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| Title | Fritz Leiber's speech for Seacon '79 |
| Creator (LCNAF) |
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| Description | A speech presented by Fritz Leiber to Seacon '79. |
| Donor | Leiber, Fritz; Leiber, Justin |
| Subject.Topical (LCSH) |
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| Genre (AAT) |
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| Language | English |
| Type (DCMI) |
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| Original Item Location | ID 1984-003, Box 57, Folder 30 |
| ArchivesSpace URI | /repositories/2/archival_objects/5302 |
| Original Collection | Fritz Leiber Papers |
| Digital Collection | Fritz Leiber Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention Flyers & Programs |
| Digital Collection URL | http://digital.lib.uh.edu/1984_003 |
| Repository | Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries |
| Repository URL | http://info.lib.uh.edu/about/campus-libraries-collections/special-collections |
| Use and Reproduction | In Copyright |
| File Name | index.cpd |
| Title | Page 12, front |
| Format (IMT) |
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| File Name | uhlib_1984_003_b057_f030_069_023.jpg |
| Transcript | 12 But the finest piece of cover* art Fred let me write a story around was one he never showed me. At a Galaxy office party Fred sidled up to me, freshened my drink, and said, "Fritz, I've got a cover floating around I think would interest you. I can't lay my hands on it i right now — it was intended for a novel that didn't work out. Against a background of black night and stars, there* s this big clock with its hands at midnight. Beside it stands a beautiful woman in black evening dress looking toward infinity. It keeps reminding me of your novel, The Big Time. I wonder...." My imagination was fired. It took me no more than a week to write the novelette that became "No Great Magic." But when it came out in Galaxy, I looked in vain for my beautiful-woman-midnight-clock cover. Instead there was a rather repulsive, in fact downright disgusting picture of a scarlet-skinned, bug-eyed monster (he had four bug eyes) who seemed to be splitting in two beginning ^ tyj^- JdUn "^ * ?) at the nose, illustrating something by Jack Vance in the same issue. Thinking it over later, I realized that almost certainly Fred had Improvised the picture of the beautiful clock woman on the spur of the moment as bait for an unwary writer. That's why I call him the cleverest editor. |