Upon my office desk are currently stacked in various piles, 30 issues of Astounding ranging from September 1939 through December 1950. But the one of which I am in desperate need has not yet arrived, and I am just about shaking in anticipation. The July and August 1939 issues were among the first that I ordred and naturally, they will be the last of this batch to arrive. They shipped on the 11th. I have a tracking number and everything. But they didn’t arrive yesterday, and they didn’t arrive today. That means that Tuesday will be the earliest that my vacation in the Golden Age of science fiction will commence. (Monday is a federal holiday.)
It’s funny but this literary vacation I have planned has just as much anticipation as any other vacation I’ve ever been on. They say that anticipation is often the best part of a vacation, and that has certainly been true for me. But because the nature of this vacation is different, I feel like the actual thing will far surpass the excitement I feel in just daydreaming about it. Of course, this could be wishful thinking on my part.
The most maddening thing is that I am surrounded by these magazines. I could pick up the September 1939 issue and start right in–and yet I resist. I want to do this the same way kids living in the 1930s did it. I want to experience the wonder of the Golden Age the same way that Isaac Asimov did, waiting impatiently for each issue to arrive. Of course, the bulk of my waiting is up front since once the July and August issues arrive, I will have managed to collect the first 18 consecutive issue of the Golden Age.
Still, these magazines sitting around me are making it difficult to concentrate. They are burning a hole in my soul and I long for the days (well before my time) when the post office delivered mail with greater frequency. It is almost as sweet as checking the mail box each day to see if a rejection letter has come in for a story.
I’m doing my best to take my mind off of it. I’m working on my novelette, “Rescue”. I’m watching episodes of M*A*S*H to pass the time. And I’m griping on this blog.
I just can’t wait for those magazines to show up. Maybe Tuesday…?
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