THEN: Errata  

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• The first POD book edition of Then, both hardback and paperback, was “finalized” on 13 August 2016. The following points have come to light since then; thanks for all reports. Updates to the POD text are made from time to time as indicated at the bottom of this page. Eagle-eyed spotters: Sandra Bond, Robert Day, Keith Freeman, Rob Hansen, Mike Meara, Greg Pickersgill, Mark Plummer, Ted White, Owen Whiteoak.

• p28, second paragraph: “April 1936” should read “March 1936”. The meeting took place on 25 March. [10]
• p31: “out-of-towners – Eric Frank Russell and Les Johnson arrived – from Liverpool” should read “out-of-towners – Eric Frank Russell and Les Johnson – arrived from Liverpool”. [1]
• p43, second paragraph: “Roy Johnson” should read “Les Johnson”. [12]
• p53, first paragraph: “1938 convention” should read “1939 convention”. [12]
• p60, final paragraph, opening words: “Saturday 21st” should read “Saturday 20th”. [12]
• p66, third paragraph: replace from “just learned” to end of paragraph with “obtained US fanzines such as Forrest J Ackerman’s VOM (Voice of the Imagi-Nation) through the BSFWRS but otherwise had not been greatly involved with British fandom. The letter told the story of his local fan group, which had formed two years earlier. Prior to this most British fans had been unaware of the existence of what was to become an important group.” [12]
• p70, third paragraph: “Peter Knott” should read “Rita James”. [12]
• p84 Operation Fantast 4 caption: “F.J. Robinson?” should read “Peter J. Ridley”. [1]
• p84 Don McKay should read Don MacKay. Likewise p120, third paragraph, p125 photo caption, p429 in photo index and p443 in index. [7]
• pp85-88: add source note reference [70] to all indented quotes. * [1]
• p87: “(sometimes known as Chuch Harris” needs closing “)”. [1]
• p89, second paragraph, on Dan Dare: “head of Earth space forces” should read “head of UN special forces”. [7]
• p90: add source note reference [71] to first indented quote. * [1]
• p108, last-but-one paragraph: “Newlands SF Fan Club” should read “New Lands SF Fan Club”. Corresponding changes on pages 112 (where Ethel Lindsay did indeed write “Newlands”), 120, 135, 410 (note 92 – see below) and, in the Index, 439 (Glasgow Fandom) and 445. [9]
• page 111, first paragraph: “no London fans” should read “only one London fan”. [14]
• p116, third paragraph: change from “how prevalent” to end of paragraph as follows. “how prevalent this was. The homosexuality of Reaney may have affected how he was treated as a fan, while Roles may only have been out to fellow members of the Liverpool group.” [11]
• p119, fourth paragraph: change from “Brian Lewis” to end of sentence as follows. “Brian Lewis, a talented fan artist – though not to be confused with the pro artist Brian Lewis mentioned later in this book.” [8]
• p119: change last sentence to “MEDCON was the high water mark of the Medway group’s fan activity, though they would continue to meet until 1960 before fading away.” [5]
• p142, seventh paragraph (two up from photos): both instances of Cowan should be Cowen; likewise in photo caption below and pages 428 [photo index] and 435 [main index]. [10]
• p143, first paragraph: “chaired by Denny Cowan” should read “chaired by Bill Panter”. [10]
• p144, third paragraph: “54 fans voted” should read “58 fans voted”. [14]
• p151, fourth paragraph: add source note reference [126a] at end of quoted telegram. [13]
• p164, third paragraph: the sentence between note markers [139] and [140] should read: “Mike Kilvert later erroneously claimed that he, Ken Cheslin, and Peter Davies – who had known each other since childhood – were at Kettering. In fact the trio’s first convention was the following year, after which they formally named themselves the Stourbridge & District SF Circle (SADO).” [12]
• p152, paragraph above photos and photo caption: Helen Winnick (frequently so spelt in contemporary fanzines) should be Helen Winick; likewise on pages 153, 161, 430 [photo index] and 454 [main index] [10]
• p183, second paragraph: change from “Moorcock took over” to “Jimmy Groves took over” as follows. “Moorcock became assistant editor of Vector with its fifth issue in the autumn of 1959, having put out the single-sheet Vector Explanation shortly before to explain the delay between issues. Vectors #5-#7 were edited by Bobbie Gray – the former Bobbie Wild – with assistance from Mike Moorcock, Sandra Hall, George Locke, and John Phillifent, variously, before Jimmy Groves assumed the editorship”. [11]
• p190, top line: Robert Lichtman should be deleted from this list. [12]
• p202: add source note reference [173] at end of opening Jim Linwood quote continued from p201. * [1]
• p206, third paragraph on the Delta Amateur Film Group: change “This appears to have formed some time the previous year.” to “It was formed in 1957, though first contact with national fandom did not take place until this year.” [5]
• p218: “NSSFG Report One” should read “NSFFG Report One”. [3]
• p221, last paragraph: from “formed a committee” to end of sentence should read “and formed a committee (which included members of “Group 65”, the London cine-enthusiasts working on a film since April) to organise things.” [13]
• p222: add source note reference [186a] at end of first paragraph. [13]
• p231, first indented quote: “Keith Matthew” should read “Keith Matthews”. In the next paragraph, “Muir’s house” should read “Nash’s house” (relic of a former mixup between John Muir and John Nash). [1]
• p234: “Edward Macklin” should read “Edward Mackin”. [1]
• p242, third paragraph: “long-empty post” should read “recently vacated post”. [14]
• p243, end of first paragraph: “previous autumn” should read “previous year”. [14]
• p249, fifth paragraph: “It would mark the end of the group” should read “It would have marked the end of the group had it not been cancelled ‘because of lack of interest’.” [12]
• p253, third paragraph: “As with every Eastercon since 1966” should read “As happened with the 1967 Eastercon”. [14]
• p270: add source note reference [220] to last indented quote. * [2]
• p276, fourth paragraph: change “never actually appeared” to “never appeared, though Hall eventually used the title Motorway Dreamer for a 2005 fanzine.” [2]
• p279, last-but-one paragraph should begin “A decade after the Coventry affair, Gary Gygax created ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.” [5]
• p282, third paragraph, re Ken McIntyre Award: “Martin Pitt” should read “Jim Pitts (at first wrongly announced in Vector as Martin Pitt)” [9]
• p295, second indented quote: in “a dozen active members, including two members” the last word should read “artists”. [3]
• p297, photo captioned “Rich Coad” is not Rich Coad. [5]
• p299, second paragraph: Sci-Fi Monthly should read Sci-Fi, the title under which Science Fiction Monthly was first advertised. [14]
• p302, fifth paragraph: delete Roger Zelazny from list of Tynecon attendees. [3]
• p337, second paragraph: “relocated to the UK the previous year” should read “relocated to the UK five years earlier”. [7]
• p338, second paragraph: the sentence “Indeed, during the 1950s Michael Moorcock had published ...” should read “Indeed, during the 1950s Michael Moorcock had published nine issues of a music fanzine titled Jazz Fan, and at least a further five retitled The Rambler when his interest shifted to folk music (John Brunner, Bill Harry, and Sandy Sanderson were contributors).” [7]
• p339, last paragraph but one: “Though he didn’t attend FAANCON II, Graham Boak sent his fanzine collection along” should read “Those attending FAANCON II included Graham Boak, who brought along his fanzine collection”. [2]
• p349: “Derby’s Matlock district” should read “Matlock, a town near Derby”. [1]
• p355, end of penultimate paragraph: in “Mike Meara’s last fanzine of the twentieth century.”, amend to “last general-circulation fanzine”. [4]
• p358: re Brian Lewis’s death, the two following sentences should read “Not to be confused with the Medway Science Fiction Fan Club member of the early 1950s, Lewis was known for his comics work and as an artist for Nova Publications. He is rumoured to have also done work for the Beatles’ cartoon film Yellow Submarine and for The Muppet Show.” [8]
• p370: re Ted White, “who was then editor of Heavy Metal” should read “who was by then no longer the editor of Heavy Metal”. [1]
• p377, fourth paragraph: Instant Future should read Instant Fanzine. [2]
• p400: for Minicon 1968, add “(CANCELLED)” after “James White”; change “(37)” to “(-)”; all subsequent convention numbers reduced by 1. [12]
• p402: replace the last sentence of Note 1 as follows: “The 1951 convention (marked by an asterisk) was not a national con but the First International SF Convention, a proto-Eurocon. The Second International SF Convention would have been held over Easter 1957 had we failed to secure the 1957 Worldcon.” (This is an expansion rather than a correction.) [4]
• p411, last line of table: the “Other” figure of 369 should read 409. [2]
• p412, table: 1960 “Dir” figure 13 should read 132 (error in print edition only, not ebook). [5]
• p419: in source note [92] change “Newlands” to “New Lands” and add at end: “The group was based in and presumably took its name from the Newlands suburb of Glasgow: Ethel Lindsay sometimes called it the Newlands Club, as on page 112.” [9]
• p420: add to source note [106] – ‘Contrary to Willis’s assertion here, Varley did not become an editor of Space Times.’ [6]
• p420: add new note after [126]. “[126a] Although this is the text of the telegram as reported in Contact 1 (October 1956, ed. Jan Jansen, Ron Bennett, Ellis Mills, John Hitchcock) with its “suggestion”, the text as reported in the Willis/Bulmer OMPAzine WAPPPOTED (sic), is more insistent and likely more accurate: NECESSARY TO WITHDRAW LONDON BID TO FORESTALL CONVENTION SPLIT. PLEASE CABLE YOUR CONFIRMATION IMMEDIATELY. KYLE AND PUBLISHERS PROMISE CONVENTION FOR LONDON IN 1958. – A.C.CLARKE” [13]
• p422: add to source note [173] – ‘Jim’s anecdote of Sizar being “banned” came from Bruce Burn himself, who in 2016 email still remembers the offending double issue 10/11 (November 1963) as being omitted from the 38th OMPA mailing. However, surviving copies of the mailing include this Sizar, and the next OMPA mailing features several responses to its characterisation of Ella Parker.’ [1]
• p422: add to source note [174] – A letter from Brian Aldiss published in Scottishe #26 (December 1961) indicates that the Oxford SF Group began in Autumn or Winter 1961: “I was out during the evening to attend the first general meeting in Christ Church of the Speculative Fiction Group. All told some twenty six or seven people turned up to a very successful gathering – including, I was delighted to see, some seven women – I’m all for a female element in fandom. The whole thing has been organised very vigorously by Mark Wigan and Chris Miller.” (Research by Rob Hansen.) [5]
• p423: add new note after [186]. “[186a] Details of search for clubhouse from Garbistan 1 (December 1964, ed. Charles Platt). Coverage of Group 65 filming can be found in their Monthly Bulletin (1964, ed. Langdon Jones) – see fanac.org.” [13]
• p424: add to source note [208] – “Minicon cancellation reported in Locus 15 (December 1968).” [12]
• p424: add to source note [220] after first sentence – “His [Weston’s] online supplement to Stars (http://www.efanzines.com/PW/Stars/) adds the correction that Jim Young, still at college in 1971, had nothing to do with the diplomatic bag ploy.” [2]
• p430: photo index entry “Whiteoak, Owen (ow)” – credit should be “(alc)”. [2]
• p435: index entry “Cowan, Denny, 142, 143” should read “Cowan, Denny, 142”. [10]
• p438: index entry “Freeman, Keith” – delete last page reference, 349. [1]
• p439: index entry “Hall, Tikwas” should read “Hall, Tikwis”. [4]
• p440: index entry “Hughes, Alun” – delete. [10]
• p441: index entry Instant Future should read Instant Fanzine. [2]
• p441: add page number 70 to “James, Rita”. [12]
• p441: delete page number 43 from “Johnson, Roy R.” and add it to “Johnson, Leslie J.” [12]
• p442: index entry “Knott, Peter” – delete. [12]
• p443: index entry “Macklin, Edward” should read “Mackin, Edward”. [1]
• p444: index entry “Matthew, Keith” should read “Matthews, Keith”. [1]
• p446: add index entry “Panter, Bill, 142, 143”. [10]
• p449: index entry “Scudla, Edwin” should read “Scudla, Erwin”. [3]
• p452: add index entry “UNICON, 378, 388” [4]
• p453: index entry “White, Ted” – delete page reference 376 and insert in “White, James”. [1]
• p454: index entry “Zelazny, Roger” – delete. [3]

* Clarification rather than correction, where multiple indented quotations were covered by a single source note reference.

[1] Fixed 31 August 2016.
[2] Fixed 13 September 2016.
[3] Fixed 4 October 2016.
[4] Fixed 29 November 2016.
[5] Fixed 11 September 2019.
[6] Fixed 29 April 2020.
[7] Fixed 2 February 2022.
[8] Fixed 3 March 2023.
[9] Fixed 13 September 2023.
[10] Fixed 23 January 2024.
[11] Fixed 6 May 2024.
[12] Fixed 4 December 2024.
[13] Fixed 26 March 2025.
[14] Fixed 1 July 2026.

The latest corrections were applied to the ebook editions on 17 October 2025.

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