College Socks

Introduction

COLLEGE SOCKS featuring Kid Allison. The story was sent to Street & Smith’s Sport Story Magazine on May 20th, 1931 and later accepted later that month. Howard got $100 for it.

We learn from a letter (#165) Howard wrote to Tevis Clyde Smith, the week of May 1931:

I should have answered your letters before, but I’ve been working pretty hard. In the time I’ve been back from Marlin — a little more than two weeks — I’ve written three Costigan stories, a Kid Allison tale, a western adventure yarn and a long historical novelet.

The Kid Allison tale is “College Socks”. Two of the three Costigan stories are “Cultured Cauliflowers” and “One Shanghai Night“. What Western story it was we don’t know.

In a later letter (#168) to Tevis:

Well, there ain’t much to say. I’m working pretty hard and I reckon you are too. Street & Smith gobbled up another Kid Allison. They’re generally pretty prompt; just about twelve days after I sent them this yarn — “College Socks” — I got a check for $100.

Howard got some praise from Wilfred Blanch Talman, which we learn in a letter (#175) written circa September 1931. The letter opens like this:

Dear Mr. Talman:
Thank you very much for the letter you wrote to Street & Smith. I know it will help me with the editors. I’ll return the favor at the first opportunity.

Even Lovecraft said some encouraging words about the story in a non-extant letter. We can read the answer from Howard in a letter (#180), circa October 1931:

Thank you very much for the nice things you said about “College Socks” and thanks very much indeed for the letter to Street & Smith, which I know will help me along a great deal with the editors.

Both Talman and Lovecraft wrote letters to Street & Smith trying to help Howard get a foot inside.

Alternative title and variant of:

A STUDENT OF SOCKOLOGY.

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