James Parkhill Rathbone
(October 11, 1919 - 1999)
James Parkhill Rathbone, also known as James Parkhill-Rathbone, was a fan and author originally from Edinburgh, Scotland first active in the 1930s. He was a member of the British Fantasy Society (BFS).
Rathbone was a scientific instrument salesman and described himself as 'extremely interested in mysticism and occultism, aspiring poet and writer, enthusiastic disciple of Algernon Blackwood'. He had a letter published in Amazing Stories in June 1937:
And now, I have to make an announcement about an organization called 'The League of Science Crusaders.' This has been conceived by me, and the idea is 'to help humanity by scientific cooperation.' The ultimate aim will be a Scientific World State. Now, I know there are Science Clubs, and Science-Fiction Clubs all over the world striving for recognition, so why shouldn't they all amalgamate in the 'L. S. C.'? I have the International Science Club[1] and the World Girdlers International Science League Correspondence Club already on my list. Will people interested please write to me for particulars?
It's unclear if anything ever came of this although the odds are that nothing did.
A fanzine, Macabre, appeared in August 1939. He was a contributor to The Fantast.
Rathbone was a pacifist, and sought Conscientious Objector status in December 1939 but this was denied and he ended up in the Royal Army Medical Corps stationed just outside London. The first issue of Futurian War Digest reported that he 'had all his teeth pulled by the Army'. He left the army around October 1941 and later moved to Worcester where Futurian War Digest #35 reported he was:
... finding plenty of occupation as an active member of the Communist Party. At present he is organising a Unity Theatre in Worcester, even to writing their first play.
He married Rita Pitman in 1942 and joined the BFS in 1945 with three other Worcester fans joined at roughly the same time, suggesting there was a local group.
An essay 'The Real Thing' appeared in Vector #19 (1963) and he was associate editor of Science Fantasy for issues #70-80, contributing a guest editorial to #77 in 1965. He attended Loncon II in 1965 and in 1966 be produced the Idler, a tabloid format miscellany printed on newsprint that wasn't a fannish or science fiction publication but did include work by Josephine Saxton. Checkpoint #28 (1972) reported him inviting fans to meet at his London home. He contributed two articles to Peter Roberts's Egg in the 1970s.
He died in Camden in London around February 1999.
A note on his name: this is given in both hyphenated and non-hyphenated forms and the 'Parkhill' is sometimes absent entirely. ISFDB favours the hyphenated version but what appears to be a death notice doesn't and in Macabre he styled himself James P. Rathbone.
Links:[edit]
- More details on the Idler at JOT101
- James Parkhill Rathbone in Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Dawn Shadows [1940-41] (distributed with Futurian War Digest)
- Macabre [1939] (likely the first fanzine produced in Scotland)
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| Person | 1919—1999 |
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