This is SKYRACK Number 54, dated 20th May 1963 and published by Ron Bennett, 13 Weetcliffe Grove, : Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 6d per copy, 2/6d for 6 issues in USA (65cents for 6 issues sent airmail) where subscriptions should be sent to Bob Pavlat, 6001-43rd. Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland, USA. Cartoon by Arthur “Atom” Thomson, inexpertly cut on to stencil by the editor. Contributions by Brian Aldiss, Ella Parker, Ken Slater, Ethel Lindsay, Ken Cheslin, with free use made of The Radio Times, The Oxford Mail, Starspinkle and Axe. Contributions always welcome. This issue is being distributed to the membership of The Off-Trail Magazine Publishers’ Association. Subscribers who are members will naturally have their subscriptions extended.
TAFF DOUBLES VOTING FEE.
Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund Administrators Ethel Lindsay and Ron Ellik have wasted little time in acting upon the suggestion passed by resolution at the recent Peterborough Convention to double to 5/- and $1 the fee to accompany votes in the recently opened campaign. Voting is now under weigh to decide the delegate to travel from the States to next Easter’s Peterborough Convention. Candidates line up as near-veteran Marion Zimmer Bradley, SAPS Editor Bruce Pelz and.CRY Editor Wally Weber.
The latest TAFF Report and campaign ballot forms are included as fliers to this issue. Because of a typographical error, it will be noted that Bruce Pelz appears to be lacking one nominator. The missing name is that of Walt Willis, the error having been blacked out to avoid embarrassment. Note that it is understood that not more than two points will be allowed any one candidate on any one ballot, which means that filling in the same name in both blanks will not be permitted.
This is the largest slate for some time, with a good cross section of fandom represented in the candidature. It is understood that ballots have already started rolling in and you are urged to waste no time but to add to this total. Vote!
Enthusiasm towards TAFF is running high, a healthy sign, with promises of nomination later in the year of candidates to make the return trip next year to the west coast Worldcon. It is now certain that Terry Jeeves and Arthur Thomson will contest the election and there are hopes of a third candidate. Watch SKYRACK for further news!
Change of Address: After 10th June the address of Vic Ryan reverts to 2160 Sylvan Road, Springfield, Illinois, U.S.A..
WHO’S WHO IN BRITISH FANDOM No 2 JIMMY GROVES
One of the leading fan editors in England during the past few years has been Jimmy Groves, a young chemist who came into fandom in the latter part of 1959. The BSFA’s tentacles, ably manoeuvred by Ella Parker at the time, soon made Jimmy realise that once in fandom, there is no getting out. Though, to give the lad credit he has made valiant attempts during his numerous rock hunting expeditions to the wilds of England outside London. Frequently he has even combined these trips with fannish visits, such as his 1962 expedition to visit Fred Hunter and the sample-laden Shetland Islands.
Jimmy is a short, solid man of about 23 and he describes himself as a collector; his OMPAzine is even entitled Packrat. But his main activity in fandom has been the editorship of the BSFA 0-0 Vector through one of its most successful periods and he has also held offices of one sort or another in the Science Fiction Club of London. Currently, he is even lined up as the money grabber in chief, the Treasurer of the 1965 London Worldcon, if London is successful with her bid. In America he has probably been best known outside OMPA as a Cry letter-hack during that golden period of two to three years ago when all sorts of strange Englishmen were invading the sanctity of Wally Weber’s domain.
Jimmy is, at first glance, the typical example of a science fiction fan, with the accent both on ‘science’ and 'science fiction’, if it is possible to do that to the English language. He’ll talk about sf at the drop of an author's name - but I must confess that he’s easily led astray on to other topics. He’ll give you as forceful an argument as any fan in London - and I include femme-fans in that statement. He attends conventions with considerable fervour and has even invented a science fiction game.
Quite a lad.
George Locke.
(( In view of London’s intention to bid for the 1965 World Convention, it is intended to introduce to readers living abroad some of the outstanding personalities of the present day British fan scene. The first pen-picture in this series, which appeared in Skyrack as long ago as November 1960, will shortly be reprinted, but meanwhile, contributions to the series will be most weicome.))
THE WORLD TODAY certainly does poseess a keen interest in “the cosmos” as Edmund Crispin pointed out at Peterborough. There was an enthusiastic TV coverage of Major Gordon Cooper’s twenty-two orbit space flight. On May 13th BBC TV showed a play called The Edge of Discovery which had a recovered astronaut tangling with an organic growth reminiscent of the original Quatermass Experiment. The Day of the Triffids was the feature film of the Light Programme’s Movie-Go-Round on 12th May and Patrick Moore discussed “Science Fiction and Science Fact” in his BBC TV series The Sky at Night on 16th May.
150% POSTAL CHARGE INCREASE!! -New charges for overseas postal services come into force on 1st July. Small packets, .parcels and registration fees are increased but of special interest to fans is the news that the rate on printed papers goes up to be brought in line with the inland rate of twopence-halfpenny for the first 2oz. And the Canadian Concession rate of 1d is abolished; the new twopence-halfpenny rate will apply here also.
THE SCARR (George Charters, 3 Lancaster Avenue, Bangor, N. Ireland). A fan who has been so well known in fan circles as one of the Wheels of I.F. has now branched out into the publishing field. This first issue is dated April 1963 and not has been held over because of space pressure. Full of good cheer, The Scarr contains material by Bob Shaw, John Berry, Ian McAulay and George. A slim first-issue, but well worth having.
TENSOR 1 (April 1963; Lang Jones, 36 Winscombe Crescent, Ealing, London W 5. on request) Another first issue, but this time by a neofan who shows extraordinary promise. Wild, gay and uninhibited material by Gerry Webb, Charles Johns, Charles E. Smith and Lang himself.
ENFOCADO 2 (Pat Kearney, 33 Elizabeth St., London SW 1) Covers by Eddie Jones, interior artwork by Atom and extremely clean lay out and reproduction send this zine off to an exceptionally good start. Serious discussions and the first appearance in a fanzine of any work by Henry Miller.
THE AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATIONS IN FANDOM (by Bob Lichtman. 20cents from Ron Ellik 1825 Greenfield, Los Angeles 25, Calif., USA) This is the latest NFFF Handbook and covers the history and activity requirements of apas inside and outside fandom. Another very useful reference.
OMTAE 8 (Andy Main & Ardis Waters, 1818 Hearst Ave., Berkeley 3, Calif. ,USA. March 1963) This is Bhismi’llah under a new name, with material by Cal. Demmon, Avram Davidson and Andy and Ardis. Avram, Will Travel, on public baths in London is superb.
DOUBLE BILL (April 1963; No 4; Bills Bowers & Mallardi, 3271 Shelhart Rd., Dayton, Ohio USA.) This new duo turn out a good meaty, interesting and well-mimeoed zine with some good columns and some even better (and well-edited) letters.
IL FESTIVAL INTERNAZIONALE DEL FILM DI FANTASCIENZA, The First International Festival of Science Fiction Films, will be held in the Castle of San Giuste Trieste, from 6th-14th July. Gold and silver space ships are being given as awards for the best long and short films. There will also be a sf book exhibition and a round table lasting three days, composed of film makers, scientists and sf writers. Brian Aldiss, Ted Carnell and Kingsley Amis are expected to be present to represent Britain and there are strong possibilities that attendees will also include Ray Bradbury, Frederik Pohl, Isaac Asimov, L.Sprague de Camp (U.S.A.), Walter Ernsting (Germany), Jacques Bergier (France) and two Russian delegates. Sounds fabulous.
DR. JOHN R. PIERCE, executive director of the Bell Telephone Laboratories U.S., and better known to the sf field as author J.J.Coupling, gave the Hall Lecture at Oxford University on 15th May on the subject of "Communiacation Satellites and Human Thought.” Dr Pierce looked up Brian Aldiss before returning to the States on 19th May.
THERE WERE THE USUAL POSTCON LONDON FAN GATHERINGS. The BSFA Friday meetings were resumed immediately after the con at the new home of Ella Parker, with fans gathering to say farewell to Bruce Burn who the following week sailed to New Zealand. Ken Cheslin, who was in attendance, drove Ella and Bruce back to Stourbridge for a snap visit over the weekend and the last view of Bruce was his striding on to the Motorway, rucksack flying in the breeze, to hitch his way back to London. At the said BSFA Meeting Peter Mabey was presented (((text missing here – to be inserted later.)))
SCFoL Meeting 12th May was attended by Brian & Frances Varley, Ethel Lindsay, Ella Parker, Ted Forsyth, Diane Goulding, Alan Rispin, Dick Ellingsworth, Jhim Linwood, Tony & Simone Walsh, Marion Lansdale, Ken Cheslin, Sheila Barnes, Lang Jones, Ian & Betty Peters, Jim Groves, Keith Otter, Arthur Thomson and Peter Mabey. Highlight of the meeting was a showing of the slides taken at the .Peterborough Convention by the Club’s various shutterbugs.
A Reminder - Send off that TAFF ballot form NOW, huh? :::: Ethel Lindsay’s TAFF trip report is selling like hot cakes and. may even go into a second printing. Enthusiasm about Ethel’s trip and report has been reflected in recent boom sales of Eric Bentcliffe’s Epitaff and Ron Bennett’s Colonial Excursion (C.E. sells @ 7/- or $1, with a bonus of the latest Fan Directory while supplies last. The Directory is still available @ 1/6 or25cents for SF fans) :::: Northlight editor Alan Burns is holidaying in Harrogate and local fandom is looking forward to a meeting. :::: Cheltenham Circle’s old and well decorated club rooms are changing hands. Eric Jones wonders at the reaction of the new owners to to the decor of the basement! :::: Anglia TV produced The Monster Makers on 8th May, featuring Brian Aldiss, Ken Slater, Kingsley Amis, Fred Hoyle and Prof. C.S. Lewis. :::: Bradbury fan Jim Ballard. and his wife visited Brunners 4th May and Brian Aldiss the following weekend. :::: Speaker David King-Wood read Bradbury’s There Will Come Soft Rains on BBC Third, 1st May :::: U.S.Doubleday Book Club has van Vogt’s The Beast as its May selection, writes Dick Schultz, who also mentions that Amazing has put its price up to 50cents in the Detroit area. :::: Harrogate fandom recently visited the happy scene of Anglo-Germanic cliff climbing, Malham’s Goredale Scar....and climbed the side-face of the Scar, two hundred feet of purgatory! :::: Rolf Gindorf writes further on the recent German NiederrheinCon, deploring the excruciating coverage given by local T.V. :::: This year’s European Con will be held 1st-3rd June in Biele feld. :::: Old timer Julian Parr is now resident in London after some few years in Germany.:::: Ken Slater’s ex-secretary Pauline Jackson married Roy Shaw 20th April. :::: Venture, the magazine which will replace the BRE Analog, will see its first issue 20th August, price 2/6, with material by Asimov, Bester, Davidson, Dickinson, Pohl and Zenna Henderson. :::: Forthcoming collection of “Elric” stories by Mike Moorcock, recent N.W. Guest Editor, as The Stealer of Souls. :::: Brian Aldiss, who appears to have contributed half the material this issue, mentions a Faber collection Airs of Earth, due-September, and the acceptance of a new novel, also by Faber,called Dark Light Years.:::: Tucker’s Long Loud Silence has been taken up on option by actor Laurence Harvey.