Marvel Tales
(Did you mean the pulp magazine?)
Marvel Tales (also known as Marvel Tales of Science and Fantasy) was a fanzine published by William Crawford under his press name Fantasy Publications in Everett, Pennsylvania.
Its five issues dated May 1934 – Summer 1935. Despite its amateur status, the magazine published a story by the already established author Robert E. Howard, "The Garden of Fear", in issue #2 (July–Aug. 1934), and "The Creator", an early example of religious-themed science fiction by the noted Clifford D. Simak, in #4 (March–April 1935).
Aubrey MacDermott wrote (see Aubrey MacDermott on the Origins of Fandom):
“Peter Schuyler Miller's "The Titan" was published in the last two issues of Crawford's Marvel Tales, 1935. Unfortunately the last part of the serial was not published. "The Titan" had been turned down by every publisher for six years. Peter told me he had been insulted and called a sexual deviant by every editor he had sent it to except Crawford. Crawford also has the distinction of being the first publisher of Robert Bloch and Cordwainer Smith.”
It was reviewed in William Crawford and D. R. Welch's Science Fiction Bibliography, published in 1935:
As we know, Unusual Stories was never finished; but Crawford continued the publication of Marvel Tales. The first issue, dated May 1934, contains stories by H. P. Lovecraft, August W. Derleth, and David H. Keller. The cover is light blue with an obscure illustration in dark blue, and titles in black lettering. A few copies, which have a heavy blue line down the left hand margin of the cover, are printed on book paper. The second issue, dated July-August 1934, has an orange cover, illustrated in green ink, black lettering. The first pages of many copies of this issue were printed on book paper. There are short stories by Robert E. Howard and Frank B. Long. The third issue, Winter 1934, also has an orange cover, illustration and letters in black ink. A very few copies were run off with the cover illustration printed in red ink. This issue features the first installment of Schuyler Miller’s “The Titan.” Marvel Tales is certain to be a collector’s item of no small value. The first issue is already out of print. The publisher’s supply of the “red cover” issues of the third is exhausted.
(...I'm sure those were two different William Crawfords...)
| Publication | 1934—1935 |
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