Phantagraphy
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| Title: | Phantagraphy |
| Creator: | Donald A. Wollheim |
| Date(s): | February 1941 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Science Fiction |
| Topic: | The National Fantasy Fan Federation |
| External Links: | Hosted online. The Phantagraph #33 pp 2-4. |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Phantagraphy was a 1941 article that appeared in The Phantagraph #33. Editor Donald A. Wollheim voiced his opinions on several fan clubs past and present, and expressed support for the burgeoning National Fantasy Fan Federation.
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When our last issue came out we were promising regular monthly publication. So, in the seemingly inevitable Futurian manner, this issue is about a half year or more late, Don't be discouraged, you can blame our lateness this time on the excuse that the publisher and his staff were working on the laudable project of extending the boundaries of science-fiction and fantasy a couple of more notches, that is to the extent of bringing forth two new pro titles STIRRING SCIENCE STORIES and COSMIC STORIES and getting to work trying to make some improvement in already existing magazines such as FUTURE FICTION and SCIENCE FICTION QUARTERLY. Not to mention such matters as trying to make a living in science-fiction by trying by story sales to hoist the standards of Mr. Tremaine's COMET.That's the excuse we offer for the lateness of this issue. It's one we hope will be satisfactory. We've been exercising our fan ingenuity on make-up, columns, fillers, artwork, etc. on these other projects. For the same reason we can’t guarantee the any dependability in appearance of future issues. We will try to get copies out every time we can and we certainly don't ever intend to drop our fan magazine.
Fans we were to begin, with, and though we now make our living through science-fiction, it is still at the same time our hobby and remains so. We have some plans for TP's Seventh Anniversary Issue which we won't reveal because who knows what the exigencies of time will bring?
We have been watching with interest the efforts of various fans, mainly Widner, Singleton and Knight to organize fandom again. We refer to the National Fantasy Fan Federation. In our career in fandom we have seen any number of attempts to build up an independent national organization of fantasists and have seen most of them -fail. In fact they all failed except the FAPA which, because of its exacting requirements for membership and the peculiar elasticity and freedom of opinion open to all members, has gone on stronger than ever. We ve seen all manner of groups — the ISA, TFG, ILSF, Fantasy Fiction League, Phantasy Legion, American Fantasy Ass'n, SFA, etc.,--try in all manner of ways and all fail. In the instance of the NFFF we are not so ready to predict failure; its organizers have the peculiar distinction of being mature and above all cautious, conservative, and basing themsevles as closely as possible to the model of the successful FAPA. Jack Speer once said in his fantastic history of fandom that if Wollheim failed to be interested in a new organization, it would just wither and die in infancy. In order to avoid this terrible fate for the NFFF, let it be said that we look with approval and hope upon the NFFF and say we think it can be successful and we hope it is.
Some people may be expected to ask: what about this Cosmian League you're organizaing yourself in COSMIC STORIES? To which we answer: well, what about it? We did it and we do it because we like to. We've always nourished a secret ambition to run a coupon clipper's magzine sponsored club and this was our chance. It's modeled on the quiescent "Futuremen," "Black Arts Club," pattern because we see no need for more than one energetic and club-organizing Science-Fictioneers. We helped organise and start the latter and we still think it is the best and we think that one such club is always a true necessity to the fan world. An active sponsored club and an active independent club is what marks the healthy fantasy world. The Science-Fictioneers and the National Fantasy Fan Federation are these bulwarks. As for the Cosmian League— that is frosting on our cake. Selah!