First Fandom Experience is an archive wrapped in a story. Our goal with this project is to tell a complete and unbiased history of science fiction fandom, primarily using the original artifacts created by the pioneering fans of the 1920s-1940s. These artifacts are a product of their time and, uncensored, they reflect the attitudes and beliefs of the people who created them and the society in which they lived.

Science fiction is inherently progressive, and to a large degree so are its fans. However, there are in this history statements and views expressed by some fans that are objectionable. The period that we cover in this work is marked by racism, sexism, misogyny, anti-Semitism and other bigotries that were ignorant then — but sadly often tolerated — and are properly seen as offensive today. Recent attention has been given to this issue by Jeannette Ng in her acceptance speech for what is now called the Astounding Award for Best New Writer.

As historians, we make no attempt to shy away from or cover up these views, nor do we make any attempt to justify or rationalize them. They are part of the story. It’s beyond the scope of this project to address these issues generally, but we aim to discuss them openly as they relate to early fandom. We will do our best to contextualize manifestations as they present themselves, and we will dedicate space in the project to deeper exploration of relevant examples.

Above all, this is a conversation we want to keep going with our audience of interested fans and historians. We encourage anyone to connect with us about our coverage, or lack thereof, of these topics.