Operation Fantast
Operation Fantast was variously a UK-based club, a book and magazine selling and trading forum, and a fanzine, operating the first year as part of the British Fantasy Library and then independently. It was created and maintained by Ken and Joyce Slater and was a significant gateway to British fandom in the late 1940s and early 1950s. J. Michael Rosenblum felt that it functionally approximated to his own Futurian War Digest as 'a focal point and nucleus, as well as a clearing house for questions and information'[1].
Its first incarnation was a fanzine. In the Conspiracy '87 souvenir book, Ken Slater explained its genesis:
As a result of correspondence with Ron Holmes and Nigel Lindsay of the British Fantasy Library the first issue of Operation Fantast came out in September 1947, as a 'flyer' with the BFL's Booklist. Ron Holmes was trying to get fans back into fanzine publishing, Nigel wanted to obtain new material for the Library, and dispose of surplus items. I was already deep into personal trading deals with various people both in UK and overseas, and seemed a likely person to help them both.
Its second issue, dated December 1947 but mailed in January 1948, proclaimed itself 'The mouthpiece of the Liaison Department of the BFL' and included BFL news and details of new members. Ken Slater was in the army at the time and in early 1948 when he was posted abroad he said Operation Fantast would be maintained by Joyce Tealby from Wisbech who would become Joyce Slater when they married later that year.
With #4 Operation Fantast was billed slightly differently as 'The mouthpiece of the Trading Department of the British Fantasy Library' but #5 (September 1948) gave no allegiance to the BFL and in an editorial Ken Slater encouraged BFL members to confirm to him whether they wished to continue to receive it. Operation Fantast seems to be an independent entity from this point. The first issue of Science Fantasy News dated January 1949 reported that Mike Tealby would be operating a 'new postal fantasy library' in conjunction with Operation Fantast. After the March 1949 Trading Supplement, the fanzine launched a new series in July 1949 with a switch to a printed rather than duplicated format.
In fact, Operation Fantast, as the publisher of Operation Fantast, evolved 'into something not exactly a club, or a book and magazine selling business, but rather a hybrid of both, an operation unique in the history of fandom' (Rob Hansen, Then). Ken Slater explained, again in the Conspiracy '87 souvenir book:
Operation Fantast grew into a very loosely organised group of fans who all wanted to 'do their own thing' in various ways, and found that OF offered a sort of umbrella or shield which enabled them to do these things. By modern [1987] standards membership was not very high – on a worldwide basis it peaked around the middle of 1950, with some 800 people; it had passed 500 in late 1949, when I had had to introduce a printed fanzine – the effort of producing it by hand on a duplicator was too great. The 'membership' changed, but remained fairly constant between 600-700 ...
For context, the British Fantasy Society of 1942–6 managed just about 130 members before its dissolution.
The organisation would continue until 1955 by which point the Slaters had set up Fantast (Medway) Ltd as a mail-order SF business.
Operation Fantast
| Issue | Date | Pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First series (duplicated) | |||
| 1 | September 1947 | 8 | |
| 2 | December 1947 | 22 | |
| - | January 1948 | 8 | Operation Fantast Trading Supplement January 1948 |
| 3 | March 1948 | 24 | |
| 4 | June 1948 | 26 | |
| 4a | July 1948 | 18 | Whitconzine |
| - | July 1948 | 8 | Operation Fantast Trading Supplement July 1948 |
| 5 | September 1948 | 36 | |
| 6 | December 1948 | 18 | Final regular issue of the first series |
| - | March 1949 | 12 | Operation Fantast Trading Supplement March 1949 |
| New series (printed) | |||
| 1 | July 1949 | 16 | First issue in new printed series |
| 2 | September 1949 | 16 | |
| 3 | December 1949 | 16 | |
| 4 | March 1950 | 16 | |
| 5 | June 1950 | 16 | |
| 6 | September 1950 | 16 | |
| - | September 1950 | 6 | Operation Fantast 6 supplement, duplicated |
| 7 | December 1950 | 20 | |
| 8 | March 1951 | 20 | |
| 9 | Summer 1951 | 20 | |
| 10 | October 1951 | 20 | |
| 11 | Winter 1952 | 24 | |
| 12 | Spring 1952 | 24 | |
| 13-14 | Winter 1952 | 48 | |
| - | April 1954 | 16 | Fantast Sidetrack #1 |
| 15 | Summer 1953 | 32 | |
| 16 | Summer 1954 | 24 | |
| 17 | March 1955 | 24 | |
| 18 | May 1955 | 24 | Final issue |
Other Operation Fantast publications:
- Operation Fantast Handbook [1951–3]
- Operation Fantast Newsletter [1951–4]
Operation Fantast online at fanac.org
| From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959 |
| Ken Slater organized this group to get around the exchange restrictions on stf and money just after World War II. It prospered well till Ken retired it from activity as a fan group around 1955. Useful work included publication of a large and well-duplicated Official Organ named after the club, including data of current and historical interest. Ken apparently kept most of the reins and responsibility in his own hands, a point deserving the attention of others who meditate on general fan organizations. |
| From Fancyclopedia 2 Supplement, ca. 1960 |
| Ken Slater's commercial enterprise is called simply "Fantast (Medway) Ltd", not Operation Ditto. |
____
| Club | 1947—1955 |
| 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! |
