The Planet, 1930
The Planet was the official zine of The Scienceers, an organization based in New York City between 1929 and 1933 that is regarded as the first science fiction club. The first “official” science fiction fanzine can be difficult to definitively determine due to the proliferation of amateur publications around the late 1920s and early 1930s. The topic garners a long article on the Fancyclopedia 3 website, which ultimately concludes that The Planet is the first title to meet the definition of a sci-fi fanzine as its content is mostly about science fiction; it is an amateur work produced by a fan without expectation of profit; it contributes to a conversation among other fans; and it was a serial work and not a one-off publication. While there were earlier works that resembled fanzines, The Planet is the first title that is recognizable as belonging to the genre. Robert Lichtman’s copy of this zine is a reproduction of issue # 5, dating from November 1930. Given the early date of publication and a limited club roster, original copies are scarce and sought after by zine collectors.
Allen Glasser,
The Planet #5. First fanzine title (reproduction).
A version of this text has been digitized and is available through The FANAC Fan History Project.