"I missed Bob Tucker's column in the December issue. Better luck next
month. By the way, who wrote the last piece of poetry in that
issue?"--Kenneth B. Pritchard
The editor wishes to confess that he is guilty for everything that
appears in TFF unsigned. We are forced to tell you this, so that you
won't blame it on someone else.
"After reading the fourth issue of TFF, I feel compelled to take time
out to let you know my reactions. It seems to me that in this little
magazine, you have succeeded, by your choice and arrangement of
material, in creating the illusion of an intensely human, keenly
interested gathering of real people. I actually got something of this
impression from perusing its pages--the imaginary sensation of sitting
in on such a group--and it is this which prompts me to a note of
appreciation. You have been able to offer a welcome medium of
expression and interchange of ideas to us devotees of the fantastic in
fiction and the success of TFF should be assured if you can maintain
this standard of Interest."--Richard F. Searight
This letter is satisfactory proof to us that our efforts are not being
entirely wasted. It is our purpose to live up to slogan, "the fans'
own magazine" and make it as personal and interesting as possible.
"Lovecraft's tales certainly hit the spot. R. H. Barlow's 'Annals of
the Jinns' are great and show a seriousness and depth of that which is
not expressed easily in writing. When his series is completed, try to
get more of his tales. I am glad to see Derleth in our pages, and this
Wooley person certainly did a very nice job with her story.
"I don't believe the January issue of the magazine was up to standard.
Too much space was devoted to the Boiling Point and the readers'
columns. I still insist that the installments of Lovecraft's article
are too short."--H. Koenig
We are cutting out the Boiling Point entirely and intend to cut down
on the readers' column.
"Smith's 'The Ghoul' is better than 'The Kingdom of the Worm' and
should devour the latter in replete satisfaction. I hope to see
another fantasy by Lovecraft soon."--Robert Nelson
You will notice one of Lovecraft's stories in this issue. We have
several more of his on hand for future publication.
"The various articles in the January issue were very interesting with
the exception of 'The Boiling Point' which is becoming monotonous. On
the whole, however, you are doing a fine job, and I hope it will not
be necessary for you to cut down the size of the magazine or publish
less often."--Philip Bridges
"I liked Derleth's little tale in the December number, and I second H.
Koenig's criticism that the installments of 'Supernatural Horror in
Literature' are too short."--Clark Ashton Smith
Forrest J. Ackerman reminds us of two typographical errors in TFF that
changed the entire meaning of a couple of statements. In the December
"Boiling Point" it was stated that he solicits people to like him,
when it should have stated that he does _not_ solicit people to like
him. In his collection article, it was claimed that he had the
original manuscript of Flagg's "Lancer in the Crystal" instead of
"Dancer," which made quite a pun out of it.
"'Birkett's Twelfth Corpse' was indeed a gem in spite of its
shortness. Perhaps August W. Derleth would write some poetry for you.
I saw one of his in the 'Driftwood.' R. H. Barlow seems to get better
all the time. Let's have more of the 'Annals of the Jinns'."--Duane W.
Rimel
"I think the FF is fine. It only needs time to grow larger, which it
will do as soon as more people find out about it. Don't have a
contents page--save that extra room for the fans. Thank you for the
privilege of being one of your contributors."--Natalie H. Wooley
Thank _you_ for contributing to THE FANTASY FAN.
"The January issue of TFF was very good indeed! I believe that the
issues have improved greatly since the first one was published, quite
some time ago, too. Mr. Smith is one of your finest, if not your
finest, author. Mr. Ackerman's articles I find very interesting.
'Supernatural Horror in Literature' by H. P. Lovecraft is an excellent
article. Mr. Lovecraft has succeeded in condensing the ancient horror
and weirdness into a great article. I admire very much the fine
writing of Mr. Lovecraft."--Fred John Walsen
Write your opinions and suggestions into "Our Readers Say," fans--we
want to run the magazine the way you like it best. As a special
feature in next month's issue, we are presenting a full-page original
illustration by Morey.