New book, “A History of Fans and Fandom”, takes a deep dive into pop culture

By John Freeman on May 4, 2024 • ( 0 )

White Owl, an imprint of Pen & Sword Books, has recently released A History of Fans and Fandom, written by Holly Swinyard, a pop culture writer with a love for all things fandom, and occasional, appreciated contributor to downthetubes.

*Hardback and digital covers of A History of Fans and Fandom, by Holly Swinyard*

Holly’s new book takes a deep dive into pop culture, exploring what it means to be a fan. From Shakespeare to Superman, Dickens to Daleks, and fanfiction to Frodo, readers will discover how there is more to fan culture than meets the eye.

It offers a mix of the history of fan culture, interviews with academics, industry professionals and fans themselves, and personal essays on the way that fandom and the passion for storytelling has changed the course of not only the author’s own life, but also those of the people around them. There is so much more to being a fan than buying merch and queuing for the new Star Wars movie, and so much more to pop culture than men in tights and capes.

Explore fandom history beyond the 20th and 21st centuries, including the Shakespeare Jubilee in 1769, likely to be one of the first “fan conventions”, how the Bronte siblings wrote fanfiction, and the early sci-fi and literature fanclubs that grew out of the 1800s.

This book also takes a look into the cultural and emotional connection that humans have with storytelling and popular culture in all its forms, as well as how we form bonds with each other and the world around us through them.

Offering an approachable look into a complex subject, accessible to those who have an understanding of fandom and pop culture on every level, the exclusive interviews are with creators, YouTube stars, pop culture journalists and podcasters, discussing their journeys through fandom and being fans themselves.

“Do you have a Google alert for your favourite band going on tour?” Publisher White Owl challenges. “Or maybe you have a pull list at your local comicbook shop? Or perhaps you’ve got a season ticket to your sports team of choice? That would make you a fan, whether you realise it or not, and there’s a lot more to fan culture than you might think.

“In the 21st century pop culture is everywhere; you can’t move for a new superhero film or major franchise appearing in our lives and we love it. We’re just jumping into the media landscape headfirst in order to get more of our favs, track down spoilers and deep dive about plot lines on social media.

“It’s hard to deny fan culture as part of the world now, there’s a fandom for everyone, but what does that actually mean, and where did it come from? From ancient times to modern media, humans have shared their love for the stories that mean something to them and brought in others to be fans of them too. We’ve written ourselves in, made art of, and celebrated with others who love the same things as us all in the name of being a fan, even before the word fan existed.

“There’s a whole lot of who, where, what, when, why, how and huh to look into when it comes to fan culture. From Shakespeare to Superman, Dickens to Daleks, and fanfiction to Frodo there is so much more to fandom than meets the eye. And a whole lot of references to pack in too.”

Holly Swinyard is a pop culture writer with a love for all things fandom. They have worked on everything from tabletop roleplaying games to costume and fashion journalism, from Marvel Comics to PLAY magazine, from cosplay to video games. And as one half of the fandom podcast I’m a Fan of That it’s not to see that they have made a study of geekdom inside and out.

In this new book they take a deep dive into pop culture and what it is about being a fan that draws people in and drives a passion to share, debate and create around their favourite characters and stories. There is more to fan culture than meets the eye and there is much more to the fans themselves and what they are capable of than people might think.

Holly has been working in and around pop culture industries since they were a teenager and this book is a mix of the history of fan culture, interviews with academics, industry professionals and fans themselves, and personal essays on the way that fandom and the passion for storytelling has changed the course of not only Holly’s own life but also those of the people around them. There is so much more to being a fan than buying merch and queuing for the new Star Wars movie, and so much more to pop culture than men in tights and capes.

• A History of Fans and Fandom is available now from all good bookshops | Buy the hardback edition from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | ISBN: 978-1399042833

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.