This is SKYRACK 87, dated 9th April 1966 and published by Ron Bennett, 52 Fairways Drive, Forest Lane, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 6 issues for 2/6 or 35c (70c airmail) Stateside subscriptions may be sent to our own Old Man of the Hills, Buck Coulson, Rte 3, Hartford City,Indiana, 47348. Contributors include Ella Parker, Ethel Lindsay, Brian Aldiss, George Locke, Harry Nadler, Colin Freeman, Joe & Robbie Gibson, Michael Moorcook and - oh, you name 'em, we got 'em. Those amongst you who are wildly interested in this sort of thing may spend a sleepless night reflecting upon the fact that this is Skyrack's seventh-anniversary issue. Fall on the floor in surprise and amazement and mutter audibly, Tom Schluck for TAFF.

IT'S CONVENTION TIME ONCE AGAIN: THIS EASTER WEEK END sees the holding of two different sf conventions, some 12,000 miles apart. The 7th Australian SF Convention is being held 8/10th in Melbourne, complete with the taped voice of Brian Aldiss but lacking a full scale model of the Mercury capsule for which the organisers had no room. Nearer home, the British Science Fiction Association is holding its annual gathering at the Royal Hotel, Great Yarmouth. Publisher Ronald Whiting is the Guest of Honour and attendance fees are £1 per head (17/6d for BSFA members). Alas, Harrogate fandom will not be there, so attend and let us know what happens!

THE NEW DIRECTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION FANDOM, the first-comprehensive of the up to date addresses of over 500 sf fans the world over, is now ready. The addresses, which are so current as to have caused extensive and frequent revision actually during the cutting of stencils are listed in an reference fashion, with ample space provided for one’s own up-dating. A limited edition of eighty. $1 or 7/-. Special reduction for Knights of St Fantony, BSFA members, FAPAns, OMPAns and other fans actually listed in the Directory: 50c or 3/6d. 3 copies for $1.25 or 8/9d. 10 copies for $4 or 28/-. Airmailed to any part of the world for $1 or 7/- per copy, 3 copies for $2 or 14/-, 10 copies for $6 or 42/-. The 1966 Directory of Science Fiction Fandom has added the addresses of over 270 fans since the previous edition. There are over 150 address changes, some of which have not yet been realized to the general fan press. Over 320 American fans are listed. There is a gross of British addresses as well as the addresses of fans in Germany, Canada, Belgium, France, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong, Italy, Holland, Spain, Austria and the Argentine. The 1966 Directory from Ron Bennett or Buck Coulson.

ROGER PHILLIPS GRAHAM. It is with the deepest regret that one learns of the untimely death of American West Coast writer, Rog Phillips, who died on 2nd March, a fortnight after his 57th birthday. Rog, who had been under medical care for some six years, entered hospital on 25th February to undergo surgery to replace a defective heart valve, but fell into a coma during the pre-operative period and never recovered. Heartfelt sympathies go out to Rog's many friends and admirers and in particular to his wife, Honey, who kept a cheerful and smiling front for the world during the past six years.

TRILOGY SETTLEMENT. As many fans will know, the Tolkien Lord of the Rings trilogy was published by two paperback firms in the States last year. Ballantine ran an "authorised" edition and Ace Books, who discovered that because of a former publisher's oversight the series was not copyrighted in the U.S.A., published what has been termed in some circles as a "pirate” edition. Ballantine, Ace and Tolkien supporters and spokesmen have wrangled often and at length on the position in such fanzines as Yandro. Now Ace Books have answered all the cries of "moral piracy" by paying Professor Tolkien over $9,000, full royalties (instead of the customary quarter royalties paid by American publishing houses to British authors) on sales in 1965, in spite being under no legal obligation to do so. This would appear to be not only a victory of satisfaction for Ace Books but also for the many Tolkien supporters who proclaimed so loudly moral rights. The last word, it is felt, should come from Yandro editor Buck Coulson who writes, "Presumably, as an honorable Englishman, Tolkein will withdraw his statement published on the back cover of the Ballantine editions. Presumably."

AMERICA INVADED! Brian and Margaret Aldiss were recently in New York for the Annual Banquet of the Science Fiction Writers of America, Brian being presented with the SFWA award for the year's best novelette, Saliva Tree, which tied for first place with Roger Zelazny's He Who Shapes. Jimmy Groves, who had tried to emigrate to the Eastern USA some four months ago, is still with us. But meanwhile, back at the ranch, SFWA member Gordon Walters, in the shape of Chelsea fan George Locke (Just for you, George: Monday, 4th April; Leeds United 2 - Chelsea 0), has flown off to the States for a two or three month gliding holiday, during which he hopes to be making sidetrips to various fannish centres. My regards to everyone in Holdbrook, George.

TEMPORARY CHANGE OF ADDRESS. George W. Locke, c/o Joseph C. Lincoln, MacDonald Drive, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

THE PRO FRONT. Brian Aldiss' Earthworks has been published by Doubleday and also been accepted by the SFBC in the USA. Faber have reprinted Aldiss' Canopy of Time. LA fan, Ted Johnstone, has sold two books to Ace for their Man from Uncle Series (now being published over here by 4 Square), namely The Vampire Affair and The Dagger Affair, both by "David McDaniel.”

Due from Gollancz within the next month or so are Harry Harrison’s return to "straight" sf, The Plague From Space, the Pohl edited Eighth Galaxy Reader (21/-), the Pohl-penned A Plague of Pythons(16/-) and Hal Clement’s Close to Critical(16/-).

Penguin, who are at present negotiating an anthology on the nature of time as distinct from time travel or time paradox stories are to reprint the Bester classics The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination later this year.

Rupert Hart-Davis, who have hitherto only published Bradbury are venturing further into the sf field with an anthology compiled by Douglas Hill, and Ronald Whiting selected The Watch Below by James White (18/-) and Walter Moudy’s No Man on Earth(18/-) as well as two anthologies Star Fourteen and SF Showcase.

Lined up by Compact Books are Time Transfer by Arthur Sellings (April), The Symmetrians by new writer Kenneth Harker (May), The Deep Fix by James Colvin (June), A Planet Called Krishna by L.Sprague de Camp (July) and the new Moorcock novel, The Twilight Man (August).

Philip K. Dick joins Kurt Vonnegut and J.G. Ballard as the only sf writers on the Jonathan Cape list with The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch to be published later this year.

Tough, John, not a word about Simak.

VECTOR 38 (Official organ of the BSFA, edited by Roger Peyton). Another printed issue, with the mixture and high standard as before. Colin Steele leads with a thorough survey of sex in Heinlein's writing and Jim England analyses future societies. News, reviews and letters make up the issue.

ZENITH-SPECULATION 12 (Peter Weston, 9 Porlock Cres.,Birmingham 31 April 66; 2/-) Heinlein is here too, the subject of an article by Alexei Panshin from whose longer, critical and Heinlein-vetoed appraisal this is extracted. Mike Moorcock writes on Ballard. Richard Gordon turns enviable eye to Philip K. Dick. Joe Patrizio evaluates John Brunner's The Squares of the City and there are the usual departments, not the least interesting being several pages of advertisements. Editor Weston, who is also present with a survey or some of this year’s Hugo Award candidates, appears to be trying to make Z-S in part British Fantasy Collector, a welcome move. Needless to say, perhaps, Zenith cannot be recommended too highly.

LINK 5 (Beryl Mercer First Floor Flat, Rosehill, 2 Cotham Park South, Bristol 6) It has taken five issues but Link now seems to be turning to the more welcome type of cool humour, as contrasted with the "if I write wildly and madly, without control or discipline, for a page or two, it will slay everyone" type of humour which has marred the zine in the past. Whereas in the past Link has combined OMPA's worst page-filling-at-all-costs qualities with a sheer enthusiasm one hates to restrict, the signs of a brighter future are now with us.

XERON 2 (John Quattromini & Mike Ashley, 9 Shurland Ave.,Sittingbourne,Kent Feb 1966;1/6d). One step up in the ladder of improvement from the first issue, and now reading like an early edition of Orbit. Of decided value, however, is the checklist of recent sf.

NEMESIS 1 (Roje Gilbert, 92 St Fabians Dr., Chelmsford, Essex & Brenda Piper, 35 Baxendale St., London E 2). A slim newcomer to the zinescene, which also has its teething problems. One or two jokes read like those left on the cutting room floor of Scribble number 1, but greatly enjoyed was the description of the slow player at Mah Jong.

HAVERINGS 20 (Ethel Lindsay, Courage House, 6 Langley Ave., Surbiton, Surrey). fanzine-fanzine and numbered this time. Highly recommended for those who like to know what they're buying in fanzines before actually taking the plunge.

HYDRA 7 (Peter Campbell,15 Wilson St., Workington, Cumberland; 5/- per year). Too slim to make any real impact as a collector's item, but greatly improved as far as perception and humour are concerned.

THE RIVERSIDE QUARTERLY Vol 2 No 1 (Leland Sapiro, Box 82, University Station, Saskatoon, Canada. 2/6d from Graham Hall, 57 Church St., Tewkesbury, Gloc.) A well produced, balanced and literary sf fanzine, with Alexei Panshin again present with dear old Heinlein and with lengthy notes on writing sf. Good stuff all through.

Also highly recommended from the USA: YANDRO from Buck & Juanita Coulson 30c or from Alan Dodd, 77 Stanstead Rd., Hoddesdon, Herts @ only 1/9d. No 155 here (with Panshin on Vonnegut) and is as good as anything you'll get elsewhere. DOUBLE BILL 13. 30c or 4 for $1 from Bill Mallardi, 214 Mackinaw Ave, Akron 44313. High quality throughout. Nay, the highest quality throughout.

VOTING FORMS ENCLOSED. British subscribers will find wrapped herein ballot forms for the Hugo Award Nominations in which selection you are encouraged to voice a British opinion and the same worthies will also find another TAFF voting form. This is not to say that you vote if you have already done so, merely that you are reminded that Big Dee (Deadline Date) is closing upon us fast and that you are asked, nay ordered, to vote. May I encourage you to vote for Gerfan Tom Schluck who is as good an advert for better international understandings and relationships as one could wish to meet? Tom is a TruFan, a Great Guy and an enthusiastic Liver of Life and to meet him is an enriching experience. Vote for Tom! And if your first place vote is already committed elsewhere, may I ask you to consider Tom for second place? Many thanks - if Tom is elected, I assure you that you will be far from disappointed.

LAFAYETTE RON HUBBARD and his dear old Sussex based Scientology were cut to ribbons in a long feature in the 14th February Daily Mail which pointed out that "Doctor" Hubbard's Ph.D degree was awarded by the non-existent Sequoia University. In The Times of 8th March Hubbard ran a 15 guinea advert to renounce his bogus doctorate because of “the damage being done in our society with nuclear physics and psychiatry by persons calling themselves 'doctor’.” Hey ho.

SNIPPETS. Harry Harrison and Michael Moorcock addressed London University on sf, as promised, at the end of January. Mike Moorcock says that the result was a somewhat incoherent talk but that they enjoyed the informal sessions before and after the talk. Frank Arnold and John Brunner are also scheduled to speak. ::: Ed Hamilton & Leigh Brackett were in London last month, en route for the middle east. ::: London fan Keith Otter suffered a winter fall during which he splintered a bone in his elbow. The bone has not set correctly and Keith has recently been in hospital for an operation :::

CONGRATULATONS DEPT. Ted White and Robin Postal were married in Florida 26th Feb. John Foyster married 10th March in Victoria to a young lady called Elizabeth. On 25th March in Los Angeles Fred “Steve Tolliver" Langley married Sylvia Dees. On 2nd April Marie Rothwell married Delta filmman Harry Nadler. The reception is to take place in Gt. Yarmouth this weekend. Dian & Bruce Pelz, whose newszine Ratatosk is going great guns, were joined by young Cecy Pelz (6 lb 130z) on 4th March. On 8th March daughter Melissa Kathleen was born to Peggy Rae & Bob Pavlat and on 17th March Rachel Anne joined the Dave & Katya Hulan household. Yes, congratulations all round.