about a girl, a lover, and a villain, and have a wild theory
of super-science for a basis, and then not explain it. What
I like most is when an Author--who uses such a theory as,
for instance, making matter invisible by bathing it with a
ray, the color of which is beyond the range of the spectrum,
as in "Terrors Unseen," by Harl Vincent--backs up his idea
with a clear explanation and makes it plausible and
convincing. It makes his tale seem more possible, and hence
more real. I like it much better when the writer doesn't
even suggest a theory in his plot--to say nothing of trying
to prove it--than when he gives you the invention of a
professor in the year 2431, and lets you imagine how and why
it works.--T. Caldwell, 912 Moreno Road, Santa Barbara, Cal.

_Covers Too Imaginative?_

Dear Editor:

For crying out loud, why can't everyone be satisfied! One
person says "our" mag is too small, another says it's O. K.;
one wants so-and-so's work, someone else doesn't, etc. Why
can't Readers be reasonable? They'll continually admit A. S.
is the best Science Fiction mag on the market (with which I
thoroughly agree) and then they'll start complaining. As if
anything can be 100% perfect--though A. S. comes awfully
near it!

Then for some of the complaints, I recall but two sensible
ones. I have read every issue of A. S. except the first two,
and several times I have been tempted to write to you about
them.

1--Too imaginative a cover gives the narrow-minded
non-Science Fiction reader an idea that "our" mag contains
trash. I refer to such covers as those on the August,
September, October, 1930, issues, and the March, April, and
especially May, 1931, issues. These people's opinions
reflect rather harshly on the faithful A. S. Readers. Can't
the covers be more like those on the March, May, June and
July, 1930, issues? (All those stories themselves, however,
were great, as usual.)

2--Please hold down on "The Readers' Corner." Isn't an eight
and nine-page section a bit too much? A short story has been
suggested--good idea. Why not limit it to a maximum of, say,
five pages?

I shall not complain of any of the stories, because I
realize that others probably enjoyed what very few I may not
have. I must, however, say that