Index

 This is SKYRACK 28, dated 29th January, 1961 and edited. by Ron Bennett, 7 Southway, Arthurs Avenue, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 6d per copy, 2/6d. for 6 issues. USA subscriptions are 35 cents for six issues (65cents for 6 issues sent airmail) to be sent to Bob Pavlat, 6001 43rd. Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland. Cartoon on left printed, with acknowledgements to "Blighty Parade.” Archie Mercer was the farsighted clipping agent concerned.

ELDER FAN EMIGRATING *** GEORGE LOCKE POSTED *** ADDITION TO POTTER FAMILY *** SFCoL’s NEW CHAIRMAN *** NEW FAN DIRECTORY, SMOKE, HYPHEN *** SKYRACK POLL-TIME AGAIN *** HARP THAT ONCE OR TWICE REVIVED  

Once again SKYRACK rides through the post along with a fund of more interesting items. The voting forms for the 1961 TAFF campaign, a straight fight between SKYRACK’s choice Ron Ellik and Washington’s Dick Eney, are included, as are voting forms for the second SKYRACK poll, A record return in order to assess the true merits of British fandom would be nice. Non-apa zines which appeared from British fans during 1960 were: NORTHLIGHT, VECTOR, THE FAN DIRECTORY, ORION, APORRHETA, TRIODE, SKYRACK and SKYHACK, PANAC, HYPHEN, RETRIBUTION, FEMIZINE, BRENNSCHLUSS, THE SFCoL COMBOZINE, SPACE DIVERSIONS, SFN, LES SPINGE, DREAM QUEST, SMOKE, SIDEREAL, FOOP, TRIAL, HOBO, ESPRIT, and BASTION.  

Eric Bentcliffe’s mi is back, as is Colin Freeman’s SCRIBBLE. Colin  mentions how much he appreciates letters from fans, To round off the bundle there should also be a sheet from Ella Parker, and who can say whether other fliers will arrive before the bundle is posted?  

KAREN ELIZABETH POTTER born to Irene Potter (ne Gore), wife of BRENNSCHLUSS editor Ken Potter. 6am 19th Jan in Clapton. 8 lbs 10 oz, length 221”. Ethel Lindsay reported to be handing over Fez to London’s youngest, newest fan. (AT; BB; EAP;GL)  

MUCH ADMIRED ELDER FAN PAUL ENEVER  is emigrating with wife and family in June. Destination is Adelaide, Australia. Paul of course is the old time fan who reappeared on the fan scene in the early fifties after a lengthy spell of gafia. Under his editorship ORION achieved fame in its bimonthly regularity, its lively letter columns and some of the first Atom illos  

THE 2nd NEWSLETTER OF THE LXICON HAS APPEARED, with a map of the convention district in Gloucester and details of the convention’s fancy dress ball, slide show and pro film spots on the programme. Over forty fans have already registered as convention members. Personally, I’d recommend the convention on the value of Don Ford’s slides alone. If you haven’t already booked, why not write Keith Freeman, c/o 44 Barbridge Road, Hester’s Way, Cheltenham, Glos., for details?

LXICON PROGRAMME BOOKLET ADVERT copy should be with Bob Parkinson, 52 Mead Road, Cheltenham, Glos. by 4th Feb. Rates_are 10/- full page or 7/6d if precut on own stencil, half page 7/-, quarter page 2/6d. Photostencilled adverts at 25/- full page, 15/- half page.  

FURTHER ON THE CON.... The time is Easter weekend, the place The New County Hotel, Gloucester (all bookings, however, through Keith Freeman). Brian Aldiss and Harry Harrison are among the famous names who have already registered. Items for auction (mark AUCTION on outside of parcel) should be sent to Bob Parkinson. It is hoped that there will also be a TAFF auction. whilst another TAFF item will be a talk by Eric Bentcliffe on his trip to the World Convention in Pittsburgh last September when he was Britain’s delegate. Eric also hopes to repeat his highly successful “This is Your (Fan) life” item this year. It could be your turn to suffer the fate of victim this year! Doc Weir notes that the New County is practically on the doorstep of the Old County Jail! (ARW; EB)  

IN PREPARATION.... EPITAFF (7/- or $1 from Eric Bentcliffe, 47 Alldis Street, Great Moor, Stockport, Cheshire) and COLONIAL EXCURSION (prepublication price of 5/-.- or 75cents from Ron Bennett or Bob Pavlat)...two bulky complete reports of two Stateside TAFF trips.  

THE ENGLAND CRICKET TEAM will be sadly depleted in its test series against Australia this summer, for that outstanding fielder of the Middleton-on-Sea epic game last August; George Locke, has been. posted abroad. George, the keen brain behind such outstanding publications as SMOKE, EYETRACKS, SKYHACK and PANAC, is at present on a fortnight’s emarkation leave, reporting on 6th February for a posting to Nairobi, Kenya. George threatens a column called “The Prose of Kilimanjaro”’ and notes that his Crookham address listed in SMOKE no longer applies.  

THE SCIENCE FICTION CLUB OF LONDON had its AGM on Sunday, 15th January at Courage House, Surbiton. Surprise attendee was country member Paul Enever, whose proposed emigration is reported on the front page. Chris Miller, at university in Oxford, has joined the Club. At the elections for the new Committee, Ethel Lindsay, well known for her work on FEMIZINE and in OMPA, was voted in as Chairman. Ted Forsyth and Jimmy Groves were re-elected Treasurer and Secretary, respectively. Visitors to the meeting were Olive Thomson and former wheels of British fandom Frances Evans and Brian Varley. It is reported that Brian Burgess gained Heather Thomson’s vote of confidence - 2- year old Heather kissed him! (EAP; AT)  

THE DIRECTORY OF 1960 SCIENCE FICTION FANDOM. This is the 6th annual listing and contains the up to date whereabouts of over 500 fans the world over, listing addresses, tape recorder owners and more telephone numbers than ever before. Arthur Thomson contributes another excellent cover. The Directory will be included in the 94th (February 1961) FAPA mailing and will be issued free on request, while supplies last, to members of OMPA. 1/6d from Ron Bennett or 25 cents from Bob Pavlat.  

HYPHEN 26 (Jan 61; Walt Willis & Ian McAulay, 170 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast 4, N. Ireland; 24pp; 1/ or 15cents) If two months ago British fandom was applauding the welcome return of HYPHEN further jubilation is obviously now due, for Ian’s enthusiasm makes it obvious that HYPHEN is once again a "regular.” This issue, again up to the expected excellent standard, features a Bob Shaw cover cartoon. Ian writes on James White and Jimmy writes an account of a trip to see Ian and Johnny Hautz. Bob Shaw’s Glass Bushel deals with aerial combat. There are 9 pages of letters, too. If you don’t take HYPHEN, you should.  

WHILST ON THE SUBJECT OF WALT WILLIS, its noteworthy that his Stateside column, THE HARP THAT ONCE OR TWICE, that legend from the golden days of sixth fandom, has been revived. The lucky magazine is a superbly duplicated 42 page WARHOON from Richard Bergeron, 110 Bank Street, New York 14, N.Y., U.S.A. This zine is circulated through SAPS but is of tremendous interest to all fans, dealing as it does with such a diversity of subjects. The rates are $1 for. 5 issues. No British agent is listed but I dare say that money you sent Walt would find its way to Dick. Walt’s column, by the way, is in the main a never-to-be-forgotten piece on ....well, why not try it?  

SMOKE 5 (Jan 61;George Locke, 85 Chelsea Gardens, Chelsea Bridge Road, London SW 1; 1/- or 15 cents;52pp) You can’t keep a good fan down and George has come up with another issue which rates him in the front rank of fanzine publishers. Whilst this issue lacks the usual amount of interior artwork, it is full of excellent humour balanced by meaty serious discussion, an example of which is George’s own editorial on SF in fanzines. George Spencer contributes fan fiction.John Berry pleases with a party report - a mundane party. Don Geldart wraps corny jokes in a tasty packet (practically professional treatment). The professional reprint department is here, as are cartoons, letters and fanzine reviews. An anonymous column forecasts fandom’s 1961 in a brilliant manner that would be outstanding in many a fanzine, but top honours go to a wonderful write up on the wartime fanzine, FUTURIAN, by Sid Birchby. Highly recommended, or could you guess?  

BUNYIP 2 (John Martin Baxter, 29 Gordon Road, Bowral, NSW, Australia; 1/;31pp) A pleasantly edited fanzine with contributions by Alan Dodd, Mike Deckinger, Don Tuck, John Foyster and Bob Smith. Extremely readable, without being outstanding. Editor John Baxter accuses me of writing charitable reviews, which really isn’t true - can I help it if there’s so much good material around?  

THERE WAS A BLANK SPACE in Skyrack two issues back when a publicity item was killed at the last minute. This concerned the formation of what is virtually a new apa, the International Publishers’ Speculative Organisation, founded by John Berry (who will handle the American contributions) and George Locke. John and George had circularised fandom in order to sound out opinions on the formation of an apa that published its contributions in one combined volume, which discussed a common theme each mailing and which did not. provide for mailing comments. Obviously, by their note of secrecy John and George did not sound too confident, but fandom has stilled their fears, and IPSO has been formed, with 28 members, and 2 vacant places at the time of writing. George’s posting to Kenya has led to his handing over control to Ted Forsyth and Joe Patrizio (11 Ferndale Road, London SW 4).  

THERE WAS A LIVERPOOL PARTY ATMOSPHERE about this month’s BSFA Committee meeting at the Higher Bebington home of Norman and Chairman Ina Shorrock. Apart from officers Ella Parker, Archie Mercer, Peter Mabey and Jimmy Groves, Joe Patrizio and George Locke were neutral observers and Stan Nuttall, John Owen and Eddie Jones also turned up to make the weekend a social occasion. Fan filming was the order of the day, with the children dragging Ella out of the house with unconcealed zeal and. enthusiasm. The gang sent me a postcard of an Egyptian scene. “Not that sort of Egyptian postcard” cracked. Jimmy Groves.  

FLASHES....Betty Kujawa, patron saint of British fandom, will be on holiday in the Carribean shortly so don't expect speedy replies to those letters, boys. There is no truth in the rumour that she is to seize a Portuguese ship on behalf of TAFF... Prolific SF writer John Taine (Dr. Eric Temple Bell) died late December in California, report both Jimmy Groves and FANAC .... house-gate in Arthurs Avenue, Harrogate, now features Atom-style layout....Doc Weir reminds me that the old rule “i before e” applies to Tolkien’s name, too .... Sture Sedolin reports on a recent meeting in Stockholm with Ivor Mayne ..... HAVERINGS 3 reviewzine, in from Ethel Lindsay.... Vince Clarke wishes to thank the anonymous fan who sent Nicki an extraordinarily large, new, toy monkey at Xmas ....Ron Bennett spent another thoroughly enjoyable time in London recently, a fortnight over New Year, thanks to the generosity of Ella Parker ..... Eric Bentcliffe due in London for a couple of days shortly.