''Vector'' is the critical

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...

(sometimes called a

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), 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 pleas ...

) of the

British Science Fiction Association The British Science Fiction Association Limited is an organisation founded in 1958 by a group of British person, British academics, science fiction fandom, science fiction fans, authors, publishers and booksellers in order to promote the writing, ...

(BSFA), established in 1958.

History

The first issue of ''Vector'' was published in 1958 under the editorship of

E. C. Tubb Edwin Charles Tubb (15 October 1919 – 10 September 2010) was a British writer of science fiction, fantasy and Western (genre), western novels. The author of over 140 novels and 230 short stories and novellas, Tubb is best known for Dumarest sag ...

. The publication was established as an irregular

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of ...

for members of the BSFA, founded in the same year, but "almost at once it began to produce

review A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a content rating, ...

s and

essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...

s and

musings In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, and deliber ...

, about the nature and state of

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

." The publication has changed format and periodicity many times over the years. Since 2018 it has been edited by Polina Levontin and Jo Lindsay Walton, with Phoenix Alexander joining as editor-in-chief in 2024. It currently focuses on articles and

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

s, and is published "two to three times per year."

References

External links

Official website

Back issues

British Science Fiction Association

Archive of scanned issues

Vector index at ISFDB
1958 establishments in the United Kingdom Science fiction magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1958 Science fiction and fantasy journals {{art-mag-stub