Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 65 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

H. J. Campbell writes News and views from the Editor... I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT this is a very sad day for me. This will be the last editorial I write for you. This will be the last issue of Authentic that I edit for you. You and I are parting company. The reason for my giving up the editorship of this magazine is quite simple. In a sense it is due to the way our universe is made, to the fact that the Earth turns on its axis once in twenty-four hours. We have a twenty-four hour day—and twenty-four hours is just not long enough for the things I have to do. To be honest, my other work—scientific research—is more important, at least to me, than editing this magazine, which has been not so much a task as a pleasure. So I am going into full- time research and handing over this magazine to someone who will, I am sure, be a much better editor than I was. I very much doubt whether any of you will feel that the future of Authentic will be in any way jeopardised in the hands of E. C. Tubb. You have read his stories, you know about his long back- ground in science fiction, and you are aware of his highly active work for fandom. Your letters show that you consider him to be about the best regular writer who has appeared in Authentic. What more natural choice as my succes- sor? It is getting on for five years now since I first became associated with this magazine. I like to think that those five years have not been unproductive. If any of you have a copy of one of the early issues, and compare it with the current numbers, I hope you will feel that my term of office has yielded some worthwhile results. expect that a comparison of current numbers with issues pub- lished five years hence will testify to the sure and subtle hand of Ted Tubb. Naturally, one doesn’t make a decision of this sort without a load of regrets. It would be an exag- geration to say that it’s like losing a child, but all the same it is a bit of a wrench. Authentic has been very much my baby, and I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of helping it grow a little. I shall go on watch- ing it, confidently expecting to see it flower into maturity when you and Ted Tubb get together on the job. Perhaps, now and then, Ted will do me the honour of letting me write a piece for you, so that we won’t lose touch completely. Any- way, I can only thank you all for — the great help you have given me in running the magazine, and say— goodbye. Just this once—and no more—lI have the joy of signing this page, in the way you know so well. H.J.C. H. J.C. NEARLY FIVE YEARS AGO AN UN- known writer walked into my office with, I believe, his first attempt at science fiction writing. It was apparent that the writer had “something.” Three months later I found myself offering him the editorship of a new publication, Authentic Science Fiction. H. J, Campbell has been its editor ever since. Now he is leaving us—or he says he is. He is going into research, CoMmicbooks.cohn 4 And I fully.