DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Wavelength, v. 1, issue 4, January-March 1942

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Wavelength, v. 1, issue 4, January-March 1942

Page 7

BIRTH OF A FAN
D. B. Thompson

   Art Widner, and many others, have said that "A fan is Born, not made." That, of course, would be very hard to prove.  The converse, I am convinced, would be even harder to prove.  But, whether or not I'm a "born" fan or a "made" one, I started along the route to Fandom rather early.
   In 1910, when I was six years old, I got my first big nudge toward an interest in science and things science-fictional.  Mr. Halley's well-known comet was the big show just then, and I used to spend the evening of many days in a vain effort to comprehend just what the big fiery-tailed star really was.  
   The next step was reading fairy-tales.  I was luckier than most country-school kids of that time; I attended a rather large rural school, which had something of a library.  It wasn't very long before I had read all the available fairy-tales.  That I was destined to become primarily a science fiction fan, rather than a fantasy fan was evident even then.  I was constantly finding fault with the illogical happenings in those stories.   
   I didn't encounter any real science-fiction until I was about twelve, though I had, it is true, read some of Poe before then.  The day that I discovered a free lending library in a department store in Lincoln, with a number of books by Jules Verne on its shelves, I became a reader of science-fiction.  Shortly thereafter, I discovered the "fantastic" in Argosy-All Story, and read many of the classics and near-classics now being reprinted in "Famous Fantastic Mysteries."
   The city library was not very well stocked with science fiction.  I read all of Wells' earlier novels, with one or two exceptions, though, while I was attending Junior High and Senior High.  I have since discovered a number of other authors of fantasy and science fiction who are represented on the conservative shelves of that institution; but at that time, I didn't know what to look for. 
   In 1921, when a senior in high school, I took the last step, from which there is no return...I wrote a science fiction story!  It was one of four long themes required in the English course.  Of course, I wasn't required to write a science fiction story; the term hadn't, as yet, been coined, so far as I know.  I was merely required to write a story of fifteen hundred words or more.  Mine started out in the approved Buck Rogers fashion, with a man reviving after a five hundred-year sleep, into the wonders of the distant future.  It ended when the protagonist, in a spaceship rushing headlong into the Sun, saw his two companions shoot themselves, rather than fry...and he heard his mother calling him to get up and get ready for school, just as he pressed his own electric pistol to his temple.  In case you are wondering, I hadn't read a Buck Rogers story at the time; my time machine was functioning only in my dreams, and the great Rogers was not due to appear until some five years later.  
   With the appearance of the first "Amazing" in 1926, my Golden Age began.  It hasn't ended yet; rather, it took a big jump with the appearance of Gernsback's "Wonder", and another when Street and Smith took over "Astounding." In the meantime, during the winters of 1929 and 1930, while I was teaching school, I wrote another story...this time, 25,000 words.  Only one person, besides myself, has ever seen it and the party liked very much.  It would seem incredibly stiff and heavy, now.  I promised that one person, then, yes, surely that some day should see me appear in a real professional science fiction magazine.  It took me eleven years to fulfill that promise, though.

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BIRTH OF A FAN D. B. Thompson Art Widner, and many others, have said that "A fan is Born, not made." That, of course, would be very hard to prove. The converse, I am convinced, would be even harder to prove. But, whether or not I'm a "born" fan or a "made" one, I started along the route to Fandom rather early. In 1910, when I was six years old, I got my first big nudge toward an interest in science and things science-fictional. Mr. Halley's well-known comet was the big show just then, and I used to spend the evening of many days in a vain effort to comprehend just what the big fiery-tailed star really was. The next step was reading fairy-tales. I was luckier than most country-school kids of that time; I attended a rather large rural school, which had something of a library. It wasn't very long before I had read all the available fairy-tales. That I was destined to become primarily a science fiction fan, rather than a fantasy fan was evident even then. I was constantly finding fault with the illogical happenings in those stories. I didn't encounter any real science-fiction until I was about twelve, though I had, it is true, read some of Poe before then. The day that I discovered a free lending library in a department store in Lincoln, with a number of books by Jules Verne on its shelves, I became a reader of science-fiction. Shortly thereafter, I discovered the "fantastic" in Argosy-All Story, and read many of the classics and near-classics now being reprinted in "Famous Fantastic Mysteries." The city library was not very well stocked with science fiction. I read all of Wells' earlier novels, with one or two exceptions, though, while I was attending Junior High and Senior High. I have since discovered a number of other authors of fantasy and science fiction who are represented on the conservative shelves of that institution; but at that time, I didn't know what to look for. In 1921, when a senior in high school, I took the last step, from which there is no return...I wrote a science fiction story! It was one of four long themes required in the English course. Of course, I wasn't required to write a science fiction story; the term hadn't, as yet, been coined, so far as I know. I was merely required to write a story of fifteen hundred words or more. Mine started out in the approved Buck Rogers fashion, with a man reviving after a five hundred-year sleep, into the wonders of the distant future. It ended when the protagonist, in a spaceship rushing headlong into the Sun, saw his two companions shoot themselves, rather than fry...and he heard his mother calling him to get up and get ready for school, just as he pressed his own electric pistol to his temple. In case you are wondering, I hadn't read a Buck Rogers story at the time; my time machine was functioning only in my dreams, and the great Rogers was not due to appear until some five years later. With the appearance of the first "Amazing" in 1926, my Golden Age began. It hasn't ended yet; rather, it took a big jump with the appearance of Gernsback's "Wonder", and another when Street and Smith took over "Astounding." In the meantime, during the winters of 1929 and 1930, while I was teaching school, I wrote another story...this time, 25,000 words. Only one person, besides myself, has ever seen it and the party liked very much. It would seem incredibly stiff and heavy, now. I promised that one person, then, yes, surely that some day should see me appear in a real professional science fiction magazine. It took me eleven years to fulfill that promise, though.