NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE
The Clute-Nicholls Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is now available on CD-ROM. Credit-card orders may be sent to NPP, Nimbus Information Systems, Raglan House, Llantarnam Park, Cwmbran, Gwent, NP44 3AB, UK (Telephone 0633 867777, Fax 0633 867799). Price £35.00 + VAT.
Corrections and New Data for The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Ten pages of “New Data, Typographical Errors, Factual Corrections, and Miscellanea” are available for a self-addressed envelope (stamped or with an international reply coupon) from John Clute, 221 Camden High Street, London, NW1 7BU, UK, or from Gordon Van Gelder, St Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA.
On Mitchell's Gay Hunter. At some point between writing to you about J. Leslie Mitchell's Gay Hunter (1934) and reading my remarks in SFS #61 (20:429), I became aware that there is a recent reprint of this text in paperback (Edinburgh: Polygon, 1989, viii+184, £6.95), which I ought to draw to your readers' attention. The book has an introductory essay on ``Lewis Grassic Gibbon and Science Fiction'' by Edwin Morgan, who argues that there is an sf element in many of Gibbon's books, whether written under the name of Gibbon or Mitchell, and including the famous A Scots Quair. Morgan considers Gay Hunter as a scientific romance in the tradition of Wells, although Mitchell turned violently against Wellsian progressivism. Despite some weaknesses in narrative and characterization, Gay Hunter is described as a powerful and sensuous evocation of an idyllic and pastoral southern England after a nuclear war. Although Morgan doesn't mention After London, in some ways Mitchell has written a female counterpart to Jefferies' classic post-apocalyptic male romance.—Patrick Parrinder, University of Reading.
Btfsplk. The Fischlin-Taylor interview with Dove and Mackenzie (SFS #62, March 1994) was interesting even to a computer illiterate like myself. I am, however, a more literate comic-strip fan than the authors, and can inform them (and the editors) that “Joe Btfsplk” is familiar to any reader of Al Capp's Li'l Abner. This hapless individual walked dolefully beneath his own private raincloud at all times. In addition, “Tzaczke” seems to be an unnecessarily difficult transliteration of the Yiddishism for “toy.” Leo Rosten offers several spellings, but I think “tsatske” or even “tchotske” is simpler.—Ben P. Indick, Teaneck, NJ.
Correction. In the review of mine that appeared in the March SFS, I managed with consistency to misspell the name of the Italian translator of Wells' A Modern Utopia. That able collaborator (and wife) of Fernando Porta is Anna Notaro, not Anna Notato.—RMP.
Roger Bozzetto Honored. At the 1994 J. Lloyd Eaton Conference, the Eaton Award for the best critical study of science fiction and fantasy published in 1992 was made to Roger Bozzetto for his L'Obscur objet d'un savoir: Fantastique et science-fiction—deux littératures de l'imaginaire, which was reviewed in SFS #58, November 1992.
Albert Robida. At least one major academic library is interested in preparing an exibition of the life and work of Albert Robida (1848-1926), but needs some original art and possibly documents as well as published books. I'd be grateful for information about the location of drawings, papers, and other documents by and relating to Robida. Write me at Box 1214, Princeton, NJ 08542-1214.—Edward Tenner.
Call for Papers. The 17th Annual Eaton Conference on Science Fiction and Fantasy, to be held in Riverside, California, in February, 1995, will focus on “Unearthly Visions: The Graphic Arts of Fantasy and Science Fiction.” Papers may address all aspects of fantasy and sf illustrations, including their relationships to narratives and their impact on modern culture; other possible topics are comic books, graphic novels, and forms of narrative which integrate text and illustrations. Film, television, and video are excluded from consideration. Papers, proposals, or inquiries should reach this address by October 1, 1994: George Slusser, Curator, Eaton Collection, Tomás Rivera Library, University of California, Riverside, California 92521.
Eric Frank Russell Collection and John Wyndham Papers. The personal collection and archive of Eric Frank Russell (1905-1978), one of the most prominent sf writers of his time, have been deposited in the Science Fiction Foundation Collection at the University of Liverpool. It consists of manuscripts, correspondence with fans and well-known sf figures (including John W. Campbell, editor of Astounding/Analog), and an extensive sequence of magazines and books featuring his stories and articles, including translations into French, German, Japanese, and other languages. Russell's “Allamagoosa” won the 1955 Hugo award for best short story.
Most of the manuscripts and papers of John Wyndham (full name, John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Benyon Harris) remain in the hands of a private collector, but the Liverpool collection includes a considerable amount of documentation concerning the marketing of Wyndham's books as well as a scrapbook of press cuttings and a fair-copy manuscript of Wyndham's posthumously-published novel Web.
All enquiries about consulting this material, or any part of the Science Fiction Foundation Collection, should be made to the Librarian/Administrator, Andy Sawyer at University of Liverpool Library, P.O. Box 123, Liverpool L69 3DA, UK. E-mail ASAWYER@LIVERPOOL.AC.UK. Telephone 051-794-2733/2696
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