Gone missing: Dark Horizons

[Peter Coleborn]

I was browsing the latest Journal last night and noticed an omission. There is no mention that the Journal incorporates Dark Horizons and Prism. Is this an oversight or deliberate policy? I sincerely hope it's not the second, especially with respect to the name "Dark Horizons". DH has been with us since the very beginning of the BFS. It has had a long and illustrious run, with editors including David Sutton, Stephen Jones, Mike Chinn and many others. It is, in my opinion, a mistake to discard the title. I rather rename the Journal as Dark Horizons.

Yes, I know that the "Dark" bit can be misconstrued -- it is up to the editors to ensure the balance, and not worry too much how literally some readers define that word.

Just to add, I'm not complaining about the Journal's contents -- the bits I've read are entertaining and enjoyable. Well done Lou and Guy (who isn't me).

[Mike Chinn]

I enjoyed those issues edited by Many Others... 

[David A. Riley]

I was browsing the latest Journal last night and noticed an omission. There is no mention that the Journal incorporates Dark Horizons and Prism. Is this an oversight or deliberate policy? I sincerely hope it's not the second, especially with respect to the name "Dark Horizons". DH has been with us since the very beginning of the BFS. It has had a long and illustrious run, with editors including David Sutton, Stephen Jones, Mike Chinn and many others. It is, in my opinion, a mistake to discard the title. I rather rename the Journal as Dark Horizons.

Yes, I know that the "Dark" bit can be misconstrued -- it is up to the editors to ensure the balance, and not worry too much how literally some readers define that word.

Just to add, I'm not complaining about the Journal's contents -- the bits I've read are entertaining and enjoyable. Well done Lou and Guy (who isn't me).

I still have copies from when DH was edited by Rosemary Pardoe in the very earliest of days, run off a duplicator with a litho cover. Two of the earliest covers were done by me when I still did artwork. (And before much better artists came along.)

[Stephen Theaker]

There wasn't much mention of it in #5 either, outside your editorial, Peter.

Can't say I mind, though. As far as I'm concerned, the last issues of Dark Horizons and Prism were in September 2010. The names Prism and Dark Horizons were only ever used in the journal - so far as I could see - to make it seem like the editors of those publications should accept the much-reduced roles they were being offered on the journal.

While BFS Journal isn't a very exciting name, Dark Horizons did, like you say, make people think it was just horror, so I don't think it would be good to adopt it as the title of the journal.

[Peter Coleborn]

Didn't you also edit DH, Mr Riley?

Other editors: Jim Pitts, John Merritt, Phil Williams, Adrian Cole (I think), Debbie Bennett ... others? My memory is flagging here ... and me of course.

[Stephen Theaker]

Let the name lie fallow for a bit and I bet eventually someone will come along with a suggestion for a new project that suits it. Maybe a members' only fiction publication, or a horror/dark fantasy one..?

[Stephen Theaker]

I started building a list of Dark Horizons editors on Wikipedia a few years ago - if anyone can fill the gaps I'll update them:

Rosemary Pardoe, issues 1-4, 1971–72
Adrian Cole, issues ?-6, 1973-?
Adrian Cole and David A Sutton, issues 7-?
Stephen Jones
Mike Chinn and John Merritt, issues 19–22, 1979–1981
David A Sutton, issues 23–29, 1981-?
David J. Howe
Peter Coleborn, Mike Chinn and Phil Williams, issue 37, 1998
Peter Coleborn and Mike Chinn, issue 38, 1999
Debbie Bennett, issues 39–46, 2001–2004
Marie O'Regan, issue 47, 2005
Marie O'Regan and Jenny Barber, issues 48-49, 2005–2006
Peter Coleborn and Jan Edwards, issues 50–52, 2006–2008
Stephen Theaker, issues 53–57, 2008–2010

[Peter Coleborn]

There wasn't much mention of it in #5 either, outside your editorial, Peter.

Oops, you're right. It was meant to have the same information as in the previous issue of the Journal, ie, name-checking both Prism and Dark Horizons. I hadn't realised that this information was missing from the Winter issue. As far as I'm concerned, that was an oversight and I should've spotted and corrected it. I'll take ten demerits and sit in the corner for 30 minutes.

UPDATE: I've just checked my files from last year. This is what I said:

BFS Journal
Winter 2011/2012
(Incorporating Dark Horizons and Prism)

Edited by
Peter Coleborn
Lou Morgan
Ian Hunter

Layouts by
Cavan Scott

Somehow the "Incorporating Dark Horizons and Prism" bit went AWOL

[Peter Coleborn]

I started building a list of Dark Horizons editors on Wikipedia a few years ago - if anyone can fill the gaps I'll update them:

LIST REMOVED

Interesting list, Stephen. Obviously some editors had better staying power 

You best start compiling a similar list of the Journal before that info is lost over the (dark) horizon...

[David A. Riley]

I seem to remember there was one brought out in the early days that was so bad it was disowned. I could be wrong, as my memory of that is very vague.

[Stephen Theaker]

It says in this article by David Sutton from Silver Rhapsody that the editor of issue five was sacked because it was so bad, but doesn't say who it was:

http://www.britishfantasysociety.co.uk/about-the-bfs/a-history-of-the-bfs/

[David A. Riley]

Glad I didn't misremember that, Stephen! It did cause something of a scandal, though it was a long time ago. I definitely couldn't even speculate as to who the editor was anymore. Not that it would be fair to name them now even if I could.  

[Stephen Theaker]

Just for the records, seeing as I happen to have most of them to hand at the moment:

BFS Journal #1 - edited by Sam Stone, Andrew Hook, David A. Riley and Ian Hunter
BFS Journal #2-4 - edited by Peter Coleborn, Andrew Hook, David A. Riley and Ian Hunter
BFS Journal #5 - edited by Peter Coleborn, Lou Morgan and Ian Hunter
BFS Journal #6 - edited by Guy Adams, Lou Morgan and Ian Hunter

Is that the right line-up for #4 (Autumn 2011)? I can't find my copy...

[Stephen Theaker]

Hey, look at this, Phil Stephensen-Payne has devoted a page on Galactic Central to BFS publications:

http://www.philsp.com/mags/bfs.html

Marvellous! I see from the journal covers on there that I did get the #4 line-up right.

[Stephen Theaker]

And realising that the missing issue had a blue spine helped me find it in just a few seconds! Excellent..!