Variant World

Variant World was a science fiction fanzine published by Sheldon Deretchin.

Released in the 1950s, Variant World was published in Brooklyn. New York, U.S.A. At least seven issues appeared, the first issue in April 1952.

Contributors of writing included Charles Catania, Fred Chappell, Marion Cox (The Femizine), Douglas Mitchell, and David Rike.

Contributors of cover and interior artwork included David Rike, among others.

John Ledyard, in the December 1952 issue of Peon, writes, "Mimeographed. Very nice. Material by Charles Catania, Marion Cox, Douglas Mitchell, Fred Chappell, David Rike, and others. The cover and interior cartoons by Rike are very cleverly done. A lot of the material pertains to club doings, but is interesting nevertheless. There are two stories on the same theme in this issue~ though; which rather fouls up the zine's balance. Seems to be sort of a humor~zine, though not of the QUANDRY-CONFUSION type. You'll have to try it yourself to see what I mean."

Variant World was distributed through the Fantasy Amateur Press Association.

Sheldon Deretchin was a regular attendee of various science fiction conventions. The Philcon Reporter, the Official Organ of the Eleventh World S F Convention, Philcon, held in Philadelphia in 1953, ran this item in their newsletter; "SUITE “SEVENTH FANDOM” Fan activities last night centered on Suite 1418, in which active fans Harlan Ellison, Dave Ish, Jim Schreiber, Bob Silverberg and Karl Olsen are registered. Dave Mason and Shel Deretchin were on hand to publish a one-shot, and parties were under way in each of the suite’s three rooms. Larry Shaw, Harry Harrison and Frank Robinson helped some twenty fans to use up the suite’s alcohol supplies." Deretchin was one of a group of Americans and Canadians to travel to England for the 1957 London Worldcon. and then toured the country. He also attended the famous "South Gate in '58' convention, SOLACON, in California. Charles Freudenthal, writing about 1950s fans in New York in el #6, from January 2003, mentions that Sheldon Deretchin was one of the many guests at the fan apartment/'slan-shack'/meeting place called "The Dive" where he, Dick and Pat Ellington, Bill Donaho, Dan Curran and Art Saha all lived. Later in the 1960s, he attended the 1961 MidWestCon in the U.S.A. According to the October 1964 issue of Skyrack, Sheldon Deretchin had passed away at some time before this issue was published.

Sheldon Deretchin was also one of the contributors to the folk music fanzine The Bosses' Songbook.