Art by Frank R. Paul for the story “The Skylark of Space” by Edward Elmer Smith, in collaboration with Lee Hawkins Garby. “Amazing Stories,” Vol. 3, No. 7 (October, 1928).
“The Skylark darted forward and crashed completely through the great airship . . . She was an embodied thunderbolt; a huge, irresistible, indestructible projectile, directed by a keen brain inside . . .”
Part III, the final installment of the story:
“By the time you finish reading the final installment of “The Skylark of Space,” we are certain that you will agree with us that it is one of the outstanding scientifiction stories of the decade; an interplanetarian story that will not be eclipsed soon. It will be referred to by all scientifiction fans for years to come. It will be read and reread. This is not a mere prophecy of ours, because we have been deluged with letters since we began publishing this story.
“In the closing chapters, you will follow the adventures with bated breath, and you will find that though the two preceding installments were hair-raising and thought absorbing, the final installment eclipses the others a good deal. Plots, counterplots, hair-raising and hair-breadth escapes, mixed with love, adventure and good science seem to fairly tumble all over the pages. By the time you finish this installment, you will wish to go back to the beginning of the story and read it more carefully and thrill all over again.”
(“The Skylark of Space” has since become a classic in science fiction. It is one of the earliest novels of interstellar travel and the first example of space opera. A scientist discovers a space-drive, builds a starship, and flies off with three companions to encounter alien civilizations and fight a larger-than-life villain.)
Art by Frank R. Paul for the story “The Skylark of Space” by Edward Elmer Smith, in collaboration with Lee Hawkins Garby. “Amazing Stories,” Vol. 3, No. 7 (October, 1928).
“The Skylark darted forward and crashed completely through the great airship . . . She was an embodied thunderbolt; a huge, irresistible, indestructible projectile, directed by a keen brain inside . . .”
Part III, the final installment of the story:
“By the time you finish reading the final installment of “The Skylark of Space,” we are certain that you will agree with us that it is one of the outstanding scientifiction stories of the decade; an interplanetarian story that will not be eclipsed soon. It will be referred to by all scientifiction fans for years to come. It will be read and reread. This is not a mere prophecy of ours, because we have been deluged with letters since we began publishing this story.
“In the closing chapters, you will follow the adventures with bated breath, and you will find that though the two preceding installments were hair-raising and thought absorbing, the final installment eclipses the others a good deal. Plots, counterplots, hair-raising and hair-breadth escapes, mixed with love, adventure and good science seem to fairly tumble all over the pages. By the time you finish this installment, you will wish to go back to the beginning of the story and read it more carefully and thrill all over again.”
(“The Skylark of Space” has since become a classic in science fiction. It is one of the earliest novels of interstellar travel and the first example of space opera. A scientist discovers a space-drive, builds a starship, and flies off with three companions to encounter alien civilizations and fight a larger-than-life villain.)