Volume 2

January, 1935 Number 5 Whole No. 17

[Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

FORWARD

by Ye Ed

You will notice that this is the Special Weird Poetry Number.

The next issue will be the Special Short Story Number,

and the March issue will be dedicated to Weird Tales. By the way, F. Lee Baldwin, the author of our well-liked department, "Within the Circle," has compiled an excellent biography of H. P. Lovecraft which will appear in the Weird Tales number with a special wood-cut of the famed writer by Duane W. Rimel. Coming up is also volumes of material from Seabury Quinn, H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, R. H. Barlow, Robert Nelson, and all your other favorite writers.

Upon suggestions from many of our readers, we are dropping "Our Readers Say" department with this issue. As H. Koenig points, continuous repetition of "I liked this" and "I liked that" does not make very interesting reading. Therefore, "Our Readers Say" will be replaced by this "Forward" each month besides fan articles made from the most interesting of our readers' communications.

Due to the huge influx of contributions, we find it very difficult to oblige all of our contributors by placing their material in print promptly. We intend to use the best material first and must ask the patience of all those who have sent us articles. Please remember our limited space.

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MR. KOENIG CORRECTS

I have just had an opportunity to check up on Blackwood's "The Wolves of God," (writes H. Koenig). The book was written by Blackwood and Wilson as I indicated in my last letter. I find, however, that the only story credited directly to Blackwood was the last story in the book entitled "Vengeance is Mine" and _not_ the title story. Hence, if you should publish my earlier letter, please make the correction. Incidentally, it may be well that Blackwood had a hand in the other stories. But if so, the Table of Contents does not so indicate.

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A GRAND SLAM

You will remember that in our editorial for the November, 1934, number, we stated casually that the average intelligence of the general public was that of a moron. We have received a post-card containing the following from "One of the 'General Public'," post-marked Newark, N. J.:

"In recently wasting time glancing through that collection of waste paper which you honor with the title of a magazine, I noticed that you consider the general public--of which I am proud to be a member--a collection of moronic individuals, and the followers of your creed of a "higher type of intellect." I just hate to disagree with you, but if you investigate the reason for the small number of such creatures, you would probably find out that most asylums censor their inmate's mail. Unfortunately, lack of space and postal laws prohibit my expressing of my true opinion of both the (?-!--) and its readers. I challenge you to print this."

It is easy to see that the writer of this card is "one of the general public." Here we find the customary challenge to print it and the lack of signature, which must denote that the writer is either ashamed or afraid to append his name. Concerning asylums, however, we hadn't even thought of soliciting the inmates. That's not a bad idea. We'll have to take that point up at the next Director's Meeting. Which one are you in?

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DREAM

by R. O. P.

Erubescent, the southern sky With sunset pools of flaming foam Like opened crucibles of Hell Glows redly, as a burning Rome Beneath its red malevolanace Where swooning orbs recline Are etched grotesque and curious trees With shapes of strange outline.

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WEIRD WHISPERINGS

by Julius Schwartz

Arthur B. Reeve, creator of the famous scientific-sleuth, Craig Kennedy, makes his bow to _Weird Tales_ readers with a novelette in the May issue!... Jack Binder, brother of the popular author Eando Binder, will do most of the illustrating for _Weird_ commencing with the April number.... C. L. Moore has pulled a "Clark Ashton Smith" and has drawn the illustration for her forthcoming yarn in WT "Julhui".... There will be no women on _Weird Tales'_ covers for two consecutive issues this year, April and May!

_Dr. Death_ is the title of the latest fantasy magazine to appear on the newsstands. It features a weird-scientific novel each month written by "Zorro," which is the pseudonym for Harold Ward. Rounding out the rest of the issue are three or four thrillers with a pseudo-scientific or weird background.... Donald Wandrei's latest Ivy Frost novelette, "They Could Not Kill Him," appears currently in _Clues_.... The April cover of _Weird Tales_ will illustrate a scene in A. W. Bernal's "The Man Who was Two Men," and deals with an amazing development in radio after television.... Bernal, by the way, is a student in the University of California, and sold his first yarn, "The Man Who Played with Time," which appeared in March, 1932 WT at the early age of 15.

Farnsworth Wright brings up an interesting point regarding titles of stories. Hardly a month goes by that does not bring at least one story titled "The House of Fear," another entitled "The House of Living Death," and another entitled "Hands of Death." The commonest title on manuscripts submitted is "Retribution," but stories with the word "House" in the title are almost as frequent. Of course, these titles are changed if the story is accepted, to avoid repeating the same title that has been used in the magazine before. "The House of the Living Dead," by Harold Ward, appeared in WT for March, 1932. Quinn's cover design story for the February, 1935 issue had the same title, in manuscript, but the title was changed to "The Web of Living Death." Harold Ward's cover design story for the March issue this year was originally titled "Hands of Death," but this was too similar to Quinn's tale title, "Hands of the Dead" in the current January issue, so the title of Ward's story was changed to "Clutching Hands of Death."

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SUPERNATURAL HORROR IN LITERATURE

by H. P. Lovecraft