superior, for he gave the impression always of striving to conceal or to minimize horror, instead of painting it in rainbow colors and in circus poster type. . . . Lovecraft's passing is not a case of 'The King is dead; long live the King!', for there is no heir-apparent to succeed to the crown. There are several younger writers—one woman in particular—who show marked promise, and who, I believe, acknowledge that they owe much in encouragement and inspiration to H. P. L. Let us hope they can carry on his traditions. They are not Lovecrafts; they may never be; but the fact that their work demands comparison with his, and appraisal by the standard of perfection which he set, is in itself a high tribute. Mrs. Heald, Mr. Bloch and Mr. Kuttner are facing a challenging future."
One Pair of Shoes
T. O. Mabbott, of New York, writes: "Clicking Red Heels, by Paul Ernst, is a grand story—but then it has to have a reasoned-out explanation. But that explanation is a bad one—how did the hollow where the ghost sat appear? And didn't the young man have more than one pair of shoes? Aristotle says, 'Better a credible impossibility than an incredible possibility.' I find it easier to believe a millionaire haunted than a millionaire with only one pair of shoes—and I like my weird tales weird."
The Mark of the Monster
Mrs. Mark Shover, of Battle Creek, Michigan, writes: "Your magazine is unique, as you have subtitled it. A pulp that maintains such a high standard of excellence is to be commended, but see that you do keep the standard. Surely there are better stories coming to your office than The Mark of the Monster. It was so obviously a formula yarn, and the choice of words did not serve to give an atmosphere. Now I have no quarrel with the word 'horror,' nor 'evil,' in fact with any of the poor, overused words in this story, but I do maintain that both atmosphere and action can be achieved with simpler and more plausible setting and writing. As a concrete example of my point, the story by Derleth (The Wind from the River) makes use of none of the haggard old words, yet the atmosphere certainly is one to carry conviction. I should like to compliment you also on your story Vallisneria Madness, by Farley, as being a fanciful, charming story with a good choice of words. Keep Weird Tales the Unique Magazine."
A Plea for Serials
E. M. Stubbs, of Detroit, writes: "The new serial starts out fine. For several months you have been discontinuing serials, and I have missed them greatly. Who can ever forget The People of the Black Circle, Golden Blood, and The Trail of the Cloven Hoof? Your best stories have been serials, and it would be a poor policy to omit them. Again may I put in my plea for longer reprints? If necessary, decrease the size of the type in the reprint department. Why not ask the readers to vote upon this matter? The covers by Finlay are superb. They are finely drawn, and they possess a genuine weirdness. St. John is another fine illustrator; yet I have seen no covers by him for several months."
That Bloch-Kuttner Yarn
Willis Conover, Jr., of Cambridge, Maryland, writes: "The Bloch-Kuttner collaborative effort truly ranks among your finest stories of recent months. Bob and Hank have turned out a tale equal in many respects to some of HPL's. Nice work, fellers. Sailor Speer's debut was marked by a better-than-average yarn; but his second WT opus fails to interest me—merely a mess of pseudo-scientific love-adventure with a generous dash of high-priestess, sex, and gore. Or maybe my literary standards are cock-eyed. Try again, Sir John; let's hope for something more worthy next time."
Evaluation of Lovecraft
Paul S. Smith, of Orange, New Jersey, writes: "Lovecraft was gifted with a remarkable imagination and was the possessor of one of the most perfect and striking English styles that I have ever encountered. If you ever publish a book of Lovecraft's stories I earnestly hope you will include The Rats in the Walls, which I consider to be his masterpiece. And more than this, I think it is the best weird story I have ever read, and this is saying a great deal. Among Lovecraft's other outstanding stories I would mention The Dunwich Horror, The Lurking Fear, The Whisperer in Darkness, The Hound and The Thing on the Door-Step."
