Canadian Fandom

Canadian Fandom
15th Anniversary Issue 1957
Cover Art by Pat Patterson

Canadian Fandom is a Science Fiction fanzine by Joseph 'Beak' Taylor and later Ed McKeon, Gerald Steward and Bill Grant.

Canadian Fandom was published by Taylor in the 1940's in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was one of the earliest SF fanzines published in Canada. It was originally called Eightball, but its name was changed by the editor after the fourth issue.

A typical issue of Canadian Fandom included fiction, poetry, collector's ads, and serious articles on Science Fiction. Nils Helmer Frome, editor of one of the earliest known SF fanzines in Canada, Supramundane Stories, was a contributor to Canadian Fandom, as was Leslie Croutch, editor of Light, another Canadian SF fanzine that began publishing in the 1940's. Other contributors at this time included Alan Child, editor of Mephisto, Moe Diner of the Montreal Science Fiction Association, Bob Gibson, Fred Hurter, Jr., editor of Censored, Alistair Macrae, Shirley K. Peck, and Peter Young.

Albert A. Betts contributed cover art to many issues, alternating with Nils Helmer Frome, and Bob Gibson and Jack Sloan contributed comics. The cover of issue four was by Virginia Anderson (a.k.a. Hyacinthe Hill).

Contributors of writing from the U.S.A. included Forrest J. Ackerman (Voice of the Imagi-Nation), Virginia Anderson, David H. Keller, Francis Laney (The Acolyte), Marvis E. Manning (Pluto), Oliver Saari, and Bob Tucker (Le Zombie, Science Fiction Newsletter). Contributors from Australia included Eric F. Russell.

During this time,Canadian Fandom began to be distributed by the Canadian Amateur Fan Publishers.

Taylor also sponsored fandom meetings in Toronto, which Croutch also attended. In the late 1940's, these fans became organized into a committee to help prepare for the first Canadian Worldcon, a conference of Science Fiction fans hosted by a different city each year. This group called themselves "The Derelicts", and included Taylor, Ed McKeown, John Millard, Bill Grant, and Jack Doherty and Don Hutchinson, editors of Macabre. After Worldcon, Taylor handed over editorship of Canadian Fandom to fellow committee member Ed McKeown in 1949.

McKeown published two more issues of the fanzine before handing over editorship to a new member of The Toronto Derelicts, Gerald Stewart. Steward brought with him to the zine friends P. Howard Lyons and Ken Hall, as well as Pat Patterson, Boyd Raeburn and Ron Kidder. They were known for their liking of Beat poetry, jazz, leather jackets and fast cars, aside from all being fanzine editors, writers and artists. To differentiate themselves from the previous group of Toronto fans, this new group called themselves 'The Derelict Insurgents'. Shortly after Steward began editing Canadian Fandom, P. Howard Lyons and Pat Patterson Lyons join forces to produce Ibidem, Raeburn began A Bas, and Steward was also publishing Gasp!.

Contributors during this period included Robert Bloch, Norman G. Browne (Vanations, Filler), Vaughn Burden, Roberta Carr, William Conner, Stanley Couch, Leslie Crouch, D.N. Fileti, William Grant, Reta Grossman, Ken Hall, Arthur F. Hillman, Fred Hurter, Clyde Kennedy, David Lane, Howard Lyons, Joe Martino, Ingram McCallum, Ed McKeown, Shirley MacKenzie, Ray Palmer (The Comet), Elizabeth Pope, Phil Rasch, Marvin Snyder, Jennie Studnick, Betty Sullivan, and J.A.R. Zlodyk.

Artwork and covers were contributed by William D. Grant, Ken Hall, Dave Jenrette (later co- editor of Tabebuian), Ingram McCallum, Gerald Steward, and Fred Woroch.

Letters came from Al Bernfeld, Henry Calnek, Howard DeVore, Ron Ellik, Don Ford, Dean Grennell (Grue), Nan Gerding (The Chigger Patch of Fandom, Starlanes), Andrew Harris, Morgan Harris, Albert F. Lopez, Robert Rolfe, Daryl Sharp, and John Todsen, among others.

In the mid 1950s Steward passed the zine onto Bill Grant who shortened the name to CanFan.

Contributors from this period included Jean Carrol, Harlan Ellison (Science Fantasy Bulletin), Henry Elsner (The Scientifictionist), Dean A. Grennell (Grue, Filler), and Walt Willis (Hyphen). Artwork was by William Grant, Dave Jenrette, and Pat Patterson. Letters came from Georgina Ellis ( Honque).

The last issue was published in 1957, with the 15th annual of Canadian Fandom.

External Link

• A History of Canadian Science Fiction Fanzines, including Canadian Fandom in the 1940s
• A history of Canadian Science Fiction zines, including Canadian Fandom in the 1950s