Wed 27 Jan 2021
Diary Review: S-F YEARBOOK, Number One, 1967.
Posted by Steve under Diary Reviews , Magazines , Pulp Fiction[20] Comments
S-F YEARBOOK: A Treasury of Science Fiction, Number One, 1967. Overall rating: 2½ stars.
JOHN D. MacDONALD “Ring Around the Redhead.†[First published in Startling Stories, November 1948.] An inventor discovers a doorway to other dimensions, then must defend himself in court when it proves dangerous. Readable in spite of weak plot. (2)
CHARLES L. HARNESS “Fruits of the Agathon.†[First published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, December 1948.] Novelette. Agathon is a word from the Greek meaning death of an individual planned for the good of society. Confusing, disturbing, and unreadable, but much better than average. (4)
MARGARET ST. CLAIR “The Unreliable Perfumist.†[First published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, February 1953.] Intrigue between a family of Martian perfumists. (0)
GORDON R. DICKSON “Show Me the Way to Go Home.†[First published in Startling Stories, December 1952.] Two Cuperians need the help of a talking at to escape Earth. (1)
RAY BRADBURY “The Irritated People.†[First published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, December 1947.] Warfare is conducted by radio music, confetti, and mosquitos. (2)
MARGARET ST. CLAIR “The Stroller.†[First published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, August 1947.] About strange creatures from Venus. (0)
GEORGE O. SMITH “Journey.†[First published in Startling Stories, May 1948.] Space pilot has to come up with FTL theory to prove he traveled to Alpha Centauri. (3)
EDMOND HAMILTON “The Knowledge Machine.†[First published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, June 1948.] Two men take over an inventor’s discovery that speeds learning electronically. (3)
THEODORE STURGEON “The Sky Was Full of Ships.†[First published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, June 1947.] Strange visitors to Earth are concerned about the use of atomic power. A famous last line. (3)
January 28th, 2021 at 1:55 am
“Confusing, disturbing, and unreadable, but much better than average.”
Praising with loud damns!
January 28th, 2021 at 8:58 am
But true. There are not many authors whose work you can say that about. Well, A E van Vogt, for another. It’s too bad Harness never got the recognition he deserved.
January 28th, 2021 at 10:29 am
Mostly readable but forgettable stories, with the main exception being the MacDonald. You rated the stories a bit harsher than I would have. I’m a big fan of Margaret St. Clair, for example, and I love even minor St. Clair. I do agree with on Charles Harness; not only could he have been a contender, but he WAS a contender.
January 28th, 2021 at 12:03 pm
Although I gave it only a (3), the MacDonald story is one of only a few that’s been reprinted other than in this magazine/anthology.
And as far as Margaret St. Clair is concerned, I’m a fan of her work as well. That I gave her only a couple of (0)’s, surprised me too when I came across them while typing up this old review. In the course of her career she write only eight novels, but maybe a couple hundred short stories.
January 28th, 2021 at 12:53 pm
I think the Sturgeon is the best of a so-so bunch here, but I’m fond of his work.
Note: wish I didn’t have to fill out all my info each time…
January 28th, 2021 at 1:33 pm
You’re right, Rick. The Sturgeon is another one that’s fairly well known and has been reprinted a few times.
I don’t know why you have to “sign in” every time you comment. You should be pre-approved by now. The nitty-gritty of how this blogging platform works is well beyond me.
January 28th, 2021 at 2:34 pm
Never fear, I’ll keep reading but may not comment as often…
January 28th, 2021 at 3:38 pm
I’m a great admirer of Harness – one of the masters of space-opera – and I’d agree with confusing and disturbing, but very readable, even if you don’t know just what you’re reading.
January 28th, 2021 at 5:03 pm
Harness is one of the giants.
He’s not easy to read – likely because his tales are idea rich. You have to read them slowly, and think about all the sf ideas.
THE ROSE is my favorite, with THE PARADOX MEN almost as good.
January 28th, 2021 at 8:55 pm
A good way to sum up Harness, and in his case those were compliments for a very fine writer well above the average.
I wouldn’t mind seeing St. Clair rediscovered, I always found her fiction intriguing.
Sturgeon, even minor, Sturgeon is likely the best thing in most anthologies he appears in.
Minor but quite readable Dickson, Bradbury, and Hamilton.
January 30th, 2021 at 6:03 pm
Spoiler! Steve, you remember the X MINUS ONE adaptation (possibly DIMENSION X instead), where, as someone noted before I sought it out and heard it for myself, that the world “ships” in the last line was seen a problematic, so the voice actor was asked to repeat the line several times and Fiercely announce “The sky is full of SHIPPPS! “The Sky is Full of Shit” is truly a story for our time, but still not on broadcast, at least outside of “safe harbor”.
David Vineyard, Ramsey Campbell’s delayed Dover books collection of Margaret St. Clair stories was finally published, but even in its more robust years, Dover wasn’t going to turn around one’s fortunes in the literary world as a whole. NYRB needs to do one, I guess.
January 30th, 2021 at 7:13 pm
Todd, Thanks for letting me know about the Dover collection. It was news to me. From ISFDb, here are the contents:
xii • Introduction (The Hole in the Moon and Other Tales) • essay by Ramsey Campbell
1 • Rocket to Limbo • (1946) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
12 • Piety • (1947) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
21 • The Hierophants • (1949) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
30 • The Gardener • (1949) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
42 • Child of Void • (1949) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
58 • Hathor’s Pets • (1950) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
71 • World of Arlesia • (1950) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
79 • The Little Red Owl • (1951) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
91 • The Hole in the Moon • (1952) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
97 • The Causes • (1952) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
109 • Island of the Hands • (1952) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
131 • Continued Story • (1952) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
150 • Brenda • (1954) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
162 • Stawdust • (1956) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
174 • The Invested Libido • (1958) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
183 • The Autumn after Next • (1960) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
191 • The Sorrows of Witches • (1979) • short story by Margaret St. Clair
January 30th, 2021 at 6:18 pm
Steve, this is almost certainly edited by James Hendryx, as were the previous magabook issues from Popular Library, but as it happens both ISFDB and the FictionMags Index have no record of it…I should check the Locus Anthologies Index. And also no. Well, this is both annoying and fortuitous.
January 30th, 2021 at 6:23 pm
OK, seeking it through the MacDonald, I found that Helen Tono, the Other editor of these at Popular, edited it instead.
And, Rick, I have to sign in every time, too.
January 30th, 2021 at 7:10 pm
Glad you found a citation for Helen Tono before I had a chance to let you know. There were three of these Yearbooks, and her only connection to the SF field seems to be editing all three of them.
January 31st, 2021 at 2:52 am
Apparently two more were issued, edited by two different men. Tono was also in charge of RANCH ROMANCES toward the end, as well, for a stretch.
January 31st, 2021 at 4:39 am
Science Fiction Yearbook (View Issue Grid)
1 Science Fiction Yearbook, Number 1 (1967) [ED] by Helen Tono
2 Science Fiction Yearbook, Number 2 (1968) [ED] by Helen Tono
3 Science Fiction Yearbook, Number 3 (1969) [ED] by Helen Tono
4 Science Fiction Yearbook, Number 4 (1970) [ED] by Sharon Moore
5 Science Fiction Yearbook, Number 5 (1971) [ED] by Anne Keffer
January 31st, 2021 at 3:57 pm
Thanks, Todd. For some reason I knew only about the first three. I wonder if I bought the last two when they came out or not. I’d moved to CT from MI by then, and it took me a while to know what newsstands had what magazines when. Although trimmed and with slightly better paper, I think a case could be made that SF YEARBOOK was one of the last pulps to be published.
January 31st, 2021 at 4:53 am
Helen Tono:
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pilotonline/obituary.aspx?n=helen-tono&pid=148811071
November 30, 1922. She died on February 21, 2011
TONO, HELEN (fl. 1950s-1960s) (chron.)
* Betty Madigan, (ar) Exciting Love Win 1955
* Discways:
* ___ Betty Madigan, (cl) Exciting Love Win 1955
* ___ The Four Lads, (cl) Exciting Love Fll 1954
* ___ Jaye P. Morgan, (cl) Exciting Love Win 1956
* ___ Kitty Kallen, (cl) Exciting Love Sum 1955
* ___ Meet Les Elgart, (cl) Exciting Love Sum 1954
* ___ Robert Clary, (cl) Exciting Love Spr 1956
* ___ Val Valente, (cl) Exciting Love Spr 1955
* The Four Lads, (ar) Exciting Love Fll 1954
* Jaye P. Morgan, (ar) Exciting Love Win 1956
* Kitty Kallen, (ar) Exciting Love Sum 1955
* Meet Les Elgart, (ar) Exciting Love Sum 1954
* Robert Clary, (ar) Exciting Love Spr 1956
* Val Valente, (ar) Exciting Love Spr 1955
_____, ed.
* Editor:
___ Ranch Romances: Sep #1 ’54 -to- Dec #2 ’57.
___ Ranch Romances: Nov ’67 -to- Nov ’68.
___ Ranch Romances & Adventures: Feb ’69 -to- Nov ’69.
___ Science Fiction Yearbook, #1 – #3.
January 31st, 2021 at 3:58 pm
More good information. Thanks again, Todd!