John Newman

(Did you mean an American?)

(January 16, 1927 – September 26, 1991)

John Oswald Henry Newman was a UK fan, research chemist and author who collaborated with Kenneth Bulmer on a long series of science articles for New Worlds and Authentic Science Fiction under the joint pseudonym Kenneth Johns; he also wrote many solo essays for New Worlds under his own name. He published Hints on Stencil Cutting with Ken Slater, and was the principal organizer of Whitcon, the first Eastercon in 1948. He was a member of the British Fantasy Society.

In a profile piece in New Worlds (#90, January 1960), 'Johns' compared himself with the character Joe-Jim from Robert Heinlein's 'Universe', saying:

I know that if I want an article on nucleonics, chemistry, electronics or the strange alchemy of far off stars, I can turn to Newman. If I wish to write on ships, aircraft or archaeology I badger Bulmer.

A New Worlds profile of Newman himself (#30, December 1954) said he became interested in science fiction during World War II and he learned of fandom when he was contacted by the Teddington Group, later known as the Cosmos Club, around 1943 although it's not clear why the group contacted him rather than vice versa. He later helped with the group's library and their fanzine, Cosmic Cuts. He is described as one of the originators of the Thursday meetings at the White Horse in London, and as the organiser of the first two post-war conventions in the UK, the Whitcon of 1948 and the Loncon of 1949. Newman explained:

I wanted to attend a science fiction convention, having heard of the American ones, but it was obvious that the only way to get one was to tell the London Circle that they were going to have a convention and then organise it myself. Luckily there was plenty of help from the older fans and the convention did not collapse from sheer inertia, as was half expected.

On 26 September 1948 he was present at a meeting in the home of Owen Plumridge and a subsequent open meeting of London fans on 9 October that resulted in the creation of the Science Fantasy Society. Newman was a member of the new Society's committee although he had stepped down by the following spring.

The final Kenneth Johns article appeared in New Worlds #113 (December 1961). Thereafter Newman doesn't appear to have been much evident in science fiction or fannish circles, although he continued to attend conventions into the 1970s and was involved in a short-lived attempt to revive the Cheltenham Group in 1972. Graham Poole had placed adverts in the local paper and one of the respondents was Newman who hosted an initial meeting at his home. Poole was dissatisfied with the way things went and the group fizzled out after two more meetings.

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Person

1927—1991

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