row, the era of Space Travel. Dealing with the problems space travelers will have to contend with, Gaul discusses the physical and biological conditions within the spaceship in flight, the difficulties to be surmounted in building the ship, the training of the prospective space pilot, and the problems of space travel itself including the very real problems of navigating in space.
The book is illustrated by Virgil Finlay.
Sam Moskowitz's Portfolio of Early Spaceships 1638-1929, a part of the Gaul book, will interest many readers. Former Managing Editor of Science Fiction Plus, Moskowitz, has assembled an interesting group of illustrations from the days of Cyrano de Bergerac's famous Voyage to the Sun, to Jules Verne and early Gernsback.
Gray Barker's disturbing They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers (University Books, $3.50), describes the silencing, one by one, of leading figures among flying saucer researchers who challenge official denials that saucers come from outer space. Three men in dark suits visit one of these researchers, who abruptly withdraws from saucer research. Strange things happen to other researchers. Barker asks WHY?
Perhaps the first book to describe the personalities of the men and women active in Saucer Research. They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers will undoubtedly cause a certain amount of discussion. Quite frank in his description of these men and women, Barker also discusses theories of various researchers and possible explanations of much of what has happened. Interesting.
THE STORY BEHIND THE COVER. . .
Even as on Earth the desert-dwelling aborigines perform their rain-making dances, so similarly on wetly steaming Venus the natives perform their dry-making dances. While this may not be "scientific" in the gadget-and-gimmick sense, it's much more picturesque than Venusian machinery, which— due to unfavorable atmospheric conditions— cannot be left exposed, but is covered by protective sheathing and therefore looks somewhat like the dustcatching insides of an early pre-atomic age. The Venusians describe this as draco-pixll. . . .
But that's another story. . . .
The girl caught in the swirl (and liking it) is a fair tourist from Earth of course, happily posing for our lensman in the latest (3466 A. D.) touring-costume.
ENJOY VIVACIOUS VACATIONS ON VIVID VENUS!
—Hecticolor Snapimage by Hannes Bok
(Courtesy Interstellar Travel Service)
