he midst of such terrifying conditions,
which they battle dauntlessly, grinning as they take their blows
and returning them with good will, cannot fail to rouse the
admiration of the reader. And make him buy the next month's issue.

But spare us, please the stories in which the hero, arriving on
some other planet, is admitted to the court of the king of the
White race, and leads their battles against the Reds, the Browns,
the Greens, and so on, eventually marrying the king's daughter, who
is always golden-haired, of milky white complexion, and has large
blue eyes. Kindly reject stories of interplanetary travel in which
a member of the party turns against the Earth party and allies
himself with the wormlike Moon men, or what have you. Stories in
which a great inventor gone crazy threatens to hurl the Earth into
the Sun leave me cold and despondent, for the simple reason that
crazy men are never great inventors. Name a great inventor who
wasn't perfectly sane, if you can. The author makes the great
inventor insane to make it plausible that he should want to destroy
the World. Well, if he is a good author he can find some other
motive.

One more thing. I like to smell, feel, hear and even taste the
action of a story as well as see it. Some authors only let you see
it, and then they don't tell you whether it's in bright or subdued
light. The author of "Tanks" fulfills my requirements in this
respect, at least partially.--Walter Boyle, c/o Mrs. Anna Treitz,
4751 North Artesian, Chicago, Ill.

_A Permanent Reader_

Dear Editor:

I want to thank you for the very entertaining hours I spent
perusing your new magazine, Astounding Stories. I read one or two
other Science Fiction magazines--it seems that tales of this sort
intrigue me. However, I wish to say that the debut number of your
magazine contained the best stories I ever read. Again thanking you
and assuring you that should the stories continue thus I will be a
permanent reader--Irving E. Ettinger, The Seville, Detroit, Mich.

_We're Avoiding Reprints_

Dear Editor:

I am well pleased with your new magazine and wish to offer you my
congratulations and best wishes. As I am well acquainted with most
of the Science Fiction now being written, I am in a good position
to criticize your magazine.

First: The cover illustration is good, but the inside drawings
could be greatly impr