Introduction
Science Fantasy (the title appeared as "Science-Fantasy" with a hyphen
on the first six issues) was first issued in 1950, published by Nova Publications
of London. The title page of the first issue describes it as "Incorporating
Fantasy Review", an amatuer magazine that Gillings had been responsible
for. Gillings left after only two issues, however, and E J Carnell, editor of
New Worlds, the companion magazine in the Nova stable, took over Science Fantasy
as well.
SFY continued in digest format
(with slight variations in size) until 1964 when both it and New Worlds were
taken over by a new publisher, Roberts and Vinter. It then changed (from issue
#65) to a smaller, paperback-like format until the end of its run under the
Science Fantasy title at #81. There were twelve more issues under a new title
"Impulse", however. Though the numbering started again from #1, it
was clear that this was merely a "rebranding" of the existing magazine.
The last issue of SFY showed the new title as a shadow behind the old one, and
the first issue of Impulse described itself as the "New Science Fantasy".
Impulse folded after twelve issues,
bringing the run to 93 in all. Unlike New Worlds, no Arts Council grant appeared
to rescue it but Science Fantasy is remembered affectionately as one of the
best-loved of British magazines.
According
to Tuck, SFY was distributed in the United States from #41 onwards. I have only
seen one example, no 45, which was offered for sale on eBay as a "Canadian
edition". Click on the adjacent thumbnail to see it. I do not know whether
it was distributed in Canada or the US or both, nor whether the price (40 cents)
is in US or Canadian currency. Besides the price, the cover carries a date that
corresponds to the UK original, though the cover showed no date in the UK. In
all other respects, the covers look the same.
Does anyone have other examples
of this American edition, or know more about its history?
Source of images
All of the images in this title
were scanned from copies in my own collection, with the exception of the American
issue mentioned above.
According
to Tuck, SFY was distributed in the United States from #41 onwards. I have only
seen one example, no 45, which was offered for sale on eBay as a "Canadian
edition". Click on the adjacent thumbnail to see it. I do not know whether
it was distributed in Canada or the US or both, nor whether the price (40 cents)
is in US or Canadian currency. Besides the price, the cover carries a date that
corresponds to the UK original, though the cover showed no date in the UK. In
all other respects, the covers look the same.