William C Martin, Ph.D., has been dubbed “Atlanta’s own Forry Ackerman” due to his fantastic collection of science fiction, fantasy and horror books and space toys. An original Buck Rogers Solar Scout in the 1930s “Golden Age” of SF, he was excited to be the special guest at the Spook Show’s presentation of the 1939 classic Buck Rogers in the 25th Century serial in January during the Plaza Theatre’s 70th anniversary celebration and received a standing ovation after sharing his memories.

Now age 87, Dr. Martin is a living time capsule of information about the history of science fiction, fantasy and horror. A longstanding member of First Fandom and the Science Fiction Research Association, he first became a member of a fan club about 1934. His pulp magazine collection goes back to the first issue of Amazing Stories. His book collection contains most important SF books published 1890-1960, as well as most major books published since. He has taught Honor Seminars in Science Fiction at Georgia State University and penned numerous professional papers on the history and development of science fiction as the “Literature of the 20th Century.”