A Cupful of Space

by Mildred Clingerman

Recipe: Recommended.

Ingredients:

~ A few well-chosen characters - human or otherwise.
~ A sprinkle of suspense.
~ A dash of danger.
~ A pinch of peculiarity.
~ One tablespoon of terror.

Blend the above with the bygone and beyond, sifting in the supernatural. Mix at the high speed of magic, then season to the taste of science-fiction lovers.
Now cook over a low flame of fantasy and allow to cool.

Yields: An unmeasurable serving of pleasure in A Cupful of Space.

Contents:
First Lesson (1956)
Stickeney and the Critic (1953)
Stair Trick (1952)
Minister without Portfolio (1952)
Birds Can't Count (1955)
The Word (1953)
The Day of the Green Velvet Cloak (1958)
Winning Recipe (1952)
Letters from Laura (1954)
The Last Prophet (1955)
Mr. Sakrison's Halt (1956)
The Wild Wood (1957)
The Little Witch of Elm Street (1956)
A Day for Waving (1957)
The Gay Deceiver (1961)
A Red Heart and Blue Roses (1961)

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Horror, Fantasy, Collections, Fiction

142 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

About the author

Mildred McElroy Clingerman was an American science fiction author.

Clingerman was born Mildred McElroy in Allen, Oklahoma and her family moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1929. She graduated from Tucson High School and attended the University of Arizona. She married Stuart Clingerman in 1937.

Most of her short stories were published in the 1950s in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, edited by Anthony Boucher. Boucher included her story "The Wild Wood" in the seventh volume (1958) of The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction and dedicated the book to her, calling her the "most serendipitous of discoveries." Her science fiction was collected as A Cupful of Space in 1961. She also published in mainstream magazines like Good Housekeeping and Collier's. Her story "The Little Witch of Elm Street" appeared in Woman's Home Companion in 1956.

Clingerman was a founder of the Tucson Writer's Club, served on the board of the Tucson Press Club, and taught at the University of Arizona.

-- Wikipedia

Reviews

[Jordan West · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75; Although marketed as a science fiction writer and with several stories featuring visitors from space, near-future technology and other genre trappings, Clingerman is much more accurately described as a fabulist of the everyday, with her work falling somewhere between, say, Shirley Jackson on one end and the likes of Collier, Finney, and Beaumont on the other. As such, it isn't surprising that many of her stories have a light, jokey tone, but are consistently enlivened by the sometimes subtle, sometimes surprisingly overt inclusion of feminist and racial tolerance themes. Overall, the collection seems to show a talented writer who has just developed her own voice; while early on some pieces end up feeling a tad slight or mawkish, or as prematurely truncated vignettes, they grow consistently stronger, resulting in genuinely masterful tales like the nightmarish, deeply unsettling 'The Wild Wood' with its aura of psychosexual menace and implied perversity, and the lovely, lyrical 'A Day for Waving', which feels like Davis Grubb by way of a young Bradbury. Sadly, Clingerman seems to have stopped publishing her work not long after this book's publication (at the request of her husband, according to some), but continued to write, and thankfully, not fallen into total obscurity. The recent publication of her unpublished stories gives those tantalized by this thin volume much more of her work to explore, and will hopefully bring Clingerman the readers she deserves at last.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mildred Clingerman was a terrific fantasist, one of the great forgotten science fiction writers of the last century. She was not a prolific writer and was published almost exclusively in the Magazine of Fantasy and SF edited by Anthony Boucher in the 1950s. A Cupful of Space was the only collection of her work that appeared in her lifetime, and she never published a novel. Her work was selected for publication from time to time in more literary publications such as Collier's and Woman's Home Companion. Her work focuses on characters more than hardware and has a decidedly yet subtle feminist slant. She reminds me more of Shirley Jackson than anyone else, though she usually employed science fiction tropes rather than fantasy to evoke horrific atmosphere. Ballantine released the book in 1961 with a kind of confused Richard Powers cover, and it never had a further printing. Some of the stories are kind of dated now (as are all things from the 1950s, let's face it), but still well worthwhile.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simply marvelous little book, more than 40 years old, consisting of short sf stories by a largely unsung author. Mildred Clingerman's A Cupful of Space, first published in 1961, contains 16 poignant, wistful tales written on a human scale. The best comparison I can think of is to Jack Finney's short works, "The Woodrow Wilson Dime" and others of that illustrious ilk.

Sure, sometimes her prognostication's a little off - the phrase "She had no business feeling that way in the enlightened and peaceful year 2002," uttered unironically, springs to mind - but on the other hand then Clingerman comes out with insights like this one, from "The Day of the Green Velvet Cloak":

"...people do not live by reason alone - (...)they only make up reasons to stop other people asking silly questions."

Clingerman's stories possess a timeless quality, because they're about people far more than they're about technology. If you can find it, A Cupful of Space really is worth the investment.

[Stig · Rating 4 out of 5]

About three years ago I bought this along with a stack of other science fiction books from a second-hand bookshop going out of business, and it's been languishing in the piles ever since. The other day I picked it for some light reading on my daily commute, and what a pleasant surprise it was! I had never heard of Mildred Clingerman before, and apparently her total output consists of the stories in this slim volume plus a few other tales published mostly in SF magazines.

On the cover the stories are touted as "science fiction", but actually they play out in the murky borderland between science fiction, fantasy and horror. Another reviewer has compared her to Finney, and I totally agree, but I also think there are influences from Lovecraft and Bradbury here. Seek it out; it's worth it.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous collection of mid century sci-fi and fantasy. Shirley Jackson in space.

My favorites include (SPOILER ALERT):

First lesson- The wife of a paratrooper has a terrible dream of his death. At the urging of a maid, she performs a spell, throwing two pennies into the river. Her husband nearly dies as in the dream on his next jump but is saved and finds two pennies in his shoes. When she asks the maid about it, the maid writes to her that she made it all up and is confused how the pennies got there.

Stair Trick- a bartender’s famous trick is miming going down stairs. Finally he meets a woman who knows it’s not a trick, and together they disappear beneath the cement floor.

The Day of the Green Velvet Cloak- a woman engaged to an insufferable man wonders into a book shop that acts as a time machine. There she meets a man from 1877 and gives him her new cloak before sending him home. In the present day, his descendant returns the cloak. She dons it with the ivory dress she’d intended to be wedded in and goes out to dinner with him, jilting her awful fiancé.

The Wild Wood- this is the most terrifying story I’ve ever read. Pseudopod has a wonderful audio rendition.

The Gay Deceiver- a woman follows a pied piper but is horrified that the towns they leave invariably report children crawling into old refrigerators and getting trapped. When confronted, he reveals that he is tracking down the descendants of those who owe him a debt. He begins to play, opening a refrigerator door…for her?

Red Hearts and Blue Roses- Mrs. Pemberton is horrified when the stranger her son brought home for the Christmas furlough announces that he intends to replace her children and has chosen her as his mother. After she kicks him out, he keeps returning, younger each time. In the end, she is pregnant and having nightmares of a baby with Damon’s same tattoo.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

16 stories by Mildred Clingerman, most from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction circa 1955. They range from pure science fiction, to fantasy (of the domestic/magical realism type), to outright horror—a melange of the fantastic and the horrific underlying our mundane reality, a journey to where Matheson and Bradbury intersect by way of The Twilight Zone. She wrote stories of whimsy and dread in a literate tone; her vivid protagonists are often married women or housewives, slices of domestic life threatened by intrusive monsters, time-travelers, or aliens. Most of her stories are very short, a few thousand words and often less; as such, several are just a lead-up to a cutesy surprise ending. They would have made ideal Twilight Zone episodes, showing the same blend of humor, horror, and social consciousness that Rod Serling employed.

The overall quality of her stories is good, and Clingerman was impressive at her best. “The Wild Wood” I’d argue is the high point, a potent horror tale of male intrusiveness and the loss of self. “Mr. Sakrison’s Halt” is a brilliant time-travel love-story and critique of racial inequality in America. “Minister Without Portfolio” and “Green Velvet Cloak” are warm, lighthearted stories, one espousing that humanity is not without redemption, the other a time-travel love story; “A Day for Waving” is a memorable ghost story; “Letters from Laura” is a neat twist on myth. Most of the rest are amusing trifles: charming, well-written, and lighthearted, but neither ambitious or substantial.

Full review of all individual stories found here.

[Kristin Boldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely bizarre and unsettling and wondrous. For fans of Shirley Jackson. Dark, creepy, sexual, weird and very compelling collection of fantasy stories.

[Hugo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A welcome discovery of an almost-forgotten writer (for decades this slim volume from the 1960s comprised her entire output); stories of domestic oddity reminiscent of Shirley Jackson - Clingerman possessed Jackson's wry and purposeful prose - and situations and endings not out of place on The Twilight Zone or even Stephen King's earlier short stories, written with all the flair and whimsey of Bradbury or Finney, and at least a couple of instances of Harlan Ellison's acerbic irateness. Highlights include the sexual threat of The Wild Wood, and the civil rights fantasy Mr Sakrison's Halt, though every story here is something of a gem.

[Alison DeLuca · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eclectic group of short stories. Do yourself a favor and read Stickeney and the Critic, The Gay Deciever - and save A Red Hearts and Blue Roses for last. Clingerman wrote deceptively simple prose and evoked horror in the most mundane places. Who creates sci fi in the middle of a Christmas tree shop?Clingerman did, and it's deliciously creepy.

[William Pugsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent creepy, interesting and thought provoking stories that are not quite science fiction but more in the realm of magical realism or twilight zone / X-Files. These would adapt well to an anthology series like the Philip K. Dick series a few years ago. The only negative criticism is the publisher's decision to go with "recipe" themed book cover (one can imagine the conversation in Mad Men type office: "Well, she's a woman. What do women do? Cook? They like recipes, right? Okay, go with that."). The stories have great insight and Clingerman deftly writes in a style that can evoke strong emotional responses. Simply brilliant.

[Ann Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no science fiction in this book. The stories are quirky in a Twilight Zone sort-of way, all set in everyday America (albeit many decades ago), but each has a spark of the outré - sometimes fortuitous, sometimes horrific. I loved this book and I look forward to reading more of her stories.

[Beth Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good airplane read. Some of the stories are darker than I would have expected for the era, and I'd read a couple of them before, but all in all, a good classic collection. Also -- a bit surprisingly for the era -- there's an acknowledgment that women can be interested in sex.

[Ben Isely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully old-fashioned

[Chris Aldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mindwebs audiobook #64 & ##28. Parts 1 & 2 Aka "The Word" and "The Stair Trick" from her collection "A Cupful of Space". A couple of fairly amusing tales, "The Word" was the most interesting, a group of space explorers, investigate a new planet, and observe the natives. The smaller ones seem to be able to obtain food from the larger adults by approaching a door, and uttering a simple word or two. They decide to disguise themselves as tiny aliens to fool the bigger ones into feeding them too...
The second one is one of those tall tales you hear in a bar and dismiss as simple bartender subterfuge, but then one day his bluff is called by a woman who seems to know too much...