Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 66 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION Authentic to do. Instead, I want you to have more interest and, if you have a suggestion, a criticism, something you want to say, either to me or to the other readers, then I want you to say it. It isn’t much use you telling me that the maga- zine can’t be improved. [I won’t believe you if you do. I don’t want to believe you. I want to think that there is something, maybe only a minor detail, which we could use to expand the appeal and the readership of this, our magazine. For it is ours, you know. Yours and mine and, in this sense, I mean all of you, readers, writers, everyone. If you think that the stories aren’t as good as the ones you could write, then sit down and write one and send it to me. You could be wrong, and then again you could be right, and your story, the one inside of you, could help us climb a little higher to that utter perfection none of us will want when we reach it. But perhaps I shouldn’t let the thought of a perfect magazine worry me. Perhaps it would be better if we thought of it as issue by issue, not as a single thing which, on reaching perfection, must — remain perfect or wither. Even though the magazine is a continuity, yet each month is a form of rebirth so that we can, in a sense, try again. In that case we can strive for perfection, for every issue will be a challenge. Will it be better than the one before? Will it have slipped a trifle? And so each month will cause each of us, you and I, to get down and find out just where we gained or where we may have slipped a trifle, and what we are going to do in the future. But I can’t do it all on my own. I need you, all of you, to join me and push. You can help in many ways, by writing and telling me what you think of the latest issue, by letting me know which type of story you prefer, which type you didn’t think as good as it should be. You can let me know which are your favour- ite authors, and why, and you can ask the opinions of others and let me know that, too. But whether you choose to comiclooks.conn