Bill Nelder

(1927 – 2009)

Bill Nelder was a fan and fanartist from Cheltenham, UK active in the 1950s. He was a member of the Cheltenham Circle and art editor for Sidereal and lived next door to its editor, Eric Jones.

Jones wrote in Vector #3 (Winter 1958):

In the summer of 1955, provoked by an advertisement which had appeared in the Gloucestershire Echo [newspaper] a year previously (and his wife) Bill Nelder, a neighbour, came to make enquiries about the W.C.S.F.G. After some discussion with the remaining local ex-members of the old group, it was decided to try again with a purely local organisation, and so, on one wet Thursday night in the Umbrella Inn, the Cheltenham Science Fiction Circle was born

Nelder produced two hand-painted posters advertising the group, one of which was sent to the USAF base at Fairford and the other was 'repeatedly rejected from the Public Library — because it advertised a public house!'

Reviewing Sidereal #2 in Camber #5 (August 1955), Alan Dodd said:

Every once in a while there comes along to fandom an artist who is an original from the word go. Such a fanartist is Sidereal's new art editor Bill Nelder, his work alone is worth the price of the mag. Particularly good are his strip cartoons and headings, which are neat, clever and detailed. 

His son is Geoff Nelder (Wikipedia).

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Person

1927—2009

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