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Science Fiction Echo, issue 1, June 1942

Page 1

RECENT STABILIZING DEVELOPMENTS IN STF FANDOM
1942 will go down as a red-letter period in science-fiction fandom. Why? Well, that is rather simple to explain.
This year many signs of fandom's growth are becoming evi-dent. Things that can only come into being when there is sufficient back-ground to support them. That means that fandom has grown to the point where it can truthfully be called grown-up. I have been informed that this was first noticed to an important degree at the Denvention; in addition tremendous events have taken place in the realm of fandom since that gathering which show that the observations of certain fans in regards to the grown-up business are correct. Of course, we all know that stf fan-dom has always had a more serious viewpoint than other "groups" of homo sapiens. 
As for background, the most important contributions to this are the fairly large number of successful conventions that have been held. We could scarcely say that the tremendously increased backlog of science-fiction stories furnished any appreciable background for determining the growth of fandom. Out attitude is the thing that counts in determining our growth---not the objects which create our attitude (i.e., the promags, or science-fictions stories from any other source.) There could be a hundred promags, and still, if our reaction to them were not just right, they would contribute nothing to our advancement.
With the background furnished by the conventions, several specific products of 1942 are made possible. I refer, of course, to the Nycon and Chicon (and possibly Denvention) Booklets produced, or being produced by Julie Unger.
Then there is Walt Daugherty's "Directory Of Science  Fic-tion Fandom." Even without obtaining a copy of this highly complimentary work, you can easily understand how helpful it would be. Fans who publish fanzines will doubtless benefit by it more than others; but all will have a use for it at times. True, if it had never been produced we could get along without it, but gradually, if revised editions continue to appear--in much the same manner as our telephone directories--we will come more and more to depend upon it for reference. the very fact that fandom has reached a point where a directory of some five hundred names can be published shows that we have reached solid footing
Another item that has been sorely needed, and which now is a reality, is the "Fannual", a project, and a very worthy one, of the Nat'l Fantasy Fan Fedoration. 
"Suddsy" Schwartz's "Who's Who" fanzine ("THE ROGUE'S GALLERY') of 100 fan autobiographies is another sign of the achievements being made, and yet to be made, during 1942.
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RECENT STABILIZING DEVELOPMENTS IN STF FANDOM 1942 will go down as a red-letter period in science-fiction fandom. Why? Well, that is rather simple to explain. This year many signs of fandom's growth are becoming evi-dent. Things that can only come into being when there is sufficient back-ground to support them. That means that fandom has grown to the point where it can truthfully be called grown-up. I have been informed that this was first noticed to an important degree at the Denvention; in addition tremendous events have taken place in the realm of fandom since that gathering which show that the observations of certain fans in regards to the grown-up business are correct. Of course, we all know that stf fan-dom has always had a more serious viewpoint than other "groups" of homo sapiens. As for background, the most important contributions to this are the fairly large number of successful conventions that have been held. We could scarcely say that the tremendously increased backlog of science-fiction stories furnished any appreciable background for determining the growth of fandom. Out attitude is the thing that counts in determining our growth---not the objects which create our attitude (i.e., the promags, or science-fictions stories from any other source.) There could be a hundred promags, and still, if our reaction to them were not just right, they would contribute nothing to our advancement. With the background furnished by the conventions, several specific products of 1942 are made possible. I refer, of course, to the Nycon and Chicon (and possibly Denvention) Booklets produced, or being produced by Julie Unger. Then there is Walt Daugherty's "Directory Of Science Fic-tion Fandom." Even without obtaining a copy of this highly complimentary work, you can easily understand how helpful it would be. Fans who publish fanzines will doubtless benefit by it more than others; but all will have a use for it at times. True, if it had never been produced we could get along without it, but gradually, if revised editions continue to appear--in much the same manner as our telephone directories--we will come more and more to depend upon it for reference. the very fact that fandom has reached a point where a directory of some five hundred names can be published shows that we have reached solid footing Another item that has been sorely needed, and which now is a reality, is the "Fannual", a project, and a very worthy one, of the Nat'l Fantasy Fan Fedoration. "Suddsy" Schwartz's "Who's Who" fanzine ("THE ROGUE'S GALLERY') of 100 fan autobiographies is another sign of the achievements being made, and yet to be made, during 1942. (CON'T NEXT PAGE)