One would think with all of the hullabaloo over “social networking” and the communities that they spawn that the concept never existed before the advent of the internet. Of course, not so. As soon as the first fire was lit outside a cave, I imagine communities became a rather a common occurrence. Who’s Who in SF Fandom is yet another arrangement of biographies presented in the ever ubiquitous Who’s Who format that celebrates the community of science fiction fans.

“Science Fiction fandom grew out of the letter columns of the pulp SF magazines of the 1920s and 30s. Amazing Stories editor Hugo Gernsback was the first to start printing the full addresses of letter writers, which led to them writing to each other, setting up meetings, and to the beginning of a sense of community. The first ever SF fan group - the Scienceers - was formed in New York in 1929, while the first British SF fan group - the Ilford Science Literary Society - formed in 1930. Fanzines and conventions eventually followed.”
Who’s Who in SF FAndom

In a rather truncated collection of biographies, but an excellent companion to Who’s Who’ in SF Fandom, is a collection of Who’s Who in UFology. To complement your other -worldly browsing, you could probably find an appropriate space opera by browsing through Who’s Who in Space Age Pop Music.