Science fiction fandom in 1941 played out in a panoply of wisdom, foolishness, belief and incredulity. Less mired than previous years in the economic shackles of the Great Depression, fans let loose in ways both expected and surprising.
The year began with a bang Ð the noisy implosion of the ascendant Queens Science Fiction League, torn apart by rancor among New York factions stewing since 1938. In early December, fans in America were forced to face the threat of imminent dystopia as insidious products of science and engineering rained down on sailors at Pearl Harbor.
Between these bookends, fans read and wrote and gathered and argued and published in profusion Ð mostly in good humor.
The perennial questions persisted. WhatÕs the purpose of the fiction we inhale like oxygen? What role do fans play in the world? Are we somehow better than others? WhatÕs the point of organizing? Perhaps these debates were reason enough to come together.
This supplement to The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom, Volume Three: 1941 contains the full versions of artifacts excerpted in The Visual History, Volume Three, as well as previously unpublished material related to the story of science fiction fandom during this time. These artifacts give readers a deep and personal look into science fiction fandom through the words of the fans as they wrote them.
Find The Visual History of Science Fiction Fandom, Volume Three: 1941 on our website: https://firstfandomexperience.org/, Science Fiction, Fandom, Science Fiction Fandom, History, David Ritter| 9781736659694 | 168PAGES