British Fantasy Library membership 1947-1949
The British Fantasy Library (BFL) was a successor to the British Fantasy Society, becoming a separate organisation in January 1947 and continuing for an unknown period although after 1949 it seemingly no longer issued publications aside from, presumably, 'bare' lists of its books and magazines.
Only one list of members has been found so far. The British Fantasy Library Handbook likely dates from late 1947 and that lists 30 names although these don't include the organisers, Ron Holmes and Nigel Lindsay. Further new members were reported in issues of its OO/clubzine Booklist and the first run of Operation Fantast or can be identified from other sources (e.g. Thomas D. Moore said he was a member in an [N3F bio). When Walt Willis mailed Booklist around Christmas 1948 there were 41 paid up members although some of the original 30 may have lapsed.
An alphabetical listing of known members follows. It is likely very incomplete. The fourteen names with an asterisk had previously been members of the British Fantasy Society. Americans Koestner and MacInnes, marked (H), were honorary members (presumably connected to gifts of books and magazines that Britfandom had received).
- Norman Ashfield
- Jack Banks *
- Peter B. Bell
- M. A. Boyd
- Daphne Bradley
- Colin Brown
- Arthur Busby *
- M. Charity
- Jimmy Clay
- I. Clay-Jones
- T. Cunningham
- S. R. Dalton
- Jim Donaldson
- Arthur Duell
- Charles Duncombe
- George Ellis *
- D. W. Evans
- P. D. Fortey
- Derek Gardiner *
- W. Arthur Gibson *
- N. C. Gourley
- F. J. Grimes
- Mrs Helliwell
- R. Henery
- Phil Hetherington
- Ron Holmes *
- Ian R. Innes
- E. R. James *
- Bill Johnson
- Kenneth Johnson *
- W. Kerr
- John E. Koestner (H)
- Shivaji Lal
- Nigel Lindsay *
- Harold Loney
- Allan Longton *
- E. Lumer
- Thomas L. MacDonald
- Harry Manson *
- Dave MacInnes (H)
- D. McNaught
- Peter G. Medcalf
- Thomas D. Moore
- Tom Moulton
- S. Nodleman
- P. Pennington
- C. H. Pepper
- Derek Pickles
- A. E. Prince
- Francis G. Rayer *
- E. W. Roberts
- Stanley Roberts
- J. Michael Rosenblum *
- Ken Slater
- D. R. Smith *
- E. F. Smith
- R. Smith
- M. J. V. Steer
- L. G. Street
- Myrtle Taylor
- Joyce Teagle
- Terry O. Trollope
- Cedric Walker
- A. E. Williams
- I. G. Williams
- Walt Willis
- F. D. Wilson
The following five don't appear on any membership list but may have been members:
- Vin¢ Clarke who distributed Booklist with Science Fantasy News.
- John Gunn who took over as editor of Booklist in 1948.
- Bert Lewis appears on the list of people wanting magazines in Operation Fantast #2.
- Walter I. Norcott appears on the list of people interested in trading magazines in Operation Fantast #2.
- J. Frank White who according to Booklist #6 stopped answering letters.
After 1949 the BFL sections were operated by Jim Donaldson (books), William Dawson and Vera Douglas (magazines split by title), with Dawson and Douglas (not in the members list above) continuing until at least 1959 by which point the organisation had become 'British Fantasy and Science Fiction Library' (showing the evolution of the genre terminology, see discussion at BFS).
| Club | 1947—???? |
| This is a club page. Please extend it by adding information about when and where the club met, when and by whom it was founded, how long it was active, notable accomplishments, well-known members, clubzines, any conventions it ran, external links to the club's website, other club pages, etc.
When there's a floreat (Fl.), this indicates the time or times for which we have found evidence that the club existed. This is probably not going to represent the club's full lifetime, so please update it if you can! |
