OUR READERS SAY

We have two things to say before we present the letters from our readers. First, we wish to thank Farnsworth Wright, thank him a thousand times, for placing a paragraph telling all about THE FANTASY FAN, giving our address, in the Eyrie columns of the September Weird Tales. This will really let the readers of Weird Tales know of the existence of our little magazine which is designed for them alone. This should raise the circulation of THE FANTASY FAN sufficiently so that in a very short time we can greatly increase the number of pages and give you everything you have asked for. Thank you again, Mr. Wright—words cannot express our gratitude.

Second: How would you like an index of the first volume of THE FANTASY FAN? We could supply you with a printed pamphlet for 25 cents, with a double index, alphabetically, according to titles and authors so that any item published during our first year could be easily found. If we receive enough requests for this pamphlet, it will be prepared. Let us know immediately if you will be willing to pay 25 cents for it when it is published. Send no money.

"THE FANTASY FAN, June, 1934, on page 152, states: 'Ralph Milne Farley is Roger Sherman Hoar.' This is not quite up-to-date. For several years, Ralph Milne Farley has been Roger Sherman Hoar plus his daughter, Caroline Prescott Hoar, who formerly wrote as Jacqueline Farley, but has now merged her identity with that of her father."—Ralph Milne Farley

"The June FANTASY FAN certainly had a distinguishing and distinguished feature in Lovecraft's story 'From Beyond.' Robert Nelson's poem 'Below the Phosphor' sounds a genuinely macabre note. I enjoyed 'The Little Box,' 'Within the Circle'—in fact, the whole issue."—Clark Ashton Smith

"The magazine fills a long-needed niche. The reprinting of Lovecraft's article is especially good, as comparatively little material has been published in the critical line."—Richard Ely Morse

"The July FANTASY FAN is one of the best, the Clark Ashton Smith tale being very good. My only objection is that you're wasting space on that ass Barlow in Baldwin's column!! But say, doesn't Mr. Pritchard have an eventful life?"—R. H. Barlow

"'The Epiphany of Death' by Smith is truly a C. A. Smith type. The odd, agelessness, the cadaverous features of Tomeron bring to mind one of Smith's former stories, in Weird Tales sometime in 1932—'The Gorgon,' which tale also had such an old, ancient-appearing person.—Gertrude Hemken

"I just received the excellent July issue of THE FANTASY FAN. I think that your fine little magazine is steadily improving, and I hope to be able to read many more of your splendid stories and articles in them. Clark Ashton Smith and H. P. Lovecraft may always be relied on to produce a fascinating tale; they have the gift of a great imagination and love of beauty. Please publish many more writings by these two masters of the art!"—Fred John Walsen

"The July FANTASY FAN was excellent as usual, and the green cover gave it just the right tone. Schwartz and Weisinger continue their good work as does Mr. Baldwin. I missed the Prose Pastels by Smith and look forward to more of them. His story, 'The Epiphany of Death' amply made up for it though."—Duane W. Rimel

WEIRD WHISPERINGS
by Schwartz and Weisinger

Popular Publications (205 East 42nd Street, N.Y.C.) has launched a new magazine, Terror Tale's, which is featuring terror and horror stories of all varieties. It is edited by Rogers Terrill and C. H. Whipple, and will sell for 15 cts a copy.... The first two numbers will feature the following stories and writers: "House of Living Death" by Arthur Leo Zagat; "Blood Magic" by C. F. Roberts; "Dead Man's Bride" by Wyatt Blassingame; "Terror Island" by Hugh B. Cave; "Village of the Dead" by Wyatt Blassingame; "Death's Loving Arms" by Hugh B. Cave; and "The House where Horrors Dwell" by C. F. Roberts.

Otis Adelbert Kline will serial it shortly in Weird Tales with a three-parter, "The Lord of Lamia" ... L.A. Eshbach's weird-scientific thriller, "The Brain of Ali Kahn," is slated for the October issue of Wonder Stories.... Dr. Keller's unique tale, "The Dead Woman," published originally in Fantasy Magazine, will be reprinted in the 11th volume of the "Not at Night" series.... And an English publishing concern is arranging to put out an anthology of Dr. Keller's best weird stories both published and unpublished.... As a result of Jack Williamson's recent tropical adventure with Edmond Hamilton, Jack's eyes are now on the blink, and it may be some weeks before he will be producing again.... M. Brundage is a woman and has a young son in grammar school.

Farnsworth Wright has recently accepted stories from a famous Flemish artist, writing under the pseudonym of John Flanders. His first tale will be "The Graveyard Duchess".... The September Weird Tales will contain a story, "Naked Lady," by a new author named Lord, which, despite its title, is not sexy.... H. Bedford-Jones makes his bow to WT readers in this issue with "The Sleeper," a tale of an Egyptian magician.... Clark Ashton Smith has sold "Xeethra" and "The Last Heiroglyph" to Weird. At present he is working on a science fiction yarn, "Secondary Cosmos," and on a weird-scientific tale, "The Juju Country".... Francis Flagg, who has collaborated with Forrest J. Ackerman on "The Slow Motion Man," is associate editor of The Anvil.

As mentioned here last month, Seabury Quinn has finally succeeded in turning out another Jules de Grandin story, "The Jest of Warburg Tantavul".... The reason for the delay was that Quinn has been so extremely occupied with work for his own journal, Casket & Sunnyside, that he found it almost impossible to spare the extra time.... A few days after completing the story, when Quinn was again up to his neck in work at his office, to make up for time he borrowed in writing the story, he discovered he had been summoned to serve a full week on a jury—and not even Jules de Grandin could get him out of it!... Willard E. Hawkins, editor of the Author & Journalist, who also wrote "The Dead Man's Tale," which was the first story in the first issue of Weird Tales, has written a most interesting booklet, "Castaways of Plenty," showing up fallacies in our economic system.

FAMOUS FANTASY FICTION
by Emil Petaja

"Uncanny Stories" Macmillan Co. This splendid collection contains F. Marion Crawford's "For the Blood is the Life" (considered one of the best vampire stories ever written) and Sinclair's "Where their Fire is not Quenched." Other of its stories are equally interesting.

Algernon Blackwood is well known to lovers of fantasy. Of the books containing his short stories "Wolves of God" and "The Dance of Death" are two of the best. "The Man Who Found Out" (in "Wolves of God") I consider one of the best short stories I have ever read. Like Lovecraft, he merely hints at unmentionable things, leaving the reader with a vague sense of fear.

"Visible and Invisible," E. F. Benson, Doubleday, Doran & Co. This is probably Benson's best work of fantasy. Readers of "Weird Tales" will remember some of his splendid stories that have appeared in this magazine.

Lord Dunsany's two delightful books, "A Dreamer's Tales" and "Book of Wonder" can now be had in the Modern Library list. After reading the dark tales of Lovecraft, Howard, etc., these are a refreshing change.

Some of the other good collections of stories of ghosts, vampires, ghouls, etc. are "Physic Stories" French, "The White Ghost Book," "The Grey Ghost Book" Middleton, "Sinister Stories" Walker, "Stories of the Seen and Unseen" Oliphant. Frank Owen's two fantasies "The Wind that Tramps the World" and "The Purple Sea"—and Birch's "The Moon Terror" should be mentioned. A rare treat is Clark Ashton Smith's booklet "The Double Shadow." These tales range from the wild terror of Edgar Allen Poe, to the weird, imaginative beauty of Lord Dunsany.

WITHIN THE CIRCLE
by F. Lee Baldwin

Richard F. Searight has had accepted by WT a short story titled "The Sealed Casket" and a poem "The Wizard's Death."

Wright expects to reprint H. P. Lovecraft's "Arthur Jermyn."

Forrest Ackerman's foreign correspondence runs something like this: one Canada; one Philippine Islands; several New Zealand; four or five Great Britain; two Ireland; one Switzerland; one Hungarian.

Here's a "new" word: Fantastiac. One who goes in for the weird and grotesque in life; also one who likes weird fiction.

R. H. Barlow is planning on issuing "The Shunned House" by H. P. Lovecraft sometime in the fall.

Clark Ashton Smith is about 40 and has been a weird poet since boyhood. He is a protege of the late George Sterling and a fantastic painter of great power. He has translated "Baudelaire."

Donald Wandrei is 25 and a U. of Minn. graduate. His sole occupation is fiction-writing—comes from St. Paul but lives in New York.