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Vampire, whole no. 8, December 1946
Page 12
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tioned anywhere therein. ((Don't we all? -- ftl)) And if it is, he leans back with a satisfied sigh and basks in his new-found glory. For at least he has satisfied the starved craving of his being -- to be recognized; he is known; he is a famous fan! It is the quintessence of the sublime. It is success indeed! What greater glory can there be? And he fools himself into believing that he has the interests of fandom, of science-fiction, at heart. What rot! For what interests can there possibly be outside of the fact that it is a wonderful place for a twisted personality to partially untwist itself? Fandom serves its purpose -- why not admit it? Or don't the fans want to realise it? Of course, not all the fans are content merely with writing and publishing. Some there are who pretend that they are bohemians among bohemians, madmen among madmen, and usually turn out to be fools among intellectuals. There are others who incorporate something new or weird or funny -- so long as it is spectacular -- into their publications or personalities, the better to hog the already crowded limelight. But not all are mad; there is a certain number of normal fans who are in fandom, usually for one of two reasons: (1) either to study the quaint personalities of the rabid fans, delve into odd human nature, and sit aloof, detached, amused; or (2) they are in fandom because it is a rich ground for amateur journalism, a fertile young soil in which it is a joy to work. For the most part, fans are highly intelligent; the majority are rather cultured. But they are introverts, and madmen, and science-fiction is secondary in their interests. They use it as a means to an end, a means to indulge in what small particle of fame they shall ever attain. For their primary interest is themselves. And they are quite mad. ### - - - - Neat, what? - - - - Russell Chauvenet's publications are not bulky. The complete set (which I dearly wish I had) is no more than 1 1/4 inches thick. Yet this chap was probably one of the most influential of all fans during the first three years of the '40's, a frequent office holder in both NFFF and FAPA, and in the opinion of this columnist the most profound of all the braintrusters. That sentence is a gross injustice to LRC, for it pictures him as ponderously serious chap, and Elarcy was the possessor of a delicate, puckish sense of whimsy which underlay much of what he wrote or published. Most of Chauvenet's publications appeared in FAPA. His sole non-FAPA vehicle, Detours, is probably the most colorful magazine of all time. Hand-written throughout, it is hektographed in a mad variety of colors, filled with intricate designs and illustrations, and each issue bears a sheet of brightly colored cellophane as a front cover. The six issues all appeared in 1940, and are notable for their refreshing unconventionality, in content as well as format. H. C. Koenig is right in there, wit his delicately sarcastic column, "Their Own Petard", which also is featured in his own Reader and Collector; Chauvenet, too, frequently waxes lyrical over some hilarious typographical error or revealingly stupid statement from some contemporary; straight-from-the-shoulder brief articles attacking something deserving castigation, such as the Ziff-Davis Quarterlies; and Chauvenet's acute observations on this and that. For FAPA, LRC published a number of titles, most of which were ephemeral single-sheeters, But there was nothing ephemeral about Sardonyx, his major FAPAzine, which was and is one of the greatest fanzines of all time. In format, it is the standard 8 1/2 X 11, and most -12-
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tioned anywhere therein. ((Don't we all? -- ftl)) And if it is, he leans back with a satisfied sigh and basks in his new-found glory. For at least he has satisfied the starved craving of his being -- to be recognized; he is known; he is a famous fan! It is the quintessence of the sublime. It is success indeed! What greater glory can there be? And he fools himself into believing that he has the interests of fandom, of science-fiction, at heart. What rot! For what interests can there possibly be outside of the fact that it is a wonderful place for a twisted personality to partially untwist itself? Fandom serves its purpose -- why not admit it? Or don't the fans want to realise it? Of course, not all the fans are content merely with writing and publishing. Some there are who pretend that they are bohemians among bohemians, madmen among madmen, and usually turn out to be fools among intellectuals. There are others who incorporate something new or weird or funny -- so long as it is spectacular -- into their publications or personalities, the better to hog the already crowded limelight. But not all are mad; there is a certain number of normal fans who are in fandom, usually for one of two reasons: (1) either to study the quaint personalities of the rabid fans, delve into odd human nature, and sit aloof, detached, amused; or (2) they are in fandom because it is a rich ground for amateur journalism, a fertile young soil in which it is a joy to work. For the most part, fans are highly intelligent; the majority are rather cultured. But they are introverts, and madmen, and science-fiction is secondary in their interests. They use it as a means to an end, a means to indulge in what small particle of fame they shall ever attain. For their primary interest is themselves. And they are quite mad. ### - - - - Neat, what? - - - - Russell Chauvenet's publications are not bulky. The complete set (which I dearly wish I had) is no more than 1 1/4 inches thick. Yet this chap was probably one of the most influential of all fans during the first three years of the '40's, a frequent office holder in both NFFF and FAPA, and in the opinion of this columnist the most profound of all the braintrusters. That sentence is a gross injustice to LRC, for it pictures him as ponderously serious chap, and Elarcy was the possessor of a delicate, puckish sense of whimsy which underlay much of what he wrote or published. Most of Chauvenet's publications appeared in FAPA. His sole non-FAPA vehicle, Detours, is probably the most colorful magazine of all time. Hand-written throughout, it is hektographed in a mad variety of colors, filled with intricate designs and illustrations, and each issue bears a sheet of brightly colored cellophane as a front cover. The six issues all appeared in 1940, and are notable for their refreshing unconventionality, in content as well as format. H. C. Koenig is right in there, wit his delicately sarcastic column, "Their Own Petard", which also is featured in his own Reader and Collector; Chauvenet, too, frequently waxes lyrical over some hilarious typographical error or revealingly stupid statement from some contemporary; straight-from-the-shoulder brief articles attacking something deserving castigation, such as the Ziff-Davis Quarterlies; and Chauvenet's acute observations on this and that. For FAPA, LRC published a number of titles, most of which were ephemeral single-sheeters, But there was nothing ephemeral about Sardonyx, his major FAPAzine, which was and is one of the greatest fanzines of all time. In format, it is the standard 8 1/2 X 11, and most -12-
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