only to destroy the man who had tortured the man of whom the disembodied brain was once a part. I wouldn't call that operation weird surgery—merely cold-blooded unfeeling science. Nuff sed—will greet you again next month. Mayhap you will have some real chillers, which will be doubly welcome, if I know Chicago's summers."
"A Punch in the Nose"
William L. Ebelein, of Baltimore, writes: "My seven favorite authors in order are Quinn, Moore, Kline, Williamson, Davidson, Hamilton and Howard. The Jules de Grandin stories by Quinn are very good. Please try your best to make Quinn write more de Grandin stories. It has been nearly six months since you published the last one. I have noticed, with very much regret, that during the past three years Quinn has given us only about ten de Grandin stories. A few years ago I remember Quinn wrote about six or seven de Grandin stories per year. Make him produce or I will feel like giving him a good punch in the nose. I think it about time for Kline to give us one of his fantastic novels about Mars, Venus, or any other planet very soon. What say?" [A superb story about Jules de Grandin, entitled Witch-House, will be published soon.—The Editor.]
Weirder Than Ever
Nils Helmer Frome, of East Orange, New Jersey, writes: "I halted as I sped past a magazine stand—I always do that—magazines have a fascination for me. Weird Tales wasn't the only one I looked at, but it held my gaze the longest. I lingered and languished—my purse wasn't exactly blooded. I bought it. That is the synopsis on the repeating incident that is among the most important in my years. Weird Tales has become weird again—or else my appreciation has risen. The covers of the last two issues were wonderfully weird. Great credit due to Brundage—she's really quite competent when she gets started—if she would only quit those nothing-on dames—she has no idea what a female figure looks like, even if she is a woman herself. Although I am far from an authority in that line myself, I know that a figure true to life is far from what can be effected by even a skilled guesser. And that external sadness in those eyebrows lifted in between the temples gets me with its monotony; why not a pointed pair of eyelashes, such meaning a mischievous nature; an arching pair—or a pair that swing in a curve from the temples and drop back; anything but those poor, fluttery lines Brundage favors always. Brundage must have such eyebrows—and the general contour of the faces of her bright-eyed heroines—for almost invariably an artist favors his or her type to depict. And why not put more life and horror into the faces—a shrinking type—a staring type—a fascinated type—a shadowed full-face type—a fainting type with half-closed eyes. The hands might be bettered, too. Advise her, Editor, to watch people's hands and catch their personality—their grace."
The Two Ranking Authors
H. W. Morlan, of Fort Knox, Kentucky, writes: "I feel a bit timid, since this is my first letter to the readers' forum. I have followed the magazine since its inception and have at last worked up courage enough to write. Since you ask your readers' opinions on the stories appearing in our magazine, let me say that the two ranking authors, in my opinion, are H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. Lovecraft has no equal for horror build-up. His climaxes hit you like Schmeling's right-hand punch. Howard's creations, Kull and Conan, are superb. Your other authors are too numerous to enumerate, but the majority turn in the high quality of work typical of our magazine.... Whether or not this is printed I remain an enthusiastic booster of the best magazine on the market."
Is This Sarcasm?
Marshall Lemer, of New York City, writes: "Occasionally, in the tumult and the shouting over the latest exquisite little tale featuring Jules de Grandin, one still comes upon a reader that feels impelled to bring up the subject of nudes on the covers, a question that I thought had been settled long ago. De gustibus non est ditsputandum; thus one young man writes that he 'didn't expect the stories to match the covers', while another earnest critic sadly notes that 'a reader is ashamed to buy a copy (because of the cover) on the news stands.' But let the discussion turn out as it will, I must say that I admire the artistic sense that prompts Brundage to select invariably what is frequently the one nude in the entire issue for the cover illustration. Indubitably she adopts
