Ken Slater
Ken Slater (born December 27, 1917 in Wanstead , Essex , † February 16, 2008 in Wisbech , Cambridgeshire ) was a British science fiction fan and bookseller.
He became known as the founder of Operation Fantast , a book exchange organization he founded in 1947. In 1950 it had around 800 members. The aim of Operation Fantast was to establish contacts between different science fiction fans and to exchange books or to import them from the USA to Europe, since it was difficult to get science fiction literature in Europe after the Second World War come. Slater quickly became the largest importer of American science fiction magazines and books in Great Britain .
After Operation Fantast broke up in the early 1950s, Slater founded the company Fantast (Medway) , with which he continued to trade in science fiction. He also founded the Science Fantasy Society , which only existed from 1948 to 1951. Slater then co-founded the British Science Fiction Association in 1958.
Ken Slater was guest of honor at the Eastercon 1959 and the Worldcon 1987, this time with his wife Joyce.
Between 1953 and 1959 he wrote regular book reviews for Nebula Science Fiction magazine .
Web links
- Slater, Ken , SFE - The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
- Summary Bibliography: Ken Slater , ISFDB
- Obituary - File 770, an obituary (English)
- Slater's book reviews (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Slater, Ken |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Slater, Kenneth Frederick (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British science fiction bookseller and fan |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 27, 1917 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wanstead , Essex |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 16, 2008 |
| Place of death | Wisbech , Cambridgeshire |