Antedating of "Sci-Fi"

[Wilson Gray]

On Mon, Feb 17, 2014 at 7:23 AM, Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>wrote:

> There has been a fair amount of attention given to the question of what is
> =
> the earliest use of the term "sci-fi."  The OED's first use is dated 1955.
> =
>  The OED web site of science fiction citations has a December 1954 usage
> by=
>   _Forrest J. Ackerman_, who is often said to be the coiner.  A supposed
> usage=
>  by Robert A. Heinlein in 1949 has been shown to be erroneous.  The term
> lo=
> oks very much like a Varietyism, and in fact I have now found an earlier
> oc=
> currence in Variety:
>
> 1954 _Variety_ 17 Feb. 38 (ProQuest)  New Telepix Shows ... The commercial
> =
> possibilities are there as well since "Junior Science," aside from its
> posi=
> tive qualities, is a rewarding change of pace from the more thunderous
> sci-=
> fi and spaceship packages.
>

Interesting. Fordy Ackerman and others purists associated with Astounding
Science Fiction used to bitch about neological barbarisms like "sci-fi" and
"scientifiction."


--
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

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