Futurian War Digest

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Futurian War Digest, Vol 2 No 8, Cover Illustration by Arthur Williams 1942

Futurian War Digest is a science fiction and fantasy fanzine published in Leeds, England by J. Michael Rosenblum.

Futurian War Digest first appeared in October of 1940. Thirty nine issues were published, the last appearing in March 1945.

Rosenblum had published two zines prior to this one: The Futurian and Psuedo-Futurian. Futurian War Digest incorporated both of these early zines.

Rosenblum was publishing during World War II against great odds, and is credited with keeping the UK sci-fi fandom community alive and being the main chronicler of events during this time. He was aided by American and Canadian fans; Forrest J Ackerman, for instance, organized fans in the U.S. to ship over unwanted paper to him to print on, since there was a shortage of paper in the UK during the war.

A number of 'firsts' are associated with this fanzine. Many fans released small magazines to be distributed with Futurian War Digest: during the 5 years that the zine was being published, approximately one hundred and seventeen fanzines by twenty one fans were stapled together with the fanzine, creating the first split zine. As well, in Vol 1 No 6, Leslie Croutch is noted for the first use of the phrase "fanzine" in a UK publication.

Contributors included Forrest J Ackerman (Voice of the Imagi-Nation), Dr. John K. Aiken, Jack W. Banks, Loretta Beasley, Sidney Birchby, Arthur Bird, H. Ken Bulmer, John F. Burke (Satellite, The Fantast), Arthur Busby, Arthur C. Clarke (Novae Terrae), John C. Craig, Leslie Croutch (Light), Sidney Dean, E. Everett Evans (Nova, The National Fantasy Fan), Malcolm Ferguson, Walter H. Gillings, Bob Gibson, J.T. Gibson, Maurice Hanson (Novae Terrae), Ron Holmes, Hilda M. Johnson, R. Roland Johnson, Francis T. Laney (The Acolyte), Bert Lewis, Robert W. Lowndes, Edwin MacDonald, Richard George Medhurst, E.Frank Parker, Julian Parr, James Parkhill Rathbone (Macabre, Dawn Shadows), Milton Rothman (Fantasy Fiction Telegram), Eric F. Russell, Doug Webster (The Fantast, Cthulhu), Eric Williams, Gus Willmorth, and Donald Wollheim (The New Hieroglyph).

Cover art work was done by R.L. Bradbury, D. Elder, Bob Gibson, Edwin MacDonald, Harry Turner (Zenith) and Arthur Williams (The Science Fantasy Fan, Unique).

Fanzines distributed with Futurian War Digest include The Bibliophan, British Fantasy Society Bulletin, Cosmos, Dawn Shadows, Delerium Tremens, Fan Dance, Fantasy War Bulletin, The Fly in the Ointment, Galaxy, The Gentlest Art, He Said, Lampost, The Mighty Atom, Moonshine, Sands of Time, Science Fiction Fandom, Star Parade, Tin Tacks, Trivia, Voice of the Imagi-Nation, With the Archeologists, Zenith.

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