It has been eight years since the last publication sub-titled The Journal of Clark Ashton Smith Studies was published. That one was The Dark Eidolon by Necronomicon Press and it lasted three issues (June 1988 [Klarkash-Ton], June 1989 and Winter 1993) . Now in April of 2004 we have Lost Worlds: The Journal of Clark Ashton Smith Studies Issue number 1 from Seele Brent publications, edited by Scott Connors. While weighting in at 40 215mm by 140mm pages it is no light weight were it counts - quality of content.

The editorial (The return of the Sorcerer) starts by commenting that perhaps the lack of recognition for CAS is due to a lack of scholarly research and analysis; something the journal aims to rectify.

Of particular not in the Lost Worlds is the never before seen The Face by the River; at first glance it would be easy to dismiss as just another of CAS's Ironic-Romantic Fiction pieces that include such drollery as Something New. It is however a piece that makes full use of his phantasmagoric imagery. The tone is brooding and pensive, the dead girls presence so palpable it is as if only in death does she take form. The hunting reminds one of The Double Shadow a story written three years latter. It contained a similar theme of inevitable doom, regardless of ones efforts to escape it.

Second special mention goes to Scott Cconnors' Who Discovered Clark Ashton Smith?; which gives credit to those we owe for bringing the early CAS in to the light.

While there are a number of reprints in this issue we can hope that in the future they will be kept to the minimum and new original thinkers will submit there thoughts for inclusion.

The journal is nicely presented with shiny white wraps. A gothic arabesque frame surrounds one of CAS's own art works on the cover. And while, the "T" in LOST is itself lost and WORLDS is a little wonkey on the cover, I'm sure they will sort that out for the next issue.

Thank you, Boyd. Regarding the issue of "reprints:" the James Blish article we used is extremely rare, so rare that Don Fryer could not locate a copy when he compiled his bio-bibliography so many years ago. Even Blish himself did not have a copy. I guarantee that the number of people out there who have read this piece may be counted on the two hands of a clumsy lumberjack.
And how in the world did you get your issue ahead of me????
Best, Scott

I have one of these on order myself... hope it arrives in a few days.

Ah, and it arrived today. Looks great, but I'll wait to comment further until I've read the thing. Great looking little magazine though.

The good old postal service in these parts has still not succeeded in delivering mine. To save time, the first thing I hear from my family when I enter the house this week is, "No, it did not arrive today."

Jim

Nick mailed contributor's copies out Tuesday. I haven't seen mine yet either. It was the same way with RED WORLD OF POLARIS: a buddy of mine in Auburn bought a copy in town before either Ron or I received our copies. I expect to receive my copies either tomorrow (making it a _better_ Friday, not just a Good Friday --hehheh) or Saturday.
Best,
Scott

RED WORLD has not appeared either, but I went temporarily insane when that one was announced and ordered the slipcased edition shortly after it went o.p. and someone fortuitously freed a copy by cancelling. I expect I am going to wait a bit longer for that one.

Perhaps LOST WORLD will be in the mail today. That will allow me to read it while listening to the ST. MATTHEW PASSION this evening.

Jim

Received my copies today, and they look great. Nick did a really fine job in presenting the material. I for one am very happy with it.
The hold-up on RED WORLD now is the bottle-neck with slipcases. The deluxe edition is ready except for that. I am _really_ sorry that you've had to wait this long for it, but the demand for slipcases is just greater than the supply.
Best,
Scott

No need to apologize, Scott. I realize slipcases have been rather difficult to come by. Now, if the post office will just deliver LOST WORLDS!

Jim

The magazine arrived today and it looks wonderful. This is one of the best paintings by Smith I have ever seen. Thanks, Scott!


Jim

That's why I selected it. :-) And we have a whole lot more that we can run, too. I think that once people experience Smith's artwork the way it was intended--in glorious color--this portion of his work will become more highly regarded. Boyd does a good job posting stuff on the web, but seeing it on a monitor just doesn't have the same zing to it.
And thank you for revising your article.
Best,
Scott

You are welcome. Thank you for the request and your patience.

Jim

Greetings and salutations!

Scott, I have a critical piece, titled "The mystery that is love: the poems of Christophe des Laurières" that I would like to submit to you for LOST WORLDS, and I am working on another piece on the beloved in CAS' poetry.

Do you have contributors' guidelines available for perusal?

May one submit it via e-mail, and if so, whether in the body of the e-mail, as an attachment (and in what formats), and to where?

Do you have an in-house style for refernces? Do you have word limits, or is that open?

What rights do you purchase -- full? First time? North American only? Do you mind if I promise the electronic rights to Boyd here, or will you be handling them?

I look forward to hearing from you concerning these questions,

Yrs,

Phillip A. Ellis

From my editorial, "The Return of the Sorcerer," in LOST WORLDS no. 1: "Lost Worlds is pleased to provide a forum for students of Smith's work to publish their work and to exchange views in a collegial atmosphere. Submissions should adhere to the second edition of the MLA Style Manual, although we encourage contributors to "shout, rant, gibber and dance" in their ecstatic contemplation of Smith, so long as they present strong arguments and are well-written. Too much literary criticism is written nowadays that forgets that, in the words of the old educational slogan, "reading is fundamental." A list of abbreviations for the titles of Smith's books may be found elsewhere in this issue and should be used where possible." We are looking for well-written, cogently argued essays on the life and work of Clark Ashton Smith and, to a lesser extent, related writers ranging from George Sterling and Nora May French to Donald Wandrei and Robert H. Barlow. Ideal length is between 3000 and 4000 words, although we can go over that limit for exceptional pieces.

More from LOST WORLDS no. 1: "Contributions are to be emailed in standard document format to wwhateley@mindspring.com and should contain contributor's contact information (both physical and electronic). Alternative forms of submission are available; contact the editor for more information." If you wish to tattoo it on the back of Usama bin Laden and submit the flayed and tanned skin on a scroll, that would be a very acceptable alternative form.

We pay three cents a word on publication. In exchange for that, LOST WORLDS reserves exclusive rights to the article for one year after publication, after which the rights revert to the author. In other words, we certainly don't have a problem with Boyd having the article--one year later. This is just to ensure that people actually _buy_ the journal.

Your articles sound very interesting. Please send them to me at the above address. I prefer Word files as an attachment. Incidentally, I have a powerful scam blocker, so contact me first in order for me to enter you in my address book.

Scott Connors Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We pay three cents a word on publication. In
> exchange for that, LOST WORLDS reserves exclusive
> rights to the article for one year after
> publication, after which the rights revert to the
> author. In other words, we certainly don't have a
> problem with Boyd having the article--one year
> later. This is just to ensure that people
> actually _buy_ the journal.


Scott,
you sound like the music industry reps disparately trying to blame P2P for their sales slump despite all the evidence to the country. I have lost track of the number of people who have told me that after reading CAS on the site they have gone out and brought the books. We all prefer the paper for reading, and the e' is good for searching, increasing access, keeping material in print.

Personally I have brought more cd's due to p2p and more books due to being able to read them on the net.


B.