FERMAN, Edward L(ewis)

(1937-)

   US editor, son of Joseph W. FERMAN; ELF formally took over the editorship of The MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION in Jan 1966, a post in which he remained until June 1991, having previously been managing editor since Apr 1962 under Avram DAVIDSON and then his father. Under ELF's editorship FSF generally prospered: for many years it was one ofonly two sf magazines - ASF being the other, with both now being joined by ISAAC ASIMOV'S SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE - to have maintained a regularschedule, and its circulation has remained fairly stable. FSF won the HUGO for Best Magazine five years in succession (1969-72) under ELF and, after that category was dropped, ELF won the replacement Hugo for Best Editor in 1981, 1982 and 1983. It would be fair to say that, although the magazinehas lost much of its distinctive flavour of the 1950s, larger market forces and changes in the nature of the genre have had much to do with that diminution of specialness. In 1991 ELF appointed Kristine Kathryn RUSCH as editor, retaining the post of publisher.During his long stay atthe helm, ELF edited various anthologies drawn from the magazine, including several volumes of the Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction series (see listing below). There were also four anniversary volumes: Twenty Years of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (anth 1970)with Robert P. MILLS, The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: A Special 25th Anniversary Anthology (anth 1974), The Magazine of Fantasy andScience Fiction: A 30-Year Retrospective (anth 1980) ,The Best from Fantasy \& Science Fiction: A 40th Anniversary Anthology (anth 1989) and The Best from Fantasy \& Science Fiction: A 45th Anniversary Anthology (anth 1994), the last with Rusch. With Barry N. MALZBERG ELF collaborated on a notable original anthology, Final Stage (anth 1974; rev 1975), a reprint collection, Arena: Sports SF (anth 1976) and Graven Images: Three Original Novellas of Science Fiction (anth 1977).

   MJE/JC

   Other works: Once and Future Tales from the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (anth 1968); The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1965 (anth 1981) with Martin H. GREENBERG; The Best Fantasy Stories from the Magazine of Fantasy \& Science Fiction (anth 1986); The Best Horror Stories from the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (anth 1988; in 2 vols US 1989; vtThe Best of Modern Horror: Twenty-Four Tales from the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction 1989 UK) ed with Anne Devereaux Jordan.The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction:15th Series (anth 1966); 16th Series (anth 1967); 17th Series (anth 1968); 18th Series (anth 1969); 19th Series (anth 1971); 20th Series (anth 1973); 22nd Series (anth 1977); 23th Series (anth 1980); 24th Series (anth 1982).