Editing Forrest J Ackerman (section)

==Career and fandom==
[[File:MorojoAND4SJ.jpg|thumb|right|Ackerman and [[Morojo]] at the 1st Worldcon (1939, NYC), in the "futuristicostumes" she created for them]]

Ackerman saw his first "imagi-movie" in 1922 (''[[One Glorious Day]]''),<ref>{{Cite web |title=One Glorious Day (1922) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013459 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729101621/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013459/ |archive-date=July 29, 2015 |access-date=September 18, 2015 |publisher=IMDb.com}}</ref> purchased his first [[science fiction magazine]], ''[[Amazing Stories]]'', in 1926, created the Boys' Scientifiction Club in 1930 ("girl-fans were as rare as unicorn's horns in those days"). He contributed to both of the first [[science fiction fanzine]]s, ''[[The Time Traveller (fanzine)|The Time Traveler]]'', and the ''Science Fiction Magazine'', published and edited by [[Joe Shuster|Shuster]] and [[Jerry Siegel|Siegel]] of [[Superman]] fame, in 1932, and by 1933 had 127 correspondents around the world. His name was used for the character of the reporter in the original Superman story "[[The Reign of the Superman]]" in issue 3 of ''Science Fiction'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Science Fiction |url=http://ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu/UF00077088/00001/13j |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015230143/http://ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu/UF00077088/00001/13j |archive-date=October 15, 2015 |access-date=September 18, 2015 |publisher=Ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu}}</ref> He was an early member of the [[Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society]] and remained active in it for many decades.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

[[File:Forrest J. Ackerman, collector of movie memorabilia, with fan..jpg|thumb|left|Letting a fan try on the cape worn by [[Bela Lugosi]] in ''[[Plan 9 from Outer Space]]'' (1957, directed by [[Ed Wood]]) ]]

He attended the [[1st World Science Fiction Convention]] in 1939, where he wore the first "futuristicostume"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mimosa 29, pages 55-59. "Caravan to the Stars" by Dave Kyle |url=http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m29/kyle.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040501201447/http://www.jophan.org/mimosa/m29/kyle.htm |archive-date=May 1, 2004 |access-date=September 18, 2015 |publisher=Jophan.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 30, 2009 |title=NYcon 1 - 1939 WorldCon - W39-030 |url=http://fanac.org/worldcon/NYcon/w39-030.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402175652/http://fanac.org/worldcon/NYcon/w39-030.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=September 18, 2015 |publisher=Fanac.org}}</ref> (designed and created by his girlfriend, Myrtle R Douglas, better known as [[Morojo]]), which sparked decades of fan costuming thereafter, the latest incarnation of which is [[cosplay]]. He attended every [[Worldcon]] but two thereafter during his lifetime.

In 1994, the [[International Costumers' Guild]] (ICG) presented a special award to Ackerman at Conadian, the [[52nd World Science Fiction Convention|52nd Worldcon]], recognizing him as the "Father of Convention Costuming" for wearing his "futuristicostume" at the 1st Worldcon.<ref name=icg201609>{{cite web | title=ICG Special Awards and Recognition | url=http://costume.org/wp/special-awards-recognition | website=costume.org | date=May 27, 2016 | publisher=[[International Costumers' Guild]] (ICG) | access-date=December 20, 2022}}</ref>

Ackerman invited [[Ray Bradbury]] to attend the Los Angeles Chapter of the Science Fiction League, then meeting weekly at Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles. The club changed its name to the [[Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society]] during the period it was meeting at the restaurant. Among the writers frequenting the club were [[Robert A. Heinlein]], [[Emil Petaja]], [[Fredric Brown]], [[Henry Kuttner]], [[Leigh Brackett]], and [[Jack Williamson]]. Bradbury often attended meetings with his friend [[Ray Harryhausen]]; the two Rays had been introduced to each other by Ackerman. With $90 from Ackerman and Morojo, Bradbury launched a fanzine, ''[[Futuria Fantasia]]'', in 1939, which ran for four issues.

Ackerman was an early member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Science Fiction League and became so active in and important to the club that in essence he ran it, including (after the name change) the [[Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society]], a prominent regional fan organization, as well as the [[National Fantasy Fan Federation]] (N3F). Together with Morojo, he edited and produced ''Imagination!'', later renamed ''[[Voice of the Imagi-Nation]]'' (which in 1996 would be awarded the [[Hugo Award for Best Fanzine#Retro Hugos|Retro Hugo for Best Fanzine of 1946]], and in 2014 for 1939), which was nominally the club fanzine for the LASFS.

In the decades that followed, Ackerman amassed an extremely large and complete collection of science fiction, [[fantasy]], and [[horror film]] memorabilia, which, until 2002, he maintained in an 18-room home and museum known as the "Son of Ackermansion". (The original Ackermansion where he lived from the early 1950s until the mid-1970s was at 915 S. Sherbourne Drive in Los Angeles; the site is now an apartment building.) This second house, in the [[Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California|Los Feliz]] district of Los Angeles, contained some 300,000 books and pieces of film and science-fiction memorabilia.

From 1951 to 2002, Ackerman entertained some 50,000 fans at open houses – including, on one such evening, a group of 186 fans and professionals that included astronaut [[Buzz Aldrin]]. Ackerman was a board member of the [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] [[Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame]] (now [[Museum of Pop Culture]]), where many items of his collection are now displayed.

He knew many of the writers of science fiction in the first half of the twentieth century. As a literary agent, he represented some 200 writers, and he served as agent of record for many long-lost authors, thereby allowing their work to be reprinted in anthologies. He was [[Ed Wood]]'s "illiterary" agent.<ref>[http://www.dragoncon.org/people/ackermf.html] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011211125005/http://www.dragoncon.org/people/ackermf.html|date=December 11, 2001}})</ref> Ackerman was credited with nurturing and even inspiring the careers of several early contemporaries<ref name="Interview with Forrest J Ackerman on Geekson">{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Peter |year=2006 |title=Interview with Forrest J Ackerman |url=http://www.geekson.com/archives/archivedepisodes/2006/episode081808.htm |publisher=Geekson.com}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Retrieved August 18, 2006.</ref> like Ray Bradbury, [[Ray Harryhausen]], [[Charles Beaumont]], [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]], and [[L. Ron Hubbard]].<ref name=time/> He kept all of the stories submitted to his magazine, even the ones he rejected; [[Stephen King]] has stated that Ackerman showed up to a King book signing with a copy of a story King had submitted for publication when he was 11.<ref>King, Stephen. ''[[On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft]]''. Scribner 2000; {{ISBN|978-1-4391-9363-1}}, pg. 35</ref>

Ackerman had 50 stories published, including collaborations with [[A. E. van Vogt]], [[George Henry Weiss|Francis Flagg]], [[Robert A. W. Lowndes]], [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]], [[Donald A. Wollheim|Donald Wollheim]] and [[C. L. Moore|Catherine Moore]], and the world's shortest – one letter of the alphabet. His stories have been translated into six languages. Ackerman named the comic-book character [[Vampirella]] and wrote the origin story for the comic.

He also authored several [[lesbian]] stories under the name "Laurajean Ermayne" for ''[[Vice Versa (magazine)|Vice Versa]]'' and provided publishing assistance in the early days of the [[Daughters of Bilitis]].<ref name="latimesobit">{{Cite news |last=McLellan |first=Dennis |date=December 6, 2008 |title=Forrest J Ackerman, writer-editor who coined 'sci-fi,' dies at 92 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-ackerman6-2008dec06,0,6853867,full.story |url-status=dead |access-date=December 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206093129/http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-ackerman6-2008dec06,0,6853867,full.story |archive-date=February 6, 2010}}</ref> He was dubbed an "honorary lesbian" at a DOB party.<ref>[[Elise Matthesen|Matthesen, Elise]]. "Vampires and Aliens." ''Lavender Lifestyles'', November 24, 1995. [http://www.tc.umn.edu/~d-lena/Vampires%20and%20Aliens.html Online copy] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210015521/http://www.tc.umn.edu/~d-lena/Vampires%20and%20Aliens.html |date=December 10, 2008 }})</ref><ref name="brock24">{{Cite book |last=Brock |first=Jason V. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9g0WBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA24 |title=Disorders of Magnitude: A Survey of Dark Fantasy |date=July 17, 2014 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4422-3525-0 |location=Plymouth |page=24 |language=en}}</ref> Ackerman's involvement with lesbian fiction led to him becoming the first heterosexual guest of honor at [[Gaylaxicon]]. It also caused him to be found in violation of the [[Comstock laws]] for sending "obscene materials" to another man through the mail while both of them were pretending to be lesbians.<ref name="brock24" />

Through his magazine, ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' (1958–1983), Ackerman introduced the history of the science fiction, fantasy, and horror film genres to a generation of young readers.<ref name=upi/> He also contributed to film magazines from all around the world, including the Spanish-language ''[[La Cosa: Cine Fantástico]]'' magazine from [[Argentina]], where he had a monthly column for more than four years. In the 1960s, Ackerman organized the publication of an English translation in the U.S. of the German science fiction series ''[[Perry Rhodan]]'', the longest-running science fiction series in history. These were published by Ace Books from 1969 through 1977. Ackerman's German-speaking wife Wendayne ("Wendy") did most of the translation. The American books were issued with varying frequency from one to as many as four per month. Ackerman also used the paperback series to promote science fiction short stories, including his own on occasion. These "magabooks" or "bookazines" also included a film review section, known as "Scientifilm World", and letters from readers. The American series came to an end when the management of Ace changed, and the new management decided that the series was too juvenile for their taste. The last Ace issue was #118, which corresponded to German issue #126 as some of the Ace editions contained two of the German issues, and three of the German issues had been skipped. Ackerman later published translations of German issues #127 through #145 on his own under the Master Publications imprint. (The original German series continues today and passed issue #2800 in 2015.)