Franson, Donald

Entry updated 23 July 2026. Tagged: Author, Critic, Fan.

(1916-2002) US fan, author and bibliographer who contributed letters to Astounding as early as the October 1934 issue. He began to publish fiction of genre interest with "Comes the Revolution" in Science Fiction Stories for March 1956; several further tales followed, from 1957 to 1987. He was strongly involved with the US National Fantasy Fan Federation or N3F, and edited or co-edited several issues of its "official organ" Fanzine The National Fantasy Fan between 1963 and 1991. Under the auspices of the N3F he published three works of nonfiction: an early survey of Fan Language, A Key to the Terminology of Science-Fiction Fandom (1962 chap); Some Historical Facts About S-F Fandom (1962 chap); and a useful Bibliographical study of variant titles (a term abbreviated to vt in this encyclopedia's ascriptions and Checklists) in the sf genre: Science Fiction Title Changes: A Guide to the Changing Titles of Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories Published in Magazines and Books (1965 chap) with Michael Viggiano. Franson also worked with Howard DeVore on various iterations of the regularly updated reference work first published as A History of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards, Listing Nominees & Winners, 1951-1970 (1971), except for the final version published in 1998.

The N3F President's Award, presented since 1991 for significant contributions to that club, was twice given to Franson – in 1995 and 1998 – and after his death renamed in his honour as the Franson Award. [DRL]

Donald Lewis Franson

born Chicago, Illinois: 11 November 1916

died California: 5 June 2002

works

nonfiction

series

Awards History

For convenience of layout the many successive iterations of A History ... are listed as separate titles.

A History of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards, Listing Nominees & Winners, 1951-1970 (Dearborn, Michigan: Sciencefiction Sales, 1971) with Howard DeVore [nonfiction: chap: Awards History: pb/]
A History of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards (Dearborn, Michigan: Howard DeVore, 1975) with Howard DeVore [nonfiction: exp vt of the above: Awards History: pb/]
A History of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards (Dearborn, Michigan: Howard DeVore, 1976) with Howard DeVore [nonfiction: exp of the above: Awards History: pb/]
A History of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards (Dearborn, Michigan: Misfit Press, 1978) with Howard DeVore [nonfiction: exp of the above: Awards History: pb/photographic]
A History of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards (Dearborn, Michigan: Misfit Press, 1980) with Howard DeVore [nonfiction: exp of the above: Awards History: pb/]
A History of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards (Dearborn, Michigan: Misfit Press, 1981) with Howard DeVore [nonfiction: exp of the above: Awards History: pb/]
A History of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards (Dearborn, Michigan: Misfit Press, 1983) with Howard DeVore [nonfiction: exp of the above: Awards History: pb/]
A History of the Hugo, Nebula, and International Fantasy Awards (Dearborn, Michigan: Misfit Press, 1985) with Howard DeVore [nonfiction: exp of the above: Awards History: pb/]

individual nonfiction titles

A Key to the Terminology of Science-Fiction Fandom (Los Angeles, California: The National Fantasy Fan Federation, 1962) [nonfiction: chap: in the publisher's Fandbook series: pb/nonpictorial]
Some Historical Facts About S-F Fandom (Los Angeles, California: The National Fantasy Fan Federation, 1962) [nonfiction: chap: in the publisher's Fandbook series: pb/nonpictorial]
Science Fiction Title Changes: A Guide to the Changing Titles of Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories Published in Magazines and Books (place not known: The National Fantasy Fan Federation, 1965) with Michael Viggiano [nonfiction: chap: pb/nonpictorial]

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