Fortean Times

Fortean Times is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing (from 1991 to 2001) and then I Feel Good Publishing (2001 to 2005), it is now published by Dennis Publishing Ltd. In December 2014 its circulation was just under 14,300 copies per month. The magazine's tagline is "The World of Strange Phenomena".

History

Origin

The roots of the magazine that was to become Fortean Times can be traced back to Bob Rickard's discovering the works of Charles Fort through the secondhand method of reading science-fiction stories:

In the mid-1960s, while Rickard was studying Product Design at Birmingham Art College he met several like-minded science fiction fans, particularly crediting fellow-student Peter Weston's fan-produced Speculation 'zine as helping him to "[learn] the art of putting together a fanzine," some years before he created his own. Attending a science fiction convention in 1968, Rickard obtained Ace paperback copies of all four of Fort's books from a stall run by Derek Stokes (later to run Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed and take a role in the day-to-day running of The Fortean Times).

Charles Fort

Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena. Today, the terms Fortean and Forteana are used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold well and are still in print today. His work continues to inspire people, who call themselves Forteans, and has influenced some areas of science fiction.

Biography

Charles Hoy Fort was born in 1874 in Albany, New York, of Dutch ancestry. He had two younger brothers, Clarence and Raymond. His grocer father was something of an authoritarian: Many Parts, Fort's unpublished autobiography, relates several instances of harsh treatment – including physical abuse – by his father. Some observers (such as Fort's biographer Damon Knight) have suggested that Fort's distrust of authority has its roots in his father's treatment. In any case, Fort developed a strong sense of independence in his youth.

As a young man, Fort was a budding naturalist, collecting sea shells, minerals, and birds. Described as curious and intelligent, the young Fort did not excel at school, though he was considered quite a wit and full of knowledge about the world – yet this was a world he only knew through books.

The Times (disambiguation)

The Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English-language newspaper titled "Times".

The newspaper is also the origin of the font/typeface; Times New Roman.

(The) Times may also refer to:

Some newspapers informally referred to as "The times" contextually or within their local environment: