Forrest J. Ackerman, prominent Los Angeles agent and Science Fictionenthusiast, reports on the recent World Convention in New York. Mr.Ackerman, who attended the first World Convention seventeen yearsago, has been prominent in SF circles since the early thirties.
An eye-witness account of the 14th WorldScience Fiction Convention in session.
I was a spy for the FBI—theFantasy Bureau of Investigation!Learning of a monstermeeting of science fiction"fen" in New York, Iteleported myself 3,000 milesfrom the Pacificoast to checkthe facts on the monsters.And it was true—the 14thWorld SciFi Con was tremonstrous.
In all seriousness, theNewyorcon was one of thegreatest aggregations of s.f.enthusiasts I have ever seen.A far cry from the Nycon,the first "world" s.f. con of17 years before, when theturnout of 125 was consideredcolossal. Now morethan twelve hundred fans,authors, editors, artists, publishers,agents, anthologists,reviewers and readers of sciencefiction and fantasy registeredfor the Labor DayWeekend gathering of theclans, a conclave of the slans.
From 37 of the 48 statesthey came. And from Canada,Cuba, England, Germany,India, Israel and the WestIndies. The roll call of celebritiesread like the Who'sWho of S.F. Prodom: TheodoreSturgeon, Isaac Asimov,Fritz Leiber, Willy Ley,Nelson Bond, John W.Campbell Jr., L. Sprague deCamp, James Blish, JudithMerril, "Ted" Carnell (Editorof New Worlds), KellyFreas, Edmond Hamilton,Leigh Brackett, AnthonyBoucher, William Tenn,James E. Gunn, Frank BelknapLong Jr., and numerousothers, including Guest ofHonor Arthur C. Clarke.
A standing ovation wasgiven Arthur Clarke beforeand after his speech at theBanquet, a serious addressthat lasted forty-five minutesand covered many philosophicalfacets of the s.f. field.Especially rousing handswere given two of the realold-timers present, artistFrank R. Paul (Guest ofHonor of the first Convention),and—out of the Ark—theman who once was an assistantto Thomas Alva Edison,the pioneer novelist ofscientific romances and theman who discovered the GoldenAtom—Ray Cummings.World famous cartoonist AlCapp gave a hilarious speechat the Banquet Sunday night,other large laughs beinggarnered on the occasion byIsaac Asimov and AnthonyBoucher, Robert Bloch againproving that he has no peeras a Master of Ceremonies.
The Masquerade Ball wasfilmed for televising, andwas a sight for bugging eyes.Extraterrestrial glamour girlscame in spectrumatic colors:one, Ruth Landis of Venus(formerly Nuyok), was a verdantbeauty, fresh as a breathof chlorophyll; while tallTam Otteson, a recent importfrom England, had thejudges agreeing that justlooking at her was an education.Olga Ley won for theMost Beautiful costume, andJos Christoff—a survivorfrom the first convention ofthem all—was another prizewinner. Monsters, mutants,scientists, spacemen, aliens,and assorted "Things"thronged the ballroom flooras the flashbulbs popped.
John Campbell lectured onand demonstrated his controversialpsionic Hieronymusmachine, and famousfans sprang from der vood-workout—Sam Moskowitz,James Taurasi, Bob Tucker,Julius Unger, Raymond VanHouten, Allen Glasser ...
David Kyle, E. E. Evans,James Taurasi, myself and 2others were elected Directorsof the World ScienceFiction Society.
No account of the Newyorconcould be completewithout a deep bow of appreciationto the altruistic trioof committeemen (includingone comely woman) who allbut destroyed t