Background
Donald Arthur Thompson was born on October 30, 1935, in Warren, Pennsylvania, United States.
Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, United States
Thompson received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960 from Pennsylvania State University.
Donald Arthur Thompson was born on October 30, 1935, in Warren, Pennsylvania, United States.
From 1954 to 1956, Thompson served in the United States Army Signal Corps. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960 from Pennsylvania State University (also known as Penn State).
Thompson discovered science fiction fandom while still in school and quickly became active in the field. He joined the staff of the Cleveland Press in 1960-1961 as a copyboy, then worked his way up through the ranks, serving as a copy editor in 1961-1962, a financial reporter in 1962-1966, police reporter in 1966-1967, a suburban reporter in 1967-1971, and night editor beginning in 1978.
He and his wife Margaret Thompson edited one of the first fanzines devoted to comics, Comic Art, in the 1960s, followed by another fanzine, Newfangled, in the 1970s. When the Cleveland Press folded in 1983, they became co-editors of The Comic Buyer's Guide, turning the weekly newspaper into a formative force in the comics and collectibles industry. He occasionally collaborated with Dick Lupoff under the joint pseudonym of Dick O'Donnell.
His first book was a classic guide to the genre, All in Color for a Dime, edited with Dick Lupoff (1970). The works that followed include The Comic-Book Book (edited with Lupoff; 1974), The Fandom Zone (with Maggie Thompson; 1980), The Official Price Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Collectibles (3rd edition, with Maggie Thompson; 1989), Comic Buyer's Guide: 1993 Annual (with Maggie Thompson; 1992), 1994 Annual (1993), 1995 Annual (1994), Comic-Book Superstars (1993), Comics Buyer's Guide to Marvel Comics (1993), and 1995 Comic Book Checklist & Price Guide (1994).
Thompson was a member of Science Fiction Writers of America, Rho Tau Sigma, and Sigma Delta Chi.
Donald was married to Margaret Thompson.