Re: Crt?
"Is iron the stable point between fusion and fission? Which suggested EE 'Doc' Smith was doing leg pulling, as he certainly knew enough. Skylark series 1928 to 1930s, also a late one in 1963. Inventor of Space Opera."
In Skylark, the magic sciency stuff happens as a reaction between copper and a new fictional element. I suspect you're thinking of his stories later collected and shoehorned into the first book of the Lensman series, in which iron is used as the new source of nuclear power.
"Edit. Hmm. Allegedly he started writing Skylark in 1921."
No, he finished writing the first book in 1921, he started in 1915.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
