Science Fantasy #60 - An Appeal

[Marca]

I've just obtained a copy of Science Fantasy #60 from Jayde Design. This is the issue that costs at least آ£50/60 to buy in good condition now, because of the inclusion of the first story by Terry Pratchett (The Hades Business). It also features an appreciation of Mervyn Peake by Mike, which is mentioned on the cover, and has a great cover illustration for one of the stories inside by Gerard Quinn.

My copy was a lot cheaper because it is rather worn - I'm very pleased to have it, but it is not in the best condition. It's a cover I'd love to see in the Image Gallery, so I'd like to ask someone else to scan their copy if they have one. I know Guy has the issue at least. Anyone else? If no one else is able to scan the issue for now, I will put mine up as a stopgap until a better one comes along.

p.s. obviously this doesn't really belong in Q&A, but I've put it here for maximum exposure. If it gets a positive reply it can be deleted or moved.

[Michael Moorcock]

Yes, the Quinn cover was commissioned to go with the Peake story. Mervyn wasn't well enough to do the illustration by that time, sadly.
Isn't it ridiculous that those stories of Terry's should make the difference to the two issues they're in. Terry doesn't want them reprinted and the joke is now that the prices have risen so high because he's buying up all available copies in order to destroy them...

[Marca]

I posted without checking which story the cover was illustrating. It was indeed the Peake story. Mervyn was a brilliant artist, in addition to his talent as a writer - I posted elsewhere on the site about his superb drawings for the Alice books that were included in the Bloomsbury paperback edition a few years ago. So good that they rival Tenniel's, who will always be identified with Alice.

It must have been a bittersweet experience being in contact with Peake at that stage in his life...

[Michael Moorcock]

Well more bitter than sweet. Pretty much from publication of Titus Alone onwards I saw him decline. His career declined at the same time, so that it became almost impossible to get any of his work published. I tried one or two general magazines before finally getting Ted Carnell to publish the two stories which appeared in Science Fantasy. Ted could hardly believe his luck, of course. It's still very hard to get on top of my emotions. I felt enormous anger at the way Mervyn was marginalised, including by the likes of Kingsley Amis and others. He was totally out of fashion. Until Ollie Caldecott (husband of fantasy writer Moira) became head of Penguin fiction and we decided to put the books out as Modern Classics, there was no interest from publishers and very little support from galleries. Almost impossible to believe these days, of course, but not a particularly unusual situation, either. Fashion is always more powerful than taste.

[JohnDavey]

Dear all,

Although this seems to be going on to become a discussion of Peake, rather than of 'Science Fantasy' #60, I thought anyone interested might like to know that -- bizarrely after so many years of resistance -- Pratchett's 'The Hades Business', and much of his other uncollected short work, is now available in 'Once More* With Footnotes', published by NESFA.

Only time will tell if this will signal a drop in the exorbitant prices asked for that issue 'S.F.' Sometimes it do, sometimes it don't...

Best,


John.

[David Mosley]

On the matter of Science Fantasy, as Aral Vilsn is asking if anyone has a better scan of the cover of #60 than him, can I piggy-back on to the back of his thread and ask if anyone has a better scan of #54 than the one currently in the Image Gallery (Limbo)?

[broken link]

After I've got the next Moorcockopedia entry up for 'The Stealer of Souls' short story (sometime this week hopefully), the next entry in line will be for 'Kings in Darkness', and if I can include the cover from #54 in the entry that'd be nice.

Cheers,
David

[Ant]

There's a partial image on the Savoy Books website.

I'm not sure who you'd contact there? Dave Britton? I think Guy would know.

And a complete image at Visco.

This site's run by Terry Gibbons (terryDOTgibbonsATbtconnectDOTcom), who may be amenable to making the image available to us - perhaps if Berry's prepared to put in a link to his nominated charity. Actually, he's got lots of covers - including a pristine #54 - so this would be a good relationship to foster anyway!

Ciao,
Ant

[Marca]

I have a better copy of 54, but it is still quite worn. I believe Guy has a copy - maybe he could do the honours for this one as well if he is able.

[GuyLawley]

Returned from France this evening and want you to know that I would have responded sooner if I’d been around!

Happy to oblige with scans as soon as I can.

Not sure where the scan of SciFan 54 actually is, mind you; not in the Science Fantasy album in the “Magazines� section of the IG, it seems…?

[GuyLawley]

Full size 300 dpi scans of 54 and 60 now here;

[link expired]

Hope they are useful

[David Mosley]

Full size 300 dpi scans of 54 and 60 now here;

[link expired]

Hope they are useful

Thanks for those, Guy. I'm currently writing up the entry for 'Kings in Darkness' so that scan of #54 is much appreciated. The 'old' scan is in the 'Old Site Graphics' album iirc.

BTW, is 300dpi a 'recommended' value for scans? (I normally scan at 500dpi and then reduced down to 150dpi to get a 'fair' file size before I upload.)

[GuyLawley]

Wiser heads than I will have to copmment on recommendations! My solutions have been entirely empirical.

I normally scan at 300 dpi as I find it gives detailed results, but like you I find the final file size is a bit large; my preferred solution so far has been to cut the image width down to 800 pixcels so it fits on the screen, while keeping the image at 300 dpi.

This time I simply forgot to do that (hence "full size"). I'm travel-weary and out of practice!

But it does mean you can capture the big scans and do as you like with them.