- "A Different Purpose" by Kem Bennett. The first person in orbit deals with the psychological effects of isolation. This is surprisingly realistic (especially for this magazine), with regards to both science and psychology. 3/4 (Good).

- "Air Space Violated" (poem) by P.M. Hubbard. 1.5/4 (Meh).

- "Bewitched" by Michael Fessier. A witch turns a shy young woman into a cat-person. A modern fairytale with an offbeat sense of humor. 3/4 (Good).

- "Dust of Ages" (science column) by Isaac Asimov. Speculation about how the moon might be covered in mountains of dust. Yeah, this did not age well. 2/4 (Indifferent).

- "Critical Angle" by A. Bertram Chandler. The first men on the moon sink into the dust. Following both an article that already covers its central idea, as well as a well-researched story about very-near-future space travel (as opposed to this, which is lazy and not at all researched), this story is not served well by its context in the magazine. 1/4 (Bad).

- "Or the Grasses Grow" by Avram Davidson. New right-wing government policy steals the reservation from a small Native American tribe. It's not racist, despite being written by a white guy in 1958, but it's also not particularly interesting. 2.5/4 (Okay).

- "Wildcat" by Poul Anderson. A top-secret oil field is located in the Jurassic period. The dinosaur-fighting action/adventure elements are pretty great, but the plot is a cold-war conspiracy that thinks its more mysterious/clever than it is. 2.5/4 (Okay).

- Recommended Reading (department) by Anthony Boucher. 2/4 (Indifferent).

- "Beans" by Jack Williamson. A long set-up to a bad pun. 2/4 (Indifferent).

- "Mr. Milton's Gift" by Robert Arthur. A man is cursed with the ability to "make money," and also cursed to speak in verse (there was a two for one sale). Towards the end, the author stops bothering to write out the character's previously-amusing dialog. 2.5/4 (Okay).

- "Pelt" by Carol Emshwiller. Fur-hunting in space, from the perspective of a dog. It would have been pretty interesting, if the editor's introduction hadn't spoiled it - and if the concept of fur-hunting in the future didn't seem absurd. 2.5/4 (Okay).

- "For Analysis" by P. Schuyler Miller. Something to do with the space race, I guess? I don't even know what this is. 0/4 (Terrible).

- "Nine Yards of Other Cloth" by Manly Wade Wellman. A pioneer-era-set folktale about a bad man with a fiddle in the valley of a monster. The genuine old-timey style of this story is a delight. Apparently it's the conclusion of a series. Excuse me, I need to go find out if they've been released as a book. 3/4 (Good).

[correction: "Nine Yards of Other Cloth" is apparently not pioneer-era, just feels that way. Also, except for an audio version, the books are not currently available, despite being some of the most striking and influential fantasy/horror ever written.] ( )