J. Michael Rosenblum
(November 7, 1917 – June 28, 1978)
John Michael “Mike” Rosenblum was one of the UK's first, and best-liked, fans. He was active in Leeds fandom from the mid-1930s and attended the 1937 Leeds Convention. He was on the committee of Midvention in 1943 although in the end he did not attend. In the 1950s, he helped form the Leeds Science Fiction Association and was active in the BSFA and FAPA.
Rosenblum was an early but not founder member of the Leeds branch of the Science Fiction League (SFL). When after the 1937 Leeds Convention Douglas W. F. Mayer proposed the group secede from the SFL and become the Leeds branch of the Science Fiction Association (SFA), Rosenblum was one of those who resisted and he became one of the leaders within the SFL faction within the Leeds SFA.
His first fanzine was The Futurian, initially produced for the Leeds SFL in 1938 and continuing until 1940. Some issues were distributed through FAPA. After Spring 1940 it was briefly replaced by Pseudo-Futurian and then from October 1940 by Futurian War Digest (FWD of Fido) which continued until 1945.
During WWII, Rosenblum was a conscientious objector and was put to work on a farm during the day and as a fire watcher during German night-time raids. His publishing activity with FWD was very nearly the only thing that kept fandom alive in Great Britain during the War. As well as the fanzine itself, Rosenblum distributed issues of nearly twenty other usual short fanzines alongside it as riders.
In Spring of 1954 he resumed fanzine publishing with New Futurian which continued until 1958. he was a founder member of the BSFA and was a regular at British conventions into the 1970s. He was known for having one of Europe's largest collections of SF.
He was married to Betty Rosenblum. Their son, Howard Rosenblum, was also a fan, as is their granddaughter Michelle Rosenblum aka Eowyn.
- Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
- J. Michael Rosenblum in Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Booklist
- Browsing (Distributed in FAPA)
- Directory of Anglo-Fandom
- Directory of Current British Fan Magazines
- The Futurian (Some distributed in FAPA)
- Futurian War Digest
- New Futurian
- Pseudo-Futurian
Awards, Honors and GoHships:
- 1966 – Knight of St. Fantony
- 1970 – Doc Weir Award
| Person | 1917—1978 |
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