Roland E. Bounds science fiction periodical collection
Scope and Contents
The Roland E. Bounds science fiction periodicals collection contains several hundred issues of science fiction and fantasy magazines dating from the 1920s to the 1990s, though Bounds made a special effort to collect vintage (pre-1953) issues. The 144 titles represented in this collection were published in America, with a few British and German exceptions (Perry Rhodan).
The periodicals can be lumped into two main types: those with many small novelettes and those with only one longer story. Differing in style and appeal to varied readers, many of the publishers followed a seemingly standard pattern of featuring the work of “famous” authors such as Isaac Asimov or Poul Anderson, along side contributions from writers of less renown.
The bulk of the periodicals represent three broad time periods: 1930s-to the mid-1940s, the late 1950s, and a final large group in the mid- to late-1970s. There are several extensive serial runs, such as Amazing Stories, Analog, Astounding Science Fiction, though most are incomplete. Bounds made an effort to collect first issues of many titles, and these are well represented throughout the collection. Many of the titles found in the collection do not have subsequent issues after the inaugural one.
This collection is useful for study of developments in style and subject in twentieth-century science fiction and fantasy, and the transition of the genre from early “pulp” to contemporary periodicals. In addition to the literary aspect, the collection is an important source
for study of popular culture, gender representation in the genre of science fiction, cover illustration art, advertising to a reader-driven market, and the history of reading.
Dates
- Creation: 1926-2001
Creator
- Bounds, Roland E. (Collector, Person)
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Access Information
The collection is open for research.
Material in annex requires 24-hour notice for retrieval.
Conditions Governing Use
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec
Biographical Note
Roland E. Bounds (1953-2002) attended Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware, and obtained a B.S. in geology from the University of Delaware in 1975. He pursued graduate studies in mineralogy and applied geology at the University of Delaware and Oklahoma State University. By vocation and avocation, he was a collector. He began collecting rocks at age six, and as an adult became a noted mineral collector and dealer with business partner Eric Meier in Broken Back Minerals. Bounds was a senior research technician with the Delaware Geological Survey, located in Newark, Delaware. He regularly submitted articles to First State Geology and was a longtime editor of Geogram, the newsletter of the Delaware Mineralogical Association. Bounds was also active in the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Friends of Mineralogy.
Bounds was equally known as a collector of science fiction, an interest he developed at age thirteen when he “discovered the large amount of material being published but not available in either the local county or school libraries.” Bounds concentrated on collecting vintage (pre-1965) paperbacks and pulp magazines (pre-1953). Thematically, he developed an interest in “the way technological advances have been predicted and the ways that authors of various times have viewed society and its problems.” He also collected with an interest in book and magazine cover art and illustration of science fiction and fantasy. When he was a graduate student at the University of Delaware, he twice won (in 1983 and 1984) first prize in the student book collecting contest sponsored by the University of Delaware Library Associates. His science fiction collection was included in a 1991 exhibition at the University of Delaware Library, Delaware Collects.
The extensive Roland Bounds Science Fiction Collection, containing over 20,000 volumes, is housed in Special Collections at the University of Delaware Library.
“Additions to the Science Fiction Collection.” Newsletter of the University of Delaware Library Associates. April 2004, no. 456. pp. 25-26. “Roland Bounds, 1953-2002.” Matrix: a Journal of the History of Minerals. v. 10, no. 2 (Summer 2002). p. 91. (See Folder 24)
Extent
63 linear foot (63 boxes)
Abstract
The Roland E. Bounds Science Fiction Periodical Collection contains several hundred issues of science fiction and fantasy magazines dating from the 1920s to 2001, with an emphasis on vintage (pre-1953) issues. The bulk of the collection consists of three time periods: 1930s- to the mid- 1940s, the late 1950s, and a final large group from the mid- to late- 1970s. The majority of the 144 titles in this collection were published in the United States, with a few British and German exceptions.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by title of the periodical, the contents list also provides place and name of publisher, as well as volume/issue numbers and publication dates (when available). In a few cases, some issues are “bound with” other titles, and are thus listed out of alphabetical order. A complete index of titles in the collection is located in the appendix.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase, 2003
Shelving Summary
Boxes 1-63: Shelved in ANNEX MSS record center cartons
Rights Statement
The text of this web page can be reused and modified under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Processing Information
Processed by Robert Sherwood, 2005. Encoded by Jaime Margalotti, 2022.
Genre / Form
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for Roland E. Bounds science fiction periodical collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Date
- 2022 December 16
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the University of Delaware Library Special Collections Repository