Campbellish adj.

I must take my hat off to Editor Campbell for answering Sam Moskowitz. ...Now Mr. Campbell, you must admit that everybody wants smooth edges, better paper, better artists, and non-hacky stories. Now, you have given us the first, and to a certain extent the last. But your stories are as Sam said, too Campbellish—and typed.

I’m afraid I can’t agree with Bloch’s nomination of Conjure Wife for the top of all top positions. It was plenty good, but it was also plenty good and Campbellish. Therefore it may last for a day or for a decade, depending on the tastes of America in the coming years.

Very entertaining. I like the informal, personal type of editorial, and not the type Ashley had in Nova, nor do I like the Campbellish stuff, even though some Fen say it’s as good as any textbook.

Third story has a Campbellish title, ‘Aftermath From Angle Two’, by Al Leverenz, the official Onlooker of the editorial staff. The blurb for this one is, ‘Sometimes you can’t write a blurb...’ And after reading it I agree with him. It’s a strange mood piece.

Campbell and Hamilton had been fellow members of a New York area SF writers circle. After he became editor, Campbell asked most of the writers he knew, including Hamilton, to contribute stories to his magazine. And Hamilton was glad to dash one off for him. But then Campbell did the Campbellish thing. He pointed out flaws in the story and asked for a rewrite. Ed Hamilton was an old pro accustomed to turning out first-draft copy, to repeating his plots, and to selling everything that he wrote. So he was quite taken aback by this request. He fixed the story, but he didn’t send any more to Campbell.