"Some will perhaps wonder what I precisely meant, in my dialog in the
May issue, when my character, Sidney, exclaimed, "And if scribes could
only emulate Smith or Lovecraft or Howard!" I meant, of course, that
writers should strive to these three in _greatness_--but a greatness
of a different sort. For there can only be _one_ Clark Ashton Smith,
_one_ H. P. Lovecraft, _one_ Robert E. Howard. But the aspiring writer
can always form himself on a good model; and in time, he will find
his _own_ individuality. I wish to see another tale by Eando Binder,
as well as a story by J. Harvey Haggard, and more poetry by William
Lumley."--Robert Nelson
"I find the June FANTASY FAN interesting. This story is really
good, the one by H. P. Lovecraft. Science in a weird atmosphere,
'From Beyond;' interesting, and the story worked out completely
satisfactorily. This will probably horrify a number of readers, but as
far as I know, this is the first story I have ever liked by Lovecraft;
but I like it very well. The word wanderings of 'Prose Pastels' number
three are a bit entrancing. F. Lee Baldwin seems worth his increased
column."--Forrest J. Ackerman
"The June FANTASY FAN contained everything that goes to make a magazine
successful--I need not list the splendid array of stories and articles
that you have somehow condensed into one issue."--Duane W. Rimel
"The June number was very well done. In addition to my old stand-bys
Lovecraft and Smith, I was pleased with Haggard's little note on
'Books of the Weird.' I'd like to see more of such articles. 'Weird
Whisperings' is one of my favorite columns."--H. Koenig
"Enjoyed the latest FANTASY FAN--an excellent issue. The cover of
different colour adds to the effect."--H. P. Lovecraft
"Please print only short stories, the shorter the better, and no
serials. Also give us a greater variety of authors. Let's have poetry
in every issue, but not too much of Smith's heavy ones. All eight
pieces printed so far have been fine! Very glad to see the way you're
encouraging amateurs."--William H. Dellenback
"I wish to commend Mr. Lumley's remarkable poem, 'Shadows,' in the May
TFF. This poem seems to have in it all the mystic immemorial anguish
and melancholy of China. The quatrain, 'Dragons,' is a vivid picture
too. I enjoyed 'Phantom Lights,' 'The Flower God,' and the various
departments--in fact, the entire contents of the magazine."--Clark
Ashton Smith
"The June issue of THE FANTASY FAN was great! I enjoyed immensely
the fine tale by H. P. Lovecraft, 'From Beyond.' It was extremely
well-written and lacked nothing in my estimation. I hope that I shall
enjoy many more of Mr. Lovecraft's splendid stories."--Fred John Walsen
"I note in 'Weird Whisperings' that Seabury Quinn gets most of his
plots while shaving. According to the looks of things in 'Weird
Tales,' Mr. Quinn is sporting a long, long beard. Also in 'Weird
Whisperings' the nassysnoopers are revealing the real names of authors.
Now--febbensake--why do writers use _nom-de-plumes_ if they let the
readers know their real names? What can be the use of pen-names in
such a case? As for 'Prose Pastels,' I must say I'm going to offer
my first criticism to Clark Ashton Smith. After reading 'The Muse of
Hyperborea,' I sez to myself, 'I'll bite! What is it?' You tell me--I
can't figure it out. Another thing I must slam Mr. Smith for is his use
of obsolete and rare words. Not that I don't enjoy them--they make the
stories so much more--so-so--but I dunno what they mean--my dictionary
is pretty big--but doesn't contain all those words."--Gertrude Hemken
"The June 1934 FANTASY FAN is pleasing to the eyes with its bright
yellow cover. Please make Lovecraft's 'Supernatural Horror in
Literature' at least four pages long. 'Side Glances' and 'Weird
Whisperings' are interesting. You ought to discontinue 'Your Views,'
since it offers nothing of value."--Charles H. Bert
"I was sure pleased with this month's TFF, and I especially liked
'Prose Pastels' by Clark Ashton Smith; also 'From Beyond' by H. P.
Lovecraft. Glad to see you are going to print such fine material as
is unjustifiably rejected by other magazines. Some of the real gems
of literature are sometimes never printed professionally, but thanks
to semi-amateur magazines like TFF, the efforts of an author is not
entirely lost. Let's have more by Mr. Lovecraft. Schwartz and Weisinger
have certainly been around quite a bit lately. Their stuff is brand new
and very interesting as well as amazing."--F. Lee Baldwin
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