by David Levinson [L]et us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it. – Abraham Lincoln, Address to the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society A duty to a higher power On April 28th, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (whom many papers insist on calling by his former name, Cassius Clay) refused induction … Continue reading [May 2, 1967] The Call of Duty (June 1967 IF)
[Today is the last day you can sign up for next year's Worldcon if you want to be able to nominate Hugo candidates! Sign up now!] by Gideon Marcus An argument for free trade? Yesterday, Europe got a bit freer. The nations of Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom–along with associate … Continue reading [December 31, 1966] Barriers to quality (January 1967 Analog)
by Gideon Marcus There are many outlets that cover new releases in science fiction and fantasy. But to my knowledge, only one attempts to review every English language publication in the world (not to mention stuff published beyond the U.S. and U.K.!) We are proud of the coverage we provide. And this is the time … Continue reading [December 26, 1966] Harvesting the Starfields (1966's Galactic Stars!)
by David Levinson The popular image of a mirage is a shining oasis in a desert replete with shady palm trees and sometimes dancing girls. That’s not how mirages work. We’re all familiar with heat shimmer, say on a hot, empty asphalt road, casting the image of the sky onto the ground and resembling water. … Continue reading [August 2, 1966] Mirages (September 1966 IF)
by John Boston Donald A. Wollheim’s and Terry Carr’s World’s Best Science Fiction: 1966—second in this series—is here, so it’s time for the usual pontificating, hand-wringing, viewing with alarm, etc., as one prefers. This one comes with not one but two blurbs from Judith Merril, their competitor, though the editors say nothing about her anthology … Continue reading [June 24, 1966] Increments: World's Best Science Fiction: 1966, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr
by David Levinson For a lot of people, February tops the list as their least favorite month. In the northern hemisphere, it’s cold and dark, and spring seems a long way off. The only things to break up the monotony are Valentine’s Day, which isn’t for everybody, and (most of the time) Carneval or Mardi … Continue reading [March 2, 1966] Words and Pictures (April 1966 IF)
by David Levinson Some people are objectively better at some things than everybody else. Sandy Koufax can pitch a baseball better than almost anybody, and Muhammad Ali is arguably the best boxer we’ve seen in his weight class in a long time. The problem arises when that excellence in a specialized area leads to an … Continue reading [December 2, 1965] Superiority Complex (January 1966 IF)
by David Levinson When I was a boy, a gimmick was either much the same thing as a gadget or the sort of device a crooked casino owner would use to make sure the roulette wheel comes up 22. These days, of course, it means an ingenious new angle or a trick to draw attention … Continue reading [October 2, 1965] Gimmickry (November 1965 IF)
This month's Galactoscope features a mixed bag of mixed bags: one Ace double and one Gamma that barely manages a solitary single… By Jason Sacks We, the Venusians, by John Rackham I picked up the latest Ace Double Novel at my local Woolworth's the other day, and had to share my opinions of the two … Continue reading [September 22, 1965] Foul! (September Galactoscope)
by David Levinson A gallimaufry is a kind of stew. Like any stew, it’s composed of a bunch of things thrown together and so has also come to mean any sort of hodge-podge. Since I haven’t been able to come up with some sort of overarching theme this month (and perhaps because, as I write … Continue reading [July 2, 1965] Gallimaufry (August 1965 IF)
![[May 2, 1967] The Call of Duty (June 1967 <i>IF</i>)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/IF-Cover-1967-06-672x372.jpg)
![[December 31, 1966] Barriers to quality (January 1967 <i>Analog</i>)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/661231cover-672x372.jpg)
![[December 26, 1966] Harvesting the Starfields (1966's Galactic Stars!)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/661226plough-672x372.jpg)
![[August 2, 1966] Mirages (September 1966 <i>IF</i>)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/IF-1966-09-Cover-654x372.jpg)
![[June 24, 1966] Increments: <i>World's Best Science Fiction: 1966</i>, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/wollheim-66-cover-449x372.png)
![[March 2, 1966] Words and Pictures (April 1966 <i>IF</i>)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/IF-1966-03-Cover-1-657x372.jpg)
![[December 2, 1965] Superiority Complex (January 1966 <i>IF</i>)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IF-1966-01-Cover-646x372.jpg)
![[October 2, 1965] Gimmickry (November 1965 <i>IF</i>)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/1965-11-IF-cover-645x372.jpg)
![[September 22, 1965] Foul! (September Galactoscope)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/650922covers-656x372.jpg)
![[July 2, 1965] Gallimaufry (August 1965 <i>IF</i>)](https://galacticjourney.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IF-cover-1965-08-649x372.jpg)