Editorial fragments

About this issue

Belatedly, I heard the sad news of Robert Sheas's death in July, literally days after the Summer issue's publication. My first priority for this issue was to secure a tribute to Shea, and I thank Victoria Varga for providing that tribute.

I never met Shea, but enjoy his books tremendously, and recognize in his Prometheus letters and articles a benevolent sense of humor and love of life and liberty. We have lost one of the great ones.

I attended ArmadilloCon October 7-9, and heard Gregory Benford speak on an exciting project—settling the moon. Page 4 and 5 showcase this project.

Mechanics

I am still tinkering with the format of Prometheus. I'm satisfied with the look of the main text, but I guarantee a few changes here and there as I try to find the form most pleasing to the eye and my own sense of aesthetics.

I create each issue using Word and Pagemaker. All this is done on my Macintosh Powerbook, and with its small screen I really don't get a good sense of the grander design until I print the pages. I'm learning to use a brand new scanner, which will soon jazz up the art department.

The quarterly schedule is not yet firmly set, and my deadlines are usually flexible into the last week of production. I'd like to see more reviews submitted, or at least lists of recommended books. Movie reviews also are welcome, as are letters to the editor, or articles that deal with libertarianism and the future. I hope soon to feature an annual author interview. Starting this issue, I'm adding a section on author news.

I am on-line for those with e-mail access, though some people have told me they have experienced problems with some messages not getting through. My provider is a local user group that consists of volunteers, and the BBS system through which they route Internet mail sometimes crashes for a few days. This only has happened a few times, but if you don't receive a prompt reply from me, you may wish to re-send your message.

Human error department

A few embarrassing errors crept into the last issue of Prometheus. Somewhere along the line from book to paper to computer, I switched the first and last names of a brilliant and unique author. My apology is issued. There is no Lewis Sinclair, but rather the individual author of It Can't Happen Here (and not to be confused with socialist writer Upton Sinclair), is actually Sinclair Lewis.

The title of Thomas Szasz' book is Ideology and Insanity, not Idealogy and Insanity. The Thoreau and Szasz quotes are direct, but I forgot to mention that the source for the Learned Hand and Lincoln quotes was Nat Hentoff's The First Freedom.

In the previous issue I inadvertently left off the bylines for the mini-reviews of the Prometheus Award finalists. Though I rewrote the Pallas and Virtual Girl reviews from the previous issue, the Beggars in Spain and Silicon Man reviews are combinations of my own words and words borrowed from Victoria Varga's reviews in the previous issue. The intent was only to condense. The entire text of the Rainbow Man review came from Victoria's review in the previous issue, with slight adjustments. Her concise review captured in a few words the eerie yet beautiful quality of that novel.

Next issue

Deadline for Vol. 13, No. 1 is February 1, with publication set for mid-February. Look for reviews, interview, and more.