Wonder (Tealby)

(Were you looking for A Different Wonder?)

Wonder was a fanzine produced by Mike Tealby of Loughborough in Leicestershire, UK. It was often concerned with Fortean or Shaverian subjects.

Its numbering is particularly unclear. Most issues carry volume and issue numbers but the one for Summer 1953 shifts to whole number and is #10. In any rational world, this implies there were – or at least Tealby thought there were – nine earlier issues, but the British Fanzine Bibliography only lists six of them. The Autumn 1950 issue is definitely v2#3 and that suggests at least two of the missing issues are v2#1 and v2#2 between Summer 1949 and Autumn 1950, perhaps preceded by a v1#3 in the same window.

The first issue was distributed with Science Fantasy News Minor #1 (February 1949) but:

Unfortunately, Mike didn't anticipate the large size of the membership of the S.F.S. and didn't send us enough copies. We are trying to overcome this by juggling a few copies about between members of the London Circle, and some of these, may go out with SFN 2. A note will be sent to Mike of anybody who fails to get a copy.

Science Fantasy News #8 (July 1951) notes that 'The non-appearance of Wonder for many months caused its omission from the list of British fanzines in SFN 7. Mike Tealby's off-trail 'zine appeared soon afterwards.' This is likely the Spring 1951 issue.

Science Fantasy News #12 (June 1952) said 'Best wishes to fan Mike Tealby, now recovered from recent illness, will be issuing his Wonder again soon.' This seems to be the 'Summer 1952' issue reviewed by Ken Slater in Fan Press #1 (November 1952) where he says it:

... heralds the return of Mike Tealby to the ranks of fandom. ... Frankly, Mike, I think you should have spent a little more time on the ish,  and then your 'herald' would have had less of the appearance of a bedraggled harbinger of doom! Normally, folks, Wonder is very well produced, although apt to lack margins. Mike has not done himself justice with this number. Mainly concerned with the Shaver Mystery and allied subjects, I can recommend Wonder to any fan interested in that material. But I’d not like to support my recommendation with a copy of this one ... come on, Mike, give with the better stuff! The contents are good, and deserve to be readable.

Issue	Date	Pages	Notes
v1#1	Spring 1949	12	d/w Science Fantasy News Minor #1
v1#2	Summer 1949	12
v1#3			this and next two issues are an educated guess to make the numbers add up
v2#1
v2#2
v2#3	Autumn 1950	20
v3#1	Spring 1951	20
v3#2	Summer 1951	20
-	Summer 1952	?
10	Summer 1953	16

• Wonder online at fanac.org

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Publication

1949—1953

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