The Beyond

(Did you mean a different Beyond?)

The Beyond (some issues titled Beyond) was a UK fanzine produced by E. Frank Parker and John Aiken between 1942 and 1946. Each issue was produced as a single copy to be passed from hand to hand.

Its genesis came in 1940 when Parker created the Paint Research Station Science Fiction Library as a magazine chain. Many of the staff at the Station, located in Teddington, west London, served in the National Fire Service and he thought this would keep them 'from thinking too much about beer during the long and often dull duty-hours'. This resulted in the creation of a thriving group that in March 1943 evolved into the Cosmos Club.

As the original magazines became tatty some of the members of the group tried their hand at writing. They first issued a monthly news-sheet called Memo Sheet which ultimately grew into Cosmic Cuts, with the more substantial The Beyond appearing roughly quarterly from 1942. It featured fiction, some at novelette length, poetry, articles, and a correspondence section 'famed for the quality of its mud and the force and aim with which this was slung'. About two dozen writers appeared within its pages during its run and almost as many artists.

J. Michael Rosenblum described the second issue in Futurian War Digest #26, February 1943:

The 'Paint Research Station Science Fiction Library' have an extremely interesting activity in the production of their 'organ' The Beyond. This is no mere fanzine as the name might imply, but to our knowledge, an absolutely unique effort. Fantasy fiction written by the members themselves is incorporated, together with original illustrations, into a one-copy publication of a very high standard indeed. As there are no problems of duplicating, stencilling and paper-supply, the size can be prodigious and thus allow for full development of authors ideas. The second (and current) issue contains no less than 104 closely typed 4to pages, almost all devoted to seven stories; for the nonce anonymously written; two of which are quite up to pro-mag standard. As you might expect, full opportunity for criticism and comment is given in a real readers section – the 'Back of Beyond', wherein readers actually write their letters to the editor – this section and an editorial comprising the department. The illustrations are interesting, not as high a standard as the stories, on the whole, yet withal commendable indeed, and the format of the whole production is practically excellent.

Parker had to retire into pseudonymity 'as a result of attacks of a particularly unaesthetic character by certain authorities at the Paint Research Station'. The final issue, #10, appeared in summer 1946. #11 was planned but never completed. Copies of the fanzine were exhibited at Whitcon in 1948.

In 1943 the British Fantasy Society were inspired to create their own publication on similar lines, generally referred to as the BFS Beyond.

Remarkably given the single copy nature of The Beyond, all but the first issue ended up in the collection of Forrest J Ackerman and were offered for sale at auction in 2024.

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Publication

1942—1946

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