Difference between revisions of "Dave Langford"

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(1953 –)
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(April 10, 1953 – )
  
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[[File:LangfordDave-ca2000.jpeg|thumb|Dave Langford, ca. 2000 ]]
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[[File:LangfordDave-ca2000.jpeg|thumb|'''Dave Langford, ca. 2000.''' ]]
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'''David Langford''' is a [[British]] [[fan]], [[writer]], [[editor]] and [[critic]] who publishes the [[newszine]] ''[[Ansible]]'' (1979–1987, 1991–current).
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'''David Rowland Langford''' is a [[British]] [[fan]], [[writer]], [[editor]] and [[critic]] who [[publishes]] the [[newszine]] ''[[Ansible]]'' (1979–1987, 1991–current).
  
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By training he is a physicist and his first job was as a weapons physicist at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire, which formed the basis of his hilarious novel ''[[The Leaky Establishment]]'' (1984).
 
  
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Langford is active in [[British fandom]] (member [[Oxford University Speculative Fiction Group]], [[BSFA]]). He has worked on the [[convention committee]]s or in publications of [[Eastercon]]s ([[Skycon]], editor of [[Helicon]]'s daily newsletter ''Heliograph'' and [[Sou'Wester]]'s ''The Adelphi Coracle''), [[Faancon 6]], [[Mexicon 5]] (daily newsletter ''[[Cactus Times]]'' editor), [[Novacon 7]] and [[British Worldcons]] including [[Conspiracy '87]], the 1987 [[Worldcon]] where he had been on the [[bid committee]] and where he was [[Fan GoH]].
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==Fan==
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Langford has been active in [[British fandom]] since the 1970s (member [[Oxford University Speculative Fiction Group]], [[BSFA]]). He has worked on the [[convention committee]]s or in publications of [[Eastercon]]s ([[Skycon]], [[editor]] of [[Helicon]]'s [[daily newsletter]] ''[[Heliograph]]'' and [[Sou'Wester]]'s ''[[The Adelphi Coracle]]''), [[Faancon 6]], [[Mexicon 5]] (daily newsletter ''[[Cactus Times]]'' editor), [[Novacon 7]] and [[British Worldcons]] including [[Conspiracy '87]], the 1987 [[Worldcon]], where he had been on the [[bid committee]] and where he was [[Fan GoH]].
  
 
He was the first British co-administrator of [[GUFF]] (1978–80). He was [[TAFF]] winner in 1980, traveling to [[Noreascon Two]] and writing ''[[The Transatlantic Hearing Aid]]'' (1985) as his [[trip report]]. [[The Auld Lang Fund]] was organized to bring him to [[Aussiecon 3]] (1999).  He won the 2002 [[Skylark Award]].
 
He was the first British co-administrator of [[GUFF]] (1978–80). He was [[TAFF]] winner in 1980, traveling to [[Noreascon Two]] and writing ''[[The Transatlantic Hearing Aid]]'' (1985) as his [[trip report]]. [[The Auld Lang Fund]] was organized to bring him to [[Aussiecon 3]] (1999).  He won the 2002 [[Skylark Award]].
  
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But it is as a [[fan writer]] that he excels, having received 21 [[Best Fan Writer]] [[Hugo]]s, a record for anyone in any category, with a continuous streak of thirty-one [[Hugo nominations]] (between 1979–2009, see [[Best Fan Writer Hugo Category]]).  His monthly [[newszine]] ''[[Ansible]]'' has also received five [[Hugo Awards]] (see [[Best Fanzine Hugo Category]] for details) and sixth as [[semiprozine]].  He won several other "lesser" awards, and his fan writing has been collected in several [[fanthologies]] and books, see below.
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But it is as a [[fan writer]] that he excels, having received 21 [[Best Fan Writer]] [[Hugo]]s, a record for anyone in any category, with a continuous streak of thirty-one [[Hugo nominations]] (between 1979–2009, see [[Best Fan Writer Hugo Category]]).  His monthly [[newszine]] ''[[Ansible]]'' has also received five [[Hugo Awards]] (see [[Best Fanzine Hugo Category]] for details) and a sixth as [[semiprozine]].  He won several other "lesser" awards, and his fan writing has been collected in several [[fanthologies]] and books, see below.
  
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Besides ''[[Ansible]]'', he published – in chronological order of launch – ''[[Drilkjis]]'' (1976–1982) with [[Kevin Smith]], ''[[Twll-ddu]]'' (1976–1983), ''[[Cloud Chamber]]'' (1976–current)'', ''[[Hidden Shallows]]'' (1977), ''[[The Northern Guffblower]]'' (1978–1980), [[TAFF Talk]]'' (1980–1982, taking over the [[newsletter]] from [[Peter Roberts]] and passing it on to [[Kevin Smith]]), and ''[[Sglodion]]'' (1989–1992). [[One-off]]s: ''[[Gonad Comes Again]]'' (1978) by many fans, ''[[Another Bloody Fanzine]]'' (1979 [[hoax]]) with [[Kevin Smith]], ''[[Visitor's Pass]]'' (1981) with [[Stu Shiffman]], ''[[Jackie!]]'' (1981) by many mostly anonymous fans, and ''[[Diolch Yn Fawr]]'' (1989).
+
===Ansible Editions===
 +
Langford runs the [[small press]] [[Ansible Editions]], publishing both fan and pro material; the fan publications include a number of free ebooks downloadable from the [[TAFF]] website, which he maintains; several – such as ''[[A Vince Clarke Treasury]]'' (2015) and the [[Terry Carr]] collection ''[[Fandom Harvest II]]'' (2019) – newly compiled by Langford himself for this site. Several other Ansible Editions titles are [[fanhistorical]] compilations and references by [[Rob Hansen]].
  
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As a [[pro]], Langford is noted for his parodies, including two novels in collaboration with John Grant ([[Paul Barnett]]): ''Earthdoom!'' (1987) and ''Guts'' (2001), parodying respectively the disaster and horror genres. Shorter parodies and pastiches are collected in ''He Do the Time Police in Different Voices'' ([[Wildside Press]], 2003). His first science fiction novel was ''The Space Eater'' (1982); he has published several dozen pieces of short SF between 1975 and 2011, winning the [[Best Short Story Hugo]] for "Different Kinds of Darkness" (''[[F&SF]]'' January 2000).  He proofread the second edition of ''[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]'' (1993), is a principal editor of and major contributor to the third, online edition (for which he shared another [[Hugo Award]]; the same website is technically the fourth edition since a change of publisher in October 2021) and was a contributing editor of ''[[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy]]'' (1997). He has written numerous book reviews, collected in (among others) ''The Complete Critical Assembly'' (2002), ''Up Through an Empty House of Stars: Reviews and Essays 1980-2002'' (2002), ''Starcombing: columns, essays, reviews and more'' (2009) and ''Short Shrift: A Big Book of Little Reviews'' (2017).
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[[TAFF]] trip reports: ''[[The Transatlantic Hearing Aid]]'' (his own 1980 report published by Inca Press), ''[[TAFF Tales]]'' ([[Ken Bulmer]]'s 1955 report, published by Ansible Editions), ''[[New Routes in America]]'' ([[Peter Roberts]]'s 1977 report, published by Ansible Editions) and ''TAFF Trip Report Anthology'' (a 2017 Ansible Editions ebook collection of reports that were unfinished or too short for booklet publication, plus samples from reports still in progress).
  
−
He runs the [[small press]] [[Ansible Editions]], publishing both fan and pro material; the fan publications include a number of free ebooks downloadable from the [[TAFF]] website, which he maintains; several – such as ''[[A Vince Clarke Treasury]]'' (2015) and the [[Terry Carr]] collection ''[[Fandom Harvest II]]'' (2019) – newly compiled by Langford himself for this site. Several other Ansible Editions titles are fanhistorical compilations and references by [[Rob Hansen]].
+
==Pro==
 +
As a [[pro]], Langford is noted for his parodies, including two novels in collaboration with John Grant ([[Paul Barnett]]): ''Earthdoom!'' (1987) and ''Guts'' (2001), parodying respectively the disaster and horror genres. Shorter parodies and pastiches are collected in ''He Do the Time Police in Different Voices'' ([[Wildside Press]], 2003). His first [[science fiction]] [[novel]] was ''The Space Eater'' (1982); he has published several dozen pieces of short SF between 1975 and 2011, winning the [[Best Short Story Hugo]] for "Different Kinds of Darkness" (''[[F&SF]]'' January 2000).
  
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[[TAFF]] trip reports: ''[[The Transatlantic Hearing Aid]]'' (his own 1980 report published by Inca Press), ''[[TAFF Tales]]'' ([[Ken Bulmer]]'s 1955 report, published by Ansible Editions), ''[[New Routes in America]]'' ([[Peter Roberts]]'s 1977 report, published by Ansible Editions) and ''TAFF Trip Report Anthology'' (a 2017 Ansible Editions ebook collection of reports that were unfinished or too short for booklet publication, plus samples from reports still in progress).
+
He proofread the second edition of ''[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]]'' (1993), is a principal editor of and major contributor to the third, online edition (for which he shared another [[Hugo Award]]; the same website is technically the fourth edition since a change of publisher in October 2021) and was a contributing editor of ''[[The Encyclopedia of Fantasy]]'' (1997). He has written numerous book reviews, collected in (among others) ''The Complete Critical Assembly'' (2002), ''Up Through an Empty House of Stars: Reviews and Essays 1980-2002'' (2002), ''Starcombing: columns, essays, reviews and more'' (2009) and ''Short Shrift: A Big Book of Little Reviews'' (2017).
  
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Collections of Langford [[fan writing]]:
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==Personal Life==
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* ''[[Platen Stories]]'' (published by [[Conspiracy '87]], 1987)
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Langford is a native of [[Wales]]. By training he is a physicist and his first job was as a weapons physicist at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire, which formed the basis of his hilarious novel ''[[The Leaky Establishment]]'' (1984).  
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* ''[[Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man]]'' ([[NESFA Press]], 1992),
 
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* ''[[The Silence of the Langford]]'' (NESFA Press, 1996, being a greatly expanded version of the previous; further expanded Ansible Editions, 2015 ebook),
 
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* ''[[Pieces of Langford]]'' ([[Auld Lang Fund]], 1998)
 
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* ''Crosstalk: Interviews Conducted by David Langford'' (Ansible Editions, 2015),
 
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* ''Don't Try This At Home: Selected Convention Reports'' (Ansible Editions, 2015 ebook; 2021 paperback)
 
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* ''Ansible First Series 1979–1987'' (2016), ''Ansible Second Series 1991–2000'', ''Ansible Second Series 2001–2010'' (both 2017 – all Ansible Editions ebooks)
 
−
* ''Beachcombing and Other Oddments'' (Ansible Editions, 2020).
 
  
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Edited collections of [[fan writing]] by others ([[Ansible Editions]] unless noted otherwise):
+
He is married to [[Hazel Langford]]. His brother is the [[Chicago]]-based musician and [[artist]] [[Jon Langford]].  
−
* ''[[Wrath of the Fanglord]]'' ([[Rune Press]], 1998; Ansible Editions, 2015), [[fanthology]] of favourite pieces by others from Langford fanzines
 
−
* ''[[A Vince Clarke Treasury]]'' (2015) by [[A. Vincent Clarke]]
 
−
* ''The Complete [[Skyrack]]'' (2017) by [[Ron Bennett]]
 
−
* ''TAFF Trip Report Anthology'' (2017) by various past [[TAFF]] winners
 
−
* ''The Complete [[Checkpoint]]'' (2018) by [[Peter Roberts]]
 
−
* ''The [[Astral Leauge]] Dossier'' (2019) by various hands (mostly anonymous); includes ''[[Jackie!]]''
 
−
* ''The Complete [[Cheap Truth]]'' (2019) by [[Bruce Sterling]] as Vincent Omniaveritas
 
−
* ''[[Fandom Harvest]] II'' (2019) by [[Terry Carr]]
 
−
* ''The Complete [[Patchin Review]]'' (2019) by [[Charles Platt]]
 
−
* ''A Budrys Miscellany'' (2020) by [[Algis Budrys]]
 
−
* [[The Complete BoSh]] comprising ''The Serious Scientific Talks'' (2019), ''The Full Glass Bushel'' (2020) and ''Slow Pint Glass'' (2020) by [[Bob Shaw]], all edited with [[Rob Jackson]]
 
−
* ''[[Creative Random Harris]]'' (2021) by [[Chuck Harris]], edited with [[Rob Hansen]]
 
−
* ''[[Willis Discovers America]] and other fan fiction'' (2021) by [[Walt Willis]]
 
−
* ''The Incompleat Burbee Volume 2'' (2022) by [[Charles Burbee]] – significantly expanded from the version compiled by [[Terry Carr]] and eventually published in 1996 by [[Jeff Schalles]].
 
−
* ''TAWF Times Two'' (2022) by [[Madeleine Willis]] and [[Walt Willis]], bringing together their [[Tenth Anniversary Willis Fund]] trip reports ''The DisTAWF Side'' (previously uncollected) and ''Twice Upon a Time''; edited with [[Rob Hansen]]
 
  
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Links:
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===Links:===
 
* {{SFE|name=langford_david}}.
 
* {{SFE|name=langford_david}}.
 
* {{link| website =https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?David_Langford | text= ISFDB entry.}}
 
* {{link| website =https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?David_Langford | text= ISFDB entry.}}
Line 55: Line 35:
 
* {{link | website=https://taff.org.uk/ | text=TAFF unofficial home.}}
 
* {{link | website=https://taff.org.uk/ | text=TAFF unofficial home.}}
 
* {{link | website=https://thog.org | text=Thog's Masterclass.}}
 
* {{link | website=https://thog.org | text=Thog's Masterclass.}}
 +
 +
{{fanzines}}
 +
<br>(in chronological order of launch)
 +
* ''[[Drilkjis]]'' (1976–1982) with [[Kevin Smith]]
 +
* ''[[Twll-ddu]]'' (1976–1983)
 +
* ''[[Cloud Chamber]]'' (1976–current)''
 +
* ''[[Hidden Shallows]]'' (1977)
 +
* ''[[The Northern Guffblower]]'' (1978–1980)
 +
*  ''[[Ansible]]'' (1979–1987, 1991–current)
 +
* [[TAFF Talk]]'' (1980–1982, taking over the [[newsletter]] from [[Peter Roberts]] and passing it on to [[Kevin Smith]])
 +
* ''[[Sglodion]]'' (1989–1992)
 +
*'''[[One-off]]s:'''
 +
**''[[Gonad Comes Again]]'' (1978) by many fans
 +
** ''[[Another Bloody Fanzine]]'' (1979 [[hoax]]) with [[Kevin Smith]]
 +
** ''[[Visitor's Pass]]'' (1981) with [[Stu Shiffman]]
 +
**''[[Jackie!]]'' (1981) by many mostly anonymous fans
 +
** ''[[Diolch Yn Fawr]]'' (1989)
 +
*'''Collections of Langford [[fan writing]]:'''
 +
** ''[[Platen Stories]]'' (published by [[Conspiracy '87]], 1987)
 +
** ''[[Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man]]'' ([[NESFA Press]], 1992),
 +
** ''[[The Silence of the Langford]]'' (NESFA Press, 1996, being a greatly expanded version of the previous; further expanded Ansible Editions, 2015 ebook),
 +
** ''[[Pieces of Langford]]'' ([[Auld Lang Fund]], 1998)
 +
** ''Crosstalk: Interviews Conducted by David Langford'' (Ansible Editions, 2015),
 +
** ''[[Don't Try This At Home|Don't Try This At Home: Selected Convention Reports]]'' (Ansible Editions, 2015 ebook; 2021 paperback)
 +
** ''Ansible First Series 1979–1987'' (2016), ''Ansible Second Series 1991–2000'' (2017), ''Ansible Second Series 2001–2010'' (2017) and ''Ansible Second Series 2011–2020'' (2020) – all Ansible Editions ebooks
 +
** ''Beachcombing and Other Oddments'' (Ansible Editions, 2020)
 +
*'''Edited collections of [[fan writing]] by others:'''<p>([[Ansible Editions]] unless noted otherwise)
 +
** ''[[Wrath of the Fanglord]]'' ([[Rune Press]], 1998; Ansible Editions, 2015), [[fanthology]] of favourite pieces by others from Langford fanzines
 +
** ''[[A Vince Clarke Treasury]]'' (2015) by [[A. Vincent Clarke]]
 +
** ''The Complete [[Skyrack]]'' (2017) by [[Ron Bennett]]
 +
** ''TAFF Trip Report Anthology'' (2017) by various past [[TAFF]] winners
 +
** ''The Complete [[Checkpoint]]'' (2018) by [[Peter Roberts]]
 +
** ''The [[Astral Leauge]] Dossier'' (2019) by various hands (mostly anonymous); includes ''[[Jackie!]]''
 +
** ''The Complete [[Cheap Truth]]'' (2019) by [[Bruce Sterling]] as Vincent Omniaveritas
 +
** ''[[Fandom Harvest]] II'' (2019) by [[Terry Carr]]
 +
** ''The Complete [[Patchin Review]]'' (2019) by [[Charles Platt]]
 +
** ''A Budrys Miscellany'' (2020) by [[Algis Budrys]]
 +
** [[The Complete BoSh]] comprising ''The Serious Scientific Talks'' (2019), ''The Full Glass Bushel'' (2020) and ''Slow Pint Glass'' (2020) by [[Bob Shaw]], all edited with [[Rob Jackson]]
 +
** ''[[Creative Random Harris]]'' (2021) by [[Chuck Harris]], edited with [[Rob Hansen]]
 +
** ''[[Willis Discovers America]] and other fan fiction'' (2021) by [[Walt Willis]]
 +
** ''The Incompleat Burbee Volume 2'' (2022) by [[Charles Burbee]] – significantly expanded from the version compiled by [[Terry Carr]] and eventually published in 1996 by [[Jeff Schalles]].
 +
** ''TAWF Times Two'' (2022) by [[Madeleine Willis]] and [[Walt Willis]], bringing together their [[Tenth Anniversary Willis Fund]] trip reports ''The DisTAWF Side'' (previously uncollected) and ''Twice Upon a Time''; edited with [[Rob Hansen]]
 +
** ''The Harp in England'' (2023) by [[Walt Willis]], assembling all his reports on UK conventions
 +
** ''The Harp That Once or Twice'' (2023) by [[Walt Willis]] – every instalment of the legendary fanzine column (except episodes of the serialized ''The Harp Stateside'')
 +
** ''The Harp Remembered'' (2023) by [[Walt Willis]], an attempt to collect his remaining fanzine writing not already available in Ansible Editions ebooks – including the autobiographical "I Remember Me" columns and articles published after [[Warhoon 28]].
  
 
{{recognition}}
 
{{recognition}}
Line 81: Line 106:
 
* 2002 – [[Skylark Award]]
 
* 2002 – [[Skylark Award]]
 
* 2019 – [[FAAn Award]] for Best [[Newszine]] (''Ansible'') and Best Online News/Info Resource (''Ansible'' website)
 
* 2019 – [[FAAn Award]] for Best [[Newszine]] (''Ansible'') and Best Online News/Info Resource (''Ansible'' website)
−
* 2021 -- [[FAAn Award]] for Lifetime Achievement
+
* 2021 — [[FAAn Award]] for Lifetime Achievement
 +
* 2024 -- [[Doc Weir Award]]
 
[[GoH]]/[[FGoH]] at various [[Cymrucon]]s, [[Microcon]]s and [[Picocon]]s
 
[[GoH]]/[[FGoH]] at various [[Cymrucon]]s, [[Microcon]]s and [[Picocon]]s
  
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{{person | born=1953}}
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 +
{{person | born=1953 |Locale=Reading, UK}}
 
[[Category:fan]]
 
[[Category:fan]]
 
[[Category:pro]]
 
[[Category:pro]]
 
[[Category:UK]]
 
[[Category:UK]]

Latest revision as of 08:38, 20 April 2024

(April 10, 1953 – )

Dave Langford, ca. 2000.

David Rowland Langford is a British fan, writer, editor and critic who publishes the newszine Ansible (1979–1987, 1991–current).


Fan[edit]

Langford has been active in British fandom since the 1970s (member Oxford University Speculative Fiction Group, BSFA). He has worked on the convention committees or in publications of Eastercons (Skycon, editor of Helicon's daily newsletter Heliograph and Sou'Wester's The Adelphi Coracle), Faancon 6, Mexicon 5 (daily newsletter Cactus Times editor), Novacon 7 and British Worldcons including Conspiracy '87, the 1987 Worldcon, where he had been on the bid committee and where he was Fan GoH.

He was the first British co-administrator of GUFF (1978–80). He was TAFF winner in 1980, traveling to Noreascon Two and writing The Transatlantic Hearing Aid (1985) as his trip report. The Auld Lang Fund was organized to bring him to Aussiecon 3 (1999). He won the 2002 Skylark Award.

But it is as a fan writer that he excels, having received 21 Best Fan Writer Hugos, a record for anyone in any category, with a continuous streak of thirty-one Hugo nominations (between 1979–2009, see Best Fan Writer Hugo Category). His monthly newszine Ansible has also received five Hugo Awards (see Best Fanzine Hugo Category for details) and a sixth as semiprozine. He won several other "lesser" awards, and his fan writing has been collected in several fanthologies and books, see below.

Ansible Editions[edit]

Langford runs the small press Ansible Editions, publishing both fan and pro material; the fan publications include a number of free ebooks downloadable from the TAFF website, which he maintains; several – such as A Vince Clarke Treasury (2015) and the Terry Carr collection Fandom Harvest II (2019) – newly compiled by Langford himself for this site. Several other Ansible Editions titles are fanhistorical compilations and references by Rob Hansen.

TAFF trip reports: The Transatlantic Hearing Aid (his own 1980 report published by Inca Press), TAFF Tales (Ken Bulmer's 1955 report, published by Ansible Editions), New Routes in America (Peter Roberts's 1977 report, published by Ansible Editions) and TAFF Trip Report Anthology (a 2017 Ansible Editions ebook collection of reports that were unfinished or too short for booklet publication, plus samples from reports still in progress).

Pro[edit]

As a pro, Langford is noted for his parodies, including two novels in collaboration with John Grant (Paul Barnett): Earthdoom! (1987) and Guts (2001), parodying respectively the disaster and horror genres. Shorter parodies and pastiches are collected in He Do the Time Police in Different Voices (Wildside Press, 2003). His first science fiction novel was The Space Eater (1982); he has published several dozen pieces of short SF between 1975 and 2011, winning the Best Short Story Hugo for "Different Kinds of Darkness" (F&SF January 2000).

He proofread the second edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (1993), is a principal editor of and major contributor to the third, online edition (for which he shared another Hugo Award; the same website is technically the fourth edition since a change of publisher in October 2021) and was a contributing editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997). He has written numerous book reviews, collected in (among others) The Complete Critical Assembly (2002), Up Through an Empty House of Stars: Reviews and Essays 1980-2002 (2002), Starcombing: columns, essays, reviews and more (2009) and Short Shrift: A Big Book of Little Reviews (2017).

Personal Life[edit]

Langford is a native of Wales. By training he is a physicist and his first job was as a weapons physicist at the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire, which formed the basis of his hilarious novel The Leaky Establishment (1984).

He is married to Hazel Langford. His brother is the Chicago-based musician and artist Jon Langford.

Links:[edit]

Fanzines and Apazines:
(in chronological order of launch)

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

GoH/FGoH at various Cymrucons, Microcons and Picocons


Person 1953—
This is a biography page. Please extend it by adding more information about the person, such as fanzines and apazines published, awards, clubs, conventions worked on, GoHships, impact on fandom, external links, anecdotes, etc. See Standards for People and The Naming of Names.

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