1930--1936 The First Fans; The First Fanzine; The Rise of Northern Fandom; The Beginning of London Fandom
One day in 1927, a 15 year old schoolboy called Walter Gillings came upon a peculiar American magazine called AMAZING STORIES, the March 1927 issue, to be exact, featuring The Green Splotches. This tiny seed of corn did not fall on stony ground. Almost immediately the boy who was to become the most influential figure in British s-f began producing little amateur magazines featuring amateur s-f, anticipating the first American fanzine by more than two years. In 1930 he started the first known British fan group, "The Ilford Science Literary Circle", and was agitating in publishing circles for a British prozine. In both these efforts he was too far ahead of his time and for a few years, his interest subsided.
Gillings had more to contend with than the natural conservatism of publishers. In the 1930s ships coming from America to Britain, carried a lot of ballast in the form of waste paper. For some reason, this paper consisted mostly of remaindered copies of s-f prozines which were sold in Woolworths all over the country at five cents a copy. Naturally home publishers assumed that this competition spoiled their own prospects and the first British prozine had to wait til British fandom organised itself to fight for one.
With a branch of Woolworths in every large town, there must have been thousands of people reading s-f pulps every month ---- I still vividly remember myself going without my lunch and walking home from school with armsful of ASF -- and it was only a matter of time before they got together. The process was catalysed by the founding of the British Interplanetary Society, in Liverpool, in October 1933, and by the Science Fiction League, introduced in the May, 1934 WONDER. By 1936, the BIS had members all over the country and there were chapters of the League in Leeds, Nuneaton, Glasgow, Barnsley and Belfast. British fandom was steadily reaching critical mass.
Then, in March 1936, a fanzine appeared. Its name was NOVAE TERRAE, and the editors were Maurice Hanson and Denis Jacques, of the Nuneaton SFL. They must have prided themselves on having published the first extra-American fanzine little knowing that their distinction was being stolen under their very noses --- literally. While they were hard at work on their fourth issue, a fanzine arrived from New Zealand, published on February 16th. Having carved for themselves this tiny niche in the hall of fame, New Zealand fandom promptly collapsed, never to be heard of again.
NOVAE TERRAE, on the other hand, published 29 issues before it was translated into Ted Carnell's "NEW WORLDS" in January, 1939. In those 35 months it made history. Carnell himself appeared as early as the second issue, in which he began a long and sensational career as a fan columnist with a report on the Hornig--Wollheim/Sykora feuds, for which he had to apologise to everyone, in the fourth issue. Carnell was at that time well known to American fandom, but he had not met any English fan. That omission was soon to be repaired. Early in 1936, he got a letter from Les Johnson of Liverpool saying that he and Eric Frank Russell were coming to London on business and perhaps they might see Carnell. Eagerly he intercepted them at the railway station, and tagged along with them to Gillings home, where he listened spellbound to exciting news of a proposed British prozine, and a printed fanzine --- news which he promptly passed on in NOVAE TERRAE. Of the four who met here for the first time, Gillings was to become Britain's first prozine editor, and to remain #1 fan for many years, until supplanted by Carnell. Johnson was constantly active for the next 15 years, and thru his dealing business, (S.F. Service) was to bring more people into fandom than anyone until Ken Slater (and, incidentally, if anyone recalls my 1951 Loncon Report, was the Liverpool Master of Mimeography, who saved the Convention Programme.) and Eric Frank Russell is THE Eric Frank Russell, still half in and half out of fandom.
In its sixth issue, NOVAE TERRAE published its first contribution from an American fan. It was an article from Ackerman about Esperanto, and the controversy it caused is covered very fully --- maybe more fully than it deserves --- in THE IMMORTAL STORM. Moskowitz says that Ackerman became unpopular in England on account of this but, really, I don't see how anyone could have harboured much of a grudge against him, after this disarming tailpiece to his reply:
"In conclusion, just want to warn any other fans reading this --- English or otherwise -- who for real or imaginary reasons dislike me, that they'd better watch out! "Cause Ackerman's a ferocious fellow, I go out to KILL my enemies ------ by making friends of them"
In England, at least, he carried out this threat perfectly.
NOVAE TERRAE published 9 issues, in the remainder of 1936, and grew immensely in influence, but the editors were only a small group in a small town, and the real leadership passed to Leeds, home of the biggest and most active S.F.L. chapter in the country. They were now producing a mimeo'd bulletin of their own, they had a permanent clubroom open day and night, and they were making plans for a national Convention. To the north of them, the Barnsley, Glasgow and Belfast chapters showed no life. To the south, there was no organised activity at all beyond Nuneaton. The entire south of England, containing half the population of the country, seemed to have two active fans. And Gillings was engaged in a grim struggle with publishing firms, and far too busy to intervene in fandom. The position of the Leeds-Nuneaton axis seemed unchallengeable. It would have seemed incredible that within a year, the Leeds group would have split - the Nuneaton group dissolved - the Liverpool group reduced in importance and that London fandom would not only be publishing NOVAE TERRAE, but would also be building the most powerful fan organisation the world has seen yet.
And yet, the portents were there, and could have been seen in Carnell's columns. Each of the blows that shook the foundations of Northern fandom was forecast by him with deadly accuracy. It may have been because he was working busily behind the scenes to deliver them, but more probably that he had his ear very firmly fixed to the ground. The Liverpool group was the first to fall. In August Carnell had reported a movement to transfer the BIS headquarters to London and at an historic meeting in Professor Low's office in Piccadilly that October, the deed was done. One Arthur C. Clarke, an old time B.I.S. member, was appointed treasurer. After the meeting, Clarke, Carnell and Gillings adjourned to a nearby cafe and London fandom was born.
1937-1939 The First Convention-The Decline of Northern Fandom-The Science Fiction Association-The First Br. Prozine-The Golden Age of London Fandom-
The world's first Science Fiction Convention was held in Leeds on January 3, 1937. Moskowitz gives that honor to the New York-Philadelphia meeting of October 1936, but that was merely a regional conference. The Leeds event was truly a national convention, and every important fan in Britain was there, except leading fan journalist D.R. Smith, of Nuneaton who, like Harry Warner, could never be tempted out of his home town. The visitors included Hanson of NOVAE TERRAE Johnson and Russell from Liverpool and Gillings, Carnell and Clarke from London. At the convention it was agreed to form a new national fan organisation, the Science Fiction Association. The head was Meyer of Leeds, the headquarters of the organisation were to be in Leeds, and NOVAE TERRAE was to become its official organ. This was the very pinnacle of Leeds's achievement, and almost immediately it began to topple. Rosenblum, and other important Leeds fans seceded from the SFA, rather than sever their connections with the American fan organisations, and within a few weeks Gillings was to bring immense prestige to London, by producing the first issue of his SCIENTIFICTION-The British Fantasy Review. And during the rest of 1937 London fandom continued to grow. In September the death knell sounded for the Nuneaton group as Hanson moved to London taking his mimeograph with him. Without him the Nuneaton group faded away, leaving only D.R. Smith as a lone wolf, and the October NOVAE TERRAE appeared under the joint editorship of Hanson, Carnell, and Clarke. Duly heralded by Carnell, a London branch of the S.F.A. was formed, with more founding members than the entire fan population of Leeds; and, Carnell was already suggesting that the next convention be held in London. It was. And at it, the executive of the SFA was formerly transferred to an all London committee.
Meanwhile, Gillings had been frantically active. His professionally printed fanzine had served its purpose of convincing a publisher that there was a market for a British prozine and that Gillings was the man to edit it. TALES OF WONDER duly appeared, and was well received by fandom. The publishers, however, were not quite so happy about it and there was a delay of nine months before the second issue came out. When it did, the publishers promised to go on a quarterly schedule, and Gillings promptly abandoned his fanzine for his prozine. SCIENTIFICTION was taken over by the SFA, who combined it with their year old TOMORROW, which at once went professionally printed.
With this the SFA reached an incredible peak of activity. In addition to TOMORROW and NOVAE TERRAE, they were publishing a British Science Fiction Bibliography, and two other fanzines -- AMATEUR SCIENCE STORIES and SCIENCE FICTION GAZETTE ----- and supplying their members with numerous services. Their total membership was well over 200 and Wollheim was suggesting that American fandom join the SFA en masse in default of a worthwhile American fan organisation. London was the fan center of the world. It was as if a whole city of fans had suddenly gone nova.
Having become the centre of gravity of British fandom, London became its centre of levity. NOVAE TERRAE became the world's first QUANDRY-type fanzine. The influence of its new co-editors became obvious almost at once. Hanson had tended to pomposity in his editorials but it was soon taken out of him, and for the first time NOVAE TERRAE began to print the type of material we expect from a good humorous fanzine today --- satire --- personalities --- wit --- parodies - and general fannish humor. When William F. Temple joined the editorial staff halfway through 1938, NOVAE TERRAE had in him and Arthur C. Clarke the most brilliant editorial board of any fanzine ever published, or likely to be. It is a pity that much of the material in NOVAE TERRAE isn't suitable for quoting -- because it is buried in reviews of forgotten films or books -- or skits on half-forgotten stories or fans but I will pick out a few pieces as an appendix to this article.
From NOVAE TERRAE, April 1938
PRELUDE TO THE CONQUEST OF SPACE
By Arthur C. (Ego) Clarke
I shot a rocket into the air,
It fell to earth I know not where,
But 50 grammes of T.N.T.,
Exploded in the Rectory.
I shot a rocket into space,
Towards the full moon's beckoning face,
And was rewarded for my pains,
By blowing up the Sea of Rains.
I shot a rocket into the air,
But notwithstanding all my care,
Five hundred tons of dynamite,
Blew San Francisco out of sight.
From NOVAE TERRAE August 1938, Second Anniversary Issue,
(Excerpt from D. R. Smith's story "In The Grand Manner")
Something glittered on the alien blue-green sward not fifty yards from the ship. Intensely intrigued, all rushed to it.
"Why, it's only a cogwheel" cried Madeline. Steve gave her a glance from which love and respect were conspicuously absent.
"A left hand helical mitre gear" he said with emphasis on the last word. "Involute tooth form, helix angle about twelve, ground after hardening." he went on didactically.
"What does all this mean?" cried Madeline hysterically. Steve regarded her irritably.
"It means I know more about gears than you do."
From NOVAE TERRAE January 1939
The British Fan #7
William F. Temple
By Arthur C. Clarke
As I write this, the author of 'The Smile of the Sphinx', 'Lunar Lilliput' etc. etc. etc., is prowling around the room in excentric circles pushing the carpet sweeper before him. Ever and anon he sends a reproachful glance in my direction but it produces absolutely no effect. (My conscience is clear: Didn't I wipe up the crockery? If you don't believe me. look in the dustbin.) Every time it reaches perehelion the sweeper gives a gargling click and disgorges a pile of cosmic debris travels on thru space, engulfing planet after planet, sun after sun --- sorry, wrong story.
The carpet sweeper has left the room now, clucking like a Geiger-Muller counter about to lay an egg and I can write without fear of an inquisitive nose snooping over my shoulder. So now's the time for a few personalities. Moderately tall, moderately dark, immoderately handsome, Bill works in the Stock Exchange, which doesn't suit him one little bit. He was trained for some years to be an engineer but dropped that and now he doesn't know the difference between a two jointed, waffle-nosed cam and an excentrically pivoted bi-phase fluking iron (the ignorant fellow). The only things he does know anything about are films, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., H. G. Wells, appendicitis (tummyache to you) and rejection slips. He says he's got a bad temper, but hasn't, and says he doesn't like writing, but does.
When he wants to write, he retreats to his room, where he has a writing bureau full of dictionaries and Thesauruses (Thesauri?). If it is cold, he lights an oil stove and has to emerge every half hour for a breath of fresh air. This gives him an excuse to stop work and he generally makes the best of it. Every Few weeks he swears solemnly: "Next week I'll start writing in earnest,", and when next week comes, he either spends every night at the flicks or else crawls from pub to pub, trying to drown a set of practically unsinkable sorrows. If anyone ever films his life, they'll call it: "The Birth of a Procrastination"
One thing about this fellow Temple is the clarity of his mind, and the way he concentrates his activities into a few narrow fields, in order to obtain maximum efficiency. This is shown very clearly in his library. I'll select a few books at random. Houdini's Escapes -- The Film Til Now --- Bulldog Drummond -- The British Landscape -- The Appeal of Jazz -- How To Concentrate -- Colleridge's Poems -- Expressions of the Emotions in Man and Animals ----- Outline of History ---- Angel Pavement -- could specialisation go further? He doesn't go in very heavily for s-f these days. Richard Seaton is just a name to him, and Hawk Carse is a dealer in secondhand Fords.
On the mantelshelf, stand two of his proudest possessions: autographed photos of Eleanor Powell and Douglas Fairbanks (Sr.). In the middle, H.G. Wells sits on top of my midget radio, and hops about in a most un-Wellsian manner when it is on. All attempts to make him remove these photos (which lower the whole tone of our establishment) have so far failed. We admit the necessity for Wells, even if he does look as if that diabetes was coming on again, but Miss Powell and Douglas Fairbanks (Sr.) ---- I mean to say.
I had better hurry up and finish this, as I hear him coming back again, rolling the dustbin down the stairs. One thing I've forgotten to tell you about him is his habit of getting up 5 minutes before he is due to leave for work in the morning, and his miserable habit of constant pessimism, his excruciating whistle, and his neurotic ......................
(EDITOR'S NOTE: MS above was discovered with the effects of the late Arthur C. Clarke, who was found bettered to death with a carpet sweeper in his flat some weeks ago. We publish these last words from his brilliant and versatile pen as an indication of the great loss that has been suffered by the worlds of literature, art, science, etc.,etc,.)
Next issue: The Outbreak of War: The Destruction of British Fandom; The Resurgence of the North; The Work of Rosenblum in Keeping Fandom Together; Ackerman: English Fandom's Forry Godmother; The New Fans. Don't miss it!
(Data entered by Judy Bemis)