Up To Now
This article or section needs expansion. |
| Commentary | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Up To Now (also Up To Now: A History of Fandom As Jack Speer Sees It or Up to Now: A History of Science Fiction Fandom) |
| Commentator: | Jack Speer |
| Date(s): | First printed June 1939 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Science Fiction |
| External Links: | Hosted on Fancyclopedia |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Up To Now was fannish historian Jack Speer's first history of fandom in the 1930s. It was distributed through FAPA and also at the first Worldcon ("Nycon I"). A 1940 review by Sam Moskowitz labels it as 36 large-sized mimeographed pages.
The feud between New Fandom and the Futurians played a major role in Speer's history, and participants on both sides found inaccuracies in his reporting. Sam Moskowitz (of New Fandom) gave it a more positive review than any of the Futurians. Critically, Up To Now was printed just before the events at Nycon I and present Speer's view of both sides before the Great Exclusion Act, which in retrospect became the feud's main event. All responses from New Fandom and the Futurians came after the Great Exclusion Act.
Reviews
This volume is certainly a very fine and painstaking effort. It outlines a history of fandom all the way through from 1930 to today, in Jack Speer's own, inimitable manner. All subjects are covered adequately. Although some portions are not strictly accurate they make intrigueing reading as one man's opinion. A really fine work, something no fan should be without. Our only criticism being that the author takes too much stock in fan arguments. You know, Jack, its quite possible that a couple of things were accomplished without the argufiers.
A brief comment on Paul Freehafer's letter anent the Speer 'history'... I think this whole business of trying to pin science-fiction around the life or doings of one person is so much ridiculous nonsense. Science-fiction , like everything else, is subject to the trends and forces of social and world currents, and no individual can do any more that either go along with them hastening them or else fight them and disappear.... Fans should be careful to avoid taking the Speer work seriously. The view it presents is wholly unrealistic. Speer's insistence that all the michelists ought to talk as one man is a bit unAmerican, don't you think?Donald A. Wollheim in Voice of the Imagi-Nation issue 4 pg. 11 (November 1939)
By the way, if you could have seen the broad grins on all of our faces when we read Speer's accounts of the Wollheimosities you might have slightly different ideas on the subject. We all agree that Jack's 'Up to Now' is a superb bit of fan-fiction.... Might add that the notes about Don being a [member of the Young Communist League] way back in 1936 and 37 is so much bull and Jack has made an ass of himself by giving the W[ollheim] communist motives before he had them.Robert Lowndes in Voice of the Imagi-Nation issue 5 page 12 (April 1940)