January 18, 1938

My favorite science fiction magazine, hands down, is Astounding Stories, ever since F. Orlin Tremaine became the editor. The stories are better, and more interesting, than in the other magazines. If I ever manage to get a story published in Astounding, I'll know I've made it as a science fiction writer. John W. Campbell, Jr. recently started working as the editor, with Tremaine being the editorial director. Not only has the magazine not suffered, it's been getting even better.

Officially, the magazine comes out on the third Wednesday of every month. However, our store only gets magazine deliveries on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we get Astounding on the third Tuesday of every month -- which happens to be today. I've finally got my hands on this month's issue, the February 1938 issue, and it's a good one. For one thing, it includes the last installment of Doc Smith's novel Galactic Patrol. Now that I've finished it, I feel sort of let down. I hope he writes more Galactic Patrol novels. Anyway, I saved the last five issues of Astounding, so now I can go back and re-read Galactic Patrol all at once.

Apart from the Smith novel, the best stories in this issue are Raymond Z. Gallun's "Mercutian Adventure" and Eando Binder's "The Anti-Weapon". I had a letter printed in the December 1937 issue, and I've been writing one every month since then. Let me tell you, it is extremely pleasant seeing my name printed in the magazine. Maybe someday it'll be above a story.