Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 50 — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION COCKTAIL I read English as fluently as Danish, but I have no opportunity to write or speak the language, so “every time I shall use a word I can’t find it, then so soon as I read it I know it. I, therefore, beg you a priori, excuse my very bad English! What a pity we can’t use the brain- waves where are no confusion of languages! I’m not used for writing to editors, but as I see from Pro- jectiles, you don’t provide for silent readers, but let your opinion guide from the writing readers alone. I will, therefore, politely remind you of even many silent readers. If you will have a sure statistic, you ought to enclose a form or questionnaire in every ASF., for perhaps 2 or 3 months, with an index over the different articles (series) which appear or can appear in ASF. Especially whether our readers prefer more AS fiction or nonfiction, and one or two lines for individual proposi- tions. Beware the very fine standard of novels you have now; for my sake the novels may be longer and plenty of them. And one proposi- tion, which i think many others will approve: let us have a special good and great novel—a big one, too—continued through 8 or 12 issues of ASF. Your mag is the best I have read and you are now high over your earlier standard. Before I stop, here you have a recipe for ASF Cocktail: Take: 25% authentic-science 25% Ald. Huxley and Orwell 15% Nig. Balchin 20% Phantasy 15% D. H. Lawrence. Shake it to a fine emulsion. “ A.v.H., Vordingborg, Denmark. (Name withheld by request.) 138 Your English is a bit shaky, but we made it out all right. Most readers who write in—and the others have to take what they get, for being lazy— disagree with you about the serialised novel, But Id like to hear their views on your cocktail recipe. Keep writing to us; it’s good practice! HOME SECTION SERVICE Your articles are all first-rate, but special commendation goes to Planet Farms, Space Travel and the Law, and the Atomic Submarine. But as I say, they are all of interest, and stories apart, I think your mag is doing a service by presenting matter which otherwise would require to be sought in many dif- ferent publications. I certainly do not- think you should reduce the quantity of them—that’s in case anyone thinks you should—but though I think it would be a good thing and welcomed in some circles, I cannot see that you can increase them without running the risk of damaging your circulation badly. I’d better sign off now and leave you in peace. Paul L. Sowerby, 21 Lansdowne Rd., West Didsbury, Manchester 20. Nice to hear from you again, Paul, and to know that you stili rate us pretty highly. Thanks for the con- firmation that the non-fiction is appreciated. SICK On the whole the standard of the stories in Authentic No. 47 is excellent, with one. exception— The Mutilants. 1 read your maga- conmmcloooks.com