Low Brow, High Brow, Sci Fi: From the Margins to the Heights

2021 heralds the publication by two prestigious organisations, of a series of strikingly illustrated artefacts celebrating Science Fiction writing by acclaimed authors. British institution The Royal Mail recently produced a set of six individually illustrated stamps commissioned by their design team in collaboration with design company Webb and Webb, packaged in an illustrated envelope created by design studio Common Curiosity. The commission marks the 75th anniversary of the death of highly regarded Science Fiction author H.G Wells. In addition to this The Folio Society, an exclusive U.K. based publishing house has recently produced a box set of the complete short stories of Philip K. Dick whose novel ‘ Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?’ was adapted as the highly successful film Blade Runner by Ridley Scott in 1982. 24 Illustrators were commissioned to interpret the stories. The set is available only on line and as a limited edition of 750 signed copies. That such prestigious institutions have further elevated the status of the Sci – Fi genre both through the association with such highly respected organisations and through the quality of the design and illustration of the products, marks an ongoing shift in the perception of the genre. The focus of this paper will explore the ongoing evolution of the genre with a focus on narratives, authors , illustration and design, tracing Science Fiction’s cultural transition from ‘Low Brow ‘to ‘High Brow ‘in which the former ‘pulp fiction’ magazine format and association with the genre has evolved into highly desirable , exclusive and collectible artefacts.