crewed by turbaned men that trade curious-looking rubies for slaves and gold. Randolph Carter’s quest is interrupted when he is captured by the turbaned men and flown to the moon on one of their notorious black galleys. Once there, he learns that the turbaned men are slaves to the terrifying moon-beasts. A procession of moon-beasts and their slaves escort Carter across the moon to deliver him to the Crawling Chaos Nyarlathotep (one of the Other Gods who rule space, in contrast to the Great Ones, the gods of earth). He is saved by the cats of Ulthar, who slay his captors and return Carter to earth’s Dreamlands in the port of Dylath-Leen. Carter boards a ship sailing to Baharna, a great seaport on the isle of Oriab. On the way to Oriab and while he travels across the island riding a zebra, Carter hears dark whispers about the night-gaunts, though they are never properly described. Carter makes a treacherous climb across Ngranek and discovers the gigantic carving of the gods on its far side. He is surprised to see that the features match those of sailors who trade at the port of Celephaïs, but before he can act on this knowledge, he is snatched away by the night-gaunts and left to die in the Vale of Pnath in the underworld. Carter is rescued by friendly ghouls who agree to return him to the upper Dreamlands. They make their way to the terrible city of the gugs to reach the Tower of Koth, wherein a winding stairway leads to the surface. Finding the city asleep, Carter and the ghouls sneak past the snoring gugs and ascend the stairway to the Enchanted Wood. ***Journey to Celephaïs: Here Carter comes upon a gathering of zoogs and finds that they plan to make war on the cats of Ulthar. Not wanting to see his friends harmed, Carter warns the cats, enabling them to launch a surprise attack on the zoogs. After a brief skirmish, the zoogs are defeated. To abate further hostilities, the zoogs agree to a new treaty with the cats of Ulthar. Carter reaches the city of Thran and buys passage on a galleon to Celephaïs. While en route, Carter asks the sailors about the men who trade in Celephaïs—the ones he believes to be kin to the gods. He learns that they are from the cold, dark land of Inquanok or Inganok and that few people dare to travel there.
In Celephaïs, Carter meets his old friend Kuranes, the king of the city. Kuranes is an old dreamer whom Carter knew in the waking world, but when he died, he became a permanent resident of the Dreamlands. Longing for home, he has dreamed parts of his kingdom to resemble his native Cornwall. Kuranes knows the pitfalls of the Dreamlands all too well and tries to dissuade Carter from his dangerous quest. Carter, however, will not be deterred. ***Trek into the Cold Waste: Under the pretense of wishing to work in its quarries, Carter boards a ship bound for Inganok, a nation built of onyx. The trip to Inganok takes three weeks, but as they draw near, Carter spots a strange granite island. When he inquires about the mysterious isle, the captain explains that it is the nameless rock, and it is best to not speak of it. That night, Carter hears strange howls from the nameless island. When Carter arrives at Inganok, he purchases a yak and heads northward, in the hope that past the onyx quarries he will find Kadath. Carter ascends a steep ridge beyond which nothing is visible but sky. At the summit, he looks out and gets a breathtaking view of a gargantuan quarry. Carter sets off toward this quarry, but his yak, spooked, abandons him. Carter is captured by a slant-eyed man, whom he believes is of the same ilk as the merchants of Dylath-Leen. The slant-eyed man summons a shantak-bird, which both ride over the Plateau of Leng, a vast tableland populated by Pan-like beings. Arriving at a monastery wherein dwells the dreaded High Priest Not to Be Described, Carter now suspects that the slant-eyed man is yet another conspirator of the forces that seek to thwart his quest. The slant-eyed man leads Carter through the monastery to a domed room with a circular well, which Carter speculates leads to the Vaults of Zin in the underworld. Herein, the high-priest, wearing a silken robe and a mask, is waiting. Carter learns that the Men of Leng are the same beings that conceal their horns under turbans and trade in Dylath-Leen. He also learns that the night-gaunts do not serve Nyarlathotep as is commonly supposed, but Nodens, and that even Earth’s gods are afraid of them. It is never revealed to the reader who the high-priest in the silken mask is, but Carter recoils from him in such horror that it is possible that he is Nyarlathotep (The text suggests that the High-Priest is one of the Moon-Beasts). When the slant-eyed man is momentarily distracted, Carter pushes him into the well and escapes through the maze-like corridors. In pitch-black darkness, Carter wanders through the monastery, fearing he is being pursued by the High Priest Not to Be Described. At last reaching the outside, Carter realizes that he is in the ruins of ancient Sarkomand, which lies near the coast. Soon he encounters the ghouls that helped him earlier once more. The Men of Leng have taken them hostage on their ship, and they are to be taken to the nameless rock, revealed to be a moon-beast outpost. Carter summons the rest of the ghouls from the underworld and they take control of the galley. After releasing their kin, they sail on to the nameless rock and fight a pitched battle against the moon-beasts. Emerging victorious, and fearing the arrival of reinforcements, Carter and the ghouls return to Sarkomand. Once there, Carter obtains the services of a flock of night-gaunts to transport himself and the ghouls to the gods' castle on Kadath. ***Conclusion: After an exhilarating flight, Carter arrives at last at the abode of the gods, but finds it empty. Finally a great procession arrives with much fanfare, led by a pharaoh-like man who explains to Carter that the gods of earth have seen the city of Carter’s dreams and decided to make it their home, and have thus abandoned Kadath. The gods walk no more in the ways of gods, and have become instead mere denizens of the jeweled city Carter had glimpsed in his dreams. The pharaoh commands Carter to find this city, so that the natural order might be restored. "It is not over unknown seas," he says, "but back over well-known years that your quest must go; back to the bright strange things of infancy and the quick sun-drenched glimpses of magic that old scenes brought to wide young eyes. For know you, that your gold and marble city of wonder is only the sum of what you have seen and loved in youth.... These things you saw, Randolph Carter, when your nurse first wheeled you out in the springtime, and they will be the last things you will ever see with eyes of memory and of love." This mysterious man then reveals his identity—he is Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, the emissary of the Other Gods who dwell in the blackness of space. Nyarlathotep sends Carter on a great Inganok shantak-bird through space to the sunset city. Unfortunately, Carter realizes too late that the mocking Nyarlathotep has tricked him, and that instead he is being taken to the court of Azathoth at the center of the universe. At first believing he is doomed, Carter suddenly remembers that he is in a dream and saves himself by leaping from the great bird. Upon awakening, his thoughts turn toward New England, and he finds that he has found himself at last in his marvelous sunset city; no longer in the Dreamlands but in the waking world wandering New England and seeing yet again its beauty. ***Recommended. ***First paperback edition: Ballantine, 01923, 1970, 241 pp., pa .95¢; cover art: Gervasio Gallardo.

5. 
Woodford, Jack [Pseudo. of Woolfolk, Josiah Pitts]
The Motive Key
Shroud: Publishers; Buffalo, NY1956            224            $2.50
Aka: Dawn Press; Hamburg, Ny.
50 copies hardcover, with jacket, $5.00.
Hardcover jacket by Frank D. McSherry, Jr.
950 paper copies.
Jacket by Frank D. McSherry, Jr.

Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

Fantastic novel. ***Very borderline, mostly a mystery with very slight fantasy element. Famed lawyer murdered but reappears—or does he? ***“The one who plans to take my life is presently seated at this table,” Leonard Buchanan announced just before the lights went out and he was stabbed to death. The guilt quickly fastens itself upon Kenneth Newland, Buchanan’s grandson, because it was his knife that was used in the murder. But Paula Termure, Kenneth’s fiancée, refuses to believe that Kenneth could be guilty, and sets out on her own to track down the murderer; using all her feminine wiles, and willing to go to any extremes to save the man she loves. ***Through a series of ruses, Paula attempts to ferret out the real killer. She connives with the help of an actor, Wentworth, to fool the other people present in the room when the lights went out and Buchanan died. He impersonates the dead man so flawlessly that they all think he is still alive. From Fenton, his butler, who carries on conversations while alone with the dead man, to Thornton, the district attorney, out to sent Kenneth to the chair. Everyone had a good motive to kill Buchanan, from his law partners to the newspaper magnates who hated him. Everyone is a suspect, and the finger of guilt points to one after the other, and none are ever really taken off the hook. Paula even offers herself to the main suspect, Estrel, the very lawyer trying to defend Kenneth. He almost succumbs to her temptation. But Kenneth goes to trial, and is convicted by a bored jury. But at the last minute, a suicide note from Buchanan appears from an unimpeachable source. Kenneth is freed and marries Paula, the only one who stood beside him. However, Kenneth has had a lot of time to mature from the feckless playboy into a mature, caring and thinking man, he has thought a lot about the murder of his grandfather. In all confidence, he makes Estrel, his main business partner, admit his complicity in the supposed suicide that Buchanan faked rather than endure the rest of his life with ever diminishing mental resources. ***An amazing tour de-force into a world of mirth and mayhem; supernatural and sophisticate. ***No paperback edition.

6. 
Krueger, Kenneth J. (editor)
Food for Demons
The E. Everett Evans Memorial Volume
Shroud: Publishers; San Diego, CA1971            154            $3.95
13 copies hardcover, no jacket, $5.00.
580 paper copies.
Jacket and interior illustrations by Henry M. Eichner.

Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

This book was printed for Krueger by Grant in 1959, but not bound until 1969. The cover was done in 1970. Some are hand-colored by either Eichner or Krueger. The “true” hardcovers reflect the original New York address. However, all of the paper copies reflect his move to San Diego. ***A transitional book, included here because it spans the period from the late 1950’s to the early 1970’s.

Memorial edition of short stories interspersed with appreciations of Evans. ***[a] “The Undead Die” (Weird Tales, Vol. 40, No. 5, Issue 242, July 1948) Robert Warram and his girlfriend, Lisa, have been vampires for centuries. When they were both 17 and in love, they wandered deep into the dark cellar of some nearby ruins, and met the Master. They become vampires, under the sinister and evil control of the Master. But Robert and Lisa love each other with such a great love that they charm all the supernatural creatures they now meet. Soon, they even encounter one of the Elementals. The Elemental is so impressed with the two lovers that it teaches them how to overcome the Master. They defeat and destroy the Master. Next they spend centuries as vampires, but good ones, doing good things. But all good things must end, and on this morning, Robert wakes to find Lisa pierced through the heart by a fallen tree limb, blown onto her coffin during the day in a storm. Not being able to live without her, he contrives to end his own life in the same way. He dies, clutching her hand. (1) “Appreciation,” by Edward E. Smith. ***A short, but touching note reflecting fond affection and a sense of loss. [b] “Food for Demons” (Weird Tales, Vol. 41, No. 2, Issue 245, January 1949) Professor Fergus Judson is possessed of a demon. Once every six weeks the demon must feed. It is like a vampire and sucks the life force from a nearby victim. The best victims are Judson’s closest friends and competitors. Judson has fallen in love with Roberta Tooker and confides in her, telling her about his problem. After some skepticism, she becomes a believer. He shows her the spell he translated and used to accidentally conjure the demon. While the two attempt to undo the spell, the killings keep happening, and now the authorities believe that Judson is somehow responsible, but they can not quite prove it, yet. Finally, the demon is about to devour the life force from Roberta. She has performed the incantation, but can not pronounce the last word correctly. Judson, with his superior knowledge, does this. The demon is vanquished. The two fall into each other’s arms. (1) “Appreciation,” by Mel Hunter. ***Ev as a consummate gentleman. [c] “The Martian and the Vampire” Old Doc Ferguson tells a rather unbelievable tale. Some time ago, several hundred years ago in Carpathia, a vampire came across its next victim. The victim turned out to be a Martian. The alien blood reverses several of the characteristics of vampirism. He now needs to eat regular food, sleep at night, but he still lives for a very long time. Not only that, his blood has special qualities. A transfusion can prolong life, and cure sickness and disease. The vampire becomes a doctor in order to do good. His first practice leaves behind a town filled with long-lived people, free of all diseases. He visits regularly to infuse his blood into the next generation. As old Doc Ferguson finishes telling the latest doctor to practice in this town, Dr. Stover becomes giddy with the possibilities. He imagines distilling a cure from the blood of the town’s inhabitants. He blesses the Martian for his gift. But old Doc Ferguson mumbles to himself that that wasn’t what he said to that Martian when he met him. (1) “Appreciation,” by Forrest J Ackerman. ***How Ackerman became his agent, friend, and bestman. [d] “The Brooch” Father Philip Marcy discovers the disturbed grave of the woman he helped to bury earlier that day. He tells the groundskeeper, but that man is afraid and thinks it is more than a mere mole digging about. As the story grows, Horace Burgier is forced to admit more than he would like. He is responsible, in no small part, for the strange happenings. He was married to two women, both now dead, and he buried them side-by-side. He first wife was a jealous one. She seemed to be the cause of the death of his second wife, haunting her until she died. It seems that she wanted what was hers, and resented the new wife for wearing her former jewelry. Even in death, she crawled out of her coffin, into the other one, and retrieved her brooch. All the living are amazed and dumbfounded when they unearth the two coffins and discover this supernatural crime.(1) “Appreciation,” by A.E. van Vogt. ***Evans as a determined writer who began late in life and succeeded. [e] “The Unusual Model” A waitress working the night shift befriends a young man. She falls in love with him, which surprises her. Reluctantly, she becomes his model, telling him about her life, so that he can write better. He falls in love with her, which she does not know how to handle. She is used to shorter moments of contact with people. Finally, her lust overpowers her love. She shows the young man her coffin. As he tries to flee in terror, she pounces, sinking her fangs into his throat.(1) “Appreciation,” by Ray Bradbury. ***Being impressed with an old man of 55 taking up writomg as a new career. [f] “Blurb” (Fantasy Book, Vol. 1, No. 3, July 1948) Stanley Ransom is a fledgling writer. He writes a blurb about a possible story. In it he describes a superman, able to control all the forces of nature, a man nothing could stop. In a few days, his creation shows up at his doorstep. He proceeds to bankrupt Ransom, who falls under his mental control. In the nick of time, Ransom is able to gain access to his typewriter again, and writes a death scene for Winston Carstairs, his improbable creation. ***Slightly different story from the one first published in Fantasy Book. (1) “Appreciation,” by Walter J. Daugherty. ***Evans as a fan and a good friend. [g] “Visitor from Kos” (Vortex Science Fiction, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1953) The alien, Agara, crash lands on Earth. With only moments of life left, he violates his ethical beliefs, extends his aum, and takes over the life of another living creature. In the deep forest, he takes over the body of Blackie, a dog. Retracing its steps, he returns to the house of its owner, a man, with wife and child. Agara prays for one more opportunity to use his aum, and inhabit the body of the baby, in order to help raise this civilization to a higher level. (1) “Appreciation,” by Henry M. Eichner. ***Illustrating this book is the culmination of a series of discussion with Evans. [h] “Operation Almost” Commander David Newton is the test pilot on the newly built super spaceship, XMR 1. Unknown to all except his brother, Bill, an alien, has telepathically helped Bill design the craft. The alien is trapped in orbit near our Moon. He wants to be rescued, promising even more help with his advanced science. David secretly diverts the craft from its planned course and goes to the alien space craft. He finds the alien welded shut in a strange metal container. It dawns on him that the alien has not been entirely truthful. It turns out that the alien has been imprisoned there. David begins to free him and discovers that the alien is a space vampire, sucking out his mind. He blows up his ship rather than bring the alien to Earth. (1) “Appreciation,” by Walt Leibscher. ***The Old Foo, a friendly and lovable old fart. [i] “The Sun Shines Bright” A woman has recently given birth to a baby. She becomes a vampire. Her new companion wants her to kill the baby. Instead, she tells the villagers where to find him. She continues to live as a vampire, but takes good care of her baby until an accident nearly kills her. With her last ounce of strength, crawling on her shattered legs, dawn approaching, she drags her baby to the village, to safety. The villagers find the crying baby at dawn, covered by a bundle of rags and dust. (1) “Appreciation,” by Kenneth J. Krueger. ***Acccompanied by a photostatic reproduction of Evans’ obituary (newspaper unidentified), Krueger tells about meeting Evans at the famous fan mecca, the Slan Shack. By far the best, and most touching appreciation, straight from the heart. ***None of his better short stories are included in this collection. ***Each story contains a wonderful illustration by Henry M. Eichner. ***[f] is best. ***This volume is a major surprise, and is highly recommended. The quality of its stories, the appreciations and the illustrations round out a major keystone in specialty publishing. The cover and binding detract somewhat, but they only serve to hide this diamond in the rough.

Kenneth J. Krueger

1958—1965

Kenneth J. Krueger used his own name for his next publishing operation after Shroud had lapsed; Krueger kept selling his leftover copies as well as being a general dealer. After a time he decided to publish again, retaining the Shroud name as a series title. See also Shroud: Publishers and Buffalo Book Company.

(Sample of later printings by Ken Krueger, under yet another imprint.)

1. 
Train, Arthur Cheney and Wood, Robert W[illiams]
The Moon Maker
Kenneth J. Krueger; Buffalo, NY1958            84            $3.00
Aka: Dawn Press; Hamburg, NY
500 copies printed.
Jacket and illustrations by Frank D. McSherry, Jr.

Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

Science fiction novel. ***The sequel to The Man Who Rocked the Earth (Doubleday, Page; Garden City, NY  1915  228). ***An asteroid threatens to wreck the world; kindly old professor goes up to blast it and gets the girl in the process. An atomic-powered spaceship on a mission to divert an asteroid from an impending collision with Earth might sound like an up-to-date SF scenario...unless the book was written in 1916! *** [a] “The Wandering Asteroid” Preceded by a short synopsis of the previous book. Professor Benjamin Hooker, attached to the Department of Applied Physics at Harvard University has just saved the world. When the latest world war was at its height, “Pax,” a mysterious scientist had demanded that all nations conclude a permanent peace, failure would force him to shift the axis of the earth. This demand was followed by major seismic events around the world, and the strange appearance of the Flying Ring. As the nations of the world entered into peace talks, Professor Hooker almost single-handedly found Pax, defeated him, and took control of his Flying Ring, including the all-powerful lavender ray. This novel picks up the action with Professor Hooker landing the Flying Ring in the middle of a golf course, interrupting the game being played by Benjamin T. Tassifer. With the Flying Ring on the green at the Chevy Chase Club, at Washington, Hooker is recognized as the savior of the earth. Anyone else would let such accolades go to his head, but not the professor. He resumes his residence at his rooming house, puzzling over intricate mathematical equations that will help him navigate the Flying Ring. The Flying Ring is hidden out of sight of prying eyes while the professor wanders around town, lost in the fog of his genius, still trying to solve his equation. Sitting on a park bench, he meets a mysterious, beautiful woman, who gives him just the help he needs to take the problem to the next step. But, being a shy bachelor, and a bit of a misogynist, he barely notices the woman. Reading the newspaper that night, he notices an article about a new comet which will pass very close to the earth. Sleepless, he goes to the observatory of Thornton, who was instrumental in helping him defeat Pax. Hoping Thornton can help solve his equation, they discuss the comet instead. The comet will not strike the earth, it will strike an asteroid, and that asteroid, Medusa, will most likely strike the earth, destroying it utterly. While Thornton can not solve the equation, he does suggest that Hooker get the help of the research professor of applied mathematics as the new National Institute, Rhoda Gibbs. Rhoda is, of course, the woman who has already helped him, but he does not realize that until he meets her the next day. Stunned by her beauty, it is with some difficulty that he accepts her help in solving his navigation problem. Hooker is desperate to learn how to control the anti-gravity machine and use the Flying Ring to explore outer space. News of the new comet striking Medusa flashes around the world, people panic. It is determined that it will strike near Galveston, Texas, and at roughly 160 miles in diameter, destroy the earth. [b] “The Flying Ring” Benjamin T. Tassifer, golfer, is also deputy assistant solicitor at the Department of Justice. The niece of his wife is Rhoda. His wife believes that Professor Hooker might be able to do something about the asteroid, especially since Rhoda is helping him. Rhoda has arranged for all three of them to have a personal visit inside the Flying Ring. Rhoda is really keen to go with the professor on his first journey into outer space, especially after she learns that it is ready for the flight. There are even spacesuits, like diving suits, with liquid oxygen. Everything is ready. First she pleads with him not to go. She is worried that the anti-gravity device means a one-way trip. While they argue, they realize that they have both fallen madly in love with each other. Distraught, she tells him that she won’t let him go without her. As the people around the world continue to panic, the professor calmly prepares for his adventure. On the night of the launch, Ben Tassifer, his wife, and Rhoda are onboard to say good-bye. Rhoda, taking photographs, has to make a hasty last minute return to the ship to retrieve her camera as the Tassifer’s depart. With Atterbury, the professor’s staunch companion, at the controls, the Flying Ring lifts off. The Tassifer’s wonder where Rhoda has disappeared to. Professor Thornton remains at his telescope to watch and record the flight. [c] “The Flight of the Ring” The Flying Ring, after reaching its initial velocity, is coasting toward the asteroid, Medusa, using inertia to make the rendezvous. Rhoda, hiding, is almost overcome by the incredible acceleration. The adventurers discover their stowaway, just in time to prepare for zero gravity. While the erstwhile space explorers are busy experiencing the effects of zero gravity, eating and appreciating the view from orbit, they find they are disastrously off course. They are headed toward the moon, and must make a forced landing, or else. With sweat-soaked hands, they make the landing, a near thing. They are the first people on the moon. [d] “On the Moon” With only two spacesuits, and three people aboard, Hooker generously lets Rhoda have the first chance on exploration, along with Atterbury. Atterbury has to change out the uranium cylinders that power the Flying Ring. Rhoda goes off exploring, gets lost, nearly dies. Almost out of oxygen, the Flying Ring hovers over the horizon, and Hooker rescues his love. Rhoda, before passing out, takes a photograph of the Flying Ring with the Earth in the background. Later this will prove their assertions of being the first people on the moon. Back on Earth, Ben Tassifer and wife have finally realized that Rhoda has hitched a ride into outer space. Recovering over a cup of tea, the three prepare for their attack on the asteroid. [e] “The Attack on the Asteroid” Getting their bearings, they fly to within 1,000 miles of Medusa. Using the fabulous lavender ray, they disintegrate the asteroid into small pieces and vapor. Instantly, the asteroid was no more, they had escaped from the debris field, their work was done, the Earth was saved and they could return home. News flashes around the world. The asteroid has been destroyed, disaster has been averted. Home again, Rhoda and Hooker disappear to get married. The unflappable couple have the proof of the photograph for their historic landing on the moon, and the remains of Medusa are now in orbit around the Earth, an extra moon. Professor Hooker is, in fact, the moon maker. ***This nearly forgotten little classic contains one of the most accurate depictions of space travel ever written—in addition to being funny, suspenseful, exciting and as readable now as it was 90 years ago! ***No paperback edition.

2. 
Kinross, Albert
The Fearsome Island,
being a modern rendering of the narrative of one Silas Fordred, master mariner of Hythe
Kenneth J. Krueger; San Diego, CA1965            ii/70            $1.00
300 paper copies printed.
Jacket and illustrations by Frank D. McSherry, Jr.
The Shroud Library of Forgotten Fantasies: Vol. 1
50 sets of the illustrations were offered as a separate portfolio.
(1st edition, Arrowsmith; Bristol  [1896] 199)

Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

Alternate cover using interior illustrations

Fantastic novel. ***Sea-adventure, ostensibly the reminiscences of an Elizabethan sailor. ***Silas Fordred is a 16th century master mariner. Together with his business partner, Thomas Snoad, they sail around the coast of West Africa, trading for things of value. Just beginning their return trip on their stout ship, the Brave Luck, they are shipwrecked upon a witch’s island in the Atlantic, somewhere off the shore of America. On this mysterious, uncharted island in the Atlantic, he meets strange adventure in a series of traps set by a wizard who had previously ruled the island; most are explicable by modern science or science fiction, but Fordred sees them as magical. The hero encounters numerous perils, seemingly supernatural in origin, though several employ the use of electricity, mechanics, photography, and other technological advances. ***Fordred’s terror begins when Snoad is killed by a mysterious giant bronze statue. Attempting to pry out the giant diamond eyes, the hands of the statue move, and tear him into two pieces. Silas is now alone on the island, but the black tom-cat, Satan, from the Brave Luck, finds him. The two share many adventures together. Searching into the interior of the island, they find a Spanish castle, now in ruins. Prudently, Silas uses his belt to operate the doorknocker, which becomes another terror trap, which would have taken off his hand. Carefully exploring the interior, they find canned food, wine, gold, jewels, and tools. But they also find traps, each adds to his growing sense of fear. Finally, in a drunken stupor, he climbs the tower to discover the source of a mysterious light, and encounters the only living inhabitant of the castle, a withered old woman. Dubbing her the Hag of the Turret, he leaves her, fearing she is a witch. Wandering around the island, he encounters a naked, voiceless, native who runs from him as he leaves the castle. Growing bolder, Silas explores one of the treasure rooms, only to find another trap, when a poisonous gas is released. The now much beloved Satan is killed by the trap. Silas is devastated and goes to kill the Hag, who he believes is responsible for setting all the traps. She reveals a mirror, which contains the photographic image of Diego Rodriguez. The evil gaze of the man sends Silas running in terror. Silas leaves the castle and becomes friends with the voiceless native, who he names Esau. Together they begin to carefully pilfer the castle and plan their escape. They find a wonderful boat on the island, and stock it. But before he leaves, Silas uses the stockpile of gunpowder in the castle to blow it up. First, though, he is attacked by the Hag who now wants him to go into one of the terror rooms, and of course, find some hideous end. Silas defeats the Hag, and then with Esau’s help, destroys the mirror which he believes contains the spirit of the evil sorcerer, Diego. Growing bolder, Silas conceives of a way to take the diamonds from the bronze goddesses eyes. He does, using the mechanism to destroy itself. The two friends nearly die on their ocean journey. Esau succumbs just as they are rescued. The story of his adventure is left as a manuscript, found by the narrator centuries later. As a final note, the narrator tells of another apocryphal manuscript detailing the life story of Diego Rodriguez, Grand Torturer of the Inquisition, who fled the country with all of his wealth when he had made too many enemies, taking his young daughter with. The narrator speculates that the Hag was that daughter, and that Esau was one of the last inhabitants of the island left, after the rest built the castle and were tortured to death. ***Interesting, even though the 16th century dialect is suspect. The little known story is a first-rate tale of terror, a true gem. Recommended. ***Of note: Krueger used an unknown number of each of the various illustrations contained within for the covers. So there are several “variant” covers for this edition, none with any priority over the others.

Donald M. Grant

1964—

Donald M. Grant got back into publishing in 1964 as Donald M. Grant, Publisher. His first book under this imprint was by Henry Hardy Heins. Heins, a Lutheran minister and obviously a Burroughs fan, had issued a greatly abbreviated version of his work in mimeographed form in 1962. This edition was a beautifully produced book. Selling at $10 per copy, an unheard of price, it was out of print in two months.

Grant followed this with A Gent from Bear Creek, by Robert E. Howard, his first book by the writer who more than any other was to become identified with this imprint. This was followed by The Pride of Bear Creek, typeset on IBM, justified, and a clean printing job, but a far cry from his current beautiful volumes.

In 1967, Grant published Goddess of Ganymede, by Michael Resnick, his very first published novel. And then everything changed…

Grant had been negotiating with Glenn Lord, the official representative of the Howard estate, discussing the possibility of publishing Howard’s body of work. When Gnome Press first issued the Conan series in the 1950s, the interest wasn’t there. But since then the sword and sorcery craze had swept the nation.

Soon Grant began to steadily publish Howard. The emphasis of his imprint has continued to be on fantasy-adventure, not science fiction. Included are a series of uniform works by Howard, each volume with an illustrator chosen for his own individual contribution toward a graphic portrayal of Howard’s fantastic concepts and heroic characters.

It is in the first four titles under this imprint that we can find Grant forming the foundation for his enduring legacy. It is those titles which are, therefore, his most important.

1. 
Heins, Rev. Henry Hardy
A Golden Anniversary Bibliography of Edgar Rice Burroughs
(2nd edition, Donald M. Grant; West Kingston, RI 1964  418            $10.00)
1,000 copies printed.
Illustrated with photos, mainly of St. John artwork, ERB, St. John himself, and even photocopies of the ads and first page of ERB’s magazine stories.
Jacket by J. Allen St. John, design by Don Grant.

Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

Started selling in September 1964; Mark Owings bought the last, November 1964. It sold out fast.

A Golden Anniversary Bibliography of Edgar Rice Burroughs
1st edition, compiled by Henry Hardy Heins. (Albany, New York: Heins, 1962), first edition, 122 pages, green pages spiral bound in gray front and back cover, 4to (8.5” x 11”).

Reference. ***Contents: Each section is preceded by the first page, including artwork and copy, from some original magazine publication of one of the works of Burroughs. [a] “Foreword to the Revised Edition,” by Hulbert Burroughs. A brief appreciation by Hulbert to the author for his flattering work. [b] “Editor’s Preface” An explanation of the updating from the first true edition, followed by an appreciation to Bradford Day, Vernell Coriell and Camille Casedessus, Jr., for their own unique contributions to Burroughs bibliophilia. This in turn is followed by a long list of others who helped in some unspecified manner. Finally, since this is published after the Golden Anniversary, it is now meant to be the Golden Anniversary of the first printing of Tarzan of the Apes (1914). [c] “The Master Story-Teller: An Appreciation” A short, flowery tribute to Burroughs. The key point of his fascination with readers is that the “reader is able to unconsciously identify himself with the characters in the story.” [d]“How I Wrote the Tarzan Books,” by Edgar Rice Burroughs. He needed the money. ***Burroughs gives a fairly detailed autobiographical account of his life leading up to the beginning of his writing career. His reflections on his first successes are engrossing. A wonderful first-hand reminiscence. [e] “Newspaper Appearances of Early ERB Stories” Given as a footnote to the previous article. It is very easy to miss, as it is very short, although dense with details. [f] “Chronology of the Stories, by Magazine Appearance” Documenting the first magazine appearances of 109 stories. [g] “Mr. Burroughs’ Publishers” A short list of U.S, British and Canadian publishers of his works. [h] “The A.C. McClurg Co. Trade Lists” A reproduction of trade lists from 1914 through 1930. Many contain an advertising blurb, as well as price and name of the illustrator, usually J. Allen St. John. After 1932, McClurg dropped the works of Burroughs completely from their trade lists. [i] “The Dedications of the Books” A listing of 16 titles which were dedicated to family and friends. [j] “Entertainment is Fiction’s Purpose,” by Edgar Rice Burroughs, reprinted from the June 1930 issue of Writer’s Digest. ***A puzzling essay which seems to avoid addressing the title. Burroughs suggests that the fiction writer should avoid reading any fiction, spend time in boyish hobbies, and write from the unconscious segment of the mind. [k] “The A.L. Burt & Grosset & Dunlap Catalogues” ***For the true bibliophile. A listing of reprint titles with original prices. [l] “Explanation of the Format” How to read the bibliographic data. The coding is complex, as is the final formatting, but once understood there is a wealth of information, including B&W copies of original dust jackets. The amount of detail available is impressive, it contains information about almost every known variant, readers copy, along with subsequent newspaper reviews. [m] “The Bibliography” The real point of this publication, it is as nearly definitive as possible. [n] “The First Book Reviews of Tarzan” Entertaining reading, reflecting a day now long gone. [o] “A Special Note on the Grosset & Dunlap Reprints” The type size is small throughout the book. It is easy to miss key components like this one. They are mostly short and densely packed with information, encrypted with the key. [p] “The Red-Cover Tarzans” Fascinating about seven little known variant reprints. The first such by ERBInc. [q] “The McLeod Titles” Similar variant reprints, but this time by a Canadian publisher. [r] “Copyright Data on the ‘Big Little Books’” Interesting disclaimer by Burroughs. None of these was authored by him or approved by him. ***Collectors should note this. [s] “The Tarzan Clans of America” This little known booklet includes the unique four-page “Dictionary of the Ape Language.” The purpose of this booklet was to originate a fan club for Tarzan among readers. This attempt failed. Heins suggests that the advent of the war caused this. [t] “One Other Tarzan Book—and a Tarzan Booklet” Perhaps introduced by Heins as an addenda, he briefly mentions the Whitman publication of Tarzan and the Lost Safari. Not written by Burroughs, but based on the motion picture of the same title. ***And the 20-page booklet, Tarzan and the Lightning Man, a story written by William Gilmour in 1964. [u] “Tarzan Series—Recapitulation” This chronological listing includes: date of book publication, start of magazine serialization, and actual date when written. [v] “The Tarzan Theme,” by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Once again, Burroughs protests that there is no such thing. For over 20 years he wrote this series “to keep the wolf from my door.” ***Gratuitous at best. [w] “The 1958 Fire at Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.” ***Mentioned in the table of contents. It is out of place here and is a brief mention inside the following section. [x] “Mars Series—Recapitulation” This chronological listing includes: date of book publication, start of magazine serialization, and actual date when written. [z] “Peliucidar Series—Recapitulation” This chronological listing includes: date of book publication, start of magazine serialization, and actual date when written. [aa] “Venus Series—Recapitulation” This chronological listing includes: date of book publication, start of magazine serialization, and actual date when written. [bb] “Other Works of Fiction—Recapitulation” This chronological listing includes: date of book publication, start of magazine serialization, and actual date when written. ***The main flaw of the overall bibliography is the intermingling of titles, as it is done in a chronological order, and the subheadings are somewhat loosely placed. [cc] “Who’s Who in the Titles” A very cute listing of the main character or place in the various titles. [dd] “Other Publshed Writings of Edgar Rice Burroughs” A list of twelve articles, mostly letters and a few essays. [ee] “Burroughs’ Literary Activities During World War II” During the war, Burroughs wrote “Laugh It Off!” The somewhat humorous column appeared in Hawaii: A Magazine of News and Comment beginning in December 12, 1941. [ff] “Radio Scripts by Burroughs” Five serials, from 1932 to 1936, each segment was of fifteen minutes duration, for a total of 364 episodes. [gg] “Mr. Burroughs Describes His Publishing Methods,” by Edgar Rice Burroughs, reprinted from the May 1937 issue of Writer’s Digest. Burroughs spends a lot of his time reminiscing and trying to pretend he can no longer remember specific details. He seems to want to give the impression to readers that he is too much of a gentleman to be bothered by mundane business details. But he, somewhat reluctantly, makes a vain attempt. [hh] “The Officers of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.” No surprise here, all family members, except for the long suffering secretary, Mildred Jensen. [ii] “The Munsey Magazine Dates” Listing of magazine appearances, attempting to eliminate the confusion with the various name changes with this periodical. [jj] “Burroughs in Foreign Translation” At the date of this publication, only 31 different languages could be confirmed. ***A list is given. [kk] “The Literature of Burroughsiana” An attempt, with disclaimer, to list the magazine appearance of essays on Burroughs. [ll] “It Runs in the Family” Too much praise is given to the work of John Coleman Burroughs, who illustrated thirteen titles. He also wrote three short stories with his brother, Hulbert, and one with his wife. ***Certainly not in the same league as his father. [mm] “The Burroughs Bibliophiles” A list of the officers of this fan club, chief among them is Vernell Coriell. His publications, The Burroughs Bulletin. The Gridley Wave, and Dum-Dum, are also named. [nn] “Other Fan Magazines” This segues into a list of known fan publications, chief among them is ERB-dom, by Camille Cazedessus, Jr. [oo] “Burroughs Bibliographies” Another list, this one of bibliographies, of course. [pp] “Related Items,” by Camille Cazadessus & C.B. Hyde. This segment covers motion pictures, newspaper strips, and comic books. [qq] “Index to the Burroughs Chapter Titles” ***Here Heins comes closest to sacrilege, deviating from his non-wavering, effusive, glowing, and very uncritical devotion and praise of Burroughs. In his comments he mentions that other critics have accused Burroughs of writing only one story, but writing it 57 times. Heins temporizes and admits that there is some truth to the criticism. ADDENDA TO PART ONE: Includes material that was not included in the previous rambling bibliographic work. [rr] “New Book Releases” Twelve new Ballantine paperback releases. [ss] “Unpublished Manuscripts” Thirteen years after his death, his estate “discovered” a very long list of unpublished manuscripts. A list follows of these “finds,” including titles and number of words. [tt] “Some Unusual Titles” “Minidoka 937th Earl of One Mile Series M,” the first story written by Burroughs. Never published. [uu] “Pseudonyms” Normal Bean and John Tyler McCulloch. [vv] “Poetry by Burroughs” An attempt to broaden Burroughs’ literary skills, but this time very little detail is given. [ww] “The Burroughs Story That Was Based on a Poem” “The Mucker.” [xx] “Out There Somewhere,”by H.H. Knibbs. The poem that “The Mucker” was based on, given in full. Complete with the page number where the stanza was quoted. [yy] “The Notebooks of Edgar Rice Burroughs” A listing, by Burroughs, of his stories, in the order written. ***Of note: None of the later “discovered” works appear on this list. [zz] “Supplements” The address of Heins, in order to send corrections and ask for updates. PART TWO: ILLUSTRATIONS AND ADVERTISEMENTS: [aaa] “The Illustrator and the Author,”by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Mostly in praise of J. Allen St. John, his chief illustrator. [bbb] “Illustrators of the Burroughs books” Chronological list of illustrators, by title. [ccc] “J. Allen St. John—A Bit of His Life and Work” Brief biographical sketch as his work pertains to Burroughs. [ddd] “Portfolio of the St. John Magazine Illustrations for ERB Stories” This is one of the most impressive segments in this publication. ***Sadly, all black and white. They are followed by a key. [eee] “A Further St. John Checklist—Non-ERB Magazines and Books” Stepping away from the topic of this publication, Heins lists the magazine appearances by title, month and year. This is followed by the books, done by publisher, author, title and date. [fff] “St. John’s Own Book—The Face in the Pool” A 156-page fairy tale, published by A.C. McClurg in 1905. [ggg] “Publisher’s Announcements for the Burroughs books” A portfolio of display advertising from 1914 through 1963, most from Publishers’ Weekly. [hhh] “Index to the Enitre Volume” Comprehensive and detailed. [iii] “Abbreviations Used in the Volume” A necessary key due to the complexity and density of detail. ***The most ultimate bibliography possible on one subject. A legend. By early 1965 it was selling for $35 from OP dealers. ***Sadly, it is an uncritical review of his work, lacking in anything but praise. The small type size and complexity of the coding make it difficult to read. When coupled with the rambling chronological order, wherein small pieces of choice information are inserted, it makes the overall result somewhat incoherent. Nonetheless, it is a masterpiece, and obviously a work of devotion from a fan. ***[ddd] is best. ***Periodic supplements to this work appeared in the amateur magazine ERB-dom, beginning in issue No. 11, Summer 1964. ***No paperback edition.

2. 
Howard, Robert E[rvin]
A Gent from Bear Creek
Donald M. Grant; West Kingston, RI[1966](1965)  312                 $4.00
732 copies printed.
(1st edition, Herbert Jenkins, 1937)
(2nd edition, Herbert Jenkins, 1938)
Jacket by Henry Eichner.

1st U.S. edition.| Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

1st British edition; Herbert Jenkins, 1937

New plates for this reprint of a 1937 British (Herbert Jenkins) book never published or distributed in the U.S.

Fantastic short stories. ***Elkins’ girlfriend, Glory McGraw, did not appear in the original magazine stories, nor were they in this chronological order. When Howard submitted these stories to Herbert Jenkins for publication in England, they were rejected. The publisher went on to tell Howard that at the time there was a prejudice against short story collections and suggested that Howard try a novel. By slightly revising the stories and by the addition of three stories that never appeared in magazine form he was able to create a loosely knit “novel” that finally appeared in 1937. ***Breckenridge Elkins, an 1890s version of Dunsany’s Jorkens. Western tall tales and fantasies in the Dunsany vein & western dialect. ***Breckinridge Elkins, the gent from Bear Creek, is a most engaging character. Six and a half feet tall, possessing the strength of an ox, the modesty of a Munchausen, and a demon of a horse called Cap’n Kidd, Breckinridge is the terror of the Humboldt Mountains. His adventures in Chawed Ear, War Paint, Grizzly Claw and other roaring western towns are related in the vernacular of the backwoods and make most hilarious and entertaining reading. ***Contents: [a] “Striped Shirts & Busted Hearts” (The Summit County Journal, June 9, 16, 23 & 30, 1967) The reader is introduced to Breckinridge Elkins. After a knife fight with a rival, Joel Braxton, the object of his affections, Glory McGraw, gets angry with the gent. Snake River Wilkinson is visiting. He is real slick and well dressed, with store-bought clothes at that. Glory pretends to be interested in him, and ready to marry him. This makes Breck jealous. It backfires on Glory. The next time the two meet, Glory is in a panic and Breck depressed. She explains that she was so mad at him that she allowed she would marry the striped shirt cowpuncher. Her father readily agreed, he would let Glory marry Snake River for a Winchester and five bucks. Breck is much relieved and agrees to take care of things and set them straight for Glory. A great battle ensues with Breck fighting Snake River, Glory’s father and brothers. Of course, he defeats all of them, but this just makes Glory even more mad at him. Glory tells Breck that she would never marry him, he is so low down, riding his mangy mule, Alexander, without a dollar, wearing homemade buckskins, not real store-bought clothes. Breck declares that he will amount to something and win the heart of Ellen Reynolds, another girl in Bear Creek. [b] “Mountain Man” (Action Stories, Vol. 12, No. 7, March-April 1934) Before he can set his plans in motion, and begin sparking Ellen Reynolds, his father sends him on a mission. He has to go to Tomahawk and pick up a letter for him. Breck has never traveled out of the mountains to a real town before, his father cautions him to obey the sheriff, the man with the star, and not follow his usual wild ways. Breck takes heed, determined to do the right thing. Near Tomahawk, Breck takes the time to jump into a cool creek. But he is robbed of all of his clothes and, naked, mounts his mule, Alexander, to finish the trip to Tomahawk. On the way, Breck robs a stranger on the road of all his fancy store-bought clothes, offering to swap back once he gets some of his own. On the outskirts of town he is stopped by a sheriff’s posse. Knowing he must obey them, thinking he is in trouble for stealing the clothes, he meekly follows them into town. He discovers that they have confused him for a hired boxer for a set bout between Tomahawk and the nearby town of Gunstock. The match has been set to decide bragging rights, and most all the men have gambled all their money on the outcome. Thinking that Breck is Mister Bruiser McGoorty, formerly of San Francisco, they make him change into a fighting outfit. In the ring he meets O’Tool, but the posse is in dismay now. Breck has denied being McGoorty. Still he fights and beats O’Tool. Just then the townsfolk from Perdition ride in, with the real McGoorty. A huge fight ensues and Breck slips away. In the fray, Breck robs McGoorty once more of his latest clothes, supplied by the townsfolk of Perdition. Dressed, he goes to pick up his letter and leave town. He is in time to become involved in a gold robbery being committed while the townsfolk are preoccupied at the fight. Breck picks up a huge barrel of gunpowder that was rolled into the office and throws it into the shack filled with bandits. He saves the day, tries to pick up the letter before leaving. It was all a big mistake, there was no letter. In some anger, Breck forgets to untie Alexander from the office, and pulls it down on his way out of town. Leaving, he has managed to level most of the town and townsfolk. He is worried that making a name for himself is going to be more difficult than he thought for a boy not fully growed. [c] “Meet Cap’n Kidd” (The Summit County Journal, July 19, 26; August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; September 6, 13, 20, 27; October 4, 1968)  While digging slugs and buckshot out of his body, Breck contemplates his next move. He decides to go to Wild River and become a cowpuncher. On the way he meets Wild Bill Donovan and a gang of his men. They have been hunting a wild horse, Cap’n Kidd, for some time and have chased him into this valley. It explains why all the animals are running away. Cap’n Kidd is a fierce animal, and even grizzly bears and wildcats are afraid of the horse. No man has ever caught or ridden the horse. Breck runs across the horse, captures it, sort of tames it, and rides it. It is a match made in heaven, a giant horse for a giant of a man. Just then, Donovan comes across Breck and demands the horse. One of Donovan’s men tries to ride Cap’n Kidd, thinking that Breck has done all the hard work, but the horse tears him apart. While they are all watching, Breck turns the tables on them and, with a shotgun in hand, orders the rest of the men into the hand-made corral with the horse, which rips them all apart. Breck wins all, leaving with a new horse and Donovan’s fine clothes and weapons. But when he is back in Bear Creek, Glory is still mad at him, and his new-found wealth and appearance just make her angrier. [d] “Guns of the Mountains” (Action Stories, Vol. 12, No. 8, May-June 1934) Uncle Garfield comes visiting, but is robbed of his grandpap’s gold pocket watch. Breck is sent to find and retrieve it. Breck goes, but he is worried that Jim Braxton will steal Ellen Reynolds from him while he is gone. On the way to Chawed Ear, someone takes a shot at Breck. He captures the man who tells him he is Sheriff Dick Hopkins from Grizzly Run, and thought Breck was Joel Cairn, the outlaw. Breck hears a lot of shooting and the man tells him it is his posse and they have Tarantula Bixby and his gang holed up in a cabin. He enlists Breck’s help to smoke out the men. Single-handedly, Breck takes on the men in the cabin, throwing a boulder on it, smashing it to ruins. Pulling the dazed men from the ruins, he finds out that he has been fooled. It was Tarantula Bixby and his gang who have gotten away, and it was the out-gunned Sheriff and his men in the cabin. Racing away on Cap’n Kidd toward Thunder River, Breck escapes from both the posse and the gang. But Breck falls afoul of Bixby’s gang and takes them all on. Next he takes out Joel Cairn, and retrieves the gold pocket watch from him. About to leave, Cap’n Kidd falls on the injured Breck. The Sheriff and his posse arrive, sort things out. Barely alive, he gets back to Bear Creek, the watch has been crushed when Cap’n Kidd fell on him. He meets Jim Braxton who tells him that the real watch turned up. Breck is so mad that he went through all that trouble for the wrong watch, he clobbers Jim. [e] ‘A Gent From Bear Creek” (Action Stories, Vol. 12, No. 10, October 1934) Breck’s sister, Ouachita, berates Breck for the way he has been treating Glory while he has been healing. He seeks Glory out to apologize to her, but they fight instead. Going away in anger, Breck bumps into two friends, Erath Elkins and Joel Gordon. They are usually the best of friends, but are fighting to the death. Breck stops the fight and sorts out the story. They two men ran across a poke of gold hidden in a hollow tree. They agreed to leave it, and if no one went to claim it in a month, they would split it. The month was almost up, but both friends got greedy, and went to see if it was still there. It was gone, and each friend was shot at, thinking it was the other one, so a fight ensued. Breck goes to inspect the hollow tree himself, and his Uncle Jeppard takes a shot at him. It was Jeppard who shot at both friends, as it was his gold, and he thought they were trying to steal it. Uncle Jeppard hid the gold under a rock, and goes to show Breck. But the gold is gone, and now Jeppard thinks the two friends stole it, and wants to kill them. Breck makes him promise not to until Breck can find out the truth. Uncle Jeppard remembers someone with black whiskers who he thinks took the gold. Breck follows the tracks toward Wampum. He comes across a posse. They have just hung a man. Just then the nearly dead man’s niece comes out of the brush. Breck chases away the posse, rescues Uncle Joab, and takes him and his niece to their home. He finds out that the new sheriff, Ormond, is scum, and an outlaw. He has driven all the good people from Wampum and turned it into a hideout for outlaws. Going into town to find and send the doctor to the injured, hanged man, Uncle Joab, Breck runs afoul of Sheriff Ormond. He is arrested and thrown into jail for injuring a deputy and taking down the hanged man. While in jail, Breck sees Black Whiskers, and finds out that he is another deputy, Wolf Ashley. He tells Sheriff Ormond that Wolf Ashley has stolen a big poke of gold from his uncle. This sets Ormond after his deputy for his share. Uncle Joab’s niece, Betty, comes to free Breck from the jail. Breck does not need any help. He sends Betty back to Grizzly Mountain, to tell Doc Richards to come back to town, because he is going to be needed. Then Breck breaks out of jail, tearing down the building, takes on all the deputies and the sheriff. Uncle Joab, the real sheriff, arrives with all the good townsfolk to size up the ruins. They have Jack Gordon, Joel’s younger brother, tied up. Jack explains that the gold has been found. The gold that Breck took from Black Whiskers was stolen from someone else. Little General William Harrison Grimes found Uncle Jeppard’s gold and was using the nuggets to play marbles. Breck is now even more determined to find himself a pretty girl in Chawed Ear and get Glory off his back. [f] “The Feud Buster” (Action Stories, Vol. 13, No. 2, June 1935) Breck just gets to Wampum, after three weeks earning money as a cowpuncher, when he is tracked down by his Uncle Jeppard Grimes. Grimes tells him that Dick Blanton has been courting his young sister, Elinor. But now he is bragging that he has jilted her. Breck is so mad he hops on Cap’n Kidd and races back to Bear Creek. He gets back only to find Blanton has lit out to the Mezquitals. So once more Breck is on the run. Late at night he comes across a cabin on the outskirts of Mezquital country. He mentions Dick Blanton, and they jump him, thinking he is one of the Barlows. After a big fight, Breck gets to explain why he is looking for Blanton. It turns out Blanton is Jake Barlow’s nephew. So now Breck is right in the middle of the Warren-Barlow feud. The reason for the feud has long been forgotten, but the fight goes on. The Warrens are set to sit and wait for the Barlows to come, and die fighting. Breck decides to take the fight to them. On the way Breck captures a cougar. He throws the cougar into the Barlow cabin. Breck manages to destroy the Barlow cabin and by the time the Warren gang shows up another big fight ensues. This time the Warrens are the winners, and they are preparing to string up Dick Blanton, the only one they managed to capture. So Breck knocks down the Warren cabin, plucks Blanton from the ruins, and races back to Bear Creek. Elinor tells him that she jilted Dick, but Dick bragged the other way because he was embarrassed, so Breck beats him up in anger. [g] “The Road to Bear Creek” (Action Stories, Vol. 12, No. 11, December 1934) Before leaving Bear Creek, Breck brags to Glory that he has found the prettiest girl in War Paint, but they have not set the day yet. Just when Breck is going to start out setting his life straight again, his pap sends him on a mission. He has to go to War Paint and fetch Uncle Esau for him so the two estranged men can make up. In War Paint Breck meets Dolly Rixby, who is the prettiest girl there. But before he can begin to spark her, he meets the stagecoach, sees three men, and goes to the one he thinks is Uncle Esau. The man struggles and fights him, but Breck drags him back to Bear Creek. On the way they stumble across the outlaw, Grizzly Hawkins. Hawkins wants to work Uncle Esau over for some reason. While Breck is fighting with Hawkins, Esau jumps on Cap’n Kidd, but the horse tosses him. Breck tells him that he is not interested in his money, he is only doing what his pap told him to do, bring him back to Bear Creek. Esau gets away again, and shortly Breck finds him tied on horseback, surrounded by a group Breck thinks is Hawkins’ gang. While rescuing him from that gang, another gang comes upon them. Finally, free of all trouble, Breck has Esau in hand on the rode to Bear Creek. Esau tells him where his money is hidden and pleads for Breck to let him go. Finally, Breck reaches Bear Creek, only to find the real Uncle Esau is already there. It turns out that Breck has been manhandling the outlaw, Badger Chisom, who just robbed the bank in Gunstock and hid the money. All the outlaws, and lawmen, have been looking for him and his buried loot, and Breck had him and knew where the money was all along. [h] “The Scalp Hunter” (Action Stories, Vol. 12, No. 9, August-September 1934) Breck makes his way back to War Paint, and begins to spark Dolly. She costs a lot of money to maintain, so Breck is soon broke, and decides to go to the big jamboree in Yavapai. Leaving, he bumps into Blink Wiltshaw, a miner, who is also after Dolly. Breck has managed to drive away most all of her other boyfriends, but he can not stay and keep Blink away. In Yavapai, Breck wins big and then looses it all over cards. On the road back to War Paint, Breck encounters the addled Tunk Willoughby. Tunk has been beaten up in the town of Grizzly Claw, and can not clearly remember the message Breck’s cousin, Jack Gordon, gave him. Even though the message is not very clear, Breck goes on toward Grizzly Claw. He immediately runs afoul of the law, and everyone. It seems that in Grizzly Claw everyone is crooked, using the law to extort fines from unwary passer-bys. In the middle of the night, while sleeping in a rooming house, Breck overhears several outlaws discussing some of their crooked plans. He perks up when he hears one mention his Uncle Jeppard. It sounds to Breck like this outlaw has killed his uncle. In the dark, Breck takes them on, and soon most of the townsfolk are in the fight as well. Breck escapes on Cap’n Kidd to contemplate his next move. Breck knows about the cave where the outlaws have hid all their loot from the surrounding areas. Breck goes there and waits for them to arrive. He throttles one of them and finds out that he has sold Uncle Jeppard’s scalp to an Eastern souvenir collector. Just then a Federal detective comes into the cave. He thinks Breck is the local counterfeiter he has been hunting. But the two outlaws, laid low by Breck, confess as they want to get away from Breck. But Breck wants to punish them for what they have done to Uncle Jeppard. As Breck is about to take on the Federal posse, he runs into Tunk again. Now Tunk remembers the entire message. Uncle Jeppard sold a souvenir scalp he had, but he got counterfeit money for it. So everything turns out all right, except that Breck beats up Tunk for being so stupid and slow to deliver the message. [i] “Cupid From Bear Creek” (Action Stories, Vol. 13, No. 3, August 1935) On the road back to War Paint, and Dolly, Breck stops in Teton Gulch to have a drink. At the bar he meets up with Blink Wiltshaw. Blink appears very afraid, and convinces Breck to take his load of gold to the stage near Chawed Ear. Blink is planning to marry in Teton Gulch as soon as the Reverend Brockton gets there. So Breck, wanting to get a rival out of they way, agrees to take the gold to Hell-Wind Pass, and bring back the Reverend. On the way to the stage, Breck runs across a man who tells him he is the Reverend. There are some discrepancies in his story, and soon both are pursued by a gang of outlaws. But at every chance the Reverend tries to take Breck out, but still Breck delivers him to Teton Gulch. Once there he finds out he has captured the notorious outlaw, Rattlesnake Harrison, and has been fighting his gang. Further, it turns out that Blink has tricked Breck. The Reverend with his niece, Dolly, has already arrived in Teton Gulch, and Blink married her while Breck was out fighting outlaws. [j] “The Haunted Mountain” (Action Stories, Vol. 12, No. 12, February 1935) Dragging his heels listlessly, Breck rides toward Chawed Ear, when he comes across his Aunt Lavaca Grimes. She is a shrew and has driven her husband, Uncle Jacob Grimes, away into the mountains. Jacob is looking for the Lost Haunted Mine. Breck comes across him and decides to throw in with him. Breck is tired of girls and city life. Jacob, it seems, has a map this time. So they leave a note on a tree for Aunt Lavaca, explaining that Breck has taken him into the mountains. On the way they run across Bill Glanton who is guiding Professor Van Brock into the mountains. Van Brock is looking for the wild beast rumored to live in these mountains. In Wildcat Canyon, all four men have several strange adventures, Breck fights a grizzly bear, and then they find the real wild man. Although, it is not really a wild man, it is old Joshua Braxton, who has been hiding in the mountains, trying to escape the clutches of an old maid school-teacher who has been trying to marry him. Glanton finds out about the map Uncle Grimes is using, and tells him how he knows it is a fake. Just then Aunt Lavaca arrives, with the local law. They think that Breck has kidnapped Grimes. Breck has had enough of bitter women, he decides to stay in the mountains with Glanton and Braxton. [k] “Educate or Bust” (The Summit County Journal, September 25; October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; November 6, 13, 20, 27, 1970) Breck soon forgets his determination to avoid all women. Glanton tells him about the new schoolteacher coming to Chawed Ear, a real pretty one. Breck talks the two men into helping him bring education to Bear Creek. The three set out and kidnap the young woman and take her to Bear Creek. Breck finally has his moment when he introduces Miss Margaret Devon to Glory, who is thunderstruck. [l] “War on Bear Crek” (Action Stories, Vol. 13, No. 1, April 1935) Breck sets Miss Margaret up in style, as promised, and starts to spark her. Tunk Willoughby shows up with J. Pembroke Pemberton, an English sportsman. Bill Glanton has asked that Breck show him around and help him hunt the local beasts. On the way to their first hunt, Breck lets slip to Miss Margaret that they need to set a date for their marriage. It all comes as a shock to her, she is speechless. While Breck is busy with Margaret, Pemberton shoots Daniel Webster, one of Uncle Jeppard’s prize hogs. Breck makes things all right, but Jeppard is still upset. But Pemberton has met Margaret now. The next day the two go fishing, but Pemberton says he needs a nap. Later Breck finds out that Pemberton has been sparking Margaret. The next day they go hunting, and this time Pemberton manages to shoot Jeppard. This time Jeppard is not to be appeased. He comes for Pemberton with all of his family in tow. A big fight ensues. While the entire clan is involved in the war, Pemberton slips away. As a fire breaks out, Breck is worried that Margaret might be burned alive. He tries to rescue her, only to find she has run off to marry Pemberton. [m] “When Bear Creek Came to Chawed Ear” (The Summit County Journal, March 19, 26; April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; May 7, 14, 21, 28; June 4, 11, 18, 25; July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; August 6, 13, 20, 27; September 3, 10, 17, 1971) In anger, Breck takes off after Margaret and Pemberton. On the way he cools off, stops for a drink and thinks he has seen Wild Bill Donovan. Breck decides to go to War Paint anyway, on the road he meets a stranger. The gangly stranger, Jugbelly Judkins, challenges Breck to a drinking contest. Breck has never been beaten, before. But that night Judkins drinks him under the table. The next morning Breck wakes up, alone, and there is no evidence of the contest, no bottles, barrels, and no Judkins. Breck shrugs it all off. On the road again, he meets Japhet Jalatin, who entrusts him with some money, and makes him promise not to tell anyone where he got it. He wants Breck to keep it for him and deliver it to his family. Next, Breck is stopped by a posse. The sheriff of Chawed Ear arrests him for robbing the stage. Breck is caught, he has money on him that he can not explain. His alibi has vanished. His pap is with the sheriff, and due to his promise to Japhet, Breck can not even tell him the truth. So Breck goes off to jail. It is his lowest point. His father disowns him. Breck makes a brief break, and hides the gold. Later, while in jail, Wild Bill Donovan whispers to him through the window. Donovan has been appointed a special deputy. He tries to make a deal with Breck. If Breck tells him where the gold is, and gives him Cap’n Kidd, Donovan will help him escape. There is even a horse waiting in the woods for him. Next, Glory McGraw whispers to him. Glory has found Cap’n Kidd and ridden him there. This surprises Breck, no one else has ever ridden the horse. Even more, Glory has figured out most of what has really happened. She is worried that the townsfolk are going to lynch him. All they have to do is find Judkins, Jalatin, and a big man, who has just had all his hair burned off, like Breck did when he tried to rescue the schoolteacher, Maragaret. No tall order. Just then, Donovan comes back to make a pass at Glory in front of Breck. Glory has her suspicions and yanks off Donovan’s wig. He is big enough, and with his bald head, looks just like Breck. A fight ensues as Breck breaks out of jail. He fights off Donovan’s henchmen, while Donovan runs toward the horse he has waiting for Breck. One of his men, who has been waiting for Breck, as per their plan, shoots at Donovan, who is hit with buckshot meant for Breck. Glory and Breck, on Cap’n Kidd, pursue him to a nearby cabin. Donovan escapes during the next fight, but Breck captures both Judkins and Jalatin. Breck chases Donovan, and by throwing rocks at him, captures him as well. With all the gang tied to their horses, Glory and Breck contemplate what to do. Breck has realized that Glory has been true to him, when even his family has disowned him. Just then, Breck and Glory, with prisoners, meet a mob from Chawed Ear. But pap, and every male citizen, all related to Breck, from Bear Creek, show up demanding they release him. Judkins reveals Donovan’s plan. Donovan planned the whole thing, got Breck drunk with Judkins, while he shaved his head and robbed the stage, pretending to be Breck. He set Jalatin in his way with the loot from the stage, and had his men frame Breck, insisting that they had witnessed him robbing the stage. Donovan wanted to take Cap’n Kidd away from Breck, and defeat him. Once again, Breck is the real hero. His father apologizes for disowning him. And Breck...he realizes at long last that Glory has always been his one true love. They ride back toward Bear Creek, together on Cap’n Kidd. ***This is no ordinary collection of western story, in some respects they might be called super-hero westerns, for Breckinridge Elkins is far from ordinary and the tales relating to him are far-fetched enough to border on science fantasy. ***First paperback edition: ACE, 0-441-32815-6, 1983, 423 pp., pa $3.95, as Heroes of Bear Creek.

3. 
Howard, Robert E[rvin]
The Pride of Bear Creek
Donald M. Grant; West Kingston, RI 1966  221                 $4.00
812 copies printed.
Jacket by Henry Eichner.

Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

(ACE, 1st publication) 0-441-32815-6, 1983, 423 pp., pa $3.95 The Pride of Bear Creek, by Robert E. Howard Cover art: James Warhola

Fantastic short stories. ***Previously uncollected Breckenridge Elkins tales. ***In this book we are introduced to Cousin Bearfield Buckner who is almost as big and strong as Breckinridge. Cousin Bearfield, however, by his own admission, lacks the culture and refinement of the gent from Bear Creek. ***Join the riot! It begins in Cougar Paw (“The Riot of Cougar Paw”) with a side pilgrimage (“Pilgrims to the Pecos”) into politics (“Pistol Politics”). In “The Conguerin’ Hero of the Humboldts” we meet no less a hero than Conan the Barbarian, Solomon Kane, or any of the other heroic characters from the talented pen of Robert E. Howard. ***Contents: [a] “The Riot at Cougar Paw” (Action Stories, Vol. 13, No. 4, October 1935). While putting horseshoes on Capn’ Kidd, Breck gets in a fight with his brother John, managing to break his foot with his hammer. John plots his revenge and begs Breck to go to Cougar Paw and ask Bill Santry to collect on a promise for him. The good-humored Breck agrees and rides into Cougar Paw. On the way he saves a beautiful young girl, Joan, from a runaway bull. She invites him to stop by and spark her, he is willing, but after he collects from Bill Santry. He goes to the general store, which is owned by the mayor Jonathan Middleton, who also owns everything else in town. He asks for Santry, meets him, and Santry, with his gang of friends, begins to fight with Breck. They ruin the store, and Middleton demands that the Sheriff throw Breck into jail. While waiting in jail, the sheriff agrees to release Breck if Breck will take care of a wildman who is on a rampage in the saloon. It turns out to be his cousin, Bearfield Buckner, who is almost as big and strong as Breck. Breck must still fight him out of town, because he agreed, and he has a meeting tomorrow with Joan that he does not want to meet. They wreck the saloon, and take the fight outside, where they wreck the mayors’ house. Breck manages to knock out Bearfield, but he won’t let the Sheriff arrest him. Instead, he ties him into a buckboard and hightails it out of town toward his rendezvous. Breck wrecks the wagon, freeing Bearfield who decides to leave while he is still in one piece. Breck goes to meet with Joan, only to find that her brother is Bill Santry, coming down the rode with a mob, all busted up from his fight with Breck. The mob starts to shoot at Breck before he can explain anything to Joan, so he rides out, real fast. By now, Breck has figured out that his brother John has pulled a joke on him, sending him to collect a beating from Bill Santry for a raw horse trade. Breck breaks his foot again. [b] “Pilgrims to the Pecos” (Action Stories, Vol. 13, No. 6, February 1936). Old Man Joshua Richardson pulls into the Humbolt Mountains with a group of farmers, pilgrims, wanting to settle there. But paw tells Breck to take them somewhere else, less crowded. Breck knows a place that is perfect, Bowie Knife Canyon. He runs roughshod over the settlers while he leads them there. They reach the place at night and camp about a mile from the nearest town, War Smoke. Breck tells them to all stay out of town while Breck goes back for some stragglers. By the time he gets back to camp, a couple of the younger men have disregarded his instructions and have gone into town. Breck goes after them, rescuing them from a gang of cutthroats and outlaws. One, Gomez, almost pulls a gun on him, but everyone knows all about Breck, and they warn him. He backs down, but tells Breck that Senor Zamora will not like the settlers going to Bowie Knife Canyon. Breck lingers in the bar after sending the Richardson boys back to camp, and learns that Zamora is a horsethief who uses the canyon as a hideout. The next day, Breck’s problems increase, another group of settlers has pulled into the canyon intent on moving in. Breck goes to drive them away, but they are led by his cousin, Bearfield Buckner. The two decide to fight, and the winner gets to stay. Just as the duel is about to begin, young Joe Richardson rides up. He has just gotten free from the gang of horsethieves and tells the two that the gang is about to attack both camps of settlers. Buckner and Breck decide to take on the gang, and the one who kills the most, gets to stay. The score is four to five, with Buckner one ahead, when the combined force of settlers and the two cousins have the gang trapped on a canyon wall. Buckner and Breck decide on a risky plan, scaling the wall and taking out the gang. The score is tied again and when the two have finished with the gang, they start arguing again. They begin to use the captured Zamora as a club, hitting each other with him until he gets away. Cap’n Kidd kicks him over the cliff. Breck claims him as his score because it was his horse that done it. The two decide to get their settlers to battle it out. But when they get back to camp, they find that all the settlers have joined up, peacefully. In disgust, the two ride away and have another fight. At the end of it, they are pleased that all that brotherly love did not rub off on them. [c] “High Horse Rampage” (Action Stories, Vol. 13, No. 9, August 1936). Breck gets a letter from Aunt Saragosa Grimes telling him that Buckner is slowly getting over his powerful anger toward Breck. Then Breck relates the story of why Buckner is so angry at him. Breck was on a cattle drive and Old Man Mulholland sends him into High Horse to pick up supplies. Breck bumps into a couple of characters on the ride. One, Lem Campbell, from Gallego, tells him that Bearfield Buckner, his cousin, is in High Horse. Buckner is crazy, he is suffering from a delusion that he is going to marry a girl from High Horse named Ann Wilkins, only there is no such girl. Breck is concerned and insists that the traveling salesman he has just met come with him. The man, Professor Horace J. Lattimer, sells a guaranteed cure, an elixir of some unknown contents. On the spot, Breck decides that he can trust Lem Campbell, gives him $50 for the supplies, tells him where to take them. Lem, in his turn, tells him about his nearby cabin, where Breck can take Buckner until the elixir cures him. Breck finds Buckner in the saloon and, after a fight, takes the unconscious man to the cabin, with the Professor in tow. While they being to administer the cure to the bound and trussed up Buckner, a man claims they are in his cabin. But Breck drives him away, to busy with Buckner to worry. But the man is persistent and Breck goes out to run him off. He encounters a mob from town. They have come to settle things with Buckner for beating them up in a bar fight. Breck lays into them, driving them away as well. When he gets there, the Professor has taken the opportunity to leave. He has kindly left all the elixir behind. But Buckner has also gotten loose after another fight, Breck decides to place him on the nearby train and send him home for his family to deal with. Back in High Horse, Breck runs into Mulholland who fires him for not delivering the supplies. Just about then, the mob from town all get into a fight with him. While he is just settling with them, the man he drove away from the cabin comes up with the sheriff. It was his cabin and he wants the sheriff to arrest him. When Breck explains, the man laughs. He knows Lem Campbell. As the truth is coming out, they all hear the train. Buckner has regained consciousness and at gun point, made it turn back to High Horse. It is just then that Breck learns that there was an Ann Wilkins. Buckner was going to marry her. But Lem did, with the money Breck gave him for the supplies. Breck knows that Buckner will be really mad, so he leaves to spend some time in Old Mexico. [d] “The Apache Mountain War” (Action Stories, Vol. 13, No. 5, December 1935). Breck makes the mistake of stopping at Aunt Tascosa Polk’s cabin. She insists that Breck cure Uncle Shadrach of alcoholism. Breck agrees. On his way to Apache Mountain where Shadrach is boozing it up at the local still, Breck comes up with a plan. He runs across Uncle Jeppard Grimes’ jackass, Joshua. Some of his young cousins have painted the poor animal. It looks so bizarre that Breck is convinced that if Shadrach sees it he will become instantly cured. On the way, Breck runs across cousin Buckner Kirby’s daughter, Kit, sparking with Harry Braxton. The two are so afraid of Buckner that they sneak around. Breck comes up with a plan to help them elope. It seems that Shadrach is staying with them, in the upstairs bedroom, while he is drinking. Breck comes up with a great plan. He tells Joel Garfield, owner of the still, to tell Buckner that there has been a gold strike at Wolf Canyon. While Buckner is away, the two lovers can go and get married. And while they are going, Breck takes Joshua and puts the mule in Shadrach’s room. Everything goes wrong. Shadrach sees the mule and thinks he is crazy. He runs past Breck, swearing he has seen a demon, and is headed home. But cousin Buckner is still home, Breck goes with him to stop the two lovers. However, Breck does everything to stop Buckner until he finally guesses that Breck is helping them. While Breck and Buckner are fighting, Uncle Jeppard shows up. He wants his pound of flesh from Breck for stealing his mule. Breck fights with Jeppard and his family until Joshua shows up. The fight stops as Jeppard chases after his prized mule. Breck finds that Buckner never went gold mining because Joel decided the rumor was too good to pass up, and went himself, so he never told Buckner. Everything seems to have worked out until he gets back to Shadrach’s cabin. It seems he has started really drinking again. He was done, drinking only water, when he saw the painted mule. Thinking it was the water that poisoned him, Shadrach has turned to a steady diet of alcohol. Aunt Tascosa is not pleased. Breck is so mad at this turn of events he stays and beats the alcohol out of Shadrach. [e] “Pistol Politics” (Action Stories, Vol. 13, No. 7, April 1936). Breck relates the time when politics and book learning came to Yeller Dog. Breck is trying to help his friend Gooseneck Wilkerson win the local election. But every time Breck tries to help, he seems to eliminate men who would vote for Wilkerson. Finally, Wilkerson hits on the idea of throwing a spelling bee. He thinks it will clinch the election for him. Breck is given the task of riding to Alderville and brining back the best educated man. This is the person they need to be impartial and run the spelling bee. Snake River Murgatroyd, who deals monte, is pointed out to Breck. Breck manhandles the reluctant man and takes him under his arm back to Yeller Dog. Breck is chased by a mob from Alderville trying to take Snake River from him and hang him for cheating at cards. Crossing a river, Snake River nearly drowns, but they get away from the mob with the help of Gooseneck, who shows up in the nick of time. They decide to hide Snake River at a nearby cabin owned by a man named Jake, and give him some time to get over his injuries before he presides over the spelling bee. Snake River readily agrees when he sees that Salomey, Jake’s daughter, is a very beautiful girl. He agrees to teach her how to read in payment for his room and board. Instead, Snake River runs off with her. Meanwhile, Gooseneck and Breck come up with a plan to get Bull Hawkins men out of town. They enlist the help of a local rumor monger, Soapy Jackson, to spread the word that there is a big gold strike in a nearby town. He is supposed to tell only Hawkins men, and this way Gooseneck will win. But everything goes wrong. Snake River runs off and Breck must preside over the spelling bee. But he fights with the men trying to spell. A melee ensues, Soapy Jackson shows up just in time to announce the big gold strike. The fight stops, all the men, even Hawkins, run off to find gold. Not only is the election over, the town is nearly deserted. Gooseneck is so mad he tries to shoot Breck, but Breck disarms him easily. Breck rides away, somewhat philosophically musing that he is not cut out for the skullduggery of politics. [f] “The Conquerin’ Hero of the Humbolts” (Action Stories, Vol. 13, No. 11, October 1936). Breck gets a letter from an old friend, Abednego Raxton, asking for help. Raxton runs cows and Ted Bissett has moved in next to him running sheep. Not only that, someone is stealing his cows and everything else that is not nailed down. Outside of town, Breck rescues Margaret Brewster who has been treed by a mountain lion, Breck grabs it by the tail, tosses it around a bit until it runs off. She allows that Breck can spark her if her fiancée continues to be a fizzle. Arriving in Lonesome Lizard, Breck heads for the saloon. A giant sheepherder, Big Jon from Canada, picks a fight with him, but Breck easily bests him. The sheepherders are now so afraid they threaten to leave Bissett until he doubles their wages. Bissett shows up, angry at Breck, and pulls his gun on him. The sheriff shows up to arrest Breck. It is an old friend, Johnny Willoughby. Reluctantly, Breck allows himself to be arrested so that Johnny can keep his job and get the sheepherders votes. In the jail, Breck meets Bige Gantry, Willoughby’s deputy. There is something fishy about him. Raxton shows up. He is disgusted with both of his friends. He is mad at Breck for getting arrested. And he is angry at Willoughby for being worthless as a sheriff and not being able to solve the recent seven murders or stop the cattle rustling and thieving. Willoughby has decided to pin all the crimes on Breck, which will solve his problems and he can get re-elected. Instead, they plan to have a group of his friends pretend to break into the jail and take Breck to hang him. Willoughby will show up just in the nick of time and save Breck. The townsfolk will think he is great at upholding law and order. Bige goes off on some unexplained mission. A masked gang shows up right on schedule and Breck meekly goes with them, even letting them put a rope around his neck. He guesses that something has gone wrong when Willoughby does not show up. Breck breaks the rope and takes on the gang, recognizing one as the foreman on Bissett’s ranch. Breck runs into Abednego on the way to question Willoughby. They find him tied up. They figure things out when Bige shows up. Breck recognizes him as one of the masked men that tried to hang him. After knocking him around just a bit, they question him. It turns out that Ted Bissett and his gang are all outlaws. The sheepherding is just a front while they rob the locals blind. With everything solved, and most of the gang busted up by Breck, it is an easy task for Willoughby to arrest all of them. He is elated, now he can marry his fiancée Margaret Brewster, who promised if he was re-elected. [g] “A Ringtailed Tornado” (Masked Rider Western, May 1944 as “Texas John Alden”). After a long cattle drive, Breck ends up in the town of Goshen. He begins to spark Betty Wilkinson. He tries to drive the most persistent rival, Bizz Ridgeway, from her. Breck tries to reason with him. Bizz tells him that he is madly in love with a singer, Gloria La Venner, who sings in the Silver Boot in War Whoop. But there is a problem, Bizz has been banished from War Whoop. Breck agrees to go and fetch Gloria. There are other rivals for Betty, such as Rudwell Shapley, Jr., but Breck has dismissed them as of no worth. On the way, Breck gets into a fight with Moose Harrison, a giant buffalo-hunter. Of course Breck wins, killing the man.  In War Whoop he tells everyone he is planning on taking Gloria to Goshen to marry. He has to fight his way out of town. But after taking on five or six men, he is arrested. Gloria comes by the window and asks him what is going on. Gloria is desperate to get away from Ace, who thinks he owns her. Gloria agrees to pay the sheriff, Santry, the fine so that she can leave with Breck. A mob descends on the jail, they want to hang Breck for killing Moose Harrison. After trying to break into the jail, one of the mob comes up with the keys. Santry has given the man the keys while he gambles away Brecks’ money. Breck knocks them all around and leaves them in the dust. Saddling Cap’n Kidd, he goes to get Gloria. Breck finds out that Gloria paid his fine, but the sheriff did not let him out. So he goes, fights with the sheriff, with Ace and the bartender, beating them all to a pulp. On his way to meet up with Gloria to take her to Goshen, he finds her gone. A note tells him that she does not know Bizz, but just used Breck’s help to get away from Ace. Breck races back to Goshen to confront Bizz. As he breaks his leg, he finds out that both of them lost out on Betty to the Easterner, Rudwell. He never had the nerve to ask when Breck was around, but he up and married her when Bizz got him out of town. The two set off for the East as quick as they could, before Breck could stop them. ***Great reading, but not as good as A Gent from Bear Creek, which was re-written to much better effect. This reader thinks that all of these stories could have used another, finer, re-writing to bring them up to par. However, it is highly recommended. ***First paperback edition: ACE, 0-441-32815-6, 1983, 423 pp., pa $3.95, as Heroes of Bear Creek.      

4. 
Resnick, Michael D.
The Goddess of Ganymede
Donald M. Grant; West Kingston, RI 1967               246                 $4.00
750 copies printed.
Jacket and six interiors by Neal MacDonald, Jr.

Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

(Paperback Library, 1st publication), 52-760, 1968, 144 pp., pa .50¢ Pursuit on Ganymede, by Michael D. Resnick [sequel]

Science fantasy novel. ***A swashbuckling, fantastic adventure novel in the Edgar Rice Burroughs tradition. The action involves an American soldier of fortune, Adam Thane, whose spaceflight terminates on the moon of the planet Jupiter, Ganymede, a world made to order for the adventurer. Ganymede is a moon of winged men, strange and ferocious creatures, and an evil deathless race. Adam Thane, a soldier of fortune, fights for the woman he loves against the immortals of Ganymede. ***In the prologue, Resnick tells how he heard this story over the radio, directly from Thane on Ganymede. Adam Thane was a part of Project Jupiter. Alone on a spaceship speeding toward Jupiter, he looses contact with Earth when he crashed on Ganymede. Oddly, and never explained, the world has the same gravity and atmosphere as Earth. Thane is captured by a race of winged men. These red men take him to their home city where a female of their race, Kraala, teaches him their language, the only one spoken on Kobar. Now Thane knows he is the prisoner of Bular, Torgon of Kroth. He is given the choice of becoming a member of their army or being sacrificed to Tarafolga, immortal King of the Gods. The army is preparing to fight the nearby city-state of Rombus. Thane bears a striking resemblance to them, but he is white not golden skinned, but still he might make a good spy for the only winged race on the planet. The immortals Gods live in the city Malthor, meddling in the politics of the other city-states, keeping them at a low level of technology, constantly demanding tribute. Defending the honor of Kraala, Thane becomes a Gron in the house of Bular, his adopted son. Now a willing participant, Thane seeks to help his new friends and goes to spy on the Rombus soldiers. He finds that Talon Gar has openly defied Tarafolga by refusing to give his sister, Delisse, in marriage. Savus Vir has imprisoned Talon Gar, and is even then giving Delisse to Kar, the emissary of Tarafolga, all in a bid for the throne of Rombus. Thane kills the supposedly immortal God, Kar, rescues Delisse, but even as Thane and Delisse fall in love at first sight, they are taken prisoner. Savus Vir has used this opportunity to secure the throne for himself. Thane is imprisoned with Talon Gar. Delisse is sent to Tarafolga. The two become instant friends and escape. Thane is told all about the immortal gods and comes up with a few ideas about what to do with them. Talon Gar and Thane proceed to cross half of the planet in pursuit of Delisse. Attempting a simple ruse, where Talon Gar pretends to be a soldier of Malthor, and Thane his prisoner, they are foiled and both taken prisoner. They escape and encounter Gor Haiton, would-be revolutionary, and enlist in his effort to overthrow the immortals. Thane goes into the Temple of Tarafolga, alone. He sees first hand how the King of the Gods used his immense mental powers to subdue the population. He fights with him and barely escapes. During his race through the palace, Thane finds Delisse. Reunited, they only have a moment to profess their love before Thane must do battle again. Captured, he is taken before Tarafolga again and the two have a mental battle. Thane resists him, but is sent to the Chamber of Madness, where Tarafolga uses his mental powers to try to break him. Thane resists and escapes again, in time to stop the wedding of Delisse and Tarafolga. Thane finds his way to the ceremony, but is nearly killed again. In the nick of time, the would-be revolutionaries of Gor Haiton attack. Escaping from the immortals, Delisse and Thane flee the city, leaving behind the imprisoned Talon Gar. Delisse and Thane make their way back to Kroth and his foster father, Bular. Once again, just in time, as Bular is about to fall into a trap laid by Savus Vir. Revealing his treachery, Thane turns the table on him and places Delisse on her rightful throne. Now, the combined armies of Rombus and Kroth march to Malthor to end the reign of terror of the immortals. Thane rescues Talon Gar, but Tarafolga flees before Thane can kill him. The victorious armies, having placed Gor Haiton on the throne of Malthor, return to wed Thane and Delisse. However, that is not to be, Tarafolga and Savus Vir have kidnapped Delisse, again. Just as Thane is about to rescue Delisse, he is attacked by a wild animal. Tarafolga gloats about his victory, leaving Thane alive, knowing that he has Delisse at his mercy. Thane, barely alive, finds his spaceship in a nearby clearing. Nursing his wounds, he plots his next move while using the radio to tell his tale to Resnick. Read the sequel to find out what happens to his Goddess of Ganymede. ***Recommended for its brisk pace. ***First paperback edition: Paperback Library, 52-687, 1968, 160 pp., pa .50¢. ***Sequel is Pursuit on Ganymede (Paperback Library, 52-760, 1968, 144 pp., pa .50¢).

The Phantagraph Press

1967

A one-shot by Donald A. Wollheim which was distributed by Donald M. Grant, it contains back jacket and flap ads for Grant books. Wollheim founded DAW books, which were distributed by New American Library. He sold his fanzine, The Phantagraph, to finance DAW’s startup. This one title includes the best from his fanzine.        

1. 
Wollheim, Donald A. (editor)
Operation: Phantasy
The Best from The Phantagraph
Phantagraph Press; Rego Park 1967               59                    $4.00
420 numbered and signed copies printed.
Jacket by Jack Gaughan.

Scan courtesy Earl Terry Kemp Collection.

The Phantagraph, Vol. 10, No. 3, No. 44, December 1942 “The Booklings,” by Donald A. Wollheim

Reference. ***For a period of years, the prominent editor-writer-fan Donald A. Wollheim produced an amateur magazine called The Phantagraph. It was an imposing little journal that called upon famous names of professional and amateur science-fantasy for its fiction, its articles, and its poetry. ***Contents: [a] “Introduction,” by Donald A. Wollheim. ***Wollheim begins by trying to set the historical record straight. He denies that fantasy fandom began with his first efforts. He insists that there were one or two other Paleolithic fans and groupings in existence when he first contacted one of them. In 1933, answering a letter by Wilson Shepherd in Amazing Stories, he began his active phase. Shepherd claimed to have founded a society called the International Science Fiction Guild in 1929. But it was not until May 1934 that he published the first issue of The International Science Fiction Guild’s Bulletin. Wollheim, at the age of 19, took over the editorship of the Bulletin and changed its name to The Phantagraph. It was to remain his personal fan magazine until the final issue, vol. 16, no. 1, February 1946. The name was formed by combining “pantograph” with “phantasy.” It was in the April 1935 issue that Wollheim assumed command of the publication, writing of his experiences with the publishers of Wonder Stories. Being ambitious, the next issue was planned to take over the Weird Stories fan market, and thus was to be printed. William Crawford of Marvel Tales fame was hired for the task, but took so long to produce it that the two decided to become printers. In July 1936 a standard, eight-page, 4x6, format was developed which lasted until August 1938. At that time, Wollheim began the serial publication of Robert E. Howard’s “The Hyborian Age.” These sections appeared as four-page supplements to The Phantagraph. It was never completed. A mimeographed volume was produced in collaboration with the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society under the joint imprint of LANY Co-operative Press. With the May 1940 issue, until its demise, another format change occurred, and it was simply mimeographed as a four-page, stapled, fanzine distributed through the Fantasy Amateur Press Association, a group he had started. ***Each of the following entries is preceded by an anecdotal comment or two about the author. [b] “Harbour Whistles” (verse), by H.P. Lovecraft. A voyage both supernatural and fantastic, taking man into space and beyond. [c] “The Sunken Towers” (verse), by Henry Kuttner. Under the sea, Lur, ensorcelled land, sunk by Karneter’s hand. [d] “The Objective Approach,” by Cyril Kornbluth. The narrator tells of his encounter with Mr. John Ramsey. Ramsey, a rich, aristocratic, and noted lepidopterist had recently married. The narrator, a neighbor, stops by for a visit. He is shown the fabulous collection of butterflies, each pinned with a specially made gold pin, with Ramsey’s crest on it. When he asks about Ramsey’s new wife, he is shown into a special room, only to find his wife mounted, with an especially large pin, with crest, fixing her in place. [e]“Contrast” (verse), by James Blish. Gone is Mu and the wonders of Egypt, wiped out by the god of fate. [f] “Three Short Poems”: (1) “Versiflage,” by Frederick Pohl. The wooing of Eudippe. (2) “Segment,” by Cyril Kornbluth. Possibly a mad woman. (3) “Fateful Hour,” by Robert W. Lowndes. A tower stands as mute witness to the ending of the universe. [g] “Weird Music” (article), by Duane W. Rimel & Emil Petaja. Short essay citing the fantastic compositions of Saint-Saens and Rimsky-Korsakov. From real music, the authors take a leap, comparing imagined music as being one and the same, citing such stories as H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Music of Erich Zann.” ***In a short space, the authors do make their point, barely. [h] “Jump-Out-of-Bed,” by Stanislaus Prosody [Pseudo. of Kornbluth, Cyril]. In verse, the monster Fred Pohl is waking up. [i] “How I Get My Inspiration” (article), by Robert Bloch. Whether it is necessary to write a Weird Tales story with a pen dipped in human blood. Bloch insists that it is not so, that he has used chimpanzee blood. Also necessary are the proper (all fictitious) literary reference books such as The Necronomicon. He cautions that you should always write at midnight in a pitch-dark room. If all else fails, write a letter to “The Eyrie.” [j] ‘OLD Trinity Churchyard (5 A.M. Spring)” (verse), by A. Merritt. A grotesque, yet playful, vision of worms devouring the dead in an old cemetery. [k] “Howard Phillips Lovecraft” (article), by Donald A. Wollheim. ***From the ill-fated May 1937 issue. ***A tip of the hat to the recently deceased Lovecraft, effusive, warm, and with special mention of the upcoming collection of his work planned by friends (The Outsider and Others, Arkham Press). [l] “Ex Oblivione” (The Phantagraph, July 1937) (prose poem), by H.P. Lovecraft. A dream journey. The seeker finds a bronze gate. Later, in the dream-city of Zakarion, he finds an ancient papyrus that describes the gate and how to make entry. Through the gate, the seeker finds exactly what he wanted, complete nonexistence, nothingness. [m] “The Unconquerable Fire” (verse), John B. Michel. A rant for anarchism and communism. [n] “Only Deserted” (verse), by August W. Derleth. An agent tries to rent a house, declaring it is not haunted. He spends the night only to wind up dead, minus his head. [o] “The Booklings” (The Phantagraph, Vol. 10, No. 3, Issue 44, December 1942), by Donald A. Wollheim. The strange case of two books. One written by a thoroughgoing feminist, bound in pink, the other by a very masculine male. Sitting together on the bookshelf, their owner discovers a set of child’s books wedged between them. As he observes these books, they change into a set on young teens. The owner anticipates a great story about mankind the next time he looks. ***Thought to be his best short story. [p] “Song at Midnight” (verse), by Robert E. Howard. The gibbet on a gallows tree laments the passing of those bold men who often came to it. [q] “The Mennons of the Night” (prose poem), by Clark Ashton Smith. Living statues, older than mankind, who greet the sunset with somber song. [r]“Proverbs From the Dawnish,” by Donald A. Wollheim. A list of eight witticisms, mostly cynical, and humorous. [s] “Stuff,” by Dirk Wylie [Pseudo. Dockweiler, J. Harry]. The narrator appears in a dark alley. Afraid at first. he meets a drunk. Asked who he is, he can not recall. In some terror, the drunk consoles him, offering him aspirin for his D.T.’s and taking some himself. The narrator vanishes in a lovely puff of green smoke. [t] “Innocence” (The Phantagraph, Vol. 10, No. 2, Issue 43, October 1942) (verse), by Graham Conway. Two would-be lovers meet, after one warns the other of the consequences. [u] “Quarry” (verse), by Robert W. Lowndes. A giant rips open the universe, and with a hand reaching for...us. [v] “Chant of the Black Magicians” (verse), by Cyril Kornbluth. A spell to summon demons to destroy the good. [w] “All Out” (May 1941 as by Karl Valons), by Donald A. Wollheim. Two men wander around the city. It is raining black gobs. Ghosts are wandering through the ruins as well. Witches wheel in flight overhead. The two men keep wondering when “he” is going to speak again. But as the lava flows, they agree that it does not matter any more. ***Anthology from the old fanzine. Uneven but very interesting. ***It provides insight into those not-to-be-forgotten days in the history of amateur science-fantasy. ***[a], [i] and [o] are best. The entire volume is highly recommended. It is nothing less than a slice of early fandom by those that created it. ***No paperback edition.

 

Buffalo Book Company: Checklist

Grant-Hadley Enterprises

RE		RE=Regular Edition
■		1.	Rhode Island on Lovecraft	Hadley, Thomas G. & Grant, Donald M.

Buffalo Book Company

RE		RE=Regular Edition
■		1.	The Time Stream	Taine, John
■		2.	The Skylark of Space	Smith, E.E. & Garby, Lee Hawkins

Hadley Publishing Company

RE	VJ	RE=Regular Edition; VJ=Variant Dust Jacket
■		1.	The Weapon Makers	van Vogt, A.E.
■		3.	The Skylark of Space	Smith, E.E.
■		4.	Final Blackout	Hubbard, L. Ron

Grandon: Publishers

RE	HE	RE=Regular Edition; HE=Hardcover Edition
■		1.	The Port of Peril	Kline, Otis Adelbert
■		2.	Dwellers in the Mirage	Merritt, A.
■	■	3.	333: A Bibliography	Crawford, Joseph H.
■		4.	Return of Tharn	Browne, Howard
■		5.	The Werewolf of Ponkert	Munn, H. Warner

FFF

RE
■		1.	The Skylark of Space	Smith, E.E.

Shroud: Publishers

RE	HE	RE=Regular Edition; HE=Hardcover Edition
■		1.	The Maker of Moons	Chambers, Robert W.
■	■	2.	Look Behind You!	Burks, Arthur J.
■	■	3.	The Female Demon	McDougle, William
■	■	4.	The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath	Lovecraft, H.P.
■	■	5.	The Motive Key	Woodford, Jack
■	■	6.	Food for Demons	Kenneth, Kenneth J.

Kenneth J. Krueger

RE
■		1.	The Moon Maker	Train, Arthur & Wood, Robert W.
■		2.	The Fearsome Island	Kinross, Albert

Donald E. Grant

RE
■		1.	A Golden Anniversary Bibliography of Edgar Rice Burroughs	Heins, Rev. Henry Hardy
■		2.	A Gent from Bear Creek	Howard, Robert E.
■		3.	The Pride of Bear Creek	Howard, Robert E.
■		4.	The Goddess of Ganymede	Resnick, Michael

The Phantagraph Press

RE
■		1.	Operation: Phantasy	Wollheim, Donald A.

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Promag cover scans courtesy Jacques Hamon Collection http://www.collectorshowcase.fr

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I was a victim of a series of accidents, as are we all.
                    —Kurt Vonnegut, The Space Wanderer, Sirens of Titan

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“Threading the Needle,” by Ditmar [Martin James Ditmar Jenssen]