this month illustrates a scene from The Green Splotches, by T. S. Stribling, where we see the great interplanetarian flyer after it has taken off from the earth. It has just risen and is gaining momentum with each fraction of a second
In Our Next Issue:
THE PLAGUE OF THE LIVING DEAD, by A. Hyatt Verrill. The author of “Beyond the Pole” and “The Man Who Could Vanish” has written a most remarkable tale which comes pretty close to straining your credulity, but at the same time you will say to yourself over and over that there is nothing impossible about it. Immortality IS possible, as recent researches at the Rockefeller Institute have indicated; that is, animal tissue can be kept alive indefinitely. You will be thrilled by Mr. Verrill's story.
WHITE GOLD PIRATE, by Merlin Moore Taylor. An absorbing detective story about a daring criminal who baffles many authorities interested in the mysterious disappearance of enormous quantities of platinum. A scientific detective uses the X-ray, finger prints and the phonograph in a particularly interesting manner, making this a most plausible story with a true scientific aspect.
HICK'S INVENTIONS WITH A KICK, by Henry Hugh Simons, in which an entirely new thing in dining tables and service is promulgated. Naturally, being a new invention, mishaps occur, but that only adds to the fun for the reader. A very interesting idea, well told.
THE BALLOON HOAX, by Edgar Allan Poe. Although balloons have long since been a reality, we cannot fail to be impressed by the scope of the author's scientifiction knowledge and prophetic vision. Also, the story is written in Poe's inimitable style, which in itself assures you of fifteen minutes well spent.
THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Part III). Those of you who are wondering what and why the Wieroo are and what happened to the rest of the party , that landed on Caspak with Bowen Tyler and Lys LaRite will find the answer in the next five thrilling chapters, which conclude this story. The same pitch of exciting interest is maintained throughout the story.
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AMAZING STORIES. Monthly. Entered as second class matter March 10, 1926, by the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879). Title Registered U. S. Patent Office. Copyright. 1927. by E. P. Co., Inc., New York. The text, and illustrations of this Magazine are copyrighted and must not be reproduced without giving full credit to the publication. AMAZING STORIES is for sale at all newsstands in the United States and Canada. European Agents. S. J. Wise Et Cie, 40 Place Verte, Antwerp, Belgium. Printed In U. S. A.
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Volume
1
THE
MAGAZINE
OF
SCIENTIFICTION HUGO GERNSBACK, Editor
DR. T. O'CONOR SLOANE, Ph.D. ; Associate Editor
WILBUR C. WHITEHEAD, Literary Editor
C. A. BRANDT, Literary Editor Editorial and General Offices : 53 Park Place, New York, N. Y.
March, 1927
No. 12
Extravagant Fiction Today
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Cold Fact Tomorrow
Idle Thoughts of a Busy Editor
By Hugo Gernsback
Beginning with this issue you will note a difference in paper. We have gone to a great expense to adopt this excellent paper, which is much smoother and prints very much better than our former art paper, which some correspondents felt inclined to call "wrapping paper." Of course the magazine does not bulk as much now, and we have made the change only because so many people wrote us saying that they did not like the paper. A vote-taking among some 200 people brought out this surprising result—over 190 were in favor of the new paper. Of course this new paper costs us a lot more, but we want, first of all to please you.
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The above is the style in which this sort of thing is usually dished-up by an up-to-date editor, but the plain and unvarnished truth is that the new paper costs less money than the old. You probably would not believe this, and class it as an amazing story. Nevertheless, it does cost us less. When
we originally brought out AMAZING STORIES, we thought it necessary to hand you a big package for the money. Hence the bulky paper, which was made specially for our requirements. Such a paper had never been made before. Now it is known as AMAZING STORIES Bulky Weave. We are sorry to discontinue it, because we personally liked it. But we know you will like the new paper, and that, after all, is what counts.
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As a correspondent remarked to us, the editor of AMAZING STORIES does not lie on a bed of roses. Quite the contrary. The bed is full of thorns, and if there are roses present, I do not give a scent for them.
It is the most difficult paper that it has been my good luck to edit. The strange fact is that there are no two readers who like the same thing. It is astonishing that the voting coupons show that almost exactly 50 per cent of the readers heartily dislike one story, whereas the other 50 per cent laud the same story to the skies. Stories like "Station X," "The Second Deluge," "The First Men in the Moon," "The Red Dust," all were in this class. A great many readers wrote very complimentary remarks on these stories and voted their preference for them, and almost exactly the same number of readers denounced the same stories.
If you, dear reader, were the editor, what would your reaction be to such a condition. Would you hesitate about the next story before publishing it, or would you simply throw yourself to the fishes and simultaneously throw up the sponge?
I do neither. I simply keep right on smiling, because I seem to have an idea in the back of my head which during more lucid moments probably runs somewhat as follows:
"Here we have AMAZING STORIES, a totally new sort of magazine, different from any that has ever been published anywhere so far. It is, in other words, a pioneer job. No one ever having published such a magazine, there is no precedent. Having made scientifiction a hobby since I was 8
years old, I probably know as much about it as any one, and in the long run experience will teach just what type of story is acclaimed by the vast majority. Give the readers the very best type of stories that you can get hold of. Try out the best classics first, and get the readers' reactions. When the magazine has been published for a year, you will have a pretty good idea what sort of story makes the greatest appeal.
"In the meanwhile, you are sailing uncharted seas, and as such you are apt to strike rocks once in a while, but if the navigating is done skillfully, the magazine must keep afloat."
The above is very likely what is happening, evidently we are not making a mess of it, because we are printing 150,000 copies at the present time, and the sales seem to be climbing month after month. It is a healthy sign, and shows that there is room for the scientifiction type of magazine.
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May we ask you, particularly this month, to fill in the voting coupon? You will notice it has been changed somewhat. Several questions as to the illustrations have been included and we should like to have your reactions in connection with these questions. The majority, as usual, will win.
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The $500 Prize Contest announced in our December issue closed just as we were going to press. It has been a most astonishing success, and far surpassed our greatest expectations. Both the quality and quantity were most gratifying. We received no less than 360 manuscripts from all parts of the world. Of course, it was impossible, as yet, to read all of them. The majority, however, have been quite good and an astonishing amount of ingenuity was shown. We shall begin publishing some of the prize winners in an early issue.
While the growth of AMAZING STORIES has so far progressed at a fairly satisfactory rate, we are far from satisfied. More readers are what we want. As you noticed, we recently put on an advertising section and added the "Discussions" Department. This, by the way, has been widely acclaimed and is eagerly read by most of our readers. Now, if each one of our readers would call the attention of a friend to AMAZING STORIES, we should soon be in a position to add 50 per cent more text to the magazine. It is our aim to get out a book with at least 150 pages, during the coming
year. If you want it — boost AMAZING STORIES
Mr. Hugo Gernsback speaks every Monday at 9 P. M. from WENY on various scientific and radio subjects.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1930.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
