An Inquiry Concerning the Curvature of the Earth’s Surface and Divers Investigations of a Metaphysical Nature by Roger Price (Monocle Magazine, 1958) is an undeveloped squib about a growing Flat Earth movement in what would seem to be an alternate world:
This Movement may turn out to be idealistic and premature but nevertheless I believe it should have “its day in court.” We must remember that people once laughed at men whose names are now household words as familiar to us as our own; men such as Oliver and Wilmer Write, Eli Fulton and Thomas Steamboat. The Flat Earthers are quite progressive in all of their ideas and they plan to get national publicity for their Movement next New Year’s Day by pushing a number of people off the edge. Their only difficulty so far has been in obtaining volunteers. p. 162 (The Year’s Best SF #5, edited by Judith Merril, 1961)
Not worth the two pages it is printed on.
– (Poor). 500 words.
Mike says:
I’m curious if this is the same Roger Price who created Droodles and Mad Libs. I suspect so, but wondered if you might know for certain. If so, I guess it would explain the nature of the piece and why Merril would include it. He was pretty popular back then—all over the place on TV and publishing.
Paul Fraser says:
Merril’s introduction says this: “This is not a droodle. Anyhow, I don’t think it is . . .”
Thanks for the heads up–I shall now go and find out what a “droodle” is.