Edward L. Ferman
Encyclopedia
Edward Lewis Ferman was an American
science fiction
and fantasy fiction editor and magazine publisher.
Ferman is the son of Joseph W. Ferman
, and took over as editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1964 when Avram Davidson
, due to his residence in various Latin American locales with unreliable postal delivery, could no longer practically continue editing; on the masthead, Joseph Ferman was listed as editor and publisher for Edward Ferman's first two years. Edward Ferman would take on the role of publisher, as well, by 1970, as his father gradually retired. He remained as editor until 1991 when he hired his replacement, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
. He remained as publisher of the magazine until he sold it to Gordon Van Gelder
in 2000. While Ferman was the editor, many other magazines in the field began to fold or were short-lived, and his magazine, along with Analog, was one of the few which maintained a regular schedule and sustained critical appreciation for its contents.
In 1969-1970, he was the editor of Fantasy & Science Fiction's sister publication Venture Science Fiction Magazine
. Together, the Fermans had also edited and published the short-lived nostalgia
and humor magazine P.S. and a similarly brief run of a magazine about mysticism
and other proto-New Age
matters, Inner Space.
Ferman received the Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor
three years in a row, from 1981 through 1983. F&SF had previously won several other Hugos under his editorship, which had been famously conducted, at least in the last decade of his tenure, from a table in the Ferman family's Connecticut house. He edited or co-edited several volumes of stories from F&SF and co-edited Final Stage with Barry N. Malzberg
. It is probable that he also ghost-edited No Limits for or with Joseph Ferman, an anthology drawn from the pages of the first run of Venture.
In 1998 Ferman was recognized for Lifetime Achievement with a World Fantasy Award
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy fiction editor and magazine publisher.
Ferman is the son of Joseph W. Ferman
Joseph W. Ferman
Joseph Wolfe Ferman was a Lithuanian-American science fiction publisher.Ferman moved to the United States of America and began working on the magazine American Mercury, the primary publication of the Mercury Press, which added Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine in 1941...
, and took over as editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1964 when Avram Davidson
Avram Davidson
Avram Davidson was an American writer of fantasy fiction, science fiction, and crime fiction, as well as the author of many stories that do not fit into a genre niche...
, due to his residence in various Latin American locales with unreliable postal delivery, could no longer practically continue editing; on the masthead, Joseph Ferman was listed as editor and publisher for Edward Ferman's first two years. Edward Ferman would take on the role of publisher, as well, by 1970, as his father gradually retired. He remained as editor until 1991 when he hired his replacement, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Kristine Kathryn Rusch is an American writer. She writes under various pseudonyms in multiple genres, including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and mainstream....
. He remained as publisher of the magazine until he sold it to Gordon Van Gelder
Gordon Van Gelder
Gordon Van Gelder is a Hugo Award-winning American science fiction editor. As of 2008, Van Gelder is both editor and publisher of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form...
in 2000. While Ferman was the editor, many other magazines in the field began to fold or were short-lived, and his magazine, along with Analog, was one of the few which maintained a regular schedule and sustained critical appreciation for its contents.
In 1969-1970, he was the editor of Fantasy & Science Fiction's sister publication Venture Science Fiction Magazine
Venture Science Fiction Magazine
Venture Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, first published from 1957 to 1958, and revived for a brief run in 1969 and 1970. Ten issues were published of the 1950s version, with another six in the second run. It was founded in both instances as a companion to The...
. Together, the Fermans had also edited and published the short-lived nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
and humor magazine P.S. and a similarly brief run of a magazine about mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and other proto-New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
matters, Inner Space.
Ferman received the Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor
Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
three years in a row, from 1981 through 1983. F&SF had previously won several other Hugos under his editorship, which had been famously conducted, at least in the last decade of his tenure, from a table in the Ferman family's Connecticut house. He edited or co-edited several volumes of stories from F&SF and co-edited Final Stage with Barry N. Malzberg
Barry N. Malzberg
Barry Nathaniel Malzberg is an American writer and editor, most often of science fiction and fantasy.-Overview:Initially in his post-graduate work Malzberg sought to establish himself as a playwright as well as a prose-fiction writer. His first two published novels were issed by Olympia Press...
. It is probable that he also ghost-edited No Limits for or with Joseph Ferman, an anthology drawn from the pages of the first run of Venture.
In 1998 Ferman was recognized for Lifetime Achievement with a World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
.