Futurian War Digest
The Futurian War Digest (FWD, affectionately called FIDO) was a fanzine published by J. Michael Rosenblum during World War II from October 1940 to March 1945. It gained an extraordinary amount of notice by being regularly published for 39 issues under the most trying of times and with major paper and supply shortages. Many other fanzines were bound and mailed with FIDO giving it some of the properties of an APA. They were mostly single sheet zines that other fans published with whatever resources they could muster. Some were done on one side only – the other side possibly on printed second sheets sent by US fans or forms and flyers that were acquired by whatever means.
Its genesis is a little convoluted. Rosenblum in Leeds had published The Futurian from 1938 to 1940, and followed it with four two-page issues of The "Pseudo-Futurian!". Meanwhile various fans in Liverpool has published Science-Fantasy Review in 1939–40 and that was succeeded by Science-Fantasy Review's War Digest although its final issue was produced by Rosenblum when Ron Holmes joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in September 1940. Finding himself in possession of two titles, Rosenblum launched Futurian War Digest in October 1940, with the full title being Futurian War Digest incorporating "Pseudo- Futurian" and "Science Fantasy Review's War Digest". This full title was retained for the first five issues; thereafter it was simply Futurian War Digest.
Its first issue carried a statement of purpose:
We have a twofold duty; (a) to give news of and to fandom, (b) to keep burning those bright mental constellations possessed by all fans. Both of these will be done to the best of our ability.
Initial rates were given as 2d (two pence) per copy or 1/9 (one shilling and nine pence) a year. This rose to 3d per copy or 2/9 a year with issue 4 and the annual rate rose again to 3/- with issue 9 (June 1941).
In 19 (April 1942), Rosenblum provided figures on its circulation:
Dealing with the last issue, March 1942, our records show that 75 copies were sent to British fans, 45 to overseas ditto; i.e. Australia, Canada and USA; and another ten were sent out as samples to a number of possibly interested people we have the audacity to hope to draw into fandom. Then there was a special Aussie edition on thin paper of 20 copies.
In 34 (April 1944) Rosenblum suggested the circulation was about 190.
Rob Hansen writing in Then said of its 39-issue run:
This would be an impressive publishing record for a fanzine in any era but in the conditions existing during the war it was nothing short of phenomenal and its example inspired other British fans to continue with some semblance of fanzine production. Looking back on that period from our vantage point in the present its almost impossible to appreciate the magnitude of Rosenblum's achievement under conditions of immense personal and national hardship.
Included fanzines:
- Bibliophan – R. G. Medhurst
- British Fantasy Society Bulletin – D. R. Smith for the British Fantasy Society
- Cosmic Cuts – Gordon Holbrow
- Cosmos – J. Edward Rennison
- Dawn Shadows – James Parkhill Rathbone
- Delirium Tremens – Dennis Tucker
- Fan Dance – Sam Youd
- Galaxy – Terry Overton
- The Gentlest Art – Douglas Webster
- He Said – Ron Holmes
- Hellzapoppin – Douglas Webster (a letter supplement for The Gentlest Art)
- Interplanetary News – Dennis Tucker
- Lamppost – E. Frank Parker
- Mighty Atom – R. Rowland Johnson
- Moonshine – John F. Burke
- Review Section – Ron Holmes
- Sands of Time – Ted Carnell
- Star Parade Supplement – Ken Bulmer
- The Fly in the Ointment – R. G. Medhurst
- Tin Tacks – Donald J. Doughty
- Trivia – J. Edward Rennison
- Yoshiwara Supplement – Syd A. Beach and Robert J. Silburn
- Zenith – Harry Turner and Marion Eadie
| Issue | Date | Pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 V1.1 | October 1940 | 4 | |
| 2 V1.2 | November 1940 | 6 | |
| 3 V1.3 | December 1940 | 4 | |
| 4 V1.4 | January 1941 | 7 | |
| 5 V1.5 | February 1941 | 5 | |
| 6 V1.6 | March 1941 | 5 | |
| 7 V1.7 | April 1941 | 6 | |
| 8 V1.8 | May 1941 | 6 | |
| 9 V1.9 | June 1941 | 9 | |
| 10 V1.10 | July 1941 | 8 | |
| 11 V1.11 | August 1941 | 10 | |
| 12 V1.12 | September 1941 | 7 | |
| 13 V2.1 | October 1941 | 8 | V2.1 (Volume numbering begins here, but is sometimes mis-numbered) |
| 14 V2.2 | November 1941 | 6 | |
| 15 V2.3 | December 1941 | 6 | |
| 16 V2.4 | January 1942 | 8 | |
| 17 V2.5 | February 1942 | 8 | |
| 18 V2.6 | March 1942 | 8 | |
| 19 V2.7 | April 1942 | 8 | |
| 20 V2.8 | May 1942 | 6 | |
| 21 V2.9 | July 1942 | 10 | |
| 22 V2.10 | August 1942 | 7 | |
| 23 V3.1 | October 1942 | 8 | |
| 24 V3.2 | November 1942 | 6 | |
| 25 V3.3 | January 1943 | 6 | |
| 26 V3.4 | February 1943 | 9 | |
| 27 V3.5 | April 1943 | 8 | |
| 28 V3.6 | May 1943 | 6 | |
| 29 V3.7 | July 1943 | 10 | |
| 30 V3.8 | August 1943 | 10 | |
| 31 V4.1 | October 1943 | 11 | |
| 32 V4.2 | December 1943 | 12 | |
| 33 V4.3 | February 1944 | 12 | |
| 34 V4.4 | April 1944 | 10 | |
| 35 V4.5 | June 1944 | 12 | |
| 36 V4.6 | August 1944 | 14 | |
| 37 V5.1 | October 1944 | 18 | |
| 38 V5.1 | December 1944 | 20 | |
| 39 V5.2 | March 1945 | 18 | Final issue |
From 32 the volume/issue numbers as published become erratic.
- Futurian War Digest online at fanac.org.
- Transcripts of Futurian War Digest online at fiawol.org.uk
- A review of Futurian War Digest by Harry Warner at eFanzines.com
| Publication | 1940—1945 |
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