Future combined with Science Fiction June 1942

Arthur Wilson "Bob" Tucker (November 23, 1914 – October 6, 2006) was an American author who became well known as a writer of mystery, action adventure, and science fiction under the name Wilson Tucker. Tucker was also a prominent member of

science fiction fandom Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...

, who wrote extensively for

fanzines A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share ...

under the name Bob Tucker, a family nickname bestowed in childhood (his own mispronunciation of the nickname "Bub"). He became a prominent analyst and critic of the field, as well as the coiner of such terms as "

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soc ...

Life

Born in Deer Creek, Illinois, for most of his life Tucker made his home in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomingto ...

. He was married twice. In 1937, he wed Mary Joesting; they had a son and a daughter before the marriage dissolved in 1942. His second marriage, to Fern Delores Brooks in 1953, lasted 52 years, until her death in 2006; they had three sons.

Fandom

Tucker became involved in science fiction fandom in 1932, publishing a fanzine, ''The Planetoid''. From 1938 to 2001, he published the fanzine '' Le Zombie,'' which lasted for more than 60 issues and was later revived as a

webzine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer maga ...

. (The title arising from the fact that on multiple occasions fallacious reports of his death were made within fandom.) He also published the ''Bloomington News Letter,'' which dealt with news within the professional science fiction writing field. Active in letter-writing as well, Tucker was a popular fan during more than six decades, coining many words and phrases familiar in science fiction fandom and to literary criticism of the field. In addition to "Bob Tucker", he was also known to write under the pseudonym "Hoy Ping Pong" (generally reserved for humorous pieces.) During a 41-year period, 1955 to 1996, Tucker created and edited eight separate editions of ''The Neo-Fan's Guide To Science Fiction Fandom'', an historical overview of the first five decades of science fiction fandom, with important events and trends in fandom noted. Each edition also carried a

lexicon A lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Greek word (), neuter of () meaning 'of or fo ...

of fan terminology in use throughout fandom at the time. The eighth and final edition remains in print from the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society. Tucker's fanzine writing has been described as "unfailingly incisive", and Tucker as "the most intelligent and articulate and sophisticated fan the American science-fiction community is ever likely to boast of". He helped pioneer criticism of the genre, coining along the way terms like "

" in common use today. He was fan guest of honor, professional guest of honor, toastmaster, or master of ceremonies at so many science fiction conventions over nearly seven decades that no one has managed to compile a comprehensive list. Notable are his appearances as guest of honor at Torcon I (the 1948

Worldcon Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, durin ...

) and NyCon3 (the 1967 Worldcon), a perennial stint as toastmaster of the long-running

Midwestcon Midwestcon is a science fiction convention held annually in the Cincinnati, Ohio area by the Cincinnati Fantasy Group. Midwestcon is an informal type of convention known as a "relaxacon," which means that it has no programming. Instead it is no ...

and LibertyCon, and as toastmaster at MidAmeriCon, the 1976 Worldcon. In 1940, he served on the committee of the

in Chicago. In 2001, he co-hosted the joint Ditto/FanHistoriCon held in his hometown of Bloomington, Illinois. Tucker won the

Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer The Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer is the Hugo Award given each year for writers of works related to science fiction or fantasy which appeared in low- or non-paying publications such as semiprozines or fanzines or in generally available electroni ...

in 1970 and the 1954

Retro-Hugo The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

for the same category in 2004. His ''Science Fiction Newsletter'' (a.k.a. ''Bloomington News Letter'') won the Retro-

Hugo Award for Best Fanzine The Hugo Award for Best Fanzine is given each year for non professionally edited magazines, or "fanzines", related to science fiction or fantasy which has published four or more issues with at least one issue appearing in the previous calendar y ...

for 1951. His fanzine ''Le Zombie'' also won the 1943 Retro Hugo for Best Fanzine at Worldcon 76 in San Jose, CA. The

Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame The Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP is a nonprofit museum in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to contemporary popular culture. It was founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2000 as the Experience Music Project. Since then MoPOP has organ ...

inducted Tucker in 2003, its eighth class of two deceased and two living writers. Other honors included the 1986 Skylark (annual Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction), the 1996

Author Emeritus Author Emeritus was an honorary title annually bestowed by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America upon a living writer "as a way to recognize and appreciate senior writers in the genres of science fiction and fantasy who have made signif ...

of the

Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy Fantas ...

, and the First Fandom Hall of Fame Award. Tuckercon, the 2007 NASFiC (

North American Science Fiction Convention NASFiC, a.k.a. the North American Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention scheduled only during years where the Worldcon is being held outside the North American continent. NASFiC bids are voted on by the membership of the Wor ...

) in

Collinsville, Illinois Collinsville is a city located mainly in Madison County, and partially in St. Clair County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 25,579, an increase from 24,707 in 2000. Collinsville is approximately from St. Louis, Mi ...

, was dedicated to Tucker.

Career

Although he sold more than 20 novels, Tucker made his principal living as a movie projectionist and theater

electrician An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance ...

, starting as a prop man at the Majestic Theater in

. He served as President of Local 193 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), and retired as a projectionist in 1972.

Professional writing

In 1941, Tucker's first professional short story, "Interstellar Way Station", was published by

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satellit ...

in the May issue of ''

Super Science Stories ''Super Science Stories'' was an American pulp science fiction magazine published by Popular Publications from 1940 to 1943, and again from 1949 to 1951. Popular launched it under their Fictioneers imprint, which they used for magazines, payin ...

''. Between 1941 and 1979, primarily in the early 1940s and early 1950s, he produced about two dozen more. He also turned his attention to writing novels, with 11 mystery novels and a dozen science fiction novels to his credit. His most famous novel may be ''

The Year of the Quiet Sun ''The Year of the Quiet Sun'' is a 1970 science fiction novel by American writer Wilson Tucker, dealing with the use of forward time travel to ascertain future political and social events. It won a retrospective John W. Campbell Memorial Award ...

'' (1970). It was runner-up for the

Locus Award for Best Novel Winners of the Locus Award for Best Novel, awarded by ''Locus'' magazine. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best Novel was presented from 1971 (when the awards began) to 1979. S ...

and a finalist for the Hugo and the

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of prof ...

. In 1976 it won a special retrospective John W. Campbell Memorial Award (established 1973 for 1972 novels). Other notable novels include '' The Lincoln Hunters'' (1958), in which time-travelers from an oppressive future society seek to record

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

's "lost speech" of May 19, 1856. It contains a vivid description of Lincoln and his time, seen through the eyes of a future American who feels that Lincoln and his time compare very favorably with the traveler's own. '' The Long Loud Silence'' (1952) is a post-apocalypse story in which the eastern third of the United States is quarantined as the result of an atomic and bacteriological attack.

Damon Knight Damon Francis Knight (September 19, 1922 – April 15, 2002) was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He is the author of " To Serve Man", a 1950 short story adapted for ''The Twilight Zone''.Stanyard, ''Dimensions Behind t ...

called it "a phenomenally good book; in its own terms, it comes as near perfection as makes no difference." Much of Tucker's short fiction was collected in ''The Best of Wilson Tucker'' (Timescape, 1982; ). Tucker's habit of using the names of friends for minor characters in his fiction led to the literary term "tuckerization" or "tuckerism(s)". For example, Tucker named a character after

Lee Hoffman Lee Hoffman, born Shirley Bell Hoffman, (August 14, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois – February 6, 2007 in Port Charlotte, Florida) was an American science fiction fan, an editor of early folk music fanzines, and an author of science fiction, Western ...

in his novel '' The Long Loud Silence'', after

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

in ''The Lincoln Hunters'', and after Walt Willis in ''Wild Talent''.

Selected works

Novels

* Charles Home mysteries (five, 1946 to 1951) *''The Chinese Doll'' (1946) * ''The City in the Sea'' (1951) *'' The Long Loud Silence'' (1952) *''The Time Masters'' (1953, revised 1971) *''Wild Talent'' (1954) (aka ''Man from Tomorrow'', 1955 ) *''Time: X'' (1955) *''Time Bomb'' (1955) (aka ''Tomorrow Plus X'') *'' The Lincoln Hunters'' (1958) *'' To the Tombaugh Station'' (1960) *''A Procession of the Damned'' (1965) *''

'' (1970) *''This Witch'' (1971) *''Ice and Iron'' (1974) *''Resurrection Days'' (1981)

Stories

*''The Princess of Detroit'', Future Science Fiction (June 1942) *''The Planet King'' (1959) *''The Best of Wilson Tucker'' (Timescape, 1982) (collection)

Nonfiction

*''The Neo-Fan's Guide To Science Fiction Fandom'' (eight editions, 1955 to 1996)

References

External links

Wilson Tucker home pageWilson Bob Tucker – Author and Fan
with photo gallery of Tucker and page images of Tucker's fanzine ''Le Zombie''
Obituary
by

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part ...

in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

''
Obituary
at

* *
Wilson Tucker
at

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

Authorities — with 25 catalog records {{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Wilson 1914 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American novelists American science fiction writers American male novelists American mystery writers Hugo Award-winning fan writers Writers from Bloomington, Illinois Projectionists Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees Stagehands People from Deer Creek, Illinois 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Illinois