Pat Calhoun

after the admiral died in '63 Pat needed a lifeline, and Golden Age was it

cool: you've got the one about my Dad in there. here we are... from Forbes 2008: The lessons learned in the Solomons were soon applied in the Central Pacific, where Calhoun and his staff developed a revolutionary concept: the floating base. Atolls like Majuro in the Marshall Islands had little land to offer, but they enclosed capacious lagoons, which Calhoun could stuff full of tenders, cargo ships, ammunition carriers, salvage tugs, minesweepers, oil tankers, repair ships, floating dry-docks, hospital ships and assorted barges. In March 1945, Calhoun finally exchanged his bureaucrat's office at Pearl Harbor for a fighting admiral's command. He was named to fill Halsey's old slot as South Pacific commander. Alas for Calhoun, by this point the South Pacific was a backwater region; the fighting had shifted northwest to the Philippines and Okinawa. So Calhoun remained in a support role for the duration of the war, and then disappeared into the historical obscurity that is a supply officer's lot. His death in 1963 generated no worshipful obituaries like those lavished on Spruance and Halsey. But posterity threw Calhoun at least one lifeline. Among his wartime subordinates was one James A. Michener, a lieutenant commander with literary ambitions. After the war, Michener fictionalized his experiences in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Tales of the South Pacific. Calhoun presumably was a model for Millard Kester, Michener's fictional admiral, who--unlike Calhoun--finally gets to command an invasion force and win a battle. Michener's book inspired the classic musical "South Pacific," now back on Broadway in a critically acclaimed revival, which currently is the hottest ticket in town. Featured prominently in the plot is a group of Seabees--naval construction workers--whose job falls under the heading of logistics rather than combat. So the continued success of "South Pacific" provides a bit of reflected glory for Michener's old boss, William Calhoun, the logistics expert who contributed so much to America's victory over Japan.

good question on how short in page numbers a digest can be. perhaps the 64-page-or-less formats should be called booklets as they do seem for the most part to bill themselves as a partial offering compared to full size. here's a couple of UK 64-pagers: Tit-Bits 1954 and Sexton Blake 1961. (stapled but squarebound with full printed spines)

Readers Choice Library was published by St John. This one's dated 1950.

an interesting small subset of SF digests is made up of publications packaging a novel

One thing I've always appreciated on PBs is that most of them have a nice thick cover stock, whereas digests are predominately bound in a thinner more fragile paper. So I like digests that have the sturdier covers, and the first Atlas crime series 1942-1945 all have them. Here's the first with Cardwell Higgins' delightful pin-up style art, and the last, with art by another cheesecake specialist, Peter Driben.

this one's a 1951 PB

good call: 'The Farthest Shore' is by far my fave in the trilogy: a great fantasy novel

drugs from another planet

back in the late '80s it was still possible to score vintage pbs at general bookstores and even thrift shops. Nonetheless, walking into a Salvation Army and seeing this on top of the bookcase on a little one-book wire rack with no indication that the asking price was more than one quarter of a US dollar was a collecting epiphany of a monumental nature. Paid that price in a deadpan delirium and it still shines on one of my super shelves.

well I don't own the Argosys shown but did recently pick up this Harlequin (#193 Oct 1952) featuring the pulp hero who made many appearances in the venerable weekly during 1934 and 1935 (covers by John A Coughlin). George Challis = Frederick Faust aka Max Brand. Harlequin cover sig (lower left 'under' reading crease) reads 'Friede'.

I bought some from Barry Bauman way back in the day, and Ray Storch sold me my Dennis #1. Happy to have dealt with both of them and RIP gents.

Jon Stephen Berk | April 1, 1950 - August 10, 2023. the message from his family (relayed to me by mighty collector Gary M Carter) included: 'we have thought to suggest a donation to Our Companions - in honor of Jon’s treasured dogs.'

haven't been here in a while, I hang out in the pulp-PB forum, and I hate to come back as bearer of bad news, but: Jon Berk has died, since we are talking mighty collectors. It is the end of a long struggle with dementia. I'll add more later (where to donate) but had to get this out now. RIP, my friend.

My first Sexton Blake, bought after magicrobot cited Story as a worthy author. Format is 64-page single-staple with full printed spine and nice graphics on inside covers. And Story's story does look like fun... Plus here's another 'cross-the-pond ERB.

nice Spiders, but could you please elaborate on this: 'One of the best stories one could read is in these pages' thanks and cheers

my first Boardman PB (UK) and very well produced with no staples. has been to Brisbane... goes with the subset I started after getting 'D' & 'H' for my Atlas digest collection. I looked around for others & liked what I saw.

right on, robot. thinking of you as my 'Flip Side' showed up today. will scan later, but beach beckons. plus will post my Boardman PB newbie later as well: got a nice Brisbane sticker on it for you. Meanwhile, from my files, here's my fave Authentic: 'The Rose', despite rejections in the US market, went on to be recognized as a masterpiece.

very cool. is 'Rendezvous' a 'shortie'? I like those little ones and have all of them from the first series: if answer is 'yes' will put that one on my want list. also posting the 3 shorties recently acquired that filled out my group shot and a pic to highlight the size difference.

also picked up a couple of UK ERBs

wanted to issue a public thank you to themagicrobot as I ordered a 'Flip Side' today, and pulled the trigger on a Boardman PB I've been contemplating... have been on a UK roll: just-ins include this crazola MJ from Gary Lovisi (the 6D is a used price sticker presumably over 1'/6) and a 2023 Penguin Modern Classic edition that's the first new book (novel's from 1958) I've bought in a long time but saw in a little bookshop while tripping with the old lady and it had a real good feel to it...

my summer book buying binge is underway. first order of business: Atlas digests. here's two in the standard format: the first was a fun find in my mailbox, and the second is something to sing about.