SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46

SCIENTIFICTION A publication of FIRST FANDOM, the Dinosaurs of New Series #46, 4th Quarter 2015

IN THIS ISSUE NECROLOGY P. 1: Announcements We sadly acknowledge the passing of P. 2: President’s Message Murphy Anderson, Jon Arfstrom, P. 3: Birthdays and Necrology George Clayton Johnson, Ann Mc- P. 4: A Look Back on 2015 Knight, and Paul Harrison Spencer. P. 5: MARCON50: A Con Report P. 10: Remembering Ned Brooks BIRTHDAYS P. 14: STF-Related News Headlines The list of January-March birthdays in P. 14: A Donation to the FF Archive this issue is based on information P. 15: Book Watch: The Art of Horror originally compiled by Andy Porter. P. 16: Daniel Keyes: An Interview P. 17: Letters from Our Readers FIRST FANDOM ARCHIVE P. 20: Photo Gallery and Masthead As you start spring cleaning, please consider donating any old sf material FIRST FANDOM AWARDS, 2016 such as correspondence, fanzines, Nominations are now being accepted and convention items to our Archive. * First Fandom Hall of Fame Award We’re also seeking vintage pictures * Posthumous Hall of Fame Award for a forthcoming FF photo gallery! * Sam Moskowitz Archive Award CONTRIBUTORS Nominations should be sent prior to Feb. 15 to [email protected] Several people provided assistance or to John Coker at 4813 Lighthouse to this issue: Es and Les Cole, Steve Road, Orlando, FL - 32808. Thanks! and Sue Francis, Jason Getz, Mike Glyer, James E. Gunn, John Hertz, MEMBER UPDATES Mark Hickman, Tim Kirk, Joseph P. Martino, Gary Meek, Christopher M. New Addresses O’Brien, Jack Robins, Jon D. Swartz. Robert O. Adair Thanks are extended to File770 and 17 East Regent Street SF Site News for their news reports. Indianapolis, IN 46225-1915 Mary Ellen Daugherty CLOSING 5 Heritage Blvd The next newsletter will be sent out in Longview, WA 98632 late-March. In that same mailing will Information Needed be a ballot for the 2016 Awards and the latest Membership Directory. We’re trying to get in touch with John Dalmas and Sandra Sundstrom. We look forward to hearing from you!

SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 2

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE BIRTHDAYS I hope that our members had a great January 1 – Chesley Bonestell, Norman Saunders Christmas holiday and that they are 2 – Isaac Asimov, now enjoying this brand new year! 3 – J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen Fabian --- 6 – Eric Frank Russell, S. Fowler Wright I discovered science fiction in 1959 in 8 – Dennis Wheatley, the pages of Strange Adventures and 9 – Karel Capek, Algis Budrys Mystery in Space comic books edited 10 – Elizabeth Anne Hull by . Favorite stories 11 – Jerome Bixby featured The Atomic Knights, drawn 13 – Clark Ashton Smith, Ron Goulart by Murphy Anderson. His work 15 – Robert Silverberg awakened in me the sense of wonder. 19 – Edgar Allan Poe Fifty years later, it was a thrill to work 20 – A. Merritt with Murphy on a book I edited, 21 – Judith Merril, Charles Eric Maine entitled Tales of the Time Travelers. 22 – Robert E. Howard, Katherine M. He really was one of the last MacLean gentlemen artists from the good old 24 – C.L. Moore days. We’ll fondly remember him. 26 – Philip José Farmer --- February According to the Sasquan website (as 1 – of 23 August 2015), the Grand Total 4 – Ted White of Memberships for the 73rd World 8 – Jules Verne, Ned Brooks SF Convention was 11,648. (Total 9 – Frank Frazetta, Pat Sims Attending Memberships=5825, and 11 – Jane Yolen Supporting Memberships=5826.) 12 – Juanita Coulson 14 – Dale Hart, David A. Kyle The 2016 World SF Convention will 16 – Ed Emshwiller, Rusty Hevelin be held in Kansas City, Aug. 17-21. 17 – Andre Norton, Margaret St. Clair Information: www.midamericon2.org. 18 – --- 19 – Terry Carr Tim Kirk’s Artwork 20 – 21 – P. Schuyler Miller, Ross Rocklynne Thanks to Tim for providing a scan of 24 – August Derleth, Richard Powers his wonderful drawing of Ned Brooks 26 – to accompany John Hertz’s tribute. March --- 3 – Arthur Machen, James Doohan First Fandom Awards 6 – Marjii Ellers, William F. Nolan Julian May thanked everyone for 9 – William F. Temple, Robin Johnson electing her to the First Fandom Hall 11 – Francis T. Laney, F.M. Busby of Fame for 2015. David Aronovitz 12 – Harry Harrison expressed his appreciation for being 13 – L. Ron Hubbard named the recipient of the Sam 19 – Joseph L. Hensley Moskowitz Archive Award for 2015. 22 – Raymond Z. Gallun, William Shatner 24 – Andrew I. Porter Nominations for the 2016 Awards 27 – John Hertz will be accepted through February 28 – A. Bertram Chandler 15. Send to: [email protected]. 30 – Chad Oliver SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 3

NECROLOGY George Clayton Johnson (b.1927) “Author George Clayton Johnson Murphy Anderson (b.1926) died on December 25. Clayton is best “Comic book artist Murphy Anderson known as the co-author of Lo-gan’s died on October 23. Anderson co- Run and he was also active in created the characters The Atomic Hollywood, writing episodes of The Knights and Zatanna and helped Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock create the look for Adam Strange. He Presents as well as the first episode worked on Hawkman and the 1960s of to air. In 1999, his short version of The Spectre. Prior to fiction was collected in All of Us Are working for DC, he drew the Buck Dying and Other Stories.” Rogers comic for two years.” (Reprinted from SF Site News - December 26, 2015) (Reprinted from SF Site News – October 24, 2015) Ann McKnight (b.c.1924) “Fan Ann McKnight died on Sep- tember 23. McKnight was Jack McKnight’s second wife and step- mother to fan Peggy Rae Sapienza. Prior to moving to Arkansas, Ann was active in Philadelphia fandom.” (Reprinted from SF Site News – October 23, 2015)

And, though it took place over a year ago, Christopher M. O’Brien wanted to alert readers about a passing that

should have been noted: Murphy Anderson (Photograph by John L. Coker III) Paul Harrison Spencer (February

27, 1923-August 22, 2014) Jon Arfstrom (b.1928) “Beginning in the 1930's Spencer had “Artist Jon Arfstrom died on Decem- letters in Thrilling Wonder Stories, ber 2. Arfstrom is believed to have Famous Fantastic Mysteries, and been the last of the classic Weird Fantastic Novels, etc., and was Tales cover artists to be alive. He contributor to fanzines including began contributing covers to fan- Fantasy Commentator, Fanomena, zines in the 1940s and collaborated at and Banshee authoring short fiction the time with Jack Gaughan. His and other pieces in the ensuing work appeared on the cover of Weird decades, was a bibliographer of Dr. Tales beginning in 1951 until the David H. Keller, and longtime editor of magazine folded in 1954. Kalki for the James Branch Cabell Arfstrom came out of retirement in the Society.” For more information, see: 1990s to do covers for Haffner Press, http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/ Fedogan & Bremer, and Tales of the obituaries/paul-h- Unanticipated.” spencer/article_b855e534-0fb6-5f2a- (Reprinted from SF Site News – December 3, 2015) 8f73-0913a47b5ad1.html SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 4

JAMES GUNN LOOKS BACK ON 2015 several new stories are scheduled for Age is supposed to bring wis- publication, “Saving the World,” in the Analog dom. I don’t know about that, but I January , “New Earth” coming Asimov’s have a few observations about age up soon in , and another that never occurred to me when I was story or two and an intro-duction in younger. anthologies. Being 92 brings mixed emo- One of the major events of tions. One can still experience the 2015 was my induction into the world of events and people and ideas, Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of but the world of shared exper-ience Fame, which involved a whirlwind has vanished. It’s a brave new world weekend in Seattle, made even out there, and I’m glad I can still greater by the induction of the late observe it, and even, in some ways, Kurt Vonnegut in the same group and participate in it, and as a science- the opportunity to observe the wall of fiction writer I should under-stand and illuminated transparencies in the appreciate how it has changed. But Science Fiction Museum where the there’s an inevitable aloneness that Hall of Fame inductees are honored. comes from losing all of the people The memento of the affair is a smaller who were close to you in age, the replica of the image in lucite that will family, the friends, the colleagues. take its place on the wall, maybe I’m the oldest living science-fiction between those of John W. Campbell Grand Master and have been called and Alfred Bester. the last of the golden age writers (only Kevin is my remaining family, by a fraction—my first stories were and we see each other frequently; I pub-lished in 1949). call him every morning to let him know But there is the exciting world I’m up and okay, and we have dinner together every week or so. Chris of change, for better or for worse. And still staying relevant in it is what gets McKitterick and Kij Johnson keep me me up in the morning and to my involved in the Center and the computer, to catch up on events and Department; we have breakfast trends and even get messages from almost every Saturday, and they keep past and present connections, some- the Center’s various projects going and have plans for greater things. times requests for new stories or essays, sometimes for reprints, Next year I’ve been invited to be the sometimes to attend conventions and guest and receive an award at a receive awards, sometimes from conference at Western Colorado readers or former students. Staying State University in Gunnison and at a involved in the world that is coming brand-new convention, We Are All SF, in Ocean Shores, Washington, into existence keeps me writing: the third volume of the Transcendental and not only receive an award but trilogy (I never expected to write a have it named for me. We’ll see how trilogy, or even a sequel), Trans- that goes. formation, is almost complete. The Every new year is an adven- second volume, Transgalactic, is ture. Have a good one. scheduled for publication in March; SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 5

MARCON 50: A CONVENTION REPORT That award went to F. Paul Wilson for (BY JOE MARTINO) “Wheels Within Wheels.” At this “Multiple Alternative Realities Convention” year’s MARCON, I introduced the MARCON is a regional convention awards ceremony, held during the held annually in Columbus, OH. It is intermission of the Masquerade, in heavily oriented toward gaming and which I described the history of the media. However, there were many Awards. I then introduced the actual panels on writing. presenter, who presented the awards. Ellison was unable to be present, but sent an acceptance video. Wilson was present to accept his award.

Science fiction writer and Libertarian Futurist Society member Joseph Martino, left, with science fiction author Vernor Vinge at the Prometheus Awards party. F. Paul Wilson (Photograph by Tom Jackson) (Photograph by Tom Jackson) For me one of the highlights was the Some of the panels that I found awards by the Libertarian Futurist interesting were the following. Society. The LFS Prometheus Awards go to “best libertarian science Writer Beware fiction.” The annual Prometheus The panellists provided advice to Award for best novel is made at the things for the writer to watch out for. World Science Fiction Convention. Other awards are made at regional One warning was about scams. conventions. At MARCON 50, the Someone who contacts you may Hall of Fame Award went to Harlan possibly be scamming. Writers are Ellison’s “Repent, Harlequin, Said the becoming known as individuals, and TickTock Man.” The Lifetime are therefore targets for scamming. Achievement Award went to F. Paul Wilson, himself a previous • Outfits that promise to edit winner. your work, print the book, and “make it available to a As it happened, I had been present at distributor.” the first Prometheus Awards, made in • Don’t agree to write someone 1979, at the Libertarian Party’s else’s idea. Presidential nominating convention. SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 6

• Bankruptcy clause. If the • Paying a PR agent may be publisher goes bankrupt, rights worthwhile, if they can get you should revert to you. Very on web sites, etc. important with small presses. • Baen has a reputation for • Publication window. Must abusing agents. publish between two dates or • Does the agent handle the kind rights revert. of stuff you write? • No reversion clauses on the • Ask an editor if they have dealt money (advance). with a specific agent. Talk to • All rights. Don’t sell unless the their clients. Talk to their ex- publisher is able to sell them. clients (why?). (foreign rights, translation • If things are not working well rights, movie rights, etc.) with an agent, walk away. • Option clauses. They have • It is OK to verify with a right to publish next book. Ties publisher what your agent said you to the publisher. Making it you get. the next book in the series is • In movies and music industry, better. First refusal: they get there are agents who “made” first shot at it. Must make offer you and think they should get but you can’t sell it to someone their percent even when you’re else for less than their offer. dealing with another agent. Bad clause: publisher gets to • You will write like what you match next offer. read. Don’t read something • Check Writer Beware, Pred- that will mess with what you’re itors & Editors, SFWA Forum. writing. Regarding agents and publishers: • If you need a Hollywood agent, get one through SFWA’s New • Find who they publish. At a York agent. con, ask a writer how they • If you submit directly to a were treated. Would they publisher, be sure to follow submit there again? their guidelines. • Networking is important. Get a published author to introduce Writers groups can be helpful in you to their publisher. making sure the manuscript is ready • Don’t sign a contract that ties to be submitted. However, don’t take up ebooks for a long time. everyone’s advice. The more successful writers in the group will be • Watch for a noncompete clause that prevents you from better reviewers. publishing a hard copy of your Tell a reader, “Read until you feel like ebook. you don’t want to read any further, • Agents: anyone can claim to and tell me where you stopped.” be an agent. Find out who the Arming Your Character agents represent. Any agent that asks for a reading fee is a This was primarily aimed at “sword scam. and sorcery” writers, and focused on pre-modern weapons. However, SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 7 some of the information was related Jokes by military veterans are often to modern weapons. extremely violent in nature. Humor is The problem is access to easy a way of dealing with pain. information. People get it wrong. How Wile E. Coyote always fails. do you find good research? Go to a Tragically but it’s funny. museum. The specimen there may Ethnic jokes made outside the be the only one you can access. community had better be made with Bring a blue cloth to use as love. Black jokes are usually full of background. Have a camera with 18 insults, but are OK within the megapixels if possible. Printers want community. 350 dpi TIFF. Take measuring tools and a scale. How big, how heavy? Jokes about something someone Get the decimal point right. Bring can’t do anything about are cruel. cotton gloves if you intend to examine Must lay the groundwork. The setup some unique artifacts. is necessary. The writer has to create Talk to re-enactors, who have learned brief pauses in the buildup to the the details already. punchline. Libraries can get material for you if Humor from anger doesn’t work well. you find a reference in a book. CATCH 22 was written from anger, but Heller was trying to make a point. Bomb squad or Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit as source of info on Humor about current events is more bombs. memorable than straight news. If it’s a modern weapon, contact the “Breaking the 4th wall,” i.e. speaking manufacturer. Ask them for a press directly to the reader, must be done kit. It is to their advantage that you carefully. portray their product correctly. Talk to If you want the reader to accept Public Relations or Sales. something you’re not ready to explain This Story Tastes Funny yet, do it with humor. On use of humor in stories. Giving the characters funny names doesn’t always work. Some humor is universal: bad cook, overprotective mother, etc. Repetition can be humorous. Culture bends your perception of “Just when you thought it was safe humor. to…” Some universal humorous characters Create a verbal cadence for each have their own failure modes built in. character to identify them in conversation. Humor can involve twisting a story so it ends in a different place from what Incongruity. Things you would never you expected. expect to happen. However, the story must have integrity. If something Comedy is tragedy plus distance. works one way at the start, it must Exaggeration is another form of work that way at the end. humor. SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 8

Exaggeration. • Absolute Write Watercooler. Juxtaposition of the serious with the Discussions of publishers. ridiculous. • Preditors and Editors. Slapstick hard to set up in writing. Blogging for Writers Puns based on audiences’ familiarity The point of having a blog is to get with the original phrase. “Star people to want to come and read it. mangled spanner.” The opposite of Develop a persona. Whom do you “funny” is “unfunny,” not “serious.” want to be seen as a 3-d persona. Funny can be serious. Decide what you will and won’t talk Play on words. about. Make the blog identifiably Experiential humor. “You had to have yours. Differentiate from other similar been there.” blogs. Ask an Editor Once you establish a blog, you have to keep it up. Don’t overthink it. Most editors aren’t looking to reject. They hope to find something good. Successful blog posts are one topic, don’t require a lot of research or Find out what the publisher has been editing, and can be written in half an publishing. What authors. Does your hour or less. story fit in with them? Would my book look right on the shelf next to what Editors, publishers, as well as fans else they publish? will check the blog. Reasons for rejection: Self-promotion. However, the blog must not be all promotion. Need to • Writing and grammar. put in a lot of other things to attract • Strong start but didn’t maintain readers. Make the blog personal. momentum. Frequency. Need to be frequent • Nothing of distinction about the enough to keep the reader. Once a character. day is fine. Once a month is a waste Story should get going right from the of time. The more you blog the more start. No “clearing the throat” before chance you will develop a following. getting to the story, or giving the Minimum of 3x/week. background of the character before Google hates you if you repost stuff getting to the action. instead of just pointing to it. Dialog should be realistic, even if the Summarize in your own words, then grammar has to be bent. Don’t make point to the blog. the sentence stilted. Blog-rolling. List of all the other blogs Establishing and maintaining the you consider similar to yours, and POV is important. What makes this recommend to your readers. Links to character someone you want to write them. about, or the reader to read about? Some things to include in the blog: Sources of information about publishers and editors: • Interview with the character? SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 9

• Write about experiences with punished just as the first writers group, if you’re in one? Prometheus was punished. • National Novel Writing Month. The horror in the story was • Progress of your writing. derived from science as it existed at the time. Horror • Changes that you’ve seen in before that was “here there be your own writing. monsters.” Science has given • Samples from earlier writing. us power over death, and it will • Chapter of book currently in be used. process. • Carmilla. Look at blogs about writing. Rusch. • In 20,000 Leagues, Nemo is clearly a villain. The ideal for a blog is to generate • Vampires were for a time comments, so you have a real presented not as horror figures conversation. but as tragic figures. Don’t write a bad book review. Just • Comic horror: The Devil & ignore the book. The author will come Daniel Webster. after you. Next year Be honest with your readers about yourself and what you’re doing. Respect your readers and those who comment. You need mutual respect and trust between yourself and followers. Everything you post will stay on the Internet forever. Be careful what you say. Classical Literary Horror What constitutes horror changes with the culture. Horror was intended to We hope to see you at MARCON51 teach a moral lesson or proper (May 6-8) at the Hyatt Regency in behavior. Horror stories revolve Colombus. Info: www.marcon.org. around death, or being excluded from REMEMBERING NED BROOKS society. (PREPARED BY JON D. SWARTZ) Lovecraft didn’t create his horror out of a vacuum, but after his work, the Cuyler Warnell (Ned) Brooks, Jr. was idea of horror changed. a long-time science fiction (SF) fan and collector who was a member of Modern horror can be black box both First Fandom and the National recordings of a disaster. Listening to Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F). the people whom you know are dead. Brooks was born in Montana in 1938 Examples of classical literary horror: and was the son of Cuyler Warnell • Dr. Frankenstein, the modern Brooks Sr., who was also nicknamed Prometheus, has to be “Ned.” SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 10

He went to school at Georgia Tech SF/fantasy artist Bok, published for where he graduated with a degree in the N3F. The third revised edition physics. He went to work for NASA, appeared in 1994. The editors were in Hampton, Virginia, in 1959, during Brooks and fellow N3F member Don which time he rented a room on Martin. Brooks and Martin were Briarfield Road in Newport News. active in N3F's Collectors Bureau. Somehow he found an issue of Buck Later in life Brooks published several Yandro Coulson’s fanzine and started small press books in magazine subscribing to fanzines from that time. format, including an edition of C.L. At one point or another, Ned was Moore’s and Henry Kuttner’s story quite a letterhack. “Quest of the Starstone” which was He won the N3F's Kaymar Award in illustrated by Alan Hunter (the book 1972 and Southern Fandom's Rebel was titled Quest for the Green Hills of Award in 1976 and Rubble Award in Earth). 1992. Brooks was Fan Guest of Honor at Brooks was one of the founders of the Rivercon IV in 1978 and at rotating apa, Slan Apa, and published DeepSouthCon 39 in 2001. several fanzines, including the He worked for NASA for 39 years, New Newport News News genzine then retired to Lilburn, Georgia, in It Goes (five issues), the personalzine order to be closer to his relatives. He on the Shelf (thirty-six issues), and It purchased and arranged a large Comes in the Mail (twenty-six issues) house for all his books and even had – the latter, a zine listing and a separate room for his antique reviewing fan-related mail he typewriter collection. received. It has been reported that Brooks died In the mid-1960s Brooks edited the on August 31, 2015 at age 77 after he Collector’s Bulletin N3F's , and in fell earlier from his roof while doing 1966 he was a member of the club’s repairs on it. Directorate. [Sources: Fancyclopedia 3, John L. He was responsible for writing and Coker III, Mike Glyer, Tim Marion, editing several N3F publications, Stephen H. Silver, Taral Wayne, Kyla including the following: and Rich Lynch.] Collector’s Bulletin. A total of eleven IN MEMORIAM: NED BROOKS issues were published in the 1960s. (1938-2015) The Bulletin was edited/published by (BY CHRISTOPHER M. O’BRIEN) Brooks via Purple Mouth Press for the N3F's Collector's Bureau. It featured I corresponded with Ned for over discussions and reviews about SF fifteen years, exchanging hundreds, if books and collecting. Don Markstein not over a thousand messages and was comics editor. Markstein later letters. He provided me hundreds of became well known for Don scans from rare fanzines and books Markstein's Toonopedia. in his collection, and countless Hannes Bok Illustration Index, 1970. volume and issue numbers, page An index of the published artwork of numbers and other maddening SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 11 minutiae required for proper citations in scholarly writing. He was the source of countless entries in my Ackerman biobibli- ography [The Oeuvre (McFarland & Co., 2012)] as well as having provided all the cover scans used as illustrations within, and I made him the book's co-dedicatee, along with Dave Kyle. Ned then provided similar aid for a birthday tribute volume I helped prepare for our mutual friend, the Lovecraft scholar Kenneth W. Faig, Jr. in 2013. Ned Brooks (Photograph by Gary Meek) Along with his saintly or Zenlike (Reprinted from Ned Brooks’ website) patience with my endless inquiries and repeated requests, Ned gener- He absorbed the fanzine holdings of ously provided me duplicates from his others such as Franklin M. Dietz, fanzine collection (once shipping me Jr. Among the many valuable at his expense a 20lb box of Locus resources Brooks leaves behind are back issues dating back to the mid- his index to the SFPA APA 1970's). http://www.fanac.org/Fannish_Refer ence_Works/NedBrooks/sfpatoc.html I can't begin to count the amount of and his Fanzine Index kindnesses and favors he bestowed http://www.fanac.org/Fannish_Refer upon me and the only way I can return ence_Works/NedBrooks/z102.html them now is to bring to completion the built from and supplementing the many projects he helped shepherd. indices of the Greg Pickersgill and Our correspondence would veer into Temple University collections, and in all manner of esoteric topics, and he which he noted every item within that was always willing to read and he owned. critique anything I sent him. Brooks Brooks' collection of over 12,000 collected vintage calculators, antique fanzines is to go to UC-Riverside. typewriters, and yes, pocket pro- tectors(!), and would scour thrift As generous as Forry Ackerman, an shops and library discards to bolster award should be named after him, or his massive book collection. at the very least Ned should be a posthumous recipient of the Big Heart Award. I SING OF BROOKS (BY JOHN HERTZ) Ned Brooks (Cuyler Warnell Brooks, Jr.; 1938-2015) had twenty thousand fanzines and three hun- dred typewriters. He was a faithful SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 12

Vanamonde correspondent and only opinions by typing, copying and a little while ago told me he somehow mailing their own periodicals.” had a gap between Van 517 and Van Toni Weisskopf, rightly called 523. At the end of August, while he “a friend of 30 years and publisher of was fixing a hole where the rain got in Athens-based Baen Books, which and stopped his mind from specializes in sci-fi titles” is quoted, wandering, his ladder slipped. He “You don’t get DragonCon without came crashing down onto the wet people like Ned.... One of the cen-tral deck. He was 77. Over a ton of questions of science fiction is: What fanzines and convention Program does it mean to be human? That’s Books will go to the Eaton Collection.* not an enthusiasm you lose.... Ned is I don’t know where the typewriters will an equal-opportunity friend if you are go. interested in science fiction.” Melissa Conway, “head of the [Eaton] special collection of fanzines [and SF generally; in fact, head of all special collections] at the University of California – Riverside [said] ‘There are people who started in this when they were 13 and are 90 now.... I am constantly impressed with their Ned Brooks with his fanzine collection intelligence, loyalty and wit.’” Fan- (Photograph by Jason Getz) (Reprinted with permission of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) ziners, the JC allowed, aren’t “content Five years to the day earlier with merely penning a note to a sci-fi the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (31 magazine and hoping for publication. Aug 10), finding DragonCon (“world’s They wanted interact-tivity before that largest multi-media popular culture term became a buzzword.... They convention” which astoundingly stuffed fanzines with letters, poems, means not ballgames or detectives stories and cri-tiques ... personal but the promoters’ view of SF; updates ... ran-dom observations. Atlanta, Georgia; that year 47,000 ‘Fandom is something that comes in attended) imminent, ran a 1,200-word the mail’ was their slogan.” feature about him, with a photograph With the N3F (Nat’l Fantasy of him in his library holding a 1968 Fan Fed’n) he was on its Directorate, Yandro, three more photos of edited its Collector’s Bulletin, and in fanzines, and though the JC was 1972 was given its Kaymar service unable to keep away from the usual award (named for K. Martin Carlson disparaging boilerplate, a report he 1904-1986). His fanzine It Comes in was hired by the Nat’l Aeronautics & the Mail was bimonthly 1972-1978; he Space Adm’n after graduation from said, “I would comment on every- Georgia Tech — NASA employed him thing pertaining to science-fiction and until he retired — and fanzines science-fiction fandom that I got in the “helped create and sustain a world- mail, but ... the larger the zine got, the wide network of science-fiction fans. more came in the mail.” It was Long before the Internet, they shared succeeded, more or less, by It Goes on the Shelf 1985-2014 annually, SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 13 more or less, reviewing books, often strange. Its last issue, No. 36 in November, had a letter from me. In 1967 he joined SFPA (Southern Fandom Press Ass’n) and remained in that apa until his death; having published The New Newport News News awhile, he made The New Port News his SFPAzine, its last Ned Brooks issue No. 282 in July. He co-founded (Tim Kirk’s artwork from Locus) (Reprinteded with permission of the artist) SLANAPA in 1969 (Slan-derous Amateur Press Ass’n — a name more Beyond the veil of this sad Earth honored in the breach than in the observance — lest you suppose a Beyond the sea of stars reference to the Van Vogt novel Slan [1946; last rev. 1968]; monthly, with There lies the land of my true birth rotating Official Editor); he was OE for So time-lost and space-far.... its 547th mailing in August. His first Worldcon was Discon How could so many dream of what is not? I (21st World Science Fiction Con- vention, 31 Aug - 2 Sep 63, Wash- We have been there and ington, D.C.) — Mike Resnick’s, too. remember....

He was Fan Guest of Honor at We are haunted by a Rivercon IV (28-30 Jul 78, Louisville, dream that will not die. Kentucky) and DeepSouthCon XXXIX (4-6 May 01, Birmingham, Ned Brooks, 1964 Alabama). He was given the Rebel (Reprinted from Vanamonde 1167; “I Sing Award in 1976 and the Rubble Award of Brooks" is from a poem by Robert Her- in 1992. rick (1591-1674)).

In 1980 he published G. * At the end of November, John learned from Beahm ed., Kirk’s Works. Beahm is Mike Glyer that Ned's fanzines went instead to his executor now. On p. 5 Beahm Special Collections at the University of Geor- says “Bruce Pelz opened his col- gia. George Beahm explained, "I changed my mind after Ned’s family made their preference lection of fanzines to me.... Fred clear, since Ned’s brother Dan, and Ned’s Patten sent me a small mountain of parents, graduated from UGa. There will be a copies.... Ned Brooks, who backed preview of the collection sometime next year, a me all the way on my first book, The mini-display." Vaughn Bodé Index [1976], gladly STF-RELATED NEWS HEADLINES shouldered the burden of ... this book. I owe him everything, in-cluding the Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s Personal Papers shirt on my back.” He published a arrive at the Museum fourth edition of his Hannes Bok “Martin Collins, a curator in the Space Illustration Index in 2012. Tim Kirk History Department of the National Air contributed a fine drawing of him to and Space Museum gave an the October 2015 Locus (p. 75). overview of what’s in Clarke’s papers, with photographs.” SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 14

(Reprinted from File 770 – October 15, 2015) (much younger then). Some slides were made at conventions in the Patent Granted for Space Elevator 1950s, including Midwestcon. We “Canada-based Thoth Technology have made digital scans and plan to was recently granted U.S. and U.K. share some of them in the future. patents for a space elevator reaching Among those in the photos: Wilson 12.5 miles into the sky. The ThothX Tucker, Roger Sims, Alex and Phyllis Tower is a proposed piece of future- Eisenstein, Earl Kemp, Jon Stopa, istic, pneumatically pressurized free- George Price, Lynn Hickman, Bob standing architecture, designed to Silverberg, Art Widner, Bruce Pelz, propel astronauts into the strato- , Howard Devore, sphere. Then they can then be Evelyn Gold and Arthur C. Clarke. launched into space. Mark provided copies of several The Tower would also likely be used membership cards, and some early to generate wind energy, host com- publications, including Don Ford’s munications technology and will be TAFF Report, and First Fandom open to space tourists.” Magazine No. 19 (Fall 1986-Spring (Reprinted from File 770 – November 4, 2015) 1987), featuring an autobiographical article by Aubrey MacDermott in Ackermansion Update which he discusses early fandom. “There is a petition at change.org Mark donated five different signed/ calling on the Los Angeles Cultural numbered copies of “My Christmas Heritage Commission to “Declare Surprise” by John Arthur Cochrane, Forrest Ackerman’s house a historic Jr., aka The Beastly Poet (privately monument!” The Commission also published during the 1980s-90s and considered an application at its sent each year to family and friends). Dec.3rd meeting.” The capstone of Mark’s philanthropy (Reprinted from File 770 – December 14, 2015) is an unpublished piece of original artwork created by Bob Barger in Doll 1987 for the First Fandom Magazine. “Debbie Ritter of UneekDollDesigns is selling a diminutive Ray Bradbury Mark’s generous donation helps to ensure that these historic items will be doll holding a tiny copy of Fahrenheit 451 for $51.00.” cataloged, preserved, and made available in the future for scholars (Reprinted from File 770 – December 24, 2015) engaged in research and publication. MARK HICKMAN DONATES FANZINES, RECOMMENDED READING PHOTOGRAPHS, ARTWORK TO ARCHIVE (BY JOHN L. COKER III)

During the past year, long-time fan The Art of Horror – An Illustrated Mark Hickman has generously given Edition (Edited by Stephen Jones) material to the First Fandom Archive. In order to fully realize this title’s Mark has made available dozens of ambitious scope, it would take an medium-format color slides, featuring experienced and dedicated editor some of the fans / pros of the day who could assemble an unparalleled SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 15 roster of writers, editors, film-makers “The Blood is the Life” (by and artists to offer fascinating and David J. Skal) detailed essays richly illustrated with “The Dead that Walk” (by hundreds of images of rare artwork. Jamie Russell) Stephen Jones and his collaborators “Man-Made Monsters” (by have done just that, producing a book Gregory William Mank) that will most likely come to be regarded as the essential volume. “Even a Man Who is Pure of Heart” (by Kim Newman) “More Things in Heaven and Earth” (by Richard Dalby) “We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes” (by Barry Forshaw) “Hallowe’en Horrors” (by Lisa Morton) “The Old Gods Awaken” (by S.T. Joshi) “Giant Behemoths” (by Bob Eggleton) “Keep Watching the Skies” (by Robert Weinberg) (Artwork by Virgil Finlay) The Art of Horror provides the full The initial visual appearance is very experience. Make certain that when appealing. The cover features bold you start to read it you have set aside colors and artwork by Virgil Finlay. enough time (and daylight!). Strong production values throughout include color endpapers, bright print Published in 2015 by Applause quality and a useful detailed index. Theatre & Cinema Books, an imprint of the Hal Leonard Corporation This beautiful hardcover book is more than 250 pages in length. It is 7777 West Bluemound Road organized into ten chapters, each with Milwaukee, WI – 53213 a central theme accompanied by List price: $40. dozens of incredible illustrations. ISBN 978-1-4950-0913-6 Author Neil Gaiman provides a fore- word for the book, writing about “The www.applausebooks.com Thing That We Don’t Talk About.” A CONVERSATION WITH DANIEL KEYES Jones then introduces the subject of (AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN L. COKER III, 2004) the book, in “The Art of Darkness.” “My own interests have had to do with psychological and sociological SF. Chapter titles and authors: Everything in my background directed me to that kind of writing. SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 16

The beginning of science fiction, for Hoffman, and those that use it as a me, was when got me literary device.” a job working as an assistant fiction And, she wanted to know into which Marvel Science Fiction editor of , category I fell. I wrote back to her and among ten other pulp magazines. said that I never saw myself coming When I told him that I had no and going. I did become very experience as a fiction editor, he said interested in what is now called that Scott Meredith would write me a disassociative identity disorder – background. multiple personalities. They sent me in and I talked to the That sent me back to the classics of editor-in-chief. He hired me, then I literature: Edgar Allan Poe, Conrad, ran off to the public library to look up Dosteyevsky; all short works. To my proofreader’s marks. My job was to knowledge, no one had written a buy the stories and edit them. The novel about multiple personalities. So senior editor would come in once a I dug into that, and I wrote The Fifth week and put up titles and illustra- Sally, my second novel, about a tions. We paid the writers one or two woman with five personalities. cents a word. As a young writer, I had enjoyed One of my early memories was when contemporary science fiction from Scott Meredith sent in a story by friends of mine such as that of Lester Lester Del Rey. It was about 5,000 Del Rey, William Tenn, Lloyd Biggle, words, and I thought that it was a Jr., Isaac Asimov, Ted Sturgeon and good story but it needed heavy Ray Bradbury. editing. I called Scott Meredith and told him this. I asked him if he thought When I was working on my memoirs Lester would rewrite. – Algernon, Charly and I – I thought that it was done. Then one day, I Scott said, “Lester never rewrites. He opened the New York Times and has been getting two cents a word for there was the headline: “Scientists his pulp stories. If he rewrites a 5000- Make Smart Mouse.” I discovered the word story, he’ll only be getting a cent research was underway, so I called a word.” the head of the study and we talked I wanted well-written stories that for a while. I asked him about SF and weren’t just turned out. My career he said that they had read Flowers for took off from there. I wound up writing Algernon. He said that they had said half of those stories in the pulp to each other that “the science fiction magazines that I edited, using writers are ahead of us and we have pennames that I will not reveal. to catch up.” After Flowers for Algernon was LETTERS FROM OUR READERS published, I got a letter from a psychiatrist who said, “There are John Hertz writes: scenes where Charly sees himself as the other Charly. There are two kinds “Scientifiction 45 arrived today. of writers that use that concept: those Thanks, and thanks for printing my that are mentally ill, like E.T.A. article. Glad you liked it. Julian May also sent me a kind note. SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 17

The last time I saw Chicago's splen- loguing comes later. One of the four, did Art Institute it prominently dis- a preservationist, conferred about played Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on staples (any not stainless steel may the Island of La Grande Jatte (1886). rust), and the characteristics of home- I've probably spent hours looking at it. made publication by hecto-graph, We've so long had such sorry results spirit duplicator, mimeograph, and from mass-entertainment-media- photocopy; thankfully there was celebrity toastmasters, of just the kind negligible insect damage. Brother Stokes bemoans, it's always Among all but the most senior, who particularly saddening to see that knew, mostly, I expounded fanzines, tried again. fans, fandom, and fan activity, taking I’m offering a reprint of a short article things from what-is-this? mystery about Brother Pelz, which originally bins. Here was a SMOFcon Pro- appeared in Vanamonde. The poem gram Book [Secret Master Of is an acrostic in 5-7-5-7-7-syllable Fandom, as Pelz said a joke-nonjoke- form. joke; SMOFcon gathers con-runners]. Here was an undated handwritten You'll see mention of 200,000 Pelz letter about artwork, not from Pelz, fanzines. As you may know, Brother “Dear Alicia”, to me obviously A. Pelz acquired others' fanzine col- Austin. Here was Squeals from Da lections and included them in his. In Ghodfuzzy, to me obviously the 2002 no one knew how many of the newsletter of the Costumers Guild 200,000 might be duplicates. Eaton West. Here was an unopened hoped to keep them all. Eventually Fantasy Showcase Tarot Deck, that was found to go beyond time and indeed being sealed it could not at space. Without duplicates there were this stage be opened. 75,000. A safe home (which I'm not sure I may disclose) was found for the Alone, reaching into the shelves, I rest.” saw Cluster 2 (Dec 43) by Ray Karden; Proceedings of the Institute (The following is reprinted from Vanamonde) for Twenty-First Century Studies 137 (Oct 60) by Theodore Cogswell; Both of us have done Catherine FitzSimmons’ F/ractional Recondite amusing things 606.67 (Nov 90) for The Cult. Until others laughed. Catastrophically I find Goshwow. Even I don’t want the last. Monday I spent at Univ. Cal. River- Steve and Sue Francis write: side trying to help the Library with “We arrived home safely from the Bruce Pelz’ fanzine collection. Worldcon. Our flight took us through There are 200,000 on floor-to-ceiling Minneapolis-St. Paul which is one shelves over a hundred standlees of busy airport. After the Convention we wall space (okay, my paces, not went up to Glacier National Park for Kevin Standlee’s), plus a few dozen two days. We took a tour on the Red side boxes. I talked with four librar- Bus which was a 1936 White that had ians and seven sorters — cata- SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 18 been updated by the Ford Motor Art Widner was a very late-in-life Company. The Huckleberry ice correspondent of H. P. Lovecraft's; cream was delicious. Lifetime U.S. the 926th letter in HPL's Selected National Park passes did come in Letters V (Arkham House, 1976. pp. handy. (Anyone over age 62 can get 413-416.) is addressed to Art. With one.) The only thing that was not as the passing of Widner the Lovecraft it should have been was the smoke Circle truly closes, as I know of no from all of the wild fires in the general other HPL correspondent still living. area. The new unofficial nickname for Widner told me that he'd actually had the Con is... you guessed it...Smokon! a story accepted by Farnsworth The awards ceremony went well and Wright for Weird Tales called "The did not run over time. John Hertz kept Alien One" (which was eventually his acceptance speech for Julian May published by Dorothy McIlwraith in short and Dave Aronovitz went on a Short Stories Vol. 177, No. 6, Whole little longer, but still within time limits. No. 864. 25 December 1941): Ben Yalow received the Big Heart Apparently although Wright had Award. He was totally flabbergasted, accepted it, McIlwraith didn't much almost speechless. Ben later care for the story and didn't want it in admitted that he had no clue as to WT so she cast it off to Short Stories what he said in his ac-ceptance which she also edited.” speech. Everyone was very pleased that he joined the ranks of Big Es and Les Cole write: Heartdom. The First Fandom Award plaques were excellent and similar to “The 10th World SF Convention in the Big Heart plaque in size and color Chicago: Les quit his job and he and scheme. I and our 4 month-old son Dana piled into the car belonging to Dave and The First Fandom display board was June Koblick and drove non-stop to set up with no difficulty and was the Chicago. We and four other mem- first board just opposite the main bers of The Little Men's Science Fic- entrance to the dealer’s room. I ad- tion, Chowder and Marching Society ded the names of this year’s award took over the penthouse suite of the recipients for the Hall of Fame, Morrison Hotel. We had a den, living Moskowitz and Big Heart to the room, dining room, kitchen, and 3 posters Sunday morning. bedrooms with baths ensuite. Con- The convention center was a good fit, vention attendees would take the the Historic Davenport Hotel was elevator up to the penthouse, and absolutely beautiful and their staff wander through all the rooms as was top notch. We hope to see though it were a public area before we everyone next year in Kansas City!” started to lock the front door. We met Azimov; Poûl Anderson being Christopher M. O’Brien writes: pursued by Karen; Julian May; and “Thanks for the 2Q2015 issue, which other big name pros and fans. I thoroughly enjoyed, especially the Chicago fans were lobbying hard for tributes to Madle and Widner. Great the next year convention site. This photograph of Christopher Lee. was our son's Dana's second sf SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 19 world convention. Dana First Fandom newsletter and will write had attended the previous one in New again soon. Orleans in utero. One night a blustery Chicago storm blew a bat into our bedroom. Of course, it was a vampire bat. No other kind would dare attend an sf convention. Les tried to cage the vampire bat so I could parade it around while attending convention activities. CHRISTMAS CORRESPONDENCE What happened? Poul and Karen Anderson moved to California, got We enjoyed all the cards and holiday married, and had a daughter. The letters that everyone sent this year. Little Men didn't get the next con- Dr. Alice Becker (Bronxville, NY) is vention. The Koblicks and the Coles enjoying gardening and charity work. had a scary adventure at midnight at Mount Rushmore on our trip home. Cecilia Brammer (McLean, VA) is moving to a retirement community. Oh, the Morrison Hotel was later She sends best wishes to everyone. demolished. Mary Ellen Daugherty has moved to Jack Robins writes: Longview, WA, and is working on a website about Walter J. Daugherty. I loved the recent issue of the First Fandom newsletter, even including Joe and Gay Haldeman enjoyed the the write-up of me. Everything written year writing, traveling, attending con- about me, taken together, makes me ventions. They retired recently from seem like an important person in teaching at MIT, and just celebrated Fandom but truthfully I never felt that their 50th wedding anniversary. way. We also heard from Bob Madle, Erle One correction, though. Each of the Korshak, Jack Lange, Keith Stokes, two drawings that I made depict John and Joe Wrzos & Helen de la Ree. B. Michel. When I went to meetings, (Editor’s Note: Readers are invited sometimes I was a little bored. I to send their letters, news items, carried a small notebook and would photos, and reviews for publication.) try to draw the faces of fans I admired, PHOTOS FROM THE GOOD OLD DAYS including Wollheim and Michel. Unfortunately I had no occasion to try to sketch other fans. Other than the Futurians and the ISA, I also have been a long-time member of N3F and First Fandom. I used to go to Lunacons and always enjoyed attending First Fandom meetings there. I sure appreciate getting the SCIENTIFICTION New Series #46, page 20

FIRST FANDOM Co-Founder and President Emeritus Robert A. Madle - 4406 Bestor Drive, Rockville, MD 20853 Tel: (301) 460-4712 President John L. Coker III - 4813 Lighthouse Road, Orlando, FL 32808 Tel: (407) 532-7555 [email protected] Secretary-Treasurer Keith W. Stokes - 14305 West 83rd Place, Lenexa, KS 66215 [email protected] National Vice-President Erle M. Korshak - Shasta/Phoenix L-R: Oswald Train, Lloyd A. Eshbach, Publishers, 950 South Winter Park Drive, Julius Schwartz (1937) Suite 320, Casselberry, FL 32707 (Photograph provided by Robert A. Madle) National Vice-President David A. Kyle - 3099 Maqua Place, Mohegan Lake, NY 10547 EDITORIAL STAFF, SCIENTIFICTION Editor / Publisher John L. Coker III [email protected] Special Features Editor Jon D. Swartz - 12115 Missel Thrush Court, Austin, TX 78750-2101 [email protected]

L-R: Milton A. Rothman, Harry A. Warner, Jr., Jack Speer. Hagerstown, MD (1940) (Photograph provided by Robert A. Madle)

L-R: The Three Musketeers: Rick Sneary, SCIENTIFICTION is published each quarter by First Len J. Moffatt, Stan Woolston (1950) Fandom. The name First Fandom, the slogan “The (From the Collection of Len J. Moffatt) Dinosaurs of Science Fiction,” and the First Fandom logo are all trademarks of First Fandom, and may not be used without permission of First Fandom. Copyright © 2016 by First Fandom and the individual contributors.