▁comments . ▁Re ader ▁reaction ▁was ▁uniformly ▁negative , ▁and ▁after ▁a ▁year ▁he ▁announced ▁that ▁there ▁would ▁be ▁no ▁more ▁of ▁them . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 3 9 ▁two ▁more ▁serious ▁thre ats ▁appeared , ▁both ▁launched ▁to ▁comp ete ▁directly ▁for ▁We ird ▁T ales ' ▁readers . ▁▁ ▁Str ange ▁St ories ▁appeared ▁in ▁February ▁ 1 9 3 9 ▁and ▁last ed ▁for ▁just ▁over ▁two ▁years ; ▁Wein berg ▁describes ▁it ▁as ▁" top - quality ", ▁though ▁Ash ley ▁is ▁less ▁compl iment ary , ▁describing ▁it ▁as ▁largely ▁un original ▁and ▁im itative . ▁The ▁following ▁month ▁the ▁first ▁issue ▁of ▁Un known ▁appeared ▁from ▁Street ▁& ▁Smith . ▁ ▁Fritz ▁Le iber ▁submitted ▁several ▁of ▁his ▁" F af hr d ▁and ▁the ▁Gray ▁Mou ser " ▁stories ▁to ▁Wright , ▁but ▁Wright ▁rejected ▁all ▁of ▁them ▁( as ▁did ▁Mc Il w ra ith ▁when ▁she ▁took ▁over ▁the ▁editor ship ). ▁ ▁Le iber ▁subsequently ▁sold ▁them ▁all ▁to ▁John ▁W . ▁Campbell ▁for ▁Un known ; ▁Campbell ▁commented ▁each ▁time ▁to ▁Le iber ▁that ▁" th ese ▁would ▁be ▁better ▁in ▁We ird ▁T ales ". ▁ ▁The ▁stories ▁grew ▁into ▁a ▁very ▁popular ▁sword ▁and ▁sor c ery ▁series , ▁but ▁none ▁of ▁them ▁ever ▁appeared ▁in ▁We ird ▁T ales . ▁ ▁Le iber ▁did ▁eventually ▁sell ▁several ▁stories ▁to ▁We ird ▁T ales , ▁beginning ▁with ▁" The ▁Autom atic ▁P istol ", ▁which ▁appeared ▁in ▁May