Manuscripts for Children's Stories by Renowned Pulp and Science Fiction Editor Cylvia Kleinman Margulies

1940. Margulies, Cylvia Kleinman
Manuscripts for Children's Stories by Renowned Pulp and Science Fiction Editor Cylvia Kleinman Margulies, [circa 1940?]

Ten original typed drafts, two photocopies, with copious handwritten notes and amendments
8.5" x 11". 98 pp. of story drafts + some with title pages (1-2 each) + most with 1 p. typed commentary.

All very good: some light scuffing, edge wear, spotting and paperclip scarring, with a few scattered small stains.

Cylvia Kleinman was born in Dallas in 1909 and married Leo Margulies in 1937. In the early 1930s, Margulies had co-founded (with Ned Pines) the pulp giant Standard Magazines; at its peak he had edited 44 titles for the company. During World War II, Margulies served as a Navy war correspondent, and Kleinman joined the WACS. The couple began their own publishing enterprise, Renown Publications, in New York; they would move to California in the early 1970s. The company was known for several big-name titles in the pulp and science fiction arena, including Weird Tales, Charlie Chan Mystery Magazine, Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, and Zane Grey Western Magazine. In 1957 they took over publication of the magazine Satellite Science Fiction, with Kleinman serving as managing editor of all issues until 1959. Their strategy was to combat the rising threat of paperback sales by including a novel in every issue. These included the original version of Philip K. Dick's first novel, The Cosmic Puppets, as well as work by Algis Budrys and Jack Vance. Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and L. Sprague de Camp were among the short story contributors, and they even tracked down the first magazine publication of H. G. Wells' The Time Machine and reprinted a short excerpt from it that had been omitted by every printing of the book. Kleinman also served as editor of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Magazine, the spinoff to the cult television program (as well as its own spinoff, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Magazine) from 1966-1968, and of Weird Tales from 1973-1974. She died in Los Angeles in 1984.

On offer here are twelve manuscripts for ten individual titles of children's stories authored by Kleinman. The titles are "Skin Deep", "Dear Mother", "For The Duration", "Dannie Door", "Duet", "The Quandary", "Dictator", "Lonely Road", "A Present for the President" and a "Chapter I" entitled "In New York". Each story has a typed page of comments preceding it, making it clear that Kleinman was writing for a class, and the comments are largely positive. One includes a handwritten note on its verso, signed "MWR" and one includes a response to a question Kleinman had clearly asked: "Of course, bring your husband to class any time that he would like to come. We shall be glad to see him." The stories feature a range of main characters, including a young girl aspiring to be a writer, a puppy adopted into a home where he is not entirely wanted, a door (personified) and a pair of young genius siblings. "Dictator" was typed on the back of stationery for "Beachcombers Interplanetary" on Long Island ("Our Printing Is Out Of This World"). A few were written in the form of letters, which Kleinman's teacher approved of ("I haven't seen any stories which carry it on that way") and one's letters were dated 1939-1940.

We find no records that these short stories were ever published--at least under these titles or under Kleinman's name. It seems likely that these are very early writings of the woman who went on to a notable editing and publishing career within the world of sci-fi.

Leo Margulies' papers are housed at the University of Oregon and include manuscripts of his stories and articles as well as correspondence of both Margulies and Kleinman with other publishers and writers. We found no record of any collections of Kleinman's work, published or otherwise, in OCLC or online.