I had collected the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs since I was eight years of age, as well as some science fiction and westerns. Early on, Zane Grey and James Oliver Curwood were favorites of mine. I became interested in the science fiction magazines and assorted pulp magazines (mostly with ERB and SF) in the fall of 1943. I started collecting these extensively. It may seem hardly credible, but, by 1950, I had accumulated ALL the science fiction magazines known to me. This included all the issues of SF magazines in the English language, published in England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

During my four years in college and three years in the seminary, my hobby of collecting Edgar Rice Burroughs, science fiction, pulp magazines, etc., had been greatly reduced. But upon graduating and securing a new job in the summer of 1943, my ability to actively collect and read in these fields of interest were once again open to me.

Personal contact with other fans and collectors that would allow me to trade information and wanted books and / or magazines occurred only occasionally. Instead, my wants were advertised in newspapers and magazines. In this manner my collection began to grow.

Then something happened that opened up a new world. A letter of mine was printed in the "Readers" section of Fantastic Adventures (Magazine). Included within this letter was a list of my special Burroughs wants. My address was printed with the letter, and in a matter of days, letters from total strangers filled my mailbox. So began my correspondence with a large number of fans and collectors (that continues today). Though not known to me at the time, many of these new correspondents were the best known and most knowledgeable collectors in all of S-F and fantasy fandom. Up to this time I had not known there was such a thing as fandom. Many of these fans became my friends and we did much buying and selling of rare books and magazines.

This, of course, explains in part how I was able to acquire such a formidable collection in a short time. I learned about fanzines and subscribed to every one in sight, and even began writing articles for them.

From this point on, my collection grew by leaps and bounds. Well-known writers, editors, publishers, prominent fans and collectors were among the many people who wrote to me. There were several pulp magazine collectors in this group of correspondents, and through them I began to enlarge my magazine collection.

In replying to people who wrote me after seeing my letter in in Fantastic Adventures I added some more of my ERB wants such as: Beyond 30, Ben, King of Beasts, The Girl from Farris's, The Efficiency Expert, Man Without a Soul, the Burroughs serials in Modern Mechanics and Triple-X Magazine. It seems that most of the fans and collectors, including outstanding ERB collectors had never heard of most of these Burroughs stories.

Not one of those who wrote me had ever heard of Ben, King of Beasts! I believe that mention may have sparked the interest of so many ERB fans. You can see why I call this "The Million Dollar Letter." Following is a copy.

Sirs:
For several years I have been a reader of your magazines. Some may think it odd that a Minister would take time to read science fiction. However, despite the fact that I have my Ph.D., I greatly enjoy reading FANTASTIC ADVENTURES and Amazing Stories. This type of reading furnishes me with many pleasant hours of relaxation, which, form a contrast to the heavier type of reading material which is a part of my regular reading diet.

I am especially interested in the works of Mr. Edgar Rice Burroughs of Tarzana, California. I have ALL of his published books, including several foreign editions. I also have the major portion of his stories in their original magazine form. In addition to the above I have a special collection of all the book jackets from Burroughs' books arranged in a special E.R. Burroughs scrap book. I notice that so many of your readers are interested in this author and that is why I would appreciate deeply your publishing this letter. To complete my collection I need the following:
1) Several Burroughs First Editions published by A. C. McClurg and E. R. Burroughs, Inc., Publishers.
2) The July 1927 issue of Amazing Stories containing "The Master-Mind of Mars."
3) A number of the older magazine stories of Burroughs; especially back-numbers of All Story Magazine, All Story Weekly, Argosy All Story Weekly, All Story Cavalier, New Story Magazine, All Around Magazine, The Munsey, Thrilling Adventures, Blue Book, and Red Book.
4) A copy of The New York Evening World (a N. Y. Newspaper, now out of business) for Oct. 1915 containing Burroughs' story "Ben, King of Beasts."
5) Two Burroughs books for children: "The Tarzan Twins," 1927 and "Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins with Jad-Bal-Ja the Golden Lion," 1936, a Big-big book published by Whitman.
6) Book Jackets from Burroughs books.
7) Any Tarzan Big Little books or Tarzan comics.
8) A. L. Burt reprints of the early Burroughs books.
9) E. R. Burroughs Foreign Editions.

I also have quite a bit of Burroughs material that I will sell or trade. If any of you readers have any of the above material, or could give information as to how I might secure it, please let me hear from you at your earliest convenience.

I am still looking forward to the balance of the John Carter of Mars series of which "Skeleton Men of Jupiter" was the first. When will you print the next story and how many stories are in this series?  Incidentally Mr. J. Allen St. John is one of the very best illustrators.

Rev. Darrell C. Richardson
Ormsby Village
Anchorage, Kentucky

No more from Burroughs till after the war. He is now a war correspondent. -- Ed.