Fancyclopedia I: introversion - Ivory Tower

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conceded that the old constitution was unworkable, Harry Warner spoke for a setup with few officials and stiff membership requirements, while Ashley wanted to carry out Evans's plan for a pyramiding state-regional-national scheme with many officers, and including as "citizens" all who could be called fans. Ashely wanted the Board to decide and thus present a definite plan to the members; others wanted a vote on the opposing plans, and presently wanted a vote on whether the NFFF would continue. Again the terms of the officers ended without replacements being elected, and the NFFF lapsed. In the fall of '43, at the height of the Cosmic Circle crises, Ashley questioned the Board members with a view to reviving the NFFF under an emergency--for the ?????constitution.

introversion - According to a written questionnaire borrowed from a Dr. Laird, which the Pool Cat????? circulated, 92% of fans are introverts, only 8% ambiverts, and none extroverts. The introvert is characterized by introspection, imagination, greater interest in himself than other people, and in ideas than people. The extrovert is characterized by practicality, salesmanship, inability to be alone, and concern about tangible honors and other people's opinion of him.

IPO - The Oklahoma Institute of Private Opinion (title a take-off on Gallup), a poll series conducted by Speer. Post cards were sent out, with the SFFan after the first one, with questions hektoed thereon. Twelve sets of questions in all where put out, extending over a period of some two years around 1938. The number of replies was small, usually little more than 2, but were fairly representative till near the end, when the SFFan's circulation was no longer a good cross-section of fandom.

ISA - The International Scientific Association. Apparently there was an early organization of the same name, with RAP among its head men. The ISA of history was originally the ICSC, a group which sought to combine amateur scientists and fans, and found the latter becoming dominant. It was scarcely international, the chief branches being the NYB-ISA and the PSFS. Sykora was the chief leader, but numerous later Futurians and others were prominent members.

The ISA backed its member who were among the young authors taking legal action against Wonder Stores for non-payment, and when some were expelled from the SFL, warred against the SFL, and also against the Fantasy Magazine group, who leaned toward the pros. The ISA put on the first two conventions, and was the outstanding organization in the First Transition, In consequence of the transition, President Sykora resigned in 1937, protesting their increasing neglect of science, and because he was going to college and thot he would be too busy to continue. Repercussions were so grave that Donald A Wollheim, the only active officer left, got informal permission from the Philadelphia and New York members to wind up its affairs and dissolve it. This was done in good order except for trouble with the library, which was stored at Sykora's.

In 1938 Sykora, again active, declared that the ISA had never been legally dissolved, and formed the ISA Committee or Reorganization, to which the Wollheimists opposed the Friends of the ISA; the Committee for Reorganization was one of the organizations in whose name the Newark Convention as called. At the gathering, Sykora failed to get support for his movement, but the enemy expected him to try again at the World Convention.

ISFG - International Science-Fiction Guild, formerly the Impossible Story Club, later the TFG.

Ivory Tower - Apt 40, 2574 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn NY. So called from the color of its walls. It was inhabited by sundry Futurians, notably Lowndes, Michel, and DW3 [three is superscript], all thru 1940, following their loss of Futurian House. It was the most famous of the Futurians' science fiction houses. When the lease expired, Wollheim went back to his family home, Wilson to Raven's Roost, the remnant Futurian Embassy.


Data entered by Peter Barker