The Lustrum of Great Change is upon us! We live in an era of progress and enlightenment and maturing sensibilities. As a forward thinking, progress-oriented publication, SFFY too, must move with the times, advancing ever forward, exploring new frontiers and ever-broader horizons.
In keeping with this policy of advancement and continual maturation, we proudly present several innovations in this issue, as for example the tasteful, subtle and decorious use of color, as opposed to previous gaudy garishness which, unfortunately, led some misguided misanthropes to mistake this magnificent magazine for a publication of the type commonly known as a comic book (a base canard!) Please note that there is no truth in the malicious rumors that this change in policy is due to a miserly attitude on the part of the publisher, or to Ted White's having ruined fandom, either.
Additional innovations may also be ascertained by the discriminating perusal of these pages. A myriad of new and original typographical errors are being brought to you at great expense, although we make no additional charge for them, unless you are so base as to start pointing them out, in which case we ask that you send 10¢ in cash (no stamps, please) to defray their cost.
We wish to take this opportunity to hail the outstanding achievement of the lustrum, the successful campaign headed by L & N Shaw, for the importation of Walter A. Willis and Wife to this country for the occasion of the Chicon or TASFIC or whatever it may be. Considering the commodity in question the completion of the campaign may be considered inevitable, but those of you who participated in the program planned by Shelby Vick for the '52 fiasco are well aware that the enthusiasm, activity and organization required to promote such a project is hardly trivial. The Shaws and company have thus far encouraged an impressably remarkable show of financial enthusiasm from fandom. The minimum goal is achieved. It is awesome to contemplate.
But all is not over. Not by a long bow. The campaigners carry on. Getting the Willises across the ocean is only a part of the project. Leaving aside such considerations as carrying them through customers, there is still the question of what to do with them when they get here. This, too, is a major problem. Merely keeping Walt filled with malts is an expensive proposition.
All of which means, like, send money.
Don't send it to yed, though. Send it to somebody trustworthy, like:
In closing, we wish to point out that the reprint section in this issue has been intentionally printed on a slightly tinted stock,and that the hue of the pages in question is not, as some illiterate has suggested, due to any mouldering condition of the material thereupon. Everybody knows Bloch is pickled for posterity and subsequently wouldn't mildew in any case ...
---- Yed
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I am swiping the rest of this page for some first person singular comments regarding the problems of production which, when I was a callow youth, were a Tradition.
You have no idea what a problem a production like this can be unless you happen to be me, which I doubt. For instance there are things like the order I placed for colored inks which I placed some three weeks ago and which if they don't come soon won't appear in thish at all (alas!) (DEney: It would have been better and faster your way after all, I fear.)
There are things like the typewriter having withered somewhat since it was last used, with the result that the keys don't seem to meet the platten very well. I've been experimenting with ways of improving the situation, but fear that some of the pages in thish show symptoms of the problem.
And there are things like the rough draft of a brilliant editorial which I seem to have thrown away after stencilling the item it was on the back of, but before stencilling it. Wish I could remember what it was about.
Much thanks to those of you who were going to write for thish, but failed to make the deadline. Deadline nextish is July 1966 ....
LeeH
Data entry by Judy Bemis
Hard copy provided by Geri Sullivan
Data entry by Judy Bemis
Updated August 29, 2002. If you have a comment about these web pages please send a note to the Fanac Webmaster. Thank you.