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Glossary and Character Taxonomy  Breakdown by Country of Origin   Bibliography   Table of Contents    The Best of the Encyclopedia

Barter, Professor. Professor Barter was created by Arthur J. Burks (Black Falcon, Duff Braden, Jack Brady, Edward D’Strange, Harlan Dyce, The Guillotine, David Haslup, Eddie Kelly, Josh McNab, Dorus Noel, Allan Swain) and appeared in “Manape the Mighty” (Astounding Stories, June 1931) and “The Mind Master” (Astounding Stories, Jan. 1932).

Professor Barter is an Evil Surgeon Mad Scientist. Like his thematic predecessor, Dr. Moreau, Barter disappeared from society after earning notorious reputation. In his first appearance Barter perfects brain transplants by swapping brains between a human and an ape. In “The Mind Master” Barter tries to “improve humanity” by using SCIENCE!, including heat rays, disintegrator rays, a “far-viewer,” and long-distance mind control via brain implants. Matters end badly for Barter.

* I'm including Professor Barter in the Best of the Encyclopedia category because of the ideasplosions. Consider: in only two stories Arthur J. Burks crams in about a dozen fantastic concepts. That "brain transplants between human and ape" is foremost among them may be swaying my opinion a little--everything's better with primates, y'know?--but I don't think so. The two Professor Barter stories are raw imagination channeled onto the page, and Burks could've written two dozen stories just based on the ideas in "Manape the Mighty" and "The Mind Master." 

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