COVEN 13 NO. 3 (PART 1)

COVEN 13
Vol. 1 No. 3
January 1970
Camelot Publishing Company
Editor: Arthur H. Landis
Staff artist: William Stout
Cover: William Stout
Pages: 148
Cover price: 60 cents

CONTENTS
Let There Be Magick! (Part 3) - James R. Keaveney
Leona! - Alan Caillou
The Strawhouse Pavilion - Ron Goulart
The Little People - Robert E. Howard
Witch Fish - Dennis Quinn
Last Rites - Pauline Smith
Don't Open til Xmas! - John Benton Carr

DEPARTMENTS
Editor's Cauldron
Bell, Book and Tarot
Poetry Corner
Reader's Section
Turn of the Screw (review) - Arthur Jean Cox

Incorrectly identified on the contents page as issue #2, the third issue of COVEN 13 hit the stands with its format and contents varying little from the previous two issues. Not that it was a bad thing, as the stories (and William Stout's art) were comparable in quality to its competition, even if there isn't an A-list writer in the bunch.

Most interesting is Arthur Landis' editorial explaining the early plight of his magazine to be successful. Characterizing his magazine as a vehicle for horror, the neo-gothic, witchcraft and dark sorcery, he rails on writers who have sent him nothing but derivative hackwork and rehashed stories (I can relate to that, being an indie 'zine publisher myself at one time), and issues a challenge -- send good stuff or he'll be forced to commission pro authors which by doing so will be hard to sustain the longevity of the magazine. Second, he provides a scenario of what it takes to get a magazine accepted into national distribution. It's a real eye-opener and explains why many magazines disappear after a few issues.

Despite the editor's woes, COVEN 13 was a decent pulp digest, sold pretty well early on, and is a pretty good read, even today. Give it a try!

[Continued tomorrow.]