ANSIBLE(R) 437
DECEMBER 2023

From DAVID LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berks, RG1 5AU, UK. Website
news.ansible.uk. ISSN 0265-9816 (print); 1740-942X (e). Available for SAE
or privileges of the Quantorsi, Tattermen or Clam Muffins.

[NET NOTE. See https://news.ansible.uk/a437.html for the nice HTML version;
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### QUADRANTS OF THE SQUARED CIRCLE ###

BRIAN ALDISS is commemorated in a new award named for him, to be presented
annually from 2025 for sf world-building in 'cultural artefacts
(literature, games and film/TV)'. See brianaldiss.co.uk/the-aldiss-award.

MALORIE BLACKMAN of 'Noughts & Crosses' series fame has a current British
Library exhibition devoted to her life and career (see below), which
includes her inspirational folder of 82 rejection slips accumulated during
the early days of struggle. (_Guardian_, 24 November)

OCTAVIA BUTLER features in the current Smithsonian National Portrait
Gallery 'Recent Acquisitions' display of portraits created by or
representing women. See npg.si.edu/exhibition/recent-acquisitions-3. [LL]

JOHN CLUTE's long-running Facebook posts on 'Annals of Vandalism at the
British Library' have rung many changes on the message (illustrated with
scans) that the BL's traditional stripping and discarding of dust jackets
and flap copy destroys bibliographic context and is a Bad Thing. All this
is to become a heavily illustrated volume titled _The Book Blinders_. Bets
are being taken on how it will be treated at the British Library.

MARY SHELLEY is back in business, and not in a good way: 'Intrigued that my
usual coterie of spammers are now using writers' names to inveigle me into
clicking on their links for website design, SEO analysis, and so on. This
morning Robert Frost and Mary Shelley were both sending me blandishments.'
(Handheld Press on Xtwitter, 29 November)

### CONTRATEMPO ###

Until 25 February 2024 [] MALORIE BLACKMAN: THE POWER OF STORIES
(exhibition), British Library, London. Free, with no booking required. Web
presence expected when the BL recovers from a recent cyber-attack.

1-3 Dec [] STEAMPUNK CHRISTMAS WEEKEND, Weymouth. Various free and ticketed
events as detailed at
www.love-weymouth.co.uk/weymouth-steampunk-weekend-2023.

2 Dec [] DRAGONMEET (gaming), Novotel Hammersmith, London. 9am-11:30pm.
Tickets GBP15.50 (under-18s GBP8) at www.dragonmeet.co.uk.

2-3 Dec [] FOR THE LOVE OF SCI-FI (media), BEC Arena, Stretford,
Manchester. GBP49.50; under-10s GBP19.25. More at fortheloveofsci-fi.com.

15 Dec [] BSFA WINTER SOCIAL, Kings Arms, Tooley Street, near London
Bridge. 7:30pm onward. Free; all welcome.

21 Dec [] LONDON XMAS MEETING (additional to First Thursdays), The Bishop's
Finger, 9-10 West Smithfield, EC1A 9JR. All evening.

23 Jan 2024 [] A BILLION AND FIFTY YEAR SPREE (SFF symposium), Liverpool
and online. See www.sf-foundation.org/fresh-about (26 Oct).

2-4 Feb 2024 [] CONTABILE 34 (UK filk), Palace Hotel, Buxton. GBP39 reg;
GBP29 unwaged; other rates at www.contabile.org.uk/tripletime. _These rates
are valid to 31 December and may rise in January._

2-5 Feb 2024 [] SCOTIACON (furry), Crowne Plaza Hotel, Glasgow.
'Prehistoric Panic' theme. GBP100 reg; GBP45/day. See www.scotiacon.org.uk.

16-18 Feb 2024 [] UK GHOST STORY FESTIVAL, Museum of Making, Derby. GBP105
plus booking fee. Also online 12-15 February, GBP40 plus fee. See
www.ukghoststoryfestival.co.uk.

7-9 Mar 2024 [] FRIGHTFEST (film), Glasgow Film Theatre. Tickets on sale
mid- or late January at frightfest.co.uk/tickets.html.

14 Apr 2024 [] STARS OF TIME (comics), LC, Swansea. 10am-4:30pm. GBP10 plus
booking fee; other rates at www.starsoftime.co.uk.

8-12 Aug 2024 [] GLASGOW 2024 (Worldcon) Glasgow SEC.GBP210 reg; first
Worldcon GBP150; concessions/Scots residents GBP140; YA (under 26) GBP125;
under-16s GBP85; under-11s GBP50; under-6s GBP5. _Virtual attendance now
available: GBP75, or GBP35 without WSFA membership (Hugo and site selection
voting rights)._ See glasgow2024.org for further details.

3-6 Oct 2024 [] GRIMMFEST (film), Odeon Great Northern, Manchester. Full
pass for all screenings GBP79.99 plus fees at grimmfest.com.

25-27 Oct 2024 [] FESTIVAL OF FANTASTIC FILMS, Pendulum Hotel, Manchester.
GBP95 reg _until 21 February; then GBP110_. See fantastic-films.uk.

1-3 Nov 2024 [] ARMADACON, Future Inns, Plymouth. GBP45 reg; GBP35
concessions; single day GBP25. More at www.armadacon.org.

8-10 Nov 2024 [] NOVACON 53, Palace Hotel, Buxton. GoH Allen Stroud. GBP53
reg; under-16s GBP10, under-13s free. See novacon.uk.

### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###

THE RIFT WITHIN THE HYPERDRIVE. 'The fatal flaw of hard sci-fi is that it's
not interesting to anyone except for fans of science fiction.' (Kusano
Gengen, interview at teletype.in, 2019) [DS]

AWARDS. _Booker Prize:_ the near-future Irish dystopia _Prophet Song_ by
Paul Lynch.
_Sir Arthur Clarke_ (not the novel award), Imagination in Service to
Society category: Nnedi Okorafor. [L]
_Polari Prize_ (Irish LGBTQ+): _Our Wives Under the Sea_ by Julia
Armfield [L]
_Rotsler Award_ for long-time achievement in fanzine art: James Shull.
[F770]

BLURBISMO. 'Time ran out swiftly and mankind was threatened by its
ingenuity' (A.A. Glynn, _Plan for Conquest_, Badger Books, 1963) [JH]

AS OTHERS COMMEND US. On including genre work in the school syllabus: '
Even a book like _Animal Farm_ can teach the little ones to love and care
for animals.' (Shilpa Shetty, _Times of India_, 28 November) [DW]

R.I.P. _Joss Ackland_ (1928-2023), UK actor in _Watership Down_ (1978),
_Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey_ (1991), _Hogfather_ (2006) and _Prisoners of
the Sun_ (2013), died on 19 November aged 95. [LP]
_John Bailey_ (1942-2023), US cinematographer and director of
photography whose films include _Cat People_ (1982), _Groundhog Day_ (1993)
and _Over Her Dead Body_ (2008), died on 10 November aged 81. [SJ]
_Alan J.W. Bell_ (1937-2023), director of the tv _Hitchhiker's Guide
to the Galaxy_ (1981), died on 19 October aged 85. [SF2C]
_Alexei Birger_ (1960-2023), Russian author of supernatural mysteries
such as _Po tu storonu volkov_ (_On the Other Side of Wolves_, 1994), and
translator of _Dracula_ and the _Dune_ series, died on 30 September. [AM]
_Michael Bishop_ (1945-2023), noted and widely loved US author, active
since 1970, who won Nebulas for 'The Quickening' (1982) and _No Enemy But
Time_ (1983), died on 13 November -- the day after his 78th birthday. He
was one of the most distinctive humanist voices of sf, and a good man too;
meeting him at OryCon long ago remains a happy memory.
_Robert Butler_ (1927-2023), Emmy-winning director of the tv pilots
for _Star Trek_ (1966), _Batman_ (1966) and _Lois & Clark_ (1993), whose
films included _The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes_ (1969) and _Out of Time_
(1998), died on 3 November aged 95. [AIP]
_A.S. Byatt_ (Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, 1936-2023), noted UK author
whose most overtly fantastical work is the folk/fairytale collection _The
Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye_ (1994), and who later won the Hans
Christian Andersen award, died on 16 November aged 87. [JJ]
_Tyler Christopher_ (1972-2023), US actor in _Raven_ (2010), _Max
Winslow and the House of Secrets_ (2019), _Moon Crash_ (2022), _Thor: God
of Thunder_ (2022) and others, died on 31 October aged 50. [SJ]
_D.G. Compton_ (1930-2023), critically acclaimed UK author whose sf
novels began with _The Quality of Mercy_ (1965) and include _Farewell,
Earth's Bliss_ (1968), _Chronocules_ (1970, with the splendid alternate
title _Hot Wireless Sets, Aspirin Tablets, the Sandpaper Sides of Used
Matchboxes, and Something that Might Have Been Castor Oil_) and _The
Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe_ (1974; filmed 1979), died on 10 November
aged 93. He was honoured by SFWA as Author Emeritus in 2007 and received
the 2021 Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award.
_William B. Ellern_ (1933-2023), US engineer and author of stories set
with permission in E.E. Smith's 'Lensman' universe, in particular _New
Lensman_ (serialized 1975 in _Perry Rhodan_; book version 1976 UK), died on
18 November aged 89. [SJ]
_Evan Ellingson_ (1988-2023), US actor in _Time Changer_ (2002), died
on 5 November aged 35. [SHS]
_David Elliott_ (1931-2023), UK director of Gerry and Sylvia
Anderson's _Four Feather Falls_ (1960), _Supercar_ (1961-1962), _Fireball
XL5_ (1963), _Stingray_ (1964-1965), _Thunderbirds_ (1965-1966) and others,
died on 10 November aged 92. [AIP]
_Peter S. Fischer_ (1935-2023), US screenwriter and producer who
scripted _The Last Child_ (1971), died on 30 October aged 88. [SJ]
_Karl Fulves_ (1938-2023), US author of books on magic and card tricks
whose one sf title was _Aftermath: Stories From the Rigel War_ (1976, also
a gimmicked 'force book' for mentalist acts), died on 16 February aged 84.
[BM]
_Andrey Galperin_ (1974-2023), Crimean dolphin trainer and author
whose first fantasy novel was _Lezviye vlasti_ (_Blade of Power_, 2007),
died on 7 November. [AM]
_Herbert Gold_ (1924-2023), US mainstream author with occasional short
fiction in _F&SF_ and _Playboy_ 1953-1973, died on 19 November aged 99.
_Gabe Hudson_ (1971-2023), US author whose genre novel was the YA
_Gork, the Teenage Dragon_ (2017), died -- reportedly by suicide -- on 24
November aged 52. [AIP]
_Douglas Ibold_ (1940-2023), US film editor for _The Capture of
Bigfoot_ (1979) and genre tv series including _Xena: Warrior Princess_ (3
episodes 1995-1996), died on 8 November aged 83. [SHS]
_Pat E. Johnson_ (1939-2023), US stuntman/stunt coordinator whose
genre credits include _The Ultimate Warrior_ (1975), _Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles_ (1990 plus sequel), _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ (1992), _Batman &
Robin_ (1997) and _Wild Wild West_ (1999), died on 5 November. [AIP]
_Marc Jones_ (1946-2023), US visual effects artist and creator of
Robot Wars, whose credits include _The Empire Strikes Back_ (1980 plus
sequel), _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ (1981 plus sequels) and _Poltergeist_
(1982), died on 24 November aged 77. [LP]
_Roger Kastel_ (_c_1931-2023), US artist known for the _Jaws_ and
_Empire Strikes Back_ film posters plus various genre fiction covers, died
on 8 November. [SJ]
_Nina Katerli_ (1934-2023), Russian author whose work includes
fantasy/magic realism such as _Chervets_ (_Cochineal_, 1992), _Skazaniye o
Gromushkinykh_ (_Saga of the Gromushkins_, 2006) with her daughter Yelena
Efros, and _Kostylyov_ (2014), died on 20 November. [AM]
_Victor J. Kemper_ (1927-2023), US cinematographer whose many genre
credits include _The Reincarnation of Peter Proud_ (1975), _Oh, God!_
(1977), _Eyes of Laura Mars_ (1978), _Magic_ (1978) and _The Final
Countdown_ (1980), died on 27 November aged 96. [AIP]
_Marty Krofft_ (1937-2023), US puppeteer and producer who with his
brother Sid created many genre tv series including _H.R. Pufnstuf_
(1969-1970), _Land of the Lost_ (1974-1976), segments of _The Krofft
Supershow_ (1976-1978) and others, died on 25 November aged 86. [LP]
_Janet Landgard_ (1947-2023), US actress in _Moonchild_ (1972), died
on 6 November aged 75. [SHS]
_L. (Len) H. Maynard_ (1953-2023), prolific UK horror author and
anthologist active since 1979 in collaboration with M. (Mick) P.N. Sims --
they also wrote together as Maynard Sims -- died on 11 November aged 70.
[MS]
_Jan (James Albert) Needle_ (1943-2023), UK children's author whose
many books include _Wild Wood_ (1981, a subversive retelling of _The Wind
in the Willows_) and _Dracula_ reworked for young readers, died on 9
October aged 80. [AIP]
_Weston Ochse_ (1965-2023), prolific US author of horror, sf and
supernatural fiction whose debut novel was the Stoker-winning _Scarecrow
Gods_ (2005), died on 18 November aged 58. [F770]
_Piotr 'Raku' Rak_ (1962-2023), noted Polish fanzine editor, con-goer
and club/award organizer who won special Eurocon awards in 1991 and 1993,
died on 2 November aged 61. [JV]
_Taraja Ramsess_, US stuntman in Marvel's _Avengers: Infinity
War/Endgame_ (2018/2019) and _Black Panther_ (2018 plus sequel), died in a
car crash on 31 October, aged 41. [F770]
_Deborah Reed_ (1950-2023), US actress in _Troll 2_ (1990), died on 18
November aged 73. [LP]
_Lolita Rodrigues_ (1929-2023), Brazilian actress in 221 episodes of
the Tarzan-like_ Uga Uga_ (2000-2001), died on 5 November aged 94. [SJ]
[]_ Nina Sadur_ (1950-2023), Russian playwright who combined the theatre of
the absurd with supernatural horror in _Pannochka_ (1985, after Gogol's
'Viy'), _Devil in Love_ (1987, after Jacques Cazotte) and others, died on
12 November. [AM]
_Peter Spellos_ (1954-2023), US actor in _Freddy's Dead_ (1991), _Men
in Black II_ (2002), _Transformers: Car Robots_ (2000) and others, died on
19 November aged 69. [AIP]
_Frances Sternhagen_ (1930-2023), Tony-winning US actress in _Outland_
(1981), _Independence Day_ (1983), _Communion_ (1989), _The Mist_ (2007)
and genre tv series, died on 27 November aged 93. [AIP]
_Kevin 'Geordie' Walker_ (1958-2023), UK guitarist with the band
Killing Joke, whose soundtrack credits include _Weird Science_ (1985) and
_The Covenant_ (2006), died on 26 November aged 64. [LP]
_Mike Wathen_, UK fan and essayist active in the British Fantasy
Society from the 1980s, who with his then wife Di chaired the 1989 and 1990
Fantasycons, died on 16 November aged 75. [SJ]
_Peter White_ (1937-2023), US actor in _Flubber_ (1997), _Armageddon_
(1998) and genre tv series, died on 1 November aged 86.
_Tim Woodward_ (1953-2023), UK actor whose genre tv series credits
include _Jekyll and Hyde_ (2015), died on 9 November aged 70. [AIP]

On 12/1/23 10:57 AM, David Langford wrote:
> JOHN CLUTE's long-running Facebook posts on 'Annals of Vandalism at the
> British Library' have rung many changes on the message (illustrated with
> scans) that the BL's traditional stripping and discarding of dust jackets
> and flap copy destroys bibliographic context and is a Bad Thing. All this
> is to become a heavily illustrated volume titled_The Book Blinders_. Bets
> are being taken on how it will be treated at the British Library.

Every library I've been in puts books on the shelves without dust
jackets. New acquisitions sometimes keep them for a while. Dust jackets
aren't likely to survive circulation. It would be a very good thing,
though, if libraries would scan them and make them publicly available
online.
--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

On Fri, 1 Dec 2023 11:17:06 -0500, Gary McGath <garym@mcgath.com> wrote:
> On 12/1/23 10:57 AM, David Langford wrote:
>> JOHN CLUTE's long-running Facebook posts on 'Annals of Vandalism at the
>> British Library' have rung many changes on the message (illustrated with
>> scans) that the BL's traditional stripping and discarding of dust jackets
>> and flap copy destroys bibliographic context and is a Bad Thing. All this
>> is to become a heavily illustrated volume titled_The Book Blinders_. Bets
>> are being taken on how it will be treated at the British Library.
>
> Every library I've been in puts books on the shelves without dust
> jackets. New acquisitions sometimes keep them for a while. Dust jackets
> aren't likely to survive circulation. It would be a very good thing,
> though, if libraries would scan them and make them publicly available
> online.

Yeah but the BL isn't really a circulating library it is a research
library and also a legal deposit library. Keeping djs and the associated
flap copy may be useful for future research.

--
Andy Leighton => andyl@azaal.plus.com
"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"
- Douglas Adams

Gary McGath <garym@mcgath.com> wrote:
>On 12/1/23 10:57 AM, David Langford wrote:
>> JOHN CLUTE's long-running Facebook posts on 'Annals of Vandalism at the
>> British Library' have rung many changes on the message (illustrated with
>> scans) that the BL's traditional stripping and discarding of dust jackets
>> and flap copy destroys bibliographic context and is a Bad Thing. All this
>> is to become a heavily illustrated volume titled_The Book Blinders_. Bets
>> are being taken on how it will be treated at the British Library.
>
>Every library I've been in puts books on the shelves without dust
>jackets. New acquisitions sometimes keep them for a while. Dust jackets
>aren't likely to survive circulation. It would be a very good thing,
>though, if libraries would scan them and make them publicly available
>online.

What about dust jackets with plastic covers on them? It is the best of both
worlds, and very common in libraries.
--scott
>--
>Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com
>

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."