in search of books on zine history...

[Kris M.]

Hello everybody,

I´m especially interested in zine history & am always looking for new info on the subject. So far I´ve read the basics:

Stephen Duncombe´s Notes from Underground: Zines & the Politics of Alternative Culture

V. Vale´s Zines! Volume I & Zines! Volume 2 (Re/Search Publications)

R. Seth Friedman´s The Factsheet Five Zine Reader: The Best Writing from the Underground World of Zines

I´ve also read a curious little book entitled One Hundred Years of the Fossils which tells the fascinating story of the Library of Amateur Journalism which was started by Edwin Hadley Smith.

Does anybody out there know where I can get an affordable copy of Frederic Wertham´s 1973 book The World of Fanzines: A Special Form of Communication? The cheapest copy I found online was like $35. I´m not interested in collecting books, I just want to read them...

[Roberto Holanda]

great work! here in UERJ (Rio de Janeiro University, Brazil) I participate in a group that studies the educational possibilites of comics, and the making of zines is an important research. that´s why I made some studies about the history of zines productions in Brazil. I wrote some texts explaning the history of brazilian zines that i can translate to you and send.

[Kate]

I second this recommendation; A Girls Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings from the Girl Zine Revolution is one of my favourite books.

I also didn't like the footnotes in Riot Grrrl, I wanted to know who said what while I was reading without having to flick back and forth, and they kinda cut up the book being placed after every chapter.

Sarah said:

You might want to try D.I.Y.: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture by Amy Spencer. It doesn't exclusively focus on zines, but the first couple of chapters cover it.
There is also A Girls Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings from the Girl Zine Revolution, edited by Tristan Taormino and Karen Green. It mainly features excerpts of zines from the Riot Grrrl/first-post-Riot Grrrl era of zines. I haven't finished this yet, and stopped at the zines chapter, but there is also Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now! edited by Nadine Monem. I had to stop reading it because frankly it is poorly edited, the footnotes are badly done, and its too British-focused. Not saying that having a focus on British Riot Grrrl bands is bad cos I always wanted to learn more about Huggy Bear (my favorite RG band), but I just think the title of the book is misleading (implying that it is covering the history of Riot Grrrl everywhere) since it heavily glosses over the US, which is where Riot Grrrl originated. I'd say try to find a copy of this at a library cos it's not worth the cost of $30 from a bookstore or $20 from Amazon.

[R.John Xerxes]

don't forget:

ZINE YEARBOOKS

Joe Biel's 100 dollars and a t-shirt

Free Press: Underground and Alternative Publications 1965-1975 by Jean-Francois Bizot

[Rick Bradford]

The reviewzine Xerography Debt has published a bunch of zine history articles too:

http://leekinginc.com/xeroxdebt/index.htm

[Ericfishlegs]

Not quite a history book, but there's also Chip Rowe's BOOK OF ZINES. When my mom found out I was into zines she got me a copy of this for Xmas. Then she bought me another copy the next year for Xmas. I think and hope I donated the second copy to somebody somewhere, but it's also just as likely that I lost it.

[Sticky Institute]

'Copies In Seconds' by David Owen. Not a book on the history of zines but a book about Chester Carlson and the invention of the xerox machine. This is a magnificent book and we should all bow down to Chester at least once a day. Luke/Sticky.

[Sticky Institute]

Hi Kris, Anna Poletti's PhD thesis 'Intimate Ephemera' is in stock now at Sticky. The book is about Australian perzines. Luke/Sticky.

[Gianni Simone]

Sticky Institute said:

'Copies In Seconds' by David Owen. Not a book on the history of zines but a book about Chester Carlson and the invention of the xerox machine. This is a magnificent book and we should all bow down to Chester at least once a day. Luke/Sticky.

Speaking of Chester Carlson, this year is the 70th anniversary of the invention of the photocopier, and I have organised a mail art project on the subject. The final documentation will probably become a two-issue set of my mail art zine KAIRAN. I will publish some articles on copy-art's history and technique but it will mostly feature tons of xerography works. Whoever is interested, please get in touch.

[baby BEEF]

hi kris.you might want to look further back to pamphleteers such as Thomas Paine and his publication "Common Sense" i think it was called.I dunno what books are out there with info on him but give his name a google. He has great realavence to zine writers today.

[Kris M.]

Hola Roberto!

Hey, thanks for the offer of sending me your research about Brazilian zines. I really appreciate it, but I don´t want you to go ot of your way to translate everything into English for my dumb ass. If you have some info in English already, I´d love to read it & will send you some zines in return. But, geez, don´t kill yourself translating stuff on my behave. I do occasional translations from Spanish to English for cash & it´s nothing but a damn headache. Cheers!

Roberto Holanda said:

great work! here in UERJ (Rio de Janeiro University, Brazil) I participate in a group that studies the educational possibilites of comics, and the making of zines is an important research. that´s why I made some studies about the history of zines productions in Brazil. I wrote some texts explaning the history of brazilian zines that i can translate to you and send.

[Kris M.]

Sarah,

Thanks for the recommendation on the D.I.Y.: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture. I´m gonna check that out.

Sarah said:

You might want to try D.I.Y.: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture by Amy Spencer. It doesn't exclusively focus on zines, but the first couple of chapters cover it.

There is also A Girls Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings from the Girl Zine Revolution, edited by Tristan Taormino and Karen Green. It mainly features excerpts of zines from the Riot Grrrl/first-post-Riot Grrrl era of zines.

I haven't finished this yet, and stopped at the zines chapter, but there is also Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now! edited by Nadine Monem. I had to stop reading it because frankly it is poorly edited, the footnotes are badly done, and its too British-focused. Not saying that having a focus on British Riot Grrrl bands is bad cos I always wanted to learn more about Huggy Bear (my favorite RG band), but I just think the title of the book is misleading (implying that it is covering the history of Riot Grrrl everywhere) since it heavily glosses over the US, which is where Riot Grrrl originated. I'd say try to find a copy of this at a library cos it's not worth the cost of $30 from a bookstore or $20 from Amazon.

[Kris M.]

Hey R. John,

I´ve got all the Zine Yearbooks except for #1 and #3. And I just had a look for that Bizot book entitled Free Press: Underground and Alternative Publications 1965-1975. It´s $45 a copy & they are all out of stock at the moment. (Even if they were in stock, I wouldn´t be shelling out $45 for it...). Suppose I´ll keep searching... Thanks!

R.John Xerxes said:

don't forget:

ZINE YEARBOOKS

Joe Biel's 100 dollars and a t-shirt

Free Press: Underground and Alternative Publications 1965-1975 by Jean-Francois Bizot