This is SKYRACK No. 15, dated 14th March 1960 and published by Ron Bennett, 7 Southway, Arthurs Avenue, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 6d per copy, six issues for 2/6d. 35 cents for 6 issues in USA (65 cents for 6 issues by air), subscriptions in USA to Bob Pavlat, 6001-43rd Avenue, Hyattsville, Md. News of interest to fandom gratefully received. Cartoon heading by Joe Patrizio. Contributors this issue: Ron Ellik, Lynn Hickman and other worthies listed in the following pages.

HAVE RETURNED YOUR SKYRACK POLL YET?

BERRY HEADS FANAC POLL

A Complete breakdown on the FANAC Poll results will be made in the Second FANNISH (frorn Ron Ellik, Terry Carr or Archie Mercer), but meanwhile the results of the poll are as follows:

BEST FANZINE OF l959: 1. FANAC  2. CRY 3.SHAGGY . 4. APORRHETA.
BEST WRITER OF 1959: 1. Berry  2. Terry Carr  3. Warner  4. Willis.
BEST ARTIST:  l. Barr  2. Adkins  3. Bjo  4. Atom  5. Cawthorn.
BEST CARTOONIST:  l. Atom  2. Bjo  3. Rotsler  4. Nelson.  5= Jones.
BEST COLUMN:  l.= HARP  l= Pemberton  2. Squirrel Cage.  3. Fandom Harvest.
BEST NEW FAN:  l. Nirenberg  2. Locke  3. Lichtman.
FAN FACE:  l. Berry  2. Terry Carr  3. Bjo  4. Ellik  5. Eney.

In the Fanzine poll, FANAC rated 729 points, CRY 584, Shaggy 473 and ApE 438. Those were followed by Oopsla (416), Hyphen (320), Innuendo (315), Yandro (272), JDArgassy (239), Twig (211), Rot (206), A Bas (188), FanCy II (151), Amra & Void (133), Fijagh (104), Googie Pubs (68), Psi Phi (67), Best of Fandom (58), Profanity & Spectre (53) and Triode (51).

John Berry headed the writers poll with 276 votes to Terry’s 220 and also headed the Fan Face poll with the fantastic lead of 152 votes to Terry’s 73.

Berry & Willis were the only British writers in the top ten. Inchmery Fan Diary ran 4th Column.

SKYHACK has reared its ugly head again. This second parody of Britain’s leading SF fandom newszine is ostensibly produced by Cecil, my favourite elephant, at this address. The cartoon heading parodies SKYRACK’s cartoon heading of last issue, and there are humorous comments on extensions into the fantastic of most matters concerning the British fandom of today. Great stuff. To those who still doubt, this is not a double ploy and SKYHACK did not originate in Harrogate. I should , however, apologise to Archie Mercer who was strongly suspected of producing the first SKYHACK. The efficient organisation behind SKYHACK asked for a mailing list this time.

NEWS ABOUT THE AMERICAN EDITON OF NEW WORLDS has been floating in from two or three sources. Whilst Ted Carnell is sending over the material Hans Santesson is acting as editor of the American reprint, and apparently the thought of a USRE is an ironic twist, particularly as Hans’ own zine, FANTASTIC UNIVERSE, has folded with the March issue, slap in the middle of a Fredric Brown serial. (After those shorts in GALAXY a few years ago, that’s all he deserves!). The Belle Dietz fan column which was running in FU is transferring to the USRE NEW WORLDS, an unusual position to say the least.

BETTY KUJAWA sends along a nice postcard from Clearwater, Florida. She and husband Gene flew.down in 6 hours in their new plane, a Beechraft Bonanza. Total cost of the trip itself was twenty bucks, a mere seven pounds, including lunch in Knoxville, Tennessee. Wow!

HALF EDINBURGH FANDOM LEAVES COUNTRY writes Joe Patrizio, commenting on the move by his sidekick, Ted Forsyth, to London. Ted has landed a job in the Smoke, and expects to take up residence this month. Hey ho, the way those Northern fans sell their souls...

LYNN HICKMAN has moved 300 miles N.W. of Mt. Vernon and his now address is 523 S. Dixon Ave., Dixon, Illinois, USA. He’s working hard on the 70 page tenth anniversary issue of JD-ARGASSY which will be published in May, with material by Warner, Tucker, Grennell, Phillips, Madle, Sanderson, Berry and others. Interested fans in Britain may obtain a copy by sending 3/6d to Ron Bennett.

POSTCARD from MAL ASHWORTH last week read, ”I don’t expect the information to curl your toes and I am not exactly trying to make the SKYRACK headlines but simply in case the news is any use to you and because I have told other people and wouldn’t want you to hear secondhand and feel that you should have heard firsthand (pause for breath; gulp), I have bought a Gestetner and am striving to get out an issue of ROT (now a 100% general non apa zine) before the end of March. Concerning the duplicator I have already brought Derek Pickles old joke out of its mothballs and am dishing it out with gay abandon on all sides ‘It’s a portable duplicator - four men can carry it.’ Hoping you are the same, Mal.” And you and Sheila.

JOE PATRIZIO and TED FORSYTH, who are mentioned above, probably in red ink, also enter the postcard stakes: “With reference to your latest magazine SKYRACK 14 and the review therein of that eminent publication TRIODE 17, may we take this opportunity to proffer to you our deepest gratitude for your benevolent gesture in promoting us to the status of BNF. As a mark of our overwhelming appreciation of your graciousness we are cancelling our subscriptions to FANAC.” Oh, come now gentlemen...

NINE FANS have now voted in the TAFF’s Pittcon Push from the millions who comprise British fandom. This is hardly enough and it is to be hoped that if a British TAFF delegate is to be sent to the Worldcon this September more fans will vote. *** Postal bids are invited for TAFF auction material, 5 Nova cover originals donated by Ted Carnell (These are all by Brian Lewis and are from NEW WORLDS 7l, 74, 79, 82 and SFA 11) and on a heap of material donated by Inchmery fandom. These items are original manuscripts and run as follows:

Asimov The Jokester Infinity Dec 56 Let’s Get Together Infinity Feb 57
Clarke Publicity Campaign Satellite SF The Other Side of the Sky(6 shorts) Infinity Sep/Oct 57
Pohl & Kornbluth The Engineer
Hamilton The Starcombers SFA Dec 56
Leiber Friends & Enemies Infinity April 57
and three shorts by Asimov, Garrett and Ellison from Infinity June 57.

FOUR FAN FACES were on view at the home of Michael and Betty Rosenblum on Saturday, 5th March. BSFA Treasurer, Archie Mercer, travelled north from Lincoln to spend the weekend with Michael and Betty and Ron Bennett travelled south all those sixteen miles to join in the fun. Lewis, Rena and Ory records rang out loud and clear, Archie’s puns doubled everyone with horror and Betty’s vegetarian food was voted the best in fandom (again, Bob Madle). We played Astron and Scrabble, and Michael and Archie drove me back to Harrogate in the early hours. (“If you wake me up to feed me every two hours during the night, I’ll shoot you.” ** “I Threw a Custard in Her Face.”) The fourth fannish face on view? We broke off playing Astron to watch Pete Daniels and the Merseysippi Jazz Band on television’s Ken Dodd Show.

MY HOW THESE ESOTERIC JOKES GET AROUND DEPT. Boyd Raeburn, who sent Norman Shorrock a card from Puerto Rico a couple of months ago, also sent one to Bob Tucker. Tuck returned it to Boyd with a note that he might send it on to me, and Boyd has done so as well as sending a letter on the trip and another couple of cards of the sunny isle.The card to Tucker read “No dusty cornflakes here,” which just goes to show that overseas fen do remember the London Worldon. Boyd mentioned that he stayed at the Virgin Isle Hotel but that whilst it would be a magnificent place to hold a con, few fans would be really happy with the rates, which are high (hamburgers alone are $1-25). True, Boyd, with the recent fracas over the con rates here, people probably wouldn’t be happy. Trust you had a good time.

NON-EXISTENT ALAN DODD writes to say that last month he met The Number One Fan of France, Jean Linard, in London. Evidently, Jean was convalescing over here from his recent operation and been here since mid December. He returned to France 17th February, writes Alan, mentioning that he has already written FANAC with the news. Thanks a lot, mate; one day I’ll tell Bloch the truth about you. And you too, Ted White.

RAY NELSON has moved.... 222 Columbia Ave.,Berkeley 8,Calif., USA.

YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD that there’s a Convention in London at Easter. Run by the BSFA, the con is to be held at the Sandringham Hotel, 25 Lancaster Gate, London W.2., from Good Friday 15th April to Easter Monday 18th April. Bed and Breakfast 30/3d, doubles 58/ , some 4-bedded rooms @ 22/6d per. All bookings should be made through Ella Parker, 151 Canterbury Road, West Kilburn, London NW6. Con fees should go to Archie Mercer, 434/4 Newark Rd., North Hykeham, Lincoln and are 7/6 for BSFA members (5/- to juniors), 10/-to non BSFA rnembers (7/6 juniors). Ella writes that she has had a poor response so far from Cheltenham and Liverpool, and after all, what would a con be without them? The Committee is casting round for a 2x2 slide projector, for TAFF delegate Don Ford has promised to bring along a bundle of slides for the con. Having seen some of these, I can most certainly recommend them.... I’ve also seen some of the prizes Don has won for his photography. BSFA Secretary, Sandra Hall, mentions that there will be a programme booklet once again and that the ad. rates are the same as last year, whatever they were! There will be an art competition once again, too, and entries should be in the hands of Eric Bentcliffe (47 Alldis St.,Great Moor, Stockport, Cheshire) by Friday, 8th April. There will also be a discussion panel (”The Heat is On.”) in which the three TAFF candidates, Mal Ashworth, Eric Bentcliffe, and Sandy Sanderson will take part. Questions concerning SF and/or fandom are invited and should be submitted to Ron Bennett, who had to get in the act somewhere, sometime before the convention. Obviously, if you have a really good question you'd like to see thrashed out, a question which might prove enlightening or entertaining to the con audience, please don’t leave it until the last minute. before sending it – the list of questions may be full by then. For obvious reasons, all questions should be in writing.

GEORGE LOCKE is awaiting call up but would like to have SMOKE 3 out before he’s swallowed up.*** Spies say HYPHEN is about to appear. I hope they’re right.*** FAN DIRECTORY 1/9d or 25cents still available from Bennett or Bob Pavlat.*** Annish next time round, with the SK poll results. No extra charge. No extra pages!