This is the second issue of Popular Publications' science fiction pulp, edited by Frederik Pohl. The cover is by an artist I'm not familiar with, Gabriel Mayorga. It seems a little too busy to me, but it's eye-catching, no doubt about that. And the line-up of authors inside is an all-star one: Robert A. Heinlein (writing as Lyle Monroe), Manly Wade Wellman (writing as Gabriel Barclay), James Blish, Raymond Z. Gallun, L. Sprague de Camp, Donald A. Wollheim, Ray Cummings, P. Schuyler Miller, Cyril Kornbluth (writing as S.D. Gottesman), and Willy Ley. Granted, some, if not all, of those stories were probably rejects from ASTOUNDING, but still, that's a pretty impressive group.
Bergey! Need I say more?
Well, how about the fact that I read Edmond Hamilton's Captain Future novel from this issue, "Outlaw World", in its paperback reprint from Popular Library many years ago. I don't remember anything about it, but I never read a Captain Future novel I didn't like, so I'm sure it was good. Also in this issue are stories by P. Schuyler Miller (a reprint from the April 1933 issue of WONDER STORIES) and Sam Merwin Jr., who was also the editor of STARTLING STORIES at the time. Miller I've never read, at least that I remember, and I probably should. Merwin, of course, was my mentor during the early days of my career and the first editor to publish a story under my name.
