President-Librarian, The B. S. C.,
530 Staples Avenue, San Francisco, Calif.

_That Awful Thing Called Love_

Dear Editor:

Upon the occasion of my first visit to "The Readers'
Corner," I wish to say that Astounding Stories leads the
field in Science Fiction stories as far as I am concerned,
though at first I found them to be just so-so.

"Beyond the Vanishing Point," by Ray Cummings, proved
interesting through-out. "Terrors Unseen," by Harl Vincent,
was fairly good, as was "Phalanxes of Atlans," by F. V. W.
Mason.

But now comes the rub. Just why do you permit your Authors
to inject messy love affairs into otherwise excellent
imaginative fiction? Just stop and think. Our young
hero-scientist builds himself a space flyer, steps out into
the great void, conquers a thousand and one perils on his
voyage and amidst our silent cheers lands on some far
distant planet. Then what does he do? I ask you. He falls in
love with a maiden--or it's usually a princess--of the
planet to which the Reader has followed him, eagerly
awaiting and hoping to share each new thrill attached to his
gigantic flight. But after that it becomes merely a
hopeless, doddering love affair ending by his returning to
Earth with his fair one by his side. Can you grasp that--a
one-armed driver of a space flyer!

But seriously, don't you think that affairs of the heart are
very much out of place in "our" type of magazine? We buy A.
S. for the thrill of being changed in size, in time, in
dimension or being hurtled through space at great speed, but
not to read of love.

Right here I wish to join forces with Glyn Owens up there in
Canada in his request for plain, cold scientific stories
sans the fair sex.

Otherwise your "our" magazine is the best of its kind on the
market--W. H. Flowers. 1215 N. Lang Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa.

_Brickbats for Others_

Dear Editor:

Brickbats and plenty of them are coming, but not your way.
I'm throwing mine at those guys that want reprints, more
science, etc. The only one I agree with is the fellow who
would like a thicker magazine with more stories.

Now for the brickbats. I'll bet a great many of your Readers
have read some of these reprints that some of our Readers
are crying for. I'll also bet that r