Saturday, February 26, 2011

Amazing Stories and Buck Rogers


August 1928


In case you don't know, that's Buck Rogers first appearance. I like to think he is a active 83 year old somewhere out there on Mars keeping evil in check in his opera style tights

And for you youngsters you probably don't remember him buzzing through space on a Saturday morning at your local theater while the threatened Earth called "Earth to Buck! Earth to Buck! Come in, Buck!"

The special effects were so bad that even we of the great unwashed in '46 were not impressed but we still hung on as he thwarted evil on a weekly basis and always escaped from the previous week's episode ending threat.

Buck represented all that was good and maybe growing up believing that we were on the side of truth and justice gave the country the moral fiber to ultimately win the Cold War.

This copy is not in great shape, but not bad for an 83 year old pulp magazine. One similar sold for around $700. so it may be it will be worth more than my old NTI shares.

Also in this issue was the first installment of "Skylark of Space," by E.E. Smith, PhD. This was probably the first "space opera" novel using dark villains, daring heroes set among the vast reaches of space and time. Smith would expand the theme in his later novels. I have always felt that Asimov's "Foundation" series was inspired by Smith.

BTW - Smith was paid $70. for his ground breaking novel. Old authors and old pro athletes must both silently groan over being too early.


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

A talking pig.....Amazing

This is a true story, proving how fascinating the mind of a six year old is. They think so logically.

A teacher was reading the story of the Three Little Pigs to her class.

She came to the part of the story where first pig was trying to gather
the building materials for his home.

She read. 'And so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow
full of straw and said: 'Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that
straw to build my house?'

The teacher paused then asked the class: 'And what do you think
the man said?'

One little boy raised his hand and said very matter-of-factly...

'I think the man would have said - 'I'll be a son of a bitch!! A talking pig!'

The teacher had to leave the room.


 
Hat tip to Jimmy M.

August 1992

I just thought the story was cute and the cover was cute.

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"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper
“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt
"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson