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Le Zombie, v. 4, issue 12, whole no. 47, May-June 1942
Page 5
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THE FAN MIRROR Charles L. Barret, an M.D in his middle thirties is one of the two or three medical men in fandom. (We said fandom, not authordom.) Talking a couple of hundred words per minute over a coffee cup, he reminds one of Wendell Wilkie, even to the hanging forelock. Not one of those words is misplaced, misused or wasted. He is Joe Fann grown up. Barret has been a fan for so many years he has lost count, and "gets a kick" from the gentleman who boast they are "old timers" from way back around 1930-35. He could be a success any almost any trade; his favorite dream-castle bulinding is to make up stquels to well-known yarns. He already has the forthcoming Lensman story neatly plotted to a turn. He has, he believes, the largest library in fandom. Up untill the time Fred Shroyer visited him months ago he had no idea it was worth raving about. So many published accounts of "large libraries" belonging to fans from coast to coast had lulled him into thinking hia was a minor collection. Shroyer, who is in a position to speak with some authority, set him aright. Doc reports he has fantasy books dating from the 19th century that no fan ever seems to have heard of before. He buys hundreds of books per year on all subjects; and now has a girl at work cataloging his science-fiction works. We would like to see him on the list of speakers at some convention. We believe he would delight you, as he delighted us and others, on the fascinating subject, "what makes fandom tick -- and why." He pointed out why a club (such as the NFFF) shouldn't classify and seperate fans in niches as "inner circle" and "outer circle" fans merely on the basis of their recorded activities. Had he not been able to attend the Michifan Conference he would undoubtedly be an "outler circle" fan, and yet he is as keen on the subject as... as... well, as keen as Joe Fann. His very porfession keeps him from writing for or publishing a fanzine. Busy? Well, his "beat" is a small town and nearly half a county. he has very little time for reading; medical publications demand the most of his time. The books he buys by the carload are shelved away for "that rainy day" when he might be laid up with measles or something. But fanzines? Ah! There, he reports, are stacked in a mountain-like pile on the table, awaiting that moment. What moment? Whay the tedious hours of waiting for the stork to bring whatever it is going to bring. During this period he will often read thru the entire pile of fanzines at one sitting, sometimes jumping up to greet the stork with: "Hey, Skylark... guess what! Astounding is printing "Mudpies of Mars" next month!" We think we shall wind this up witha neat compliment to ourserves. It pleases us very much. The solo exception to the above proceedure, Doc says, is when LeZ arrives. Patients, storks and gall stones go hang while the good Doc snatches LeZ from the mailman, plops himself down on the door stoo and eagerly peruses us. Isn't he nice?
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THE FAN MIRROR Charles L. Barret, an M.D in his middle thirties is one of the two or three medical men in fandom. (We said fandom, not authordom.) Talking a couple of hundred words per minute over a coffee cup, he reminds one of Wendell Wilkie, even to the hanging forelock. Not one of those words is misplaced, misused or wasted. He is Joe Fann grown up. Barret has been a fan for so many years he has lost count, and "gets a kick" from the gentleman who boast they are "old timers" from way back around 1930-35. He could be a success any almost any trade; his favorite dream-castle bulinding is to make up stquels to well-known yarns. He already has the forthcoming Lensman story neatly plotted to a turn. He has, he believes, the largest library in fandom. Up untill the time Fred Shroyer visited him months ago he had no idea it was worth raving about. So many published accounts of "large libraries" belonging to fans from coast to coast had lulled him into thinking hia was a minor collection. Shroyer, who is in a position to speak with some authority, set him aright. Doc reports he has fantasy books dating from the 19th century that no fan ever seems to have heard of before. He buys hundreds of books per year on all subjects; and now has a girl at work cataloging his science-fiction works. We would like to see him on the list of speakers at some convention. We believe he would delight you, as he delighted us and others, on the fascinating subject, "what makes fandom tick -- and why." He pointed out why a club (such as the NFFF) shouldn't classify and seperate fans in niches as "inner circle" and "outer circle" fans merely on the basis of their recorded activities. Had he not been able to attend the Michifan Conference he would undoubtedly be an "outler circle" fan, and yet he is as keen on the subject as... as... well, as keen as Joe Fann. His very porfession keeps him from writing for or publishing a fanzine. Busy? Well, his "beat" is a small town and nearly half a county. he has very little time for reading; medical publications demand the most of his time. The books he buys by the carload are shelved away for "that rainy day" when he might be laid up with measles or something. But fanzines? Ah! There, he reports, are stacked in a mountain-like pile on the table, awaiting that moment. What moment? Whay the tedious hours of waiting for the stork to bring whatever it is going to bring. During this period he will often read thru the entire pile of fanzines at one sitting, sometimes jumping up to greet the stork with: "Hey, Skylark... guess what! Astounding is printing "Mudpies of Mars" next month!" We think we shall wind this up witha neat compliment to ourserves. It pleases us very much. The solo exception to the above proceedure, Doc says, is when LeZ arrives. Patients, storks and gall stones go hang while the good Doc snatches LeZ from the mailman, plops himself down on the door stoo and eagerly peruses us. Isn't he nice?
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