Histories of Science Fiction Fandom

[Extollager]

Herewith, a thread for the listing, and discussion, of histories of fans, fanzines, fan conventions, etc. devoted to sf (and fantasy). This will be a good place to list books and other sources that tell about the development of sf fandom (starting around 1930), and to comment on such books and other sources. Biographies that give significant attention to fandom may be included, such as Clarke's, even if they are not primarily histories of fandom.

Since I'm starting the thread, I get to pick the low-hanging fruit...

Moskowitz, S. The Immortal Storm. Reputedly bombastic chronicle of early fandom. I hope to read this and comment on it soon.

Warner, H. All Our Yesterdays. A sequel to The Immortal Storm.

Knight, D. The Futurians.

Pohl, F. The Way the Future Was.

Clarke, A. C. Astounding Days.

Perhaps this book belongs, on the famous fan who edited Famous Monsters of Finland:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0786449845/?tag=brite-21

I believe at least two fanzines are devoted to faanish history, namely Mimosa and File 770. There is much to track down, online --

http://fancyclopedia.wikidot.com/fanhistorica

Here too one might mention libraries that have significant holdings of faanish memorabilia, etc. For example, if I'm not mistaken Bowling Green State University has a trove of Tolkien fanzines. Are there any libraries that have oral history holdings relating to fandom? Somebody should interview some of the remaining old-time fans....

 

[J-Sun]

Lester del Rey - The World of Science Fiction: 1926-1976 - The History of a Subculture

All I've read is it and the Pohl and liked them both - neither particularly bombastic (the Knight, I understand, also might not be to all scholarly tastes) and written by people who turned out to be "Grand Masters" as well as early fans. There's a brief bibliography and a reading list. (The bibliography is mostly about the fiction rather than the fandom but del Rey does call the Warner "apparently unbiased" and "[t]he best all-over [sic] view of fandom available").

There are a lot of books that you might use as source material for elements here and there but I don't know of a lot of books primarily devoted to the topic. Even the Pohl is primarily autobiographical (and the del Rey is not not autobiographical). But your list and this title covers a lot of the significant candidates, I suspect.

 

[Extollager]

Thanks, J-Sun.

I kept trying to remember another book -- it was Lloyd Arthur Eshbach's Over My Shoulder: Reflections on a Science Fiction Era, which has a lot to say about the small press book publishers who released a lot of sf in hardcover -- outfits like Gnome Press, etc.

 

[Extollager]

This is probably a mention-worthy contribution to the history of sf fandom:

http://www.softcom.net/users/falconkam/clubhouse.html

However, it probably stayed on a pretty superficial level in order to mention a lot of fanzines. Books already mentioned here would be better first resorts.

 

[dask]

This looks cool. I like Rog Phillips. Gonna have to save up and get a copy. Lots of pages. Probably worth$35.

 

[J-Sun]

Not sure how on-topic this is, but I just picked up Barry N. Malzberg's Breakfast in the Ruins which contains the complete The Engines of the Night (1980, nominated for, and - according to Malzberg, aptly - losing the Hugo) along with a new section of almost equal length (composed of writings from 1980-2007). It appears to be a general wide-ranging survey that is a mix of criticism, history (of the literature but also very aware of fandom), and autobiography (as well as thumbnail biographies of other personalities in the field), and dribbles of commercial analysis and more. I've read a couple of Malzberg stories here and there but don't really know much about him. But I scanned the bit on his confrontation with Campbell which seemed interestingly nuanced - actually, on a more careful reading, the thing is kinda brilliant and an essential piece of Campbelliana, pro and con - and read the section on Asimov which got me a little misty for a moment and the introductory material makes it sound like the main thesis will be great fun to disagree with. Anyway, like I say, not dead-on a history of fandom or anything but likely of interest.

 

[dask]

Not sure how on-topic this is, but I just picked up Barry N. Malzberg's Breakfast in the Ruins which contains the complete The Engines of the Night (1980, nominated for, and - according to Malzberg, aptly - losing the Hugo) along with a new section of almost equal length (composed of writings from 1980-2007). It appears to be a general wide-ranging survey that is a mix of criticism, history (of the literature but also very aware of fandom), and autobiography (as well as thumbnail biographies of other personalities in the field), and dribbles of commercial analysis and more. I've read a couple of Malzberg stories here and there but don't really know much about him. But I scanned the bit on his confrontation with Campbell which seemed interestingly nuanced - actually, on a more careful reading, the thing is kinda brilliant and an essential piece of Campbelliana, pro and con - and read the section on Asimov which got me a little misty for a moment and the introductory material makes it sound like the main thesis will be great fun to disagree with. Anyway, like I say, not dead-on a history of fandom or anything but likely of interest.

Really enjoyed this book. Some memorable stuff in it like Malzberg's visit with Cornell Woolrich, and Campbell like you mentioned. But most disturbing was what he had to say about literary agencies and the way they string budding authors along, making them pay out money in what sounded like the most disgustingly greedy of ways.

 

[hitmouse]

This might be relevant:

http://efanzines.com/Prolapse/

 

[J-Sun]

Really enjoyed this book.

Glad to hear it - hope I do, too.

most disturbing was what he had to say about literary agencies and the way they string budding authors along, making them pay out money in what sounded like the most disgustingly greedy of ways.

Yeah, that doesn't sound good. As little as I know of Malzberg, I gather you won't get the sunny-side-up glass-half-full angle from him on anything but that can be a very valuable perspective in some cases. Certainly, if you read the "holding my manuscript" thread somewhere around here, it's clear that there are sharks in the waters.

 

[Extollager]

This might be relevant:

http://efanzines.com/Prolapse/

What a find! Thank you.

 

[dask]

Here's one that caught my eye on Amazon

 

[Extollager]

Though would that be more about sf rather than sf fandom, Dask?

But as it is, we've plenty of leads here. Btw, has anyone read Moskowitz's Immortal Storm or Harry Warner's sequel All Our Yesterdays?

 

[Extollager]

Quite a bit was available even in 1996.

https://fanac.org/fanzines/Chronicle_of_Fandom/chronicle_of_fandom_2_siclari_fhapa_2_1996-12.pdf

fanac.org has scans of thousands of fanzines, some of them old dittoed 'zines that are hardly readable.