"BRAIN TRANSPLANTED FROM TOAD TO FROG. The fantasy of transplanting personalities from one man to another has been realized in the world of the lower animals by the transplantation of a toad's brain into a frog's head. The frog then proceeded to behave in a partially toad-like manner."
This certainly upholds your statement, "Extravagant Fiction To-day . . . . Cold Fact To-morrow."
A Naughty Schoolboy Writes Us a Good Letter
Editor, Amazing Stories:
That June issue wasn't bad, although it was rather a detriment to the high standards Amazing has lately been establishing. "The Isle of Juvenescence" was good. I like all of Bob Olsen's stories. Do you remember "The Ant With a Human Soul," "The Purple Monsters," and "Peril Among the Drivers"? Those, I think, represented Bob Olsen's best stories; and especially the first.
Some readers have said that you are slipping up on the job. In my opinion, Amazing Stories shall always be the aristocrat of science fiction. Even in the small size magazine (which, incidentally, I like better than the larger book,) there is always a dignified air in the pages of Amazing Stories. Those persons who long for the good old days must remember that a magazine with a circulation of 100,000, as Amazing was in the days of yore, can get better authors, pay them well, and thus secure more and better stories. Sometimes I wonder if science fiction shall ever be as popular as it was in 1927-31.
Please get more stories by Leslie F. Stone. Her "Fall of Mercury," though ridiculed by a few kickers, was the finest ever to emanate from her typewriter. In my opinion, her work excels that of another woman author, C. L. Moore. Someone has correctly defined Moore's stories as "dressed up fairy tales."
Looking over some of Morey's drawings of 1928-33, and comparing them with his modern drawings, one is bound to notice that they are not as good as of old. (I refer to his inside illustrations.) To my mind, this decline of quality is due to one or both of these reasons: (1). That Morey has too much work to do, and can not put enough time and care on one drawing. (2). That the large size magazine improves Morey's style, as is the case with Wesso. Morey's covers aren’t bad at all.
I don't believe that brickbats directed at an editor who is trying to improve his magazine are of any value. But maybe a few suggestions would be helpful. 1. Ask Morey to use brighter colors in his covers. The December cover, illustrating "The Fall of Mercury," was excellent. 2. Increase the number of pages rather than the size of pages. I conceal my magazines in an open notebook at school, and read them. With the big book, there is danger of detection, but the smaller one lends itself to concealment. Also, the smaller magazine looks neater when filed away in a bookcase or cabinet. 3. Don't reduce the price. 4. Try to get Wesso to illustrate one story a month. He was supreme in the bigger-sized book. 5. Don't lessen the pages of Discussions. Now, this is a pretty big order to fill, but if only one is carried out, I shall be happy.
25c isn't too much to charge if you give us an average of one good story per issue. And that is what you have done in three recent issues: December, February, and April. The outstanding stories were: "The Fall of Mercury," "Labyrinth," and "Intelligence Undying." I could not find an outstanding story in the new June issue; they were either mediocre or good.
I haven't much more to say, only that I wish you success with Amazing Stories.
4516 Edina Boulevard,
Minneapolis, Minn.
(What will your teacher say if he reads this letter and finds that you prefer story-reading to studying? A letter to an editor may be of interest because it criticizes him, and well thought out criticism is very valuable, or it may express approval so as to encourage and that is at least pleasant and confirms one in the path he is travelling. What you say about the June issue is not confirmed by various letters we have received expressing approval of it. Then there are limitations which affect an editor's work, and no one realizes the effect of them better than he does. But readers criticize without knowing a thing about these limitations. — Editor.)
