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Read Ebook: Studies in the Art of Rat-catching by Barkley Henry C
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Ebook has 176 lines and 34424 words, and 4 pages
Editor: Charles D. Hornig
Transcriber's Note: Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have been retained as printed.
Words printed in bold are marked with tildes: ~bold~.
THE FANTASY FAN
THE FANS' OWN MAGAZINE
~Editor~: Charles D. Hornig
Published 10 cents a copy Monthly .00 per year
Volume 1 September, 1933 Number 1
WELL WISHES
We wish to give our sincere thanks to all those who have so kindly written in and expressed their hope that THE FANTASY FAN will prosper.
From that supreme master of the weird and occult, Clark Ashton Smith, we hear: "I am vastly interested to learn of your plans for THE FANTASY FAN. I enclose dollar bill, for which please enroll me on your roster at once. The magazine should fill a definite need.... Of course, I shall be glad to give you any help that lies in my power. Imaginative fiction, particularly the weird and occult, is my chief interest. I hope that the public for it, and the publications devoted to it, will increase in number with the lightening of the present depression."
Allen Glasser writes: "The name you have chosen, THE FANTASY FAN, seems far better to me than anything previously used in this line, since it is all-inclusive and embraces the entire field of weird, fantastic, and scientific fiction. With that title, the mag has a good start toward success--and I certainly hope it attains it!"
From Conrad H. Ruppert we learn that; "You never get anywhere if you don't try anything. I certainly wish you all the success in the world, and will do my best to help."
Brief, but ever welcome, is the message from Mortimer Weisinger: "Best of luck in your venture."
Julius Schwartz also drops a line: "With all the articles you have, THE FANTASY FAN should get along quite well."
This column would not be complete without a good word from that super-active fan, Forrest J. Ackerman, who says: "I'm looking forward to every number of THE FANTASY FAN. Good luck!"
We have received many other letters on the same trend. They encourage us, and we appreciate them. We know you feel the same way. Boost THE FANTASY FAN to your friends.
Have you any original fan material you would like us to print? Anything you submit will be carefully considered. All accepted material will be paid for in copies of TFF--we hope, later, in cash.
INFORMATION
In this department each month we will answer your questions concerning science and weird fiction. Do you want to know when and where a certain story was first printed?--who wrote a certain story?--the date and a list of stories of the first issue of a magazine?--a list of your favorite author's stories?--anything at all that you would like to know. This column may clear up many doubtful points in your mind, and you are free to use it.
THIS MONTH'S CASH CONTEST
Each month we shall award a one dollar bill for the best answer to the simple questions that we ask. The best answer to
"Why do you read fantasy fiction?"
will win this month. Simple, isn't it? Entries will be judged entirely on the interest and convincing qualities. Do not go over 100 words. All entries must be in our office by Thursday, August 17. If you would rather have a one year subscription to THE FANTASY FAN let us know. This contest is too easy for you to pass up. You have never had an easier opportunity of winning a dollar!
QUESTIONNAIRE
Join the Jules Verne Prize Club, for the advancement of science fiction, for details write to:
Raymond A. Palmer 4331 North 27th Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin
CONGLAMITORIAL
HOW TO COLLECT FANTASY FICTION
by Julius Schwartz
It is a peculiar, but nevertheless well-founded fact, that there is something magnetic in fantastic fiction that will attract the reader as no other type of fiction can. One of the consequences resulting from the reading of this absorbing and fascinating type of fiction is that the fantasy fan feels the urge to save and collect fantasy stories, and will, indeed, go to extreme ends to make his collection complete as possible.
But how is he to go about accumulating a good, worthy collection?
The first rule is simple: collect all the fantastic fiction that is appearing in the current magazines. Wonder Stories, Amazing Stories and their quarterlies, and Science Fiction are the current magazines that specialize in the printing of science fiction, probably the most popular type of fantastic fiction.
However, without a shadow of a doubt the foremost magazine that specializes in fantastic fiction is Weird Tales. Its editor, Farnsworth Wright, insists that the stories appearing there be of high literary quality, and thus we find that many stories have copped honorable mentions in O'Brien's list of the best stories of the year and in the O'Henry Memorial Prize list. The range of Weird Tales comprises every type of fantastic fiction: from the occult to science fiction, from ghost stories to the supernatural, from voodoo thrillers to vampire tales, from werewolf yarns to reincarnation, and from the mystic to the physic.
Other current magazines may occasionally print fantasyarns. Keep an eye on Argosy, Blue Book, Magic Carpet, Ten Detective Aces, Dime Detective, Thrilling Adventures, Doc Savage, the Science Fiction Digest, and The Fantasy Fan, and, in truth, any of the detective, air, and adventure magazines.
Boost The Fantasy Fan to your pals.
FAMOUS FANTASY FANS
Allen Glasser has had stories published in more than a dozen different mags--but only two of them were science fiction. Therefore, his claim to fame in the latter field must rest mainly on his activities as a fan.
Glasser's first effort in behalf of science fiction was the founding of The Scienceers, a fan club, early in 1930. For his work in this connection, he was awarded a prize by Science Wonder Quarterly.
During 1931 he began a one-man campaign for more scientifilms, having coined that term himself. He wrote to various producers and magazines on this subject, and he believes he really started something.
In January, 1932, he became editor of The Time Traveller, science fiction's first fan magazine, and conducted it successfully during its brief career. He also founded the Fantasy Fan Fraternity in this period.
In addition to his fan activities, he has several other items to his credit in connection with science fiction. He won third prize in Wonder Quarterly's Interplanetary Plot Contest, his story, "The Martian," appearing in their Winter 1932 edition. A poem of his was published in the Summer 1933 issue of Amazing Quarterly; and a short story, "Across the Ages," in the August-September 1933 Amazing Stories. He has also had two articles on science fiction in The Author & Journalist, a prominent writers' magazine. They were "Wells Started It," published September, 1932, and "The Wane of Science Fiction" which appeared last June.
Despite the pessimistic title of his last named work, Glasser still has strong faith and deep interest in science fiction--as proven by his contributions to THE FANTASY FAN.
He may not have the beautiful vocabulary of Clark Ashton Smith, the ironic humor of Stanton A. Coblentz, the psychology of Dr. Keller, or the science of John W. Campbell, Jr., but it is our sincere belief that Allen Glasser is one of science fiction's potential authors.
CLUB NEWS
In this department will be discussed news of any science fiction or weird story club and their activities. If you belong to a club devoted to fantasy, tell us about it, and we will let the rest of the readers know. Some may want to join your club.
For the benefit of those fans that would like to belong to a scik discretion the better part of valour. However this will not be found to be an invariable rule. I have known old ferrets that would have faced a lion and seemed to care nothing about being badly bitten; whereas I have known a young ferret turn out good-for-nothing from having one sharp nip from a rat. Such beasts had better be parted with, for a bad, slow, or cowardly ferret is vexation of spirit and not profitable.
If I am buying brown ferrets I always pick the darkest, as I fancy they have most dash. This may be only fancy, or it may be the original ferret was white and that the brown is the cross between it and the polecat, and that therefore the darker the ferret, the more like it is in temper as well as colour to its big, strong, wild ancestor. Anyhow I buy the dark ones.
If when you get the ferret it is wild and savage, it should be constantly handled till it is quite tamed before it is used. Little brothers and sisters will be found useful at this. Give them the ferret to play with in an empty or nearly empty barn or shed where it cannot escape. Put into the shed with them some long drain pipes, and tell them to ferret rats out of them. The chances are they will put the ferret through them and pick it up so often, that it will learn there is nothing to fear when it comes out of a real rat's hole, and will ever after "come to hand" readily. You had better not be in the way when the children return to their mother or nurse. I have had disagreeable moments on such occasions.
Having got all your ferrets, the next question is how to keep them. I have tried scores of different houses for them. I have kept them in a big roomy shed, in tubs, in boxes, and in pits in the ground; but now I always use a box with three compartments. The left-hand compartment should be the smallest and filled with wheat-straw well packed in, with a small round hole a little way up the division, for the ferrets to use as a door. The middle compartment should be empty and have the floor and front made of wire netting, to allow light, ventilation and drainage. The third compartment should be entered from the middle one by a hole in the division, but should have a strong tin tray fitting over the floor of it covered with sand, which can be drawn out and cleaned; the front of this compartment, too, should be wire netting. The sand tray should be removed and cleaned every day, even Sundays. The house should stand on legs about a foot high. Each compartment should have a separate lid, and the little entrance holes through the divisions should have a slide to shut them, so that any one division can be opened without all the ferrets rushing out. The bed should be changed once a week. Such a box as I have shown is large enough for ten ferrets. For a mother with a family a much smaller box will suffice, but it should be made on the same plan. For bedding use only wheat-straw. Either barley-straw or hay will give ferrets mange in a few days.
I have listened to all sorts of theories from old hands about feeding ferrets, but have followed the advice of few. For instance, I have been told that if you give flesh, such as rats and birds, to a ferret that has young ones, it will drag it into the straw among the little ones, who will get the blood on them, and then the mother will eat them by mistake. All I can say is, I have reared hundreds of young ferrets and have always given the mothers flesh. It is true that ferrets will eat their young, and the way to bring this about is to disturb the babies in the nest. If you leave them quite alone till they begin to creep about I believe there is no danger.
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