All Our Yesterdays

by Jr. Warner, Harry

This expanded edition adds some photographs and an expanded index to the original 1969 edition.

370 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1969

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Our Yesterdays was a labor-of-love project written by an early famous science fiction fan; it's a history of fandom in the 1940s. It was written in 1968, so a lot more time has now passed since its publication than had elapsed between the time under consideration and the time of its writing, so there are some no-longer-acceptable phrases and assumptions. (For example, the casual use of the word "fairy" in a mention of homosexuality.) It struck me as ironic that he criticized other, previous fan histories (such as The Immortal Storm by Sam Moskowitz) for concentrating too much on fan feuds and infighting, and then did pretty much the same thing. Warner was active in fandom for seven decades, but rarely attended conventions and never met most of the people about whom he writes in person; he was known as "the hermit of Hagerstown." He was extremely active in fanzine publishing and was a constant correspondent with virtually all of the contributors to and editors of fanzines, but he reports on most of the physical activities second-hand. Warner's writing is very professional and entertaining; he was a journalist by profession for most of his life. I thought he spent perhaps too much time discussing fanzines, especially those in amateur press bundles, but that was the predominant expression of the fandom of the time, especially during the World War travel restriction era. I also thought it odd that (with rare exceptions, such as author Wilson "Bob" Tucker, who wrote a fine introduction to this book) he tended to ignore individuals who made money in the field, regardless of their concurrent fannish activities; he dismissed them as "filthy pros." It's a grand history of the time and illustrates how modern fandom evolved. I was amused that at an early WorldCon a resolution was proposed that at least one member of the committee bidding to host a future convention should be of legal age but was voted down. There are all kinds of bits of interesting minutiae detailing the first costumes, the first gaming, the first filking, and just on and on. When I was young, I met or at least saw many of the people Warner discusses, and I enjoyed reading about their young years and activities. It's a book with a limited appeal, but for anyone interested in science fiction history and fandom in general it's quite fascinating.

[Severius · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book discusses the history of science fiction fandom up to the beginning of the 1950s, focusing primarily on the 1940s.

This was a great book that shows us what all the early, hard-core science fiction fans were up to back when SF was still new. Back when the stories, that are classics now, were first being written and read. Those early were not so different than fans now. They got together when possible to enjoy the company of others with similar interests. Sometimes they argued and feuded. This book was a fascinating look at them.

The only criticism I have is that I wish it was laid out a little differently. Some early parts of the book talk about people and events that he goes into detail about later on, but without that detail I felt lost and ended up looking for more information online on the Fancyclopedia to help orient myself. But the stories and information here are great, I learned a lot about early sf fandom I didn't know and it has fueled a new obsession.

Rating: 4.5

[Buzz Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less of a history, more of an overview of science fiction fandom in the 1940s (particular fanzine fandom). Light, fun, and airy; an easier and more pleasing read than Sam Moskowitz' The Immortal Storm. Probably not of much interest to anyone who isn't deeply into science fiction fandom.