Science Fiction Book Club
The Science Fiction Book Club (SFBC) was a UK book club started by publishers Sidgewick & Jackson in 1953, the same year as the American Science Fiction Book Club although Ted Carnell's comment below implies the UK version was first.
Conceived by Herbert Jones, the SFBC issued its first book in January 1953 and in one form or another carried on until the end of 1982. The first title was George R. Stewart's Earth Abides, and the last Anne McCaffrey's The Worlds of Anne McCaffrey. The club issued approximately 324 books in total.
Ted Carnell welcomed its creation in an editorial in New Worlds 20 (March 1953):
In the book field 1953 heralds in an outstanding world event in Sidgwick & Jackson's SCIENCE FICTION BOOK CLUB. This is an unprecedented step in the science-fiction field. As with the International Fantasy Award idea, Great Britain is one step ahead of the Americans again – to keep us there the Book Club needs the support of every enthusiast in the country. Naturally it will be to your ultimate advantage.
The selection panel initially included Carnell, Arthur C. Clarke Dr J. G. Porter and Edward Shanks, and later Angus Wilson, Jones and Kingsley Amis.
The club newsletter, Science Fiction News, was edited for its first 37 issues (March 1953 –March 1959) by Jones. Oliver Caldecott then edited issues 38 (May 1959) to 46 (September 1960). Issues 47 (September 1960) to 50 (March 1961) were edited by Ildiko Hayes. Later issues are uncredited although some editorial matter is signed "O. C." suggesting Caldecott resumed control. Science Fiction News included a number of reprints from fanzines such as Zenith and Vector, a dozen or more instances of fiction, and a poetry competition judged by Robert Conquest and featuring a poem by Beryl Henley. There were also letters, occasionally quite critical and argumentative, some of them by known fan names, and classified ads of a sort which again sometimes included a known name such as Roger Peyton.
In its final years, Peter Roberts worked for the company and wrote some of the jacket copy.
Greg Pickersgill's website (link below) includes detailed history of the UK SFBC including lists of published titles, cover scans, and copies of the newsletter.
Links
- The UK SFBC at gostak.org.uk.
| Publisher | 1953—1982 |
| This is a publisher page, referring to science fiction book and prozine publishers. |
