The Science Fiction Fan

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(Did you mean just a fan, or the 1935 one-off carbonzine?)


A late-1930s, early-40s fanzine published by Olon F. Wiggins of Denver, often abbreviated (nicknamed?) SFFan or just SFF (itself using FAN in page running headers). It was part of Cosmic Publications, and featured Sam Moskowitz, Don Wollheim, and Jack Speer as contributors. Many of Speer's IPO polls were distributed in SFFan. The contents tended to be mostly factual articles and essays, but there was some fiction. It was the largest fanzine of its era.

Both Wollheim and Moskowitz were listed as Contributing Editors through September 1938. Wiggins seems to have tried to steer clear of the New York City feuds between them, though perhaps favoring the Moskowitz side, but in September, he announced that he would no longer be publishing anything by him and thereafter the fanzine was dominated by the Futurians.

Paul J. Searles became Associate Editor in August 1939. According to The Immortal Storm, 'Under his aegis the quality of the material, reproduction and illustrating all took a remarkable upward turn'.

Issue Date Pages Notes
1 V1.1 July 1936 10
2 August 1936 10
3 V1.3 September 1936 12
4 V1.4 October 1936 16
5 April 1937 10
6 May 1937 12
7 June 1937 16
8 July 1937 24
9 August 1937 20
10 September 1937 20
11 October 1937 20
12 November 1937 20
13 December 1937 20
14 January 1938 20
15 January 1938
16 January 1938
17 January 1938 24
18 February 1938 24
19 March 1938 24
20 April 1938 20
21 May 1938 24
22 1938
23 June 1938 20
24 July 1938 50
25 August 1938 20
26 September 1938 20
27 October 1938 20
28 November 1938 20
29 December 1938 20
30 January 1939 20
31 1939
32 March 1939 20
33 April 1939 20
34 May 1939 20
35 June 1939 20
36 July 1939 12
37 V4.1 August 1939 18 Pictorial two-color cover by James M. Rogers (also Art Editor), badly faded. "STAFF: Olon F. Wiggins Editorial Director. P.J. Searles Associate Editor. [his first time] Donald A. Wollheim and Hayward S. Kirby Contributing Editors". Given as August in colophon, but editorial "Vagabondia, Stf by The Vagrant" opens "the long feared shadow has fallen solidly upon the world and war rages without our shores", i.e. in early September. Parodic story "Revolt on Barsoom by Lady Jain Sidestrock" starts with "cover letter" dated "Aug. 30. '39". "French Science Briefs" by G.H. Gallet pp. 13, 17. Story "Gold" by Ray Bradbury pp. 10–12, mentions Technocracy. Unhyphenated reprint of The Purpose of Science Fiction pp. 5–9, 18. Back cover "IDLE THOUGHTS OF A STF FAN (poem)", faded to undecipherability.
38 September 1939 20
39 October 1939 22
40 November 1939 20
41 V4.5 December 1939 20
42 January 1940 20
43 February 1940 16
44 V4.8 March 1940 20
45 V4.9 April 1940 20
46 V4.10 May 1940 20 Retrospective review see below
47 June 1940 20
48 V4.12 July 1940 60
49 V5.1 August 1940 20
50 September 1940 20
51 October 1940 20
52 November 1940 20
53 January 1941 24
54 1941
55 February 1941 20 Final issue
56 March 1941 24 listed as #55

Publication 19361941
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