by Gideon Marcus In the presence of greatness This weekend, I attended a small gathering of SF fans in San Diego. I'd been invited to give a talk on the first season of Doctor Who, a new science fiction show currently playing across the Atlantic in the UK. While I've never actually seen any episodes … Continue reading [October 8, 1964] Through Time and Space (November 1964 IF)
[Don't miss your chance to get your copy of Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1958-1963), some of the best science fiction of the Silver Age. If you like the Journey, you'll love this book (and you'll be helping us out, too!) by Gideon Marcus Which one is it? It's election season, and the commercials are … Continue reading [September 18, 1964] Split Personality (October 1964 IF)
by Gideon Marcus Reversing the trend The United States is the richest country in the world. By any reckoning, we measure in superlatives: biggest economy, strongest military, most movies, coolest cars. But there is one outsized statistic we shouldn't bury in gloss — 19% of Americans live in poverty. Several months back, newly installed President … Continue reading [August 21, 1964] The Good News (September 1964 Fantasy and Science Fiction)
by Gideon Marcus SFlying Eastward Today saw the Journey in the wilds of Utah, attending a small science fiction conclave out in the lovely summer desert of Deseret. What could have impelled us to make another plane trek less than a week after having returned from a long sojourn in Japan? Well, we were invited. … Continue reading [July 6, 1964] Busy Schedule (August 1964 IF)
by Gideon Marcus The gimmick Everybody's got to have an angle these days to stand out. Volkswagen cars are tiny and cute. Avis, being number two, tries harder. In your heart, you know Goldwater's… right? Science fiction magazines are no strangers to gimmicks. Fantasy and Science Fiction has "All-star issues" with nothing but big-name authors … Continue reading [Apr. 6, 1964] The art of word-smithing (May 1964 IF)
by Gideon Marcus Value Shopping The price of science fiction digests has steadily gone up over the years. In the early 50s, the standard cost was 35 cents. I think the last hold-out at that price point was Fantastic. Now Galaxy and Analog cost four bits, and the cheapest mags go for 40 cents. Still, … Continue reading [February 9, 1964] Bargain Basement (March 1964 IF)
by Gideon Marcus If you've been following the papers this week, you can't have missed the biggest news: the tour of Madame Nhu, the sister-in-law of South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm, was pushed from the front page when a military coup toppled the Asian country's government and assassinated its head on November 2. Rioting … Continue reading [November 9, 1963] Change and Constancy (December 1963 Galaxy)
by Gideon Marcus New York. Gateway to America. Home of Broadway, the Empire State Building, Times Square, etc. etc. Big deal. This week, my wife and I took a United 707 from LAX to Newark for a mini-vacation. A good friend of ours, whom we met in fandom, lives in Morristown, New Jersey. We stayed … Continue reading [October 8, 1963] The Big Lemon (November 1963 IF)
by Gideon Marcus We live in increasingly tumultuous times (or maybe we are just better informed about them). A war is heating up in Vietnam, an even significant enough to have produced fictional characters who have experienced it (e.g. Linc, the veteran in Route 66; Oscar from Heinlein's new serial, Glory Road). There's a war … Continue reading [June 30, 1963] Calm from the Storm (July 1963 Analog)
by Gideon Marcus How quickly the futuristic becomes commonplace. Just two years ago, I marveled about how fast one can cross the oceans by jet. Now, on the eve of another trip to Japan (we really have joined the Jet Set, haven't we?) I look at the flight itinerary and grumble. Why must we stop … Continue reading [June 4, 1963] Booked passage (July 1963 IF)
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