Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 50 — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION 4 “Then you admit they are valueless ?” “No.” The Reader swal- lowed. “Even as a young girl needs to be taught how to clean the wool, to spin it, then to weave it, all slowly and step by step, so it is possible that we need more Books. To show a girl a loom and ask her to use it is asking too much. To ask me to fix meanings to words which I do not under- stand is asking too much.” “Then?” “We need more Books.” “Impossible!” Kalin shook his head. ‘““There are no more Books, and even if there were, of what use would they be?” “Tt do not know,” said the old man. “But the ancients must have made them for a purpose and our ancestors knew that purpose and saved them for their know- ledge. Listen.” Hastily he snatched up a book and began to read, slowly, painfully, but with a confidence and assur- ance the Pupil had lacked. “The energy is sent in very short bursts called * pulses’ 80 and the receiver output ts connected to a cathode-ray tube upon whose screen the recewed pulses appear. It is so arranged that as a pulse ts sent off the cathode ray...” “Enough,” snapped Kalin. “Are all these Books the same?” “No.” “Is there none you can understand?” The old man shook his head. “Read me another.” Silently the Reader put back the book he had been reading and selected another. Licking dry lips he squinted in the flaring light of the torches as he stammered over the words. “Suppose for a moment that, when a condensation is formed, the condensation separates completely from the surrounding matter and leaves an empty crack all round. We imagine that a sphere of os Aaa bg “Enough.” “Shall I read another?” “Yes.” comiclooks.com