VARGO STATTEN SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE

   UK magazine. 19 issues 1954-6, published by Scion, London, for the first 7 issues, then Dragon Publications; ed "Vargo Statten" (Alistair Paterson for 7 issues, then John Russell FEARN). The last 2 issues were undated. \#1-\#3 were PULP-MAGAZINE size, then DIGEST size to \#11, then pocketbooksize. Intended to be a monthly, it 7 times skipped months. The magazine was retitled Vargo Statten British Science Fiction Magazine vol 1 \#4-\#5, The British Science Fiction Magazine vol 1 \#6-\#12, and finally The BritishSpace Fiction Magazine from vol 2 \#1 to the end.VSSFM owed its existence to the success of Scion's paperback-book line, which included many sf novels written by Fearn and published as by Vargo Statten. A magazine under Statten's name seemed a good financial bet, given the popularity of the books. The policy of aiming stories at younger readers may have alienated some UK authors; the low rates of payment, finally 12s 6d per 1000 words for world rights, cannot have helped. Barrington J. BAYLEY madehis debut here, and E.C. TUBB often appeared both under his own name and under pseudonyms, but Fearn was forced to use many of his own stories, sometimes old ones slightly rewritten under various pseudonyms, to fill up the issues.

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