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Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Weirdbook

Tagged: Publication.

US large-format small-press Magazine, irregular (usually annual), April 1968-current; published and ed W Paul Ganley (1934-    ), Buffalo, New York.

Weirdbook is basically an amateur magazine of the old school, produced more out of love for magazine production than for any possible commercial or artistic achievement. The dedication with which the magazine is compiled has long been recognized, resulting in Weirdbook being twice (1987, 1992) recipient of the World Fantasy Award. It has always striven to follow in the footsteps of Weird Tales, but initially without pretensions to match quality. Its early issues were filled mostly with short-short Horror stories, many by aspiring writers, although the presence of Joseph Payne Brennan and H Warner Munn, plus previously unpublished work by Robert E Howard, forged links with WT.

Weirdbook hit its stride by #9 (1975) in terms of both quality fiction and production values, and since then has successfully replicated the formula of WT in its mixture of unusual stories, covering the complete range of fantasy and Supernatural Fiction. It has attracted prose and poetry from such writers as L Sprague de Camp, Dennis Etchison, Joe R Lansdale (1951-    ), Tanith Lee, Brian Lumley, Gerald W Page (1939-    ), Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Darrell Schweitzer and J N Williamson, many of whom are regulars. It has also featured an attractive series of covers by Stephen Fabian (1930-    ). Both the 10th anniversary issue (#13 1977) and the 20th (a double issue, #23/#24 1988) were also printed in hardcover. For some years Ganley published a companion magazine, Eerie Country (9 issues 1976-1982), generally of slightly lesser quality; he also issued a selection, Weirdbook Sampler (anth 1987 chap). Since 1977 he has run Weirdbook Press (in 1985 renamed W Paul Ganley: Publisher) on a rather more formal basis, releasing one or two separate books per year, mostly Cthulhu Mythos-based books by Brian Lumley and fantasies by Darrell Schweitzer. [MA]



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