sercon adj.
of fans or fan activities: (obsessively) concerned with matters of criticism or scholarship, rather than fandom itself; cf. faan n.
[< serious and constructive]
Fancyclopedia
SF Fandom
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[1949 Fantasy Annual 1948 20
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Wilson was publisher of Dream Quest…contributor to numberless fanzines from coast-to-coast; heckler of Insurgents and Serious Constructive Fans alike.]
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[1952
Arthur H. Rapp
serious constructive fan. One who thinks fan activity is less of a hobby than a means of advancing mankind toward the utopias described in science fiction. Serious constructiveness also extends to…publishing ‘high-minded’ fanzines in order to impress and recruit outsiders.]
Fanspeak 11/1 -
1955
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Wilson Tucker
Serious Constructive Fan…. This fan often believes he has a Mission in fandom; he labors for some lofty Purpose…. The abbreviation infrequently used is ‘SerConFan’.
Neo-Fan’s Guide to Science Fiction Fandom 2 -
1957
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Robert A. Madle
But TTT [a zine] wasn’t 100% ‘sercon’ (today’s fannish term for ‘serious-constructive’—usually mentioned with derision).
Inside Science Fiction in Science Fiction Quarterly Nov. 92/2 -
1958
Robert Bloch
One of the best 'zines on the market…. It’s a ‘sercon’ effort, with plenty of humor in a satirical vein. Ibid 122/2 [He] is more or less ‘sercon’ but this is (to my way of thinking) a desirable trait in a science-fiction fan—as opposed to jazz fans, sports-car fans, comics fans and other enthusiasts who are apt to decry a ‘sercon’ interest in science fiction.
Fandora's Box in Imagination Apr. 122/1 -
1974 Newark (Ohio) Advocate 23 Feb. 4/5
What do sercon fanzines signify? To treat that is to ask: What part does trivia—nonearthshaking nonevents—play in anybody’s life?
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1991
Larry Niven
Michael F. Flynn
Jerry Pournelle
bibliography
You'll find plenty to entertain you. Not every fan activity is sercon.
Fallen Angels 92 -
2001
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Paul Di Filippo
Issue Number 52 of this ‘sercon’ zine features an informative profile of the late Doc Lowndes by Mike Ashley.
On Books in Asimov’s Science Fiction May 139/2
Research requirements
antedating 1957
Earliest cite
SF Quarterly
Research History
Bill Mullins submitted a 1974 cite from the in the Newark, Ohio Advocate.Fred Galvin submitted a 1959 cite from Fancyclopedia II.
Fred Galvin submitted a 1958 cite from Ralph M. Holland's "Ghu's Lexicon".
Jesse Sheidlower submitted a 1955 cite from the first edition of the Neo-Fan's Guide.
Last modified 2021-01-02 09:56:08
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