Although it was expensive and the title hit me as lame, I am
very glad I decided to buy Howard Browne's INCREDIBLE INK
(McMillan 1997). The memoir portion is the best of several
Browne published in his final years, the bibliography is
excellent and I've enjoyed reading the never-reprinted
stories from the 40s pulps.
So, Mark, I think you are in for a treat. As to your
questions, I can fill in some background more than provide
answers.
I have the Handi-book reprint of IF YOU HAVE TEARS but I have
never gotten around to reading it. One reason is that my copy
is not in good shape. It is not an easy novel to find, even
though it was reprinted three times after Mystery House
published it in 1947. Others have told me that while it has
some merit, TEARS is one of Browne's weaker efforts.
The story "Twleve Times Zero" is a short novel that was
published in the first issue of the science fiction magazine
IF in March 1952. It was written in a hard-boiled style. I
don't remember much about it as it was 40 years ago when I
picked up a used copy of the magazine. Back in my mid-teens,
I was deep into science fiction and not that interested in
mysteries. The first editor of IF, which went on to have a
long publishing run, was Paul Fairman. As Browne recounts in
the INK memoir, Fairman was a janitor in a theater when
Browne began buying his stories for the old Ziff Davis chain
of pulps. Fairman must have considered that first issue of
his magazine as a way to tip his hat to those who gave him a
break for it also featured a short story by Ray Palmer, who
was Browne's boss at ZD.
Browne was such a good writer, I wish he had left a larger
body of work.
Richard Moore
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