First Fandom is an informal association of early, active and well-known
science fiction fans
Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...
.
In 1958 a number of fans at
Midwestcon realized amid table-talk that they all had been active in fandom for more than 20 years. This inspired the creation of an organization for longstanding fans under the initial chairmanship of
Robert A. Madle. Originally only those fans who were known to have been active in fandom before the cutoff date, January 1, 1938, were eligible. Such fannish activity (or "
fanac
Fanac is a fan slang term (from fannish activities) for activities within the realm of science fiction fandom, and occasionally used in media fandom. Bloch, Robert. "Some of My Best Fans Are Friends." '' Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' ...
") including writing to letter columns in
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
magazines, having been published in
fanzines, or having participated in science fiction oriented clubs, or just generally doing fannish things.
Madle, Robert A. "Bob Madle's American Letter"
'' Nebula'' 40 (May 1959)
The term itself is an oblique reference to Olaf Stapledon
William Olaf Stapledon (10 May 1886 – 6 September 1950) – known as Olaf Stapledon – was a British philosopher and author of science fiction.Andy Sawyer, " illiamOlaf Stapledon (1886-1950)", in Bould, Mark, et al, eds. ''Fifty Key Figures ...
's classic science fiction epic ''Last and First Men
''Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future'' is a "future history" science fiction novel written in 1930 by the British author Olaf Stapledon. A work of unprecedented scale in the genre, it describes the history of humanity from t ...
''. In this book the stages of mankind are enumerated. Thus early 1950s historian of fandom Jack Speer
John Bristol Speer (August 9, 1920 – June 28, 2008) was an attorney, practicing law for over 60 years; a judge; and a member of the Washington House of Representatives.
Also a long-time science fiction fan and important early historian of sci ...
began to label successive generations of fans as First Fandom, Second Fandom, Third Fandom, and so forth... all the way to Seventh Fandom and beyond.
Currently the organization allows several classes of membership. For example, a ''Dinosaur'' is a member who was active before the first Worldcon
Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, durin ...
(World Science Fiction Convention) held on July 4, 1939, while ''Associate Membership'' requires provable activity in fandom for more than three decades.
First Fandom annually presents its First Fandom Hall of Fame award
First Fandom Hall of Fame is an annual award for contributions to the field of science fiction dating back more than 30 years. Contributions can be as a fan, writer, editor, artist, agent, or any combination of the five. It is awarded by First Fa ...
and Sam Moskowitz Archive Award for excellence in science fiction collecting. at the beginning of the Hugo Awards Ceremony at the World Science Fiction Convention.
There is an analogous informal society in Finnish fandom called the ''Dinosaur Club''; the cutoff being the first major Finnish con Kingcon.
References
1
Bob Madle's American Letter
Nebula Science Fiction
''Nebula Science Fiction'' was the first Scottish science fiction magazine. It was published from 1952 to 1959, and was edited by Peter Hamilton, a young Scot who was able to take advantage of spare capacity at his parents' printing company, ...
1959.
External links
{{commonscat
First Fandom website
First Fandom
First Fandom is an informal association of early, active and well-known science fiction fans.
In 1958 a number of fans at Midwestcon realized amid table-talk that they all had been active in fandom for more than 20 years. This inspired the creati ...