Weird Tales/Volume 30/Issue 1/The Eyrie
There have been a number of letters from you, the readers, inquiring about John R. Speer, author of Symphony of the Damned and The Carnal God. John Rawson Speer is a new writer. He was formerly an actor, but when the Depression settled down over the country, the ancient and honorable profession of actor was hit a body blow. Mr. Speer then enlisted in the United States Navy, where he has just completed his first enlistment. Another new writer is Thomas P. Kelley, author of our current serial story, The Last Pharaoh. As Tommy Kelley—"Pride of Miami Beach"—he engaged in some eighty-seven prize fights during the seasons of 1927-1928-1929.
Death of H. P. Lovecraft
Kenneth Sterling, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, writes: "I am sure you must be deeply grieved at the passing of Howard Phillips Lovecrafc. A contributor to Weird Tales since its inception, he has always been considered one of the leading writers of modern weird literature, and was, in my opinion, the pre-eminent creative artist in his field. His vivid, powerful style, unsurpassed in producing and sustaining a mood of horror, is well known to you and your readers. His decease leaves a gap which can never be filled. But it is a far more severe loss to those of us who had the infinite pleasure of a personal acquaintance with the inimitable 'Ech-Pi-El.' His generosity and magnanimity won the love the respect of all who knew him. He possessed a supreme intellect—one which I have never seen exceeded—and I have come in contact with many prominent professors at Harvard Uruvessity. He had an incredible store of knowledge—he was versed in virtually every field of learning. In addition to this great erudition, he had an acutely analytical mind—his thinking was keenly logical and free of all bias and closed-minded narrowness. Contrary to what one would be led to expect from his fiction, Lovecraft was a confirmed materialist and iconoclast, as expressed in innumerable letters and articles. His conversation was transcendently brilliant, outshining even his excellent writings. He was a man of great vigor and sincerity, and had great influence on his circle of friends, many of whom are noted authors in the fantasy field and other types of fiction. I think it would be most fitting if H. P. Lovecraft were remembered as a scholar and thinker as well as an author. In closing, let me urge you to reprint many of Lovecraft's fine stories and poems, and if possible, to have his works published in permanent book form."
From Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith writes from Auburn, California: "I am profoundly saddened by the news of H. P. Lovecraft's death after a month of painful illness. The loss seems an intolerable one, and I am sure that it will be felt deeply and permanently by the whole weird fiction public. Most of all will it be felt by the myriad friends who knew Lovecraft through face-to-face meeting or correspondence: for in his case the highest literary genius was allied to the most brilliant and most endearing personal qualities. I—alas!—never met him, but we had corresponded for about seventeen years, and I felt that I knew him better than most people with whom I was thrown in daily intimacy. The first manuscript of his that I read (probably in 1920) confirmed me in the opinion of has genius from which I have never swerved at any time. It opened a new world of awesome speculation and eery surmise, a new imaginative dimension. Since then, he has written scores of masterpieces that extend the borders of human fantasy and conquer fresh empires amid the extra-human and ultra-terrestrial infinities. Among these, I might mention The Outsider, The Call of Cthulhu, The Color Out of Space, The Rats in the Walls, The Dunwich Horror, Pickman's Model and The Dreams in the Witch-House as being special favorites. However, there are few tales of his that I have not read and re-read many times, always with that peculiar delight given by the savor of some uniquely potent distillation of dreams and fantasy. Leng and Lomar and witch-ridden Arkham and sea-cursed Innsmouth are part of my mental geography; and dreadful, Cyclopean R'lyeh slumbers somewhere in the depths. Others will venture into the realms that the Silver Key of his mastery has unlocked; but none will read them with the same wizard surety, or bring back for our delectation essences of equal dread and beauty and horror."
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From Edmond Hamilton
Edmond Hamilton writes from New Castle, Pennsylvania: "I just heard the news of H. P. Lovecraft's recent death. This is quite a shock, coming so soon after the death of Howard. While I never met either of them, I have been appearing with them in Weird Tales for so long that I had a dim feeling of acquaintance. I think I read every one of Lovecraft's stories from Dagon, years ago. It is too bad that he is gone—there will never be another like him."
From Henry Kuttner
Henry Kuttner writes from Beverly Hills, California: "I've been feeling extremely depressed about Lovecraft's death. Even now I can't realize it. He was my literary idol since the days of The Horror at Red Hook, and lately a personal friend as well. The loss to literature is a very great one, but the loss to HPL's friends is greater. He seemed, somehow, to have been an integral part of my literary life—and the shock was more severe because I had not known that his illness was serious."
From Earl Peirce, Jr.
Earl Peirce, Jr., writes from Washington, D. C.: "The news of Lovecraft's passing, although not the shock of surprize, is nevertheless the shock of an irreparable loss, not alone to WT, but to his admirers and acquaintances the world over. I shall always regret that I never had the good fortune of meeting him personally, but I am truly grateful for the impulse which prompted me to write to him a few months ago, and that I have two letters in his own hand. What most impressed me were his sincerity and genuineness, which qualities were not alone in making him unique among modern writers. You have my sympathy, for this must be a hard time, but I imagine it is a feeling of pride for you to know that so many of his stories originally appeared in Weird Tales. Unlike many other men of genius, Lovecraft was fortunate enough to living at a time when his work was recognized as outstanding. With the passing of time this recognition will become more universal and his work will take its proper place in the world's great literature."
Concise Comments
John Hartsfield, of New Bern, North Carolina, writes: "How about some more stories from Seabury Quinn? His are the 'business.' Incidentally, where does Mr. Quinn live?" [You shall have more stories by Mr. Quinn; another of his fascinating tales about Jules de Grandin will appear in WT soon. Mr. Quinn lives in Brooklyn.]
Miss Mary A. Conklin, of Cold water, Michigan, writes: "Fine issue this month (April). Virgil Finlay's cover superb. Fine handling of shadows and colors. More, please!"
I. I. Mabbott, of New York City, writes: The Mannikin, by Robert Bloch, is the most original thing in a long while; the undeveloped twin theme is new to me. Fessenden's Worlds is good, but I've read a similar story from the point of view of the tiny people."
Samuel Gordon, of Washington, D. C, writes: "After meeting Earl Peirce personally, I may be prejudiced in his favor, but I think his story, The Death Mask, is the best in the April issue. Henry Kuttner's little story, We Are the Dead, certainly clicked. If you know Arlington Cemetery, you can appreciate Kuttner's story. By the way, I know why they died. It was to make the world safe for democracy. Of course."
Dorothy Reed, of Sacramento, California, writes: "No modern magazine gives me so much pleasure as Weird Tales. It may be a streak of ghoulish atavism in me, but I am sincerely glad there are many others who feel the sane."
Marianne Ferguson, of Worcester, Massachusetts, writes: "The cover on January didn't follow the story true enough, but you sure made up with the February cover, the best cover in years. I liked it much better than naked, shrieking maids. It was truly weird. Dig Me No Grave, Robert E. Howard's classic, was a thriller; I heaved not a few shudders, and you can bet I avoided dark places for a week."
Dorothy McCown, of Daytona Beach, Florida, writes: "The Death Mask is one of the best stories of its kind I've ever read. Unusual style."
Robert A. Madle, of Philadelphia, writes: "Virgil Finlay's second cover is even better than his initial outside drawing. It would please me immensely if you continue to alternate with Margaret Brundage and Virgil Finlay on the covers. Whatever you do, don't lose either of them. They are the best cover artists I have ever seen, and their drawings make WT appear much more attractive than other magazines."
B. Bornill, of Seattle, writes: "I liked Henry Hasse's Guardian of the Book best of all in the March WT—think the lad should develop into a fine Weird Tales writer. He was excellent."
Brace Bryan, of Washington, D. C., writes: "Lovecraft had a rare faculty for beginning with something commonplace and building up an overwhelming aura of horror that left his readers hanging onto the ropes. In that sense, I can't think of anyone who could surpass him. He had a knack of delving into man's subconscious, untranslated fears—putting them into an appreciable form, giving them appealing names and personifying one's own, inmost, half-comprehended, even personal nightmares."
L. M. Nankivell, of Steelton, Pennsylvanniawrites: "Duar the Accursed recalls scenes depicted by Robert E. Howard. I hope the author will continue. The dialogue was good. Henry Kuttner's story was good also, as all of his tales always are."
John V. Baltadonis, of Philadelphia, writes: "The new serial, The Last Pharaoh, starts off fine. I look forward eagerly to the new issue to continue this thrilling I yarn."
Richard F. Behro, of Los Angeles, writes: "Seemingly the author of Symphony of the Damned delved into the ancient books of black magic, etc. He was able to turn out something equally as weird, yet with a decidedly modern trend."
Fingernail Gnawing
Arthur L. Widner, Jr., of Waterbury, Vermont, writes: "Although I'm not normally a nervous person I have the well known but bad habit of biting my fingernails. Ordinarily I am content to nibble a nail or two a day, alternating on each hand every week; but after reading the March issue of WT, I looked like a male counterpart of the Venus De Milo, excluding the handsome part of it. The Guardian of the Book made me consume my entire left arm. A powerful tale. Henry Hasse must fill his pen with that Good Gulf. The Brood of Bubastis did very well on my right forearm, and The Dark Star awoke my cannibalistic instincts enough to finish up to my shoulder. All the stories were good, with Lovecraft and Quick getting honorable mention."
The Greatest Genius
Harold S. Farnese, of Los Angeles, writes: "Reading your magazine habitually, I some- times wonder whether you ever realized how great a contributor you had in H. P. Lovecraft. Whether you ever gaged the fineness of his stories, the originality of his genius? Of course, you published them, alongside of others. You sent him his cheque, and that was that. But has it ever occurred to you that in Lovecraft you had the greatest genius that ever lived in the realm of weird fiction?"
Surprize
L.H.K. writes from Pasadena, California: "Have read your magazine for a long time and enjoy it very much—but for the sake of an 'old reader' can't you please do something about always spelling surprise with a z?" [The Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary gives surprize as the preferred spelling.—The Editor.]
The Scarab
Julius Hopkins writes from Washington, D. C.: "The Necronomists, the Washington Weird Tales Club, is going to publish the first issue of its official organ, The Scarab, on May 15 and we are goifig to give abso-
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The Little Eaglets
Gertrude Hemken, of Chicago, writes: "Shux now—I just been a-wonderin' if you couldn't be the eagle and we readers all the funny li'l eaglets—this department being the Eyrie. This sudden brain wave just occurred to me. . . . Duar the Accursed—Do I detect a slight resemblance to Conan the Barbarian? Mr. Ball is agonna be a pal of mine if he keeps up that type of tale. Aw gorsh—I was figgerin' on the Monster being real and not a nit-wit butcher in The Mark of the Monster, It was exciting up to the unmasking of the Devil-spawned twin brother. . . . (Personal to Editor:—Why don't authors use ordinary names for a change—I'm tired of reading odd names and suddenly realizing I've been reading them wrong. In this issue I find Valyne, Leocadie, Lavinia—ugh! I don't mind odd names when used in odd tales of old forgotten ages—or of lives on spheres beyond our ken. Course, I'm not expecting anyone to do anything about it, but I like to get it off my chest.) I have not been disappointed in Hazel Heald's story of The Horror in the Burying-Ground. The lady knows how to keep one's interest brimming. Her method of relating the circumstances as told by the general store council has a touch of humor. Any hard-fisted citizen would condemn them for a bunch of crackpots. As for me—I'd listen, git werry uncomfy and. when the tale is done, run like heck for home. . . . How strange—how utterly stupefying this Valtisneria Madness! It was beautiful—one of those times when words fail me again. I only can say, 'Thank you, Mr. Farley.'"
The Strange High House
H. W. Morian, of Fort Knox, Tennessee, writes: "Those two comment-provokers, The Last Archer and Guardian of the Book, are indeed different. To me, they are a welcome reversion to the type of story seen in earlier years. The weird motif is stressed and carried out to a thought-provoking climax. Common adventure stories have no place in our magazine. I join Mr. Bloch in calling for more reprints by H. P. Lovecraft. Those stories are jeweled bits of artistry and I would particularly like to request The Strange High House in the Mist. My files fail to show the copy containing the original."
The Past Six Months
Charles H. Bert, of Philadelphia, writes: "I would like to speak of the stories that impressed me most favorably during the last six months, and a few things in general. I was indeed surprized to find in the May Weird Tales that The Dark Star by G. G. Pendarves didn't receive first place in the March number. It was a remarkable yarn. The translation of the hero into the picture, and his struggles with the evil entity and his subsequent escape, was really weird and shivery. This is the kind of story I always look for, something new and different! Equally as good but in another way, was The Last Archer, by Earl Peirce, Jr. Nothing new about a curse haunting the descendants of a family for generations and killing them off; your authors have used plots like this many times. But The Last Archer was a story in which the curse harmed no one but the one whom it was pronounced against; and it hounded Farquhar through the centuries in his search of 'the greatest archer,' until he finally killed himself on an island! The curse did not kill anyone except Farquhar, and that was a unique ending for a fine tale. . . . Symphony of the Damned by John Speer is a yarn I will long remember. It is worthy to stand in the company of Satan's Fiddle, published a decade ago. Speer's story was Faustian in character, a man sells his soul to the devil for power and fame. The best story in recent months was The Globe of Memories by Seabury Quinn. Lady Fulvia was so real and likable a character, that one cannot help sympathizing and loving her, and pitying the fate that overtook her. Quinn's story was one of the best reincarnation stories I have ever read in your fine magazine. I am certainly glad that The Globe of Memories did not end in tragedy as most of your stories do. When I first read the yarn, so powerfully was I affected by it, that within a few days I read it again! That story is not easily forgotten. . . . Another story I enjoyed was The Poppy Pearl by Frank Owen. It was a refreshing relief compared with your heavy horror tales. I am unable to understand why some of your readers did not like it. Please give us more of this type. Howard's stories possess a virility your other authors couldn't duplicate, and I was especially pleased with Dig Me No Grave and Black Hound of Death. Those tales were strong in horror, and I am unable to decide which is the best. His best character creation was Solomon Kane, in my opinion."
Bouquets and Brickbats
Arthur E. Walker, of Colorado Springs, writes: "As a constant reader of your magazine for a good many years, I want to register a few compliments and kicks. I realize, of course, that you cannot have each story a top-notcher every month. However, Weird Tales is the best magazine I have found and it improves through the years. The Last Archer and Shambleau are two of the best tales I ever read. Howard's stuff read like a passage from the Arabian Nights and I, too, lament his passing. A bit of love interest adds to your stories. I like Doctor Satan and also Lovecraft's stories. Seabury Quinn rates much higher when he drops the silly de Grandin stuff. Like one of your contributors, I have had enough of the forbidden books, the discussion of which takes up about half of the story. I am also getting fed up with the 'old ones' who are continually wriggling into the third dimension through forbidden nooks and crannies. Some of your yarns are too complex; they sound more like half-baked lectures on higher mathematics than ghost stories. I lose interest in the story, trying to figure out the significance of triangles, trapezoids and pentagons. . . . Your best story this month is Duar the Accursed."
Symphony of the Damned
Harry C. Williamson, of Los Angeles, writes: "I have just finished reading Symphony of the Damned by John R. Speer, and just wanted to drop you a line telling you how very much I enjoyed it. The plot is very good and the author pictures his characters so vividly that the readers can almost live the story as they read along. There is just enough blood and thunder in it to make it good reading and in no way revolting. I only hope we shall soon have
Under the supposedly solid surface of a great American city lay an immense cavern, larger even than the bustling city above it. An incredible underground city it was, and the adventures of the men that dropped into it were exciting, dangerous and glamorous.
You cannot afford to miss this fascinating tale of the city of the golden chariots, vast temples, and cruel people. This story will begin
in the August issue of]]
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Name Address City State the good fortune to read another such story by the same author, as he has made such a splendid start and it would be a shame not to have some more from his soon famous pen."
Conan His Favorite Character
A. H. McDonald, of Little Rock, Arkansas, writes: "I have been a constant reader of WT for eleven years and it has afforded me many hours of enjoyment. It was with deepest regret that I read of the death of Robert E. Howard. It is a sad thought to know that I can never again follow Conan through his strange lands. Conan was my favorite character."
Praise Across the Sea
Leslie Stille, of Harrow-on-the-Hill, England, writes: "I don't know how often it is that you receive praise across the Atlantic, but I feel that WT deserves a great deal. I saw a copy of the magazine one day for the first time on sale at a news agent's and the cover attracted me immediately (can you wonder?). Since then I have called at every news agent I could for further copies. I introduced them to my friends, too. How your spine-chilling stories compare with the feeble, lukewarm, insipid apologies that are so often published! The stories in WT are something altogether new in the fiction I have read—something for which I have longed—utterly gripping and fantastic, breath-taking in their weirdness. But please don't adulterate and dilute it with pseudo-scientific stories and thinly-disguised detective yarns. There are other magazines for those who like such stuff. Let WT be something unique and striking. Avoid the commonplace and banal.'"
Paging Moore and Smith
T. Gelbut, of Niagara Falls, New York, writes: "Just a few lines to let you know that WT keeps satisfying my prodigious appetite for the weird, grotesque and sorcerous in literature. I do miss C. L. Moore's North-west Smith stories (incidentally the only writer of interplanetary fiction that I enjoy reading). C. A. Smith is also infrequently found in WT, and I sadly look in vain for his tales of sorcery and necromancy for which he is so justly famous."
Your Favorite Story
Readers, what stories do you like best in this issue? Write us a letter, or fill out the coupon on this page, and mail it to the Eyrie, Weird Tales. Your favorite story in the May Weird Tales, as shown by your votes and letters, was Duar the Accursed, by Clifford Ball. This was pressed for first honors by The Salem Horror, by Henry Kuttner.
MY FAVORITE STORIES IN THE JULY WEIRD TALES ARE:
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