KALEIDOSCOPE (1961)

You read in yesterday's blog about how Chalker toyed with names for his new magazine finally coming up with Mirage. This was his second issue.

Seller states: KALEIDOSCOPE. 1961 fanzine from Jack Chalker includes a story "The Doom That Came to Sarnoth' by H.P. Lovevcraft, plus "Conspiracy Out of Dorwich" by Howard St.John, editorial by Chalker, and a letter column. Cover portrait of Lovecraft by Dave Porsser.

More: http://jophan.org/mimosa/m20/chalker.htm

Interesting coincidence in early 1960's Baltimore

I was perusing some of my old blog entries (yes Chrispy uses them, too, heh) and saw an interesting coincidence of Chalker reusing artwork.



This is said to have been VOLUME 1 NUMBER 2, FANTASTIC, ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL with a provence of (1960) a published amateur fiction magazine by Chesapeake Publications, Baltimore, Maryland of 32 pages including cover. Editorial by Jack L. Chalker. The Doom that Came to Sarnath by H.P. Lovecraft, Centaur: A Cleaning up, Conspiracy Out of Dorwich by Howard St. John, artwork by Phil Harrell, Prosser, Donald Studebaker, publisher.


Compare that to the pale cover of Kaleidescope:



Yes, virtually identical even to the contents. Obviously the art has been reproportioned on the green covered fanzine, and it appears that the art is rougher on the green colored fanzine.

MIRAGE #4 (1961)

No Chrispy hasn't forgot about the "Legacy" part of H.P. Lovecraft and His Legacy. Here is a copy of Mirage (by editor jack Chalker) containing a very young Marion Zimmer (Bradley) on her way to the stars and the top of fantasy lists everywhere.

Fanzines were the e-zines of their day only on paper - usually mimeograph by the 1960's. {Chrispy well recalls mimeographs, the stencils, and the ink, but he ain't that old!)

The seler states: MIRAGE #4. 1961 fanzine devoted to H.P. Lovecraft and related Arkham House fiction. This issue includes storites by John Murdock & Marion Zimmer Bradley and Ed Bryant, an article by August Derleth, columns, and letters. Cover is by Dave Prosser (Starting bid $9.99).

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Here is an excerpt of how Mirage got started by Chalker ... Mirage evolved out of my earlier fanzine, Centaur. My second issue was called Kaleidoscope 2, but it had no title on the cover, as I had announced a contest for a permanent title. K2 couldn't have been more different from Centaur; this time August Derleth was the big influence, and the fanzine was very Lovecraftian in content. K2 was printed by Don Studebaker, and took some time to get out since I actually had to pay for supplies this time. I was very surprised by the positive reaction to it; I picked Mirage as the 'winner' for its permanent name (which had been suggested by a Sears & Roebuck salesman and would-be horror writer from Knoxville, Tennessee, named Gene Tipton) and decided to go with the 'serious and constructive' path that K2 had taken rather than the 'same-old same-old' of Centaur. The cover was drawn by David Prosser, a classical music disk jockey and part-time portrait painter from Ohio whose portraits of great opera stars are in major opera houses across the country. In fact, Prosser did the cover for every issue of Mirage and also designed the distinctive logo for Mirage (which I still use with my Mirage Press publications).

More:
http://jophan.org/mimosa/m20/chalker.htm

Frank B Long and Arkham

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Seller's notes:
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Description:

"Dear Frank" - Signed letter from August Derleth to Frank (Belknap Long) - 18 February, 1961

re: "The Horror from the Hills"

A brief but interesting note from A.D. to his friend and friend to Howard Phillips Lovecraft - Frank Belknap Long, requesting of him a manuscript copy of "The Horror From the Hills". to prepare it for publication from Arkham House. Now unfortunately I do not have the follow up correspondence regarding the $50 fee for having the manuscript retyped, but I would assume (knowing Long's constant financial deprivation) that Long no doubt retyped it himself!

Letter is signed with Derleth's customary squiggle. Light staining as this was housed in Long's unkempt apartment for years.

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Description:


"Dear Mr. Squires" - Signed letter from James Turner to Roy A. Squires - 3 December, 1975

upon Arkham House stationary

Following the death of August Derleth in 1971, Arkham House spiraled nearly out of control for a few years. James Turner became managing editor and indeed "managed" to right the ship, bringing on board some major talents from the pool of younger modern writers and artists, and at the same time keeping the older more traditional Arkham House scriviners on board. This letter to noted bookseller, publisher, printer and bibliographer Roy Squires, brings to light the early negotiations with author Frank Belknap Long regarding his book "In Mayan Splendor".

Letter is signed by James Turner.