Taurasi, James V
Entry updated 23 March 2026. Tagged: Author, Editor, Fan.
(1917-1991) US fan, author, editor and publisher active from the mid-1930s (see First Fandom), one of the early movers and shapers of Fandom. Fanzines from his notional Small Press publishing company Fandom House included Cosmic Tales (18 issues Summer 1937-August 1941, plus a special extra on 4 July 1939 for the first Worldcon) and Fantasy Times (September 1941-March 1966, retitled Science Fiction Times in May 1957 and continued by others from January 1967), the latter developing into an important early Newszine that won the Hugo for best fanzine in 1955 and 1957. One of Taurasi's conceits in Science Fiction Times was to credit stories to CNS, his own Cosmic News Service, as though this had the international stature of AP or Reuters. With Frank R Prieto Jr and Ray Van Houten as co-editors he published two issues of The Science Fiction Yearbook (anth 1957 chap; anth 1960 chap), intended as broad surveys of 1956 and 1957 in sf and in fandom; contributors included Forrest J Ackerman and Sam Moskowitz. The first issue appeared as from the newly incorporated Fandom House; this was strongly objected to by Random House, and the publisher became Science-Fiction Times Inc.
Taurasi also published some short fiction, beginning with the Space Opera "The Magician of Space" in the fanzine Scienti-Snaps (edited by Walter E Marconette) for Summer 1938; this was reprinted as "Magician of Space" (February 1942 Uncanny Tales), his only professional fiction sale. Further magazine credits include an interior illustration for the March 1941 issue of Comet, and the Fandom's Corner news column in Super Science Stories. The latter's 15 instalments ran from January 1949 to August 1951, opening with a report on the 1948 Worldcon in Toronto, Ontario (the first to be held outside the USA) and reviews of several fanzines. [DRL]
see also: Science Fiction Stories.
James Vincent Taurasi Sr
born New York: 8 December 1917
died 11 April 1991
works as editor
- The Science Fiction Yearbook 1957 (Paterson, New Jersey: Fandom House, 1957) with Frank R Prieto Jr and Ray Van Houten [nonfiction: anth: chap: pb/]
- The Science Fiction Yearbook 1958 (Syracuse, New York: Science-Fiction Times Inc, 1960) with Frank R Prieto Jr and Ray Van Houten [nonfiction: anth: chap: pb/Ed Emshwiller as Emsh]
links
previous versions of this entry