The Science Fiction Fan
(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 |
- The Science Fiction Fan online at fanac.org
- 16 Issues in Hevelin archives
- Retrospective review of the May, 1940 (Volume 4, No. 10), issue in Scientifiction: The First Fandom Report, Fall, 2003
Publication | 1936—1941 |
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