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Inspired by the Dave Langford-led CHECKPOINT project some people became overenthusiastic and undertook a similar plan to web all of the late Ron Bennett's really quite legendary newszine SKYRACK. Yes, all 96 issues of it, from its start in April 1959 to the absolute end in July 1971. OK, not an enormous project, simply hours of scanning and OCR and some incredibly fast and accurate copy-typing from Ms Brialey.

Fandom's little Stakhanovites in this instance were Greg Pickersgill, Jim Linwood and Claire Brialey.
With invaluable proofreading by Bill Burns and some original text courtesy of the Robert Lichtman Fanzine Collection, and essential guidance with html and graphics by Catherine Pickersgill.

If you haven't the slightest idea of what SKYRACK was, or why you should (most certainly!) be interested, see this article by Ron Bennett his own self, courtesy of the excellent fanzine MIMOSA.

You will also find much related information here at this instance of THEN, Rob Hansen's extremely useful (indispensable, even!) history of British sf fandom. Chapters 2.3 - 3.2 cover the years of SKYRACK's highest activity.

More very entertaining information can be got from Peter Weston's really superb autobiography of a science fiction fan, WITH STARS IN MY EYES ,  from NESFA Press , very much recommended, and see also this webbed supplement to the book, which includes some photographs of persons and events mentioned.


This site

If you (yes you...) have any personal memories or anecdotes or retrospective observations that relate to SKYRACK, it's times, personalities and events, please contact me at skrac@gostak.demon.co.uk with a view to having material included on this site. I do know you're using this site, you know. A bit of feedback would make all the effort worthwhile.

Next to no feedback of any kind received as of February 2015, nearly 10 years after this site was first webbed. Well, then.

1 - April 1959

2 - May 1959

3 - June 1959

4 - July 1959

5 - July 1959

6 - August 1959

7 - September 1959

8 - October 1959

9 - November 1959

10 - December 1959

11 - January 1960

12 - January 1960

13 - February 1960

14 - February 1960

15 - March 1960

16 - April 1960

17 - April 1960

18 - May 1960

19 - May 1960

20 - June 1960

21 - July 1960

22 - August 1960

23 - September 1960

24 - October 1960

25 - October 1960

26 - November 1960

27 - December 1960

28 - January 1961

29 - February 1961

30 - March 1961

31 - April1961

32 - May 1961

33 - June 1961

34 - July 1961

35 - August 1961

36 - September 1961

37 - September 1961

38 - October 1961

39 - November 1961

40 - December 1961

41 - February 1962

42 - April 1962

43 - June 1962

44 - July 1962

45 - September 1962

46 - October 1962

47 - November 1962

48 - December 1962

49 - February 1963

50 - March 1963

51 - April 1963

52 - April 1963

53 - April 1963

54 - May 1963

55 - June 1963

56 - July 1963

57 - August 1963

58 - October 1963

59 - November 1963

60 - November 1963

61 - December 1963

62 - January 1964

63 - February 1964

64 - March 1964

65 - April 1964

66 - April 1964

67 -May 1964

68 - June 1964

69 - August 1964

70 -September 1964

71 - October 1964

72 - November 1964

73 - December 1964

74 - January 1965

75 - February 1965

76 - March1965

77 - April 1965

78 - May 1965

79 - May 1965

80 - June 1965

80a - June 1965

81 - July 1965

82 - August 1965

83 - September 1965

84 - October 1965

85 - December 1965

86 - February 1966

87 - April 1966

88 - April 1966

89 - April 1966

90 -  June 1966

91 - July 1966

92 - September 1966

93 - November 1966

94 - August 1967

95 - May 1968

96 - July 1971

 

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