Trap Door Spiders - Membership

Membership

Membership in the club was by invitation, and varied as some Trap Door Spiders died or moved away (or in at least one instance was dropped by the consensus of the other members) and as others were admitted on the nomination of existing members. People known to have been members of the club include:

  • Isaac Asimov (1920–1992), author
  • Don Bensen (1927–1997), editor
  • Gilbert Cant (1909–1982), editor
  • Lin Carter (1930–1988), author
  • Lionel Casson (1914–2009), archaeologist
  • John D. Clark (1907–1988), chemist
  • Jack Coggins (1911–2006), artist, author
  • L. Sprague de Camp (1907–2000), author
  • Lester del Rey (1915–1993), author, editor
  • Kenneth Franklin (1923–2007), astronomer, educator
  • Martin Gardner (1914–2010), math & science writer
  • Richard Harrison, cartographer
  • Charles King, novelist
  • Caleb Barrett Laning (1906–1991), navy officer, writer
  • Willy Ley (1906–1969), science writer
  • Jean Le Corbeiller, (1937–2010) math professor
  • Fletcher Pratt (1897–1956), author
  • George H. Scithers (1929–2010), author, editor
  • L. Roper Shamhart, Episcopalian minister
  • George O. Smith (1911–1981), author
  • Harrison Smith, publisher
  • John Silbersack (publisher, literary agent)
  • Theodore Sturgeon (1918–1985), author
  • Donald Wilde (advertising executive/playwright)
  • Robert Zicklin, lawyer

According to magician and skeptic James Randi, other prominent figures attending Trap Door Spiders meetings included authors Frederik Pohl and L. Ron Hubbard, as well as Randi himself. All three appear to have attended as guests rather than members (Pohl in particular has written he was never a member), though Randi did consider himself an "honorary" member.

Owing to the writings of Isaac Asimov (see below), those most closely associated with the group are Bensen, Cant, Carter, Clark, de Camp, del Rey, and Asimov himself.

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