input: Text: Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Amazing Stories December 1961 and was first published in Amazing Stories November 1930. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note. A Classic Reprint from AMAZING STORIES, November, 1930 Copyright 1931, by Experimenter Publications Inc. The Cosmic Express By JACK WILLIAMSON Introduction by Sam Moskowitz The year 1928 was a great year of discovery for AMAZING STORIES. They were uncovering new talent at such a great rate, (Harl Vincent, David H. Keller, E. E. Smith, Philip Francis Nowlan, Fletcher Pratt and Miles J. Breuer), that Jack Williamson barely managed to become one of a distinguished group of discoveries by stealing the cover of the December issue for his first story The Metal Man. A disciple of A. Merritt, he attempted to imitate in style, mood and subject the magic of that late lamented master of fantasy. The imitation found great favor from the readership and almost instantly Jack Williamson became an important name on the contents page of AMAZING STORIES. He followed his initial success with two short novels, The Green Girl in AMAZING STORIES and The Alien Intelligence in SCIENCE WONDER STORIES, another Gernsback publication. Both of these stories were close copies of A. Merritt, whose style and method Jack Williamson parlayed into popularity for eight years. Yet the strange thing about it was that Jack Williamson was one of the most versatile science fiction authors ever to sit down at the typewriter. When the vogue for science-fantasy altered to super science, he created the memorable super lock-picker
  Question: What is ironic about Eric's contempt for the glass edifice over New York City?
  
   (A) If the glass was penetrated, he and Nada and all of New York would immediately perish
   (B) Its invention was inspired by the author of one of Eric's favorite science fiction novels
   (C) Something similar might have protected him and Nada from the harsh Venusian elements
   (D) Similar inventions are main features in his science fiction novels
  Answer:
output: Something similar might have protected him and Nada from the harsh Venusian elements