The 17th World Science Fiction Convention (

Worldcon Worldcon, officially 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, during Wor ...

), also known as Detention, was held on 4–7 September 1959 at the Pick Fort Shelby Hotel in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, United States. The chairmen were Roger Sims and Fred Prophet.

Participants

Attendance was 371.

Guests of Honor

Poul Anderson Poul William Anderson ( ; November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until his death in 2001. Anderson also wrote historical novels. He won the Hugo Award seven times an ...

(pro) * John Berry (fan) *

Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...

(toastmaster, "...with the assistance of

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime fiction, crime, psychological horror fiction, horror and Fantasy Fiction, fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and ...

Awards

1959 Hugo Awards

The winners were: * Best Novel: '' A Case of Conscience'', by

James Blish James Benjamin “Jimmy” Blish () was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his ''Cities in Flight'' novels and his series of ''Star Trek'' novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel ''A Case ...

* Best Novelette: "

The Big Front Yard "The Big Front Yard" is a science fiction short story by American writer Clifford D. Simak which won a 1959 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. It was also included in '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two'' (1973) after being voted one of t ...

", by Clifford D. Simak * Best Short Story: "

That Hell-Bound Train "That Hell-Bound Train" is a dark fantasy short story by American writer Robert Bloch. It was originally published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' in September 1958. Plot summary Martin is a young hobo with a fondness for trains. ...

", by

* Best SF or Fantasy Movie: no winner chosen * Best Professional Magazine: ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...

'', edited by

Anthony Boucher William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio dr ...

and Robert P. Mills * Best Professional Artist:

Frank Kelly Freas Frank Kelly Freas (August 27, 1922 – January 2, 2005) was an American artist known for his work in science fiction and fantasy, with a career spanning more than 50 years. He was known as the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists" and he was the s ...

* Best Fanzine: ''Fanac'', edited by

Terry Carr Terry Gene Carr (February 19, 1937 – April 7, 1987) was an American science fiction fan, author, editor, and writing instructor. Background and discovery of fandom Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He attended the City College of S ...

and Ron Ellik * Best New Author of 1958: no winner chosen

References

External links