This is SKYRACK No. 2, dated May 1st 1959 and published by Ron Bennett, 7 Southway, Arthurs Avenue, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. Cost is 6d per copy, six issues for half-a-crown. USA subscribers should send money to Bob Pavlat, 6001 43rd Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland. Six issues for 35 cents. News of interest to fandom, whether of a science fiction or a  more social nature, gratefully accepted.   Illustration on the left by Eddie Jones

HUGO BALLOT FORMS

Distributed with this issue of SKYRACK are copies of the ballot forms for the “Hugo” awards for the best achievements and contributions to the Science Fiction field. The awards will be presented at the Detention, the Detroit World Convention in September. These ballot forms, kindly supplied with a readily addressed envelope by Archie Mercer, a man without whom no fandom should leave itself, should be returned to me by May 15th. Get cracking and vote.

As the ballot form points out, you can obtain membership to the Detention by sending me 7 shillings. Why not join the Detention at the same time as sending in the Hugo ballot?

EUROPEAN FAN GRANT

At the International Kettering convention in 1956 Ken Slater raised the possibility of running a fan fund on the lines of TAFF with the idea of bringing a Continental fan to a British Convention. It was pointed out at the time that this fund might tend to rival TAFF and that it wasn’t really necessary as expenses were relatively small. Now read on;

Ken has been having second thoughts on this matter and has come up with the idea of having a continental fan attending each British convention with the aid of a set grant of say £5 or £10. Ken has put on to a circular all the main points for and against the idea, and hopes to hear some discussion on. the matter. All correspondence dealing with this grant should be sent to "Eurofangrant" c/o Ken Slater, 75 Norfolk Street, Wisbech, Cambs, England. Copies of the circular mentioned above can also be obtained from Ken.

To summarise some of the points raised by Ken; Amount of grant, number of persons to benefit, qualifications for nominators, a sliding scale of representatives per country according to fan strength, contributions to the fund, currency payments, qualifications for voters, administration and language   difficulties.

TAFF

The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund is moving along smoothly with over £30 in the British Treasury. Voting forms for those who have not yet voted may be obtained from either myself, or such sterling people as Dick Ellington., PO Box 14, Cooper Station, New York 3, NY. While you’re giving over those few minutes to filling in/out Hugo ballots, joining the Detention, writing Ken Slater about the Eurofangrant and subscribing to SKYRACK, why not further confuse your income tax inspector by voting in and contributing to TAFF??

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Jill Adams, heroine of the 1958 Kettering brag party in room 12, informs us that her address is now 54 Cobden Avenue, Bitterne Park, Southampton, Hampshire. 

CONSITE 1960

Ken Slater has come up with a novel “best fanzine produced at the con” idea and is announcing that he’ll be at the Harrogate convention next year. In a private letter Ken says, “I’m in favour of Harrogate for the Con ‘60. Leeds is too flipping big. But of course financial considerations are of great importance. I think if you can get going early and get the names and reservations in, you might be able to get a reduction from a hotel. Always worth a try...”

Terry Jeeves writes  “Bob Richardson seems to favour Kettering, but for my money, I don’t care whether it is there, or in Harrogate. Harrogate might present a nice change, but a central hotel, please.”

John Berry writes,”I’m all for Harrogate for ‘60. I shall definitely be there.”

Norman Shorrock thinks we should steer clear of cities and also of towns of appreciable size.

There is news, too, of would-be convention activity in other centres. Some London Circlites are plugging a home-town convention, whilst from Dr. Arthur R. Weir, the Secretary of the British Science Fiction Association comes this snippet:

“Incidentally, Eric Jones has come up with the interesting fact that the Belle Vue hotel in Cheltenham has accomodation for no less than 150 guests, with a conference hall that can be hired ‘for about 6 guineas for 60 people’ and charging 25/- per head B&B...”

Where shall it be then, Harrogate, Cheltenham, London or.........? It only remains for me to repeat that I’ll attend the convention wherever it is held. And you too, I hope.

There are still copies left of THE DIRECTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION FANDOM 1958 which may be obtained either from me, or from Bob Pavlat, l/9d. or 25 cents per copy.

ORION 22 is expected this month, as is another issue of Sandy Sandersons APORRHETA. Work on PERIHELION and TRIODE has begun and editors Barry Hall and Eric Bentcliffe are wanting material.

APORRHETA 9 & 10 (1/6 or 20cents,   8/- ($1) for six, 15/ ($2) for twelve; Sandy Sanderson “Inchmery” 236 Queen’s Road., New Cross,London SE 14, England ) both arrived towards the beginning of the month and proved to be well worth waiting for. These two issues are entirely devoted to the popular “Inchmery Fan Diary” broken up by articles by outside contributors in the order of their arrival at Inchmery. Contributors include myself, Joy Clarke, George Locke, John Berry and the enigmatic Penelope Fandergaste. Impeccably duplicated in royal blue ink, with illustrations by Arthur Thomson, Don Allen and Bjo Wells, those issues are highly recommended.

FANAC (25 cents for 4 issues, 50 cents for 9; Ron Ellik and Terry Carr, Apt 7, 2444 Virginia Street, Berkeley 4, California,USA; 2/- for 4 issues from Archic Mercer, 434/4 Newark Road, North Hykeham, Lincoln, England) is fandom’s leading news and commentary fanzine. Number 36 dated 4th April and mailed 7th April arrived here 16 days after posting, showing that the Berkeley Publishing Giants can not only scoop fans on events before those fans know about those events themselves, but have allies in the Postal Department. This issue covers the death of Lester Dent, news on American regional conventions and the sad notice of the Falasca’s separation.

HYPHEN 22 (Walt Willis, 170 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast,Northern Ireland; l5 cents or l/-) arrived the same morning as the two copies of APORRHETA so that Erle Stanley Gardner was pushed well back in my reading time. William Temple writes about Arthur C. Clarke, Bob Leman puts new edges on old saws, Vince Clarke contributes his usual excellent Grinch column, whilst in case one becomes bored or dissatisfied with these minor names, there is also Bob Shaw’s regular column, “The Glass Bushel.” Ten pages of letters, the usual bacover quotes and chuckle-raising Atom cartoons complete the issue. Fans read HYPHEN.

RETRIBUTION l3 (John Berry, 3l Campbell Park Avenue,Belmont, Belfast, N. Ireland) proves the fallacy in the rumour that wRETch has folded. Whilst this issue is slightly marred by the absence of Arthur Thomson illustrations and the inclusion of a somewhat scrappy crossword, the rest of the issue is well up to standard - except of course that I can’t pass an opinion on my own item “Southgate Confidential,” a G.D.A. story based on last year’s World Convention. Other contributors are Donald Franson, Bob Shaw, Archie Mercer, Bjo Wells and Penelope Fandergaste.

THE BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION ASSOCIATION, whose official organ VECTOR is due within the next few days, is looking for some worthy to review British promags for them. Willing horses should contact Doc Weir at Primrose Cottage, Westonbirt Village, near Tetbury, Glos.

ERIC BENTCLIFFE adds comment to SKYRACK’s holiday piece by annoucing plans to visit Italy this summer.

NEBULA SCIENCE FICTION has gone gafia for a couple of months. Archie Mercer sends a letter circularised to subscribers. It reads, “We regret that owing to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be able to publish an issue of Nebula for either March or April this year. “

“We are extremely sorry for any disappointment which this may cause our regular readers, and hope to have our magazine back in regular publication again very soon.”

THE LONDON CIRCLE’S NEWSSHEET will be edited by George Locke, who will in turn be edited by assistant Ivor Mayne.

JEAN LINARD is casting around for someone to send him Moomin strips from local papers. As this delightful series appears daily in Yorkshire, Liverpool and London papers, I should be able to keep him well supplied. I mention this item with the thought that overseas fans may be reading a different Moomin adventure (The Nibbling one) and/or may be able to pick up for Jean copies of any Moomin collection. (Jean Linard, 24 rue petit,Vesoul, Haute Seone,France). Jean also asks whether I’ve seen a copy of Ray Nelson's petitzine, LE MARGIE AUX PUCES FANTASTIQUE. You can get this piece of Nelsonia en francais from Ray at 51 Avenue Pasteur, Bellevue-Echenez, Vesoul.

ANNE LUBELL, ex-fringe beat generationist of New York fandom tells me that she’ll be visiting Europe this summer with a group of fellow graduates from college. She sails on the Ascania and arrives in Southampton on July 12th. Anne’s address for those interested (Jill?), is 305 Avenue F, Brooklyn, New York, USA. I’m not sure about the postal district. Anne addressed her letter as Brooklyn 18, the envelope gave the return address Brooklyn 10 and the postmark bore a Brooklyn 9 frank.