First Fandom is an informal association of early, active and well-known
science fiction fans.
In 1958 a number of fans at
Midwestcon
Midwestcon is a science fiction convention held annually in the Cincinnati, Ohio area by the Cincinnati Fantasy Group.
Midwestcon is an informal type of convention known as a "relaxacon," which means that it has no programming. Instead it is ...
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") including writing to letter columns in
science fiction magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
s, having been published in
fanzine
A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...
s, or having participated in science fiction oriented clubs, or just generally doing fannish things.
Madle, Robert A. "Bob Madle's American Letter"
''Nebula
A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...
'' 40 (May 1959)
The term itself is an oblique reference to Olaf Stapledon's classic science fiction epic '' Last and First Men''. In this book the stages of mankind are enumerated. Thus early 1950s historian of fandom Jack Speer 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 (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 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 1959.
External links
{{commonscat
First Fandom website
First Fandom