A lot of your readers have been setting up a clamor for stories by Ray Cummings. While it is true that he has written a few good stories, you will find that his antiquated stuff is not being printed in any of the other Science Fiction magazine, but only in ones devoted to adventure-stories. For the sake of your many readers who would like to see "our magazine" keep abreast of the times, Cummings should be dropped and some of the peerless authors of to-day employed. As an advance along this line you already have Capt. S. P. Meek, Harl Vincent, Lilith Lorraine, Edmond Hamilton, and, in the latest copy, R. F. Starzl. "The Planet of Dread," by R. F. Starzl was the best story in the August issue. A wealth of ideas was contained in that treatise of life on a young, warm planet, and the idea of fooling the liquid intelligence by thought-suggestion is quite novel but entirely reasonable. Mr. Starzl is an author of the highest type and ability, and you will do well to secure more stories from his typewriter. I was glad to see that the cover has finally been changed from the conventional blue background, and I hope we will have a little variation from now on. Concerning illustrations, Wesso is a great artist, and aside from a few scientific errors his covers are excellent. The inside drawings could be improved, however. I hope for your continued success--Wayne D. Bray, Campbell, Mo. _Are We All "Morons?"_ Dear Editor: Having perused three issues of your magazine, I must agree that its title is well chosen. The stories are nearly all "astounding"; astounding in that they utterly ignore every scientific fact and discovery of the past ten centuries. The cold of inter-stellar space; its lack of oxygen; the interplanetary effects of gravitation--all are passed over as if non-existent. An "anti-gravity ovoid"--of which no description is given--if worn in a man's hat, makes his whole body weightless. Men, buildings and cities float through the air or become invisible, yet not the least semi-scientific explanation is made as to the how of it all. In other words, the pattern of your stories appears to have been taken from the Arabian Nights and from Grimm's Fairy Tales--but with not a millionth part of the interest. How anyone, save a young child or a moron, can read and enjoy such futile nonsense is incredible. If your writers would (like Jules Verne) only invent some pseudo-scientific explanation for their marvels, your publication might then be read with pleasure--but why do so when trash is acceptable without thought behind it!--M. Clifford Johnston, 451 Central Avenue, Newark, N. J. _A Wesso Fan_ Dear Editor: Let me congratulate you on the September issue of Astounding Stories. It is the best issue you have published yet. I noticed in this issue that you had four illustrations by Wesso. Though that is the most you have ever had, I think it would be much better if all the illustrations were by him.