Imaginative Tales, July 1955

# Museum Catalog Note

This July 1955 issue of Imaginative Tales features science-fantasy fiction emphasizing entertainment and adventure. The cover story "The Big Binge" by Robert Bloch follows Elmer Klopp, a lonely college sophomore rejected by the Sigma Omega Beta fraternity, who discovers grasshopper cocktails (a green crème de menthe drink) at a local tavern. After consuming several drinks, Klopp confides to the sympathetic bartender Michael Finn his frustration at being too conventionally behaved to attract attention. Finn advises him that notoriety—even misbehavior—would serve him better than anonymity. An attractive young woman appears while they converse, creating the setup for further plot development. The secondary story "So Very Dark" by Daniel F. Galouye is listed as dramatic science fiction. Editor William E. Hamling notes that Bloch has appeared on four consecutive covers, praising his imaginative storytelling. The magazine emphasizes humor and unconventional narrative alongside its science-fantasy content.