Directory of Anglofandom

The Directory of Anglofandom was the UK's first fan directory published by J. Michael Rosenblum in January 1945 for the British Fantasy Society (BFS).

It had a complicated gestation. In May 1943, British Fantasy Society Bulletin 8 reported that the Advisory Board

are very enthusiastic about the project of a Who's Who of British fandom, which would contain autobiographical details of every fan from whom the required information could be secured, or obtained by indirect means. I understand that Dennis Tucker is prepared to do the donkey work, including publishing, planning, editing, and so on. The plan hasn't as yet been O.K'd by the Executive Coimmiittee, but there does not seem to be a particular objection - though there may be doubts as to its feasibility. 

This, then, would be a much more ambitious and extensive project than a simple list of addresses, almost certainly beyond the capabilities of the Wartime Britfandom – a similar encyclopedia of a substantial set of UK fans was achieved only in the 1961 US-produced Who's Who in Science Fiction Fandom. (It remains to be researched whether there were any interim reports on the development and narowing the scope to a directory.) In Futurian War Digest #37 ("Octember" 1944) Rosenblum wrote:

At long last Dennis Tucker has found it impossible to continue with the production of a Directory of British Fandom, which he undertook on behalf of the British Fantasy Society, so all papers have been turned over to JMRosenblum (me!) and I shall try to get the thing out as soon as possible...

However, the next issue of FWD (38, December) did not mention Tucker:

Within the next couple of months it is hoped that the following will be published from [Rosebblum's address]. […] A Directory of British Fandom, compiled, stencilled and published by JMR. […]

The British Fantasy Society Bulletin 21 reported the Expenditure on "Directory of Fandom" as 1 - 14 - 10 (£/s/d). The Directory itself also did not acknowledge Tucker in any way:

Prepared, produced and published by J. M. Rosenblum […] One copy free to BFS members. Other copies at 4d each. […] Also distributed to all members of the Fantasy Amateur Press Association alleged to be part of the Spring 1945 Mailing

(i. e. #31); however there is no trace of this happening in the FAPA Book (vol. 2).

Beside names and addresses – it can be especially useful for establishing full names when initials were usually used, although many are still initials only – Rosenblum identified armed forces personnel, and separately those posted overseas, BFS members with their numbers, and included some 'not in touch at the present moment' and 'one or two people whose connection to fandom is known to be finally severed', marked X.

The 24 unnumbered pages are divided thus:

• Pictorial cover (artist not given but similar to Joe Gibson who provided much material to JMR), empty verso
• "Foreword" at pp (3–4)
• Main list at pp (5–20); there are 14 entries per full page and the final has 5 plus "Addenda" of 4 (three BFS members with numbers 89, 95 and 104, reported in BFS Bulletins from March 1945). This makes for 219 names altogether of whom there were "one American and two Canadians […] resident in thse [sic] isles long enough to join the" BFS.
• "Roll of Honour" of nine US honorary members of BFS at p (21), plus a notice "of the death by accident of BFS member Michael Lord, Sub-Lieut., RNVR" (not in the main list)
• Advert for / description of BFS exhorting to join (22)
• The final two pages in the Fanac scan look as if they might be switched, judging from the left edge's fraying and traces of the staple (just one, in the upper third): (23?) as scanned has a list of BFS officers, fanzines etc., while (24?) is empty with a handwritten (might this be Rosenblum's hand?) address of "F J Ackerman", with his street name "New North" crossed out and corrected to North New Hampshire. It would make sense to have some text on the bacover and empty inside, but why write the address there?

The British Fanzine Bibliography says there was a second edition in 1948 produced for the British Fantasy Library but with no specifics, so clearly it had not been located then nor is it now and the entry is based only on second-hand references like Fantasy Review 9, Jun–Jul 1948:

YOU WILL find the Directory of Anglo-Fandom invaluable for making contacts. Published by the British Fantasy Library, comprising names and addresses of over 300 fans (members and non-members) in the British Isles, the new issue is now ready. Copies, 1/- post free, obtainable from the Librarian: Ron Holmes

It seems rather that this was merely planned, even thus announced, yet somehow not actually published in the end as BFL's activities were winding down quickly – such a publication, post-war, would surely have enough copies for some to be preserved and available. It is worth noting that when Walt Willis was sending out the Booklist on Christmas 1948, he was provided with "the only copy of the Directory of Anglo-fandom in existence", the strongest argument possible against the up-to-date version being duplicated by then, or ever later.

• Directory of Anglo-Fandom at Fanac.org (3 MB PDF, poor quality reproduction / faded)
• "J. Michael Rosenblum's 1945 Directory of Anglo-Fandom": a cartographic visualisation by Doug Bell, 2021; contains several sublayers

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Publication

1945

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