by Forrest J. Ackerman
(It is well-known that Mr. Ackerman is the most active science fiction
fan. His collection is the most unique, if not the largest in the
world. You will be surprised to learn of the various things beside the
stories themselves that can be collected.)
My files of the stf publications edited by Gernsback, Bates, Dr.
Sloane, and Rose Bolton (Miracle Stories) are complete. I think that
covers in a breath the 230 copies of standard stf. magazines.
In the line of further written material I have: the Amazing Stories
booklet, "Vanguard of Venus"; Gernsback's 18 stf. booklets, and the
one Science Fiction Classic; "Guests of the Earth," the first
Fantastic Fiction Library publication; all of the Science Fiction
Library's releases; thirty-two booklets, mostly English, including
such titles as "A Round Trip to the Year 2000, The Robot Man, Invaders
from Mars," etc; the illustrated Buck Rogers book of the 25th century;
164 bound amazing stories from Argosy, Weird Tales, Popular,
Excitement, etc, with a quarter of a hundred more in the process of
being made into books--including such stories of outstanding interest
as "The Blind Spot, Men from Space, The Girl in the Golden Atom,
Return of George Washington, Snake Mother," and other tales of
considerable value and popularity; the science fiction from Science
and Invention bound from as far back as 1921, the stories being,
besides the thirty or more Dr. Hackensaw's Secrets, Ray Cummings'
"Around the Universe," and a number of short stf tales. The special
science fiction edition of this publication is also included. Copies
of the futuristic cartoon strip, Buck Rogers, and such other newspaper
stf. as the illustrated interplanetaryarn "Rocketing thru the
Universe," another called "Into the Deeps of Space," Clinton
Constantinescu's "The Martian Menace" and other miscellaneous works
finish up that part of my collection.
As for books themselves, I am not so interested in them, but do have
"The Day of the Brown Horde", "Moon Terror", "Ralph 124C 41+", "Ship
of Ishtar", "Purple Sapphire", "Conquest of Space" autographed,
"Planet of Peril" and works of Burroughs, Rockwood, etc.
(Next month Mr. Ackerman continues and tells about the more singular
sections of his collections--don't miss it.)