The Science Fiction Fan

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Zine
Title: The Science Fiction Fan
Publisher: Cosmic Publications
Editor(s): Olon F. Wiggins
Type:
Date(s): 1936-1941
Medium: Print
Size:
Fandom: Science Fiction
Language: English
External Links: Several issues online at fanac.org
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

The Science Fiction Fan was a science fiction zine published by Olon F. Wiggins.

In 1938, Wiggins announced that he would no longer be publishing anything written by Sam Moskowitz. In 1939, in the aftermath of the Great Exclusion Act, Moskowitz apparently accused Donald A. Wollheim of having offered Wiggins the FAPA presidency in exchange for the ban. Wollheim said in a 1939 article that this was false, that Wiggins had made the decision on his own, and that Wollheim's offer of the FAPA presidency had also been made independently after some time had passed. (See The First Side - The True Side.)

Reviews

A good, colorful cover by JMRogers adorns the exterior of this very prompt amagazine. Interior designs are by James and Mary Rogers. Best cut is James' for "Forecast" by Olon F. Wiggins..... Still no IPO Poll sadly enough.......The usual editorial is present with nothing unusual happening. "Maganews" continues to 'enlighten' us with 'news' we've already known.....Moskowitz has another of his articles, this time "Anent Fantasy Fandom." A rambling "What is Michelism?" in contributed by Robert W. Lowndes.....R. A. Madle has, in this issue, "They Always Come Back." Jim Blish is the observed in this issue's "As Others See Us." The readers' department, "Fan Echoes" is present in this issue. Altogether an interesting issue.....tho a few days behind unofficial time.

"Fan Mag Review" in Science Fiction Collector #19 pp. 25-26 (May 1938)

Robert A. W. Lowndes, a close friend of Wollheim and one of the Futurians barred from Worldcon 1939 by Sam Moskowitz, reviewed The Science Fiction Fan in 1940:

"The Science Fiction Fan" managed to retain monthly publication up to June of the year, after which time personal difficulties forced Editor Wiggins to hold up appearance. Its main handicap was one of appearance and the editor’s yen for making articles unintelligible in many, places via typographical errors. There was in addition the handicap of resentment, it had caused to many fans through a number of well-meaning mistakes the editor had made, plus the outright hatred of reactionaries and demagogic self-seekers.

While perhaps sympathizing with Wiggins' desire to keep out poor quality material, many fans felt that the tactics of publicly stating that no material by a fan named Sam Moskowitz would ever again appear in the magazine was both unfair and opposed to democratic principles. Had Wiggins been merely content to reject such items by Moskowitz as he felt below his standards, but giving that person the chance to make his grade, then there would have been no ill-will resultant except perhaps from. Moskowitz himself, who might have felt that Wiggins was over-using the rejection privilege on him and turning down stuff that was reall [sic] good. The West Coast fans had long been alienated, because of resentment at a matter involving Forrest J. Ackerman and an Esperanto column. Just who was in the right on this is not important now as it happened back in 1936. But the result was important in that from that date, these fans simply did not buy the magazine.

Despite these handicaps, the Fan has published a reasonably large number of items well worth the reader's and collector's time. The reactionaries are determined to drive this magazine out of business completely because of its fearless policy in regard to them and to their activities. Whether or not they succeed will depend for a great part whether or not the editor can correct past mistakes, retain all that is best in the magazine, present a better-appearing journal and keep regular time schedules, and remake contacts once lost. If this can be done, then the Fan cannot be killed; if not, there is a good liklihood [sic] that the campaign against it will succeed.

Lowndes in Scientifan issue 2 pp 4-5 (January 1940)

Tom Wright, in an issue of his zine Mercury that was bundled with that issue of Scientifan, gave The Science Fiction Fan a "Good" 3/5 star rating.

Jack Chapman Miske panned TSFF around the same time in his column "Stardust", and the editors responded:

"Pooh Pooh" to you, Mr. Stardust of our (more or less) esteemed contemporary "Spaceways. Who told you that Olon F. Wiggins isn't competent to publish a fan mag? As a matter of fact we appear to belong to the majority of fan publishers according to your article, inasmuch as your lengthy list of "incompetents" includes a large crowd and a very diverse one. Who would ever have though that the name of Wiggins would have been found in the same sentence with Sam Moskowitz.

Of course we are capable of putting out a good magazine. We have been doing so since long before Spaceways appeared and we'll outlast you and a lot of others. Naturally we aren't perfect-what fan mag is? But we are printing quality articles by good writers on vital subjects.

Again "Pooh Pooh" or "Pish Pish".

Olon F. Wiggins: TRIVIA; The Science Fiction Fan #44, pg. 20. March. 1940.

Notable Articles

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