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Acolyte, v. 3, issue 2, whole no. 11, Summer 1945
Page 19
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THE SCIENTIFICTIONAL HISTORY OF THE FUTURE ELMER PERDUE (Editorial Note. Under this heading The Acolyte will for the next several issues publish what is probably one of the most unusual items ever inspired by fantastic fiction. No reader of this phase of literature can have failed to notice that in many of the stories definite calendar dates are assigned to the fictitious happenings, and perhaps some readers have idly wondered if there might be any fortuitous coincidences, such as the million-to-one shot of an author prophesying a date accurately. It remained for Elmer Perdue, a long-time reader and collector of fantasy, to tabulate these dates and work them up into a connected and chronological outline. The Acolyte staff, like Mr. Perdue, is uninterested in the esoteric or metaphysical connotations of this "history". While it would n o doubt be possible for a statistician to construct from it all manner of charts and tables "proving" or "disproving" about anything he wished, we feel that this compilation contains in itself sufficient interest to justify its publication. The criteria for the listings have been simple. The event listed must have been dated in the future at the time the story was written. It must be of such nature as to be of general historical interest. A specific year-date must have been assigned to it. A work of this nature can never be complete. In its present form, the Perdue "history" covers only the science-fiction published in pulp fantasy magazines from 1926 through the end of 1944, plus a very few books. Readers who are in a position to add to the work are urged to send in their notes for the addenda which we shall publish immediately following the completion of the history. This addenda will also include the years prior to 1945, which are being omitted at this time as being of secondary interest. A minute fraction of this history was published by Mr. Perdue through the mailings of the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. An article entitled The Incredible Years by Robert W. Lowndes appeared in The Fantasite for March-April 1942, covering the years 1939 and 1940 in a manner similar to what we have here. Otherwise, this is the first publication of such a compilation. --FTL.) GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS. In the source references only the last two digits of the year are given, the months are numbered consecutively. Thus, December 1934 would be abbreviated 12-34. In the case of quarterlies, the following abbreviations are used: Winter, w; Spring, sp; Summer, s; and Fall, f. H. G. Wells' THINGS TO COME (MacMillan, 1933) is indicated by TC. Magazine titles are abbreviated as follows: Az -- Amazing Stories As -- Astonishing Stories A -- Astounding Science Fiction CF -- Captain Future C -- Comet Co -- Cosmic Stories D -- Dynamic Science Stories FM -- Famous Fantastic Mysteries FA -- Fantastic Adventures FN -- Fantastic Novels F -- Fantasy Fu -- Future Fiction M -- Marvel Science Stories P -- Planet Stories SF -- Science Fiction SFQ-- Science Fiction Quarterly S -- Startling Stories St -- Stirring Science Stories Su -- Super-Science Stories T -- Tales of Wonder U -- Uncanny Tales Uk -- Unknown Worlds WT -- Weird Tales W -- Wonder Stories SW -- Science Wonder Stories AW -- Air Wonder Stories TW -- Thrilling Wonder Stories Q -- Quarterly
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THE SCIENTIFICTIONAL HISTORY OF THE FUTURE ELMER PERDUE (Editorial Note. Under this heading The Acolyte will for the next several issues publish what is probably one of the most unusual items ever inspired by fantastic fiction. No reader of this phase of literature can have failed to notice that in many of the stories definite calendar dates are assigned to the fictitious happenings, and perhaps some readers have idly wondered if there might be any fortuitous coincidences, such as the million-to-one shot of an author prophesying a date accurately. It remained for Elmer Perdue, a long-time reader and collector of fantasy, to tabulate these dates and work them up into a connected and chronological outline. The Acolyte staff, like Mr. Perdue, is uninterested in the esoteric or metaphysical connotations of this "history". While it would n o doubt be possible for a statistician to construct from it all manner of charts and tables "proving" or "disproving" about anything he wished, we feel that this compilation contains in itself sufficient interest to justify its publication. The criteria for the listings have been simple. The event listed must have been dated in the future at the time the story was written. It must be of such nature as to be of general historical interest. A specific year-date must have been assigned to it. A work of this nature can never be complete. In its present form, the Perdue "history" covers only the science-fiction published in pulp fantasy magazines from 1926 through the end of 1944, plus a very few books. Readers who are in a position to add to the work are urged to send in their notes for the addenda which we shall publish immediately following the completion of the history. This addenda will also include the years prior to 1945, which are being omitted at this time as being of secondary interest. A minute fraction of this history was published by Mr. Perdue through the mailings of the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. An article entitled The Incredible Years by Robert W. Lowndes appeared in The Fantasite for March-April 1942, covering the years 1939 and 1940 in a manner similar to what we have here. Otherwise, this is the first publication of such a compilation. --FTL.) GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS. In the source references only the last two digits of the year are given, the months are numbered consecutively. Thus, December 1934 would be abbreviated 12-34. In the case of quarterlies, the following abbreviations are used: Winter, w; Spring, sp; Summer, s; and Fall, f. H. G. Wells' THINGS TO COME (MacMillan, 1933) is indicated by TC. Magazine titles are abbreviated as follows: Az -- Amazing Stories As -- Astonishing Stories A -- Astounding Science Fiction CF -- Captain Future C -- Comet Co -- Cosmic Stories D -- Dynamic Science Stories FM -- Famous Fantastic Mysteries FA -- Fantastic Adventures FN -- Fantastic Novels F -- Fantasy Fu -- Future Fiction M -- Marvel Science Stories P -- Planet Stories SF -- Science Fiction SFQ-- Science Fiction Quarterly S -- Startling Stories St -- Stirring Science Stories Su -- Super-Science Stories T -- Tales of Wonder U -- Uncanny Tales Uk -- Unknown Worlds WT -- Weird Tales W -- Wonder Stories SW -- Science Wonder Stories AW -- Air Wonder Stories TW -- Thrilling Wonder Stories Q -- Quarterly
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