RE: Kra'Vak, inclinations of

You wrote: 

>This reminds me of a chapter from the book First Lensman by E.E. Smith
>(The second book of the Lensmen series).  Virgil Samms is going around

[OT] I've been trying to find Lensman stuff, but Doc Smith is so out of 
print in the US it's ridiculous.  I just can't find it.

>recruiting Lensman from alien races and encounters a race he has 
trouble >communicating with.  Even though the Lens he wears acts a 
translator some >of the concepts (like what this aliens job was) didn't 
translate because >there was no human equivalent activity.  It was 
refreshing to see >something that was untranslatable after watching so 
much TV SciFi (ST).

E.E. Smith and some of the other greats of SF in the 30s-50s attempted 
this concept.  It disturbed some readers and annoyed most editors, 
except Campbell.  Campbell wanted aliens that "thought differently from 
a man, but as well as a man."  It's a high challenge, and one rarely 
met.

John M. Atkinson