THE RIVAL OF WEIRD TALES (DAY 1)

STRANGE TALES (OF MYSTERY AND TERROR)
Vol. 1 No. 1
September 1931
The Clayton Magazines, Inc.
Publisher: W.M. Clayton
Editor: Harry Bates
Cover: H.W. Wesso (Hans Wessolowski)
Pages: 144
Cover price: 25 cents

Since the 1920's, the Clayton Magazine group, headed by publisher W.M. Clayton, issued titles such as ACE HIGH, RANCH ROMANCES and ALL-STAR DETECTIVE STORIES. In January, 1930, they introduced their science-fiction story magazine, ASTOUNDING STORIES. A year later, they went all in on a magazine intended to put the squeeze on the newsstand rack to the reigning horror magazine, WEIRD TALES. The first issue of STRANGE TALES OF MYSTERY AND TERROR (shortened to STRANGE TALES in the editorial pages) appeared in September 1931 under the editorship of Harry Bates (October 9, 1900 – September 1981). Bates was also the editor of ASTOUNDING STORIES and was an author in his own right. His story, "Farewell to the Master," published in ASTOUNDING (October 1940) and a decade later was used as the basis for the classic science-fiction film, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951).

In his editorial for the first issue, he called upon readers (his "associate editors" as he named them) to send in their comments and, most importantly, to tell their friends to buy a copy!

[Continued tomorrow.]