A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, December 1949 — page 8: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

i—-* yi ei i Clue ’ } i ern ; 09, RN iit! ahs ae) j a. Hiss IN, Sues doe ¢ Ne . Fee KN r y, BIEL BT ha ty? wy } Sd v ' ‘ A : é i ty Ta ey) ae wah eib le. PENT Me AMeY UT gS » ry ' 2) anode ie vhs GON, is P . ‘ 4 > : alli ‘ : . , ‘ : . ‘ ; — ae 7 ‘> ye Te Aye - AR wre. eo. ee OF & ie cf iT fy ie 1S with the utmost pleasure that we bring to you with this, out first issue of A. MERRITT’S FANTASY mag- azine, the best and most renowned works of one of the greatest masters in the field of fantasy writing—truly a master of spine-chilling fiction—A. MERRITT! Since we are introducing a new mag- azine featuring the time-honored works of an author with whom you are no doubt already acquainted, let us for a minute or so outline our plans for your reading pleasure. It is our aim to bring you the complete works of Abraham Merritt. Being the fans that you are, you no doubt have read many of his books, but as you know, he was a prolific writer and his inimitable style has endeared him to millions of readers, so you will find in our new magazine, A. MERRITT’S FANTASY, some familiar stories and some which are new to you. Along with the full-length novel, we are planning to run another shorter length story by other prominent writers of fantasy. With these two features you will find 130 pages packed full of thrills and chills, designed to tingle the imagination and lift you out of the realm of reality into the world of fantasy. Since the works of Mr. Merritt have inspired the creation of this new mag- azine, it is only fitting that we devote the rest of our column to a short review of his life and works. Abraham Merritt was born on January 20, 1884, in Bev- erly, New Jersey. He began his news- paper career as a reporter with the Phila- delphia Jnquirer and later became night editor of the paper. In 1912 he joined The American Weekly and was the ed- itor of that widely circulated Sunday newspaper magazine section from 1937 until his death in 1943. However, Mr. Merritt was perhaps best known as a writer of fantasy fiction. His books in- cluded THE SHIP OF ISHTAR, THE MOON POOL, SEVEN FOOT- 8 ie be . . « - ~ =f PRINTS TO SATAN, THE FACE We THE ABYSS, THE WOMAN OE THE WOOD, DWELLERS IN THE > MIRAGE, BURN, WITCH, BURN, and of course, CREEP, SHADOW, which we are bringing to you in this issue. Beside this fiction he wrote many treatises on archeology and _ witchcraft. His work has the ring of authenticity, and for good reason, for Mr. Merritt's interest in the mysteries of witchcraft and the weird practices of the ancient cults was so great that he did extensive © experimental work in his own backyard, In the garden of his home he raised various poisonous herbs and plants. While experimenting with mandrake, a poison- ous plant used by the Babylonians some 3000 years ago, he was inspired to write the story, BURN, WITCH, BURN, and if you have read that one, you will well remember the terrifying Madame Man- delip, the witch and protagonist of the tale. Mr. Merritt did such thorough and intensive research that he was recognized as an authority on the ancient use of — poisons and death-dealing potions of an- tiquity. And so, Fantasy Fans, with this thumb- ~ nail sketch of Abraham Merritt and his famous books, we hope that you will be- come as enthusiastic about our new maga- zine as we are. In the February issue _we are presenting THREE LINES OF OLD FRENCH, a suspense-filled tale written in Mr. Merritt’s own unforget- table fashion. You will also find in our next issue George Challis’ SMOKING LAND. So here’s to you fans and your read- ing enjoyment! Let’s hear from you—let us know what you think of our new A. MERRITT’S FANTASY. The February issue will be at your favorite newsstand on January 4th. Don’ t miss it! —The Editor - CORNICLOOKSseOnKn