Index

This is SKYRACK No.20, dated 20th June 1960 and published by Ron Bennett, 7 Southway, Arthurs Avenue, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 6d per copy, 2/6d for 6 issues.Subscriptions in USA @ 35cents for 6 issues (6 issues airtmailed, for 65cents) to Bob Pavlat, 6003. 43rd Avenue ,Hyattsville ,Md. Cartoon by Arthur Thomson. News of interest to fans, whether touching on sf or purely fan affairs, is always welcome.

CONCERTED EFFORT ENSURES PITTCON TRIP TAFF’S PITTCON PUSH closed at midnight, 15th June, with thirty-two year old bachelor Eric Bentcliffe being elected as Britain’s delegate to attend the 1960 World Convention. Deemed the “PittCon,” this year’s Worldcon will take place in Pittsburgh in September. The final figures were:

ERIC BENTCLIFFE  377.  MAL ASHWORTH 277.  H.P SANDERSON  261.

Eric has been known in science fiction circles for several years, attending many conventions and editing such internationally well known fanzines as SPACE TIMES and more recently TRIODE. He gained deserved recognition as the hard working first Secretary of the BSFA, combining his duties with editing the Association's official organ, VECTOR. Honoured in British fan circles as an Honorary Chairman of the Liverpool SFS and a Knight of St. Fantony, Eric will now take over duties as President of the Off-Trail Magazine Publishers’ Association, of which body he was a founder member. Whilst Eric’s travelling plans are not yet known, it is certain that those renewing acquaintance with him and those meeting hin for the first time will be finding in their company one whose knowledge of SF and fandom is second to none, a fan with a puckish (and punnish) sense of humour and a man who combines charm with the warm of friendship. Congratulations, Eric.  

TAFF........an analysis.  

The votes received were split up between the two Administrators as follows:

                                   BENTCLIFFE     ASHWORTH     SANDERSON
Received by Bennett             190                        126                       61
Received by Madle               187                        151                      200
                                            377                        277                      261  

It will be seen that although Sandy topped those votes received by Bob Madle, his British votes were not sufficiently balanced to carry him to the head of the table. Eric never lost the lead on this side of the Atlantic and his supporters were constantly struggling against the nullifying effect of club block votes in the US. Once again this shows that the Administrators themselves are as much in the dark a anyone as to the final result. Early trends are not always consistent. Returns taken at the beginning of each month show the following for the British voting: 1st March 10 voted Bentcliffe 23 Ashworth 18 Sanderson 10. 1st April 14 voted Bentcliffe 33 Ashworth 25 Sanderson 14. 1st May 40 voted Bentcliffe 88 Ashworth 71 Sanderson 39. 1st June 50 voted Bentcliffe 107 Ashworth 68 Sanderson 50.

In Britain, the votes for each candidate were split up as follows:

                                 1st        2nd        3rd        Total
Eric Bentcliffe            54          10            8         190
Mal Asworth             24          24            6         126
Sandy Sanderson       11           6          16           61

Several voters did not make use of all three spaces on the ballot forms. Write-in votes recorded points for: Norman Shorrock 3 points; Sid Birchby, Keith Freeman & Dave Kyle 2 pts each; Archie Mercer and Ruth Kyle 1 pt each. I know that in the States there were recorded write-in votes for Pam Bulmer, Bobbie Gray, Nicki Clarke, Ted Tubb, Clement Atlee, Cantaloupe Flabbergaste and Joan W. Carr! Those who returned voting papers to Ron Bennett were: Jill Adams, Mal & Sheila Ashworth,Eric Bentcliffe, Sid Birchby, Daphne & Ron Buckmaster, Ken & Pam Bulmer, Brian Burgess, Alan Burns, Ted Carnell, Jim Cawthorn, John Challoner, George Charters, Ken Cheslin, Les Childs, Joy Clarke, Jeff Collins, Joyce Collins, Ted Collins, Peter Davies, Marjorie Denton, Alan Dodd, Desmond Emery, Ron Ellik, Dick ElIington, Audrey Eversfield, Frances Evans, Rory Faulkner, Ted Forsyth, Keith Freeman, Dave Gardner, Bill Gray, Jim Groves ,Bill Harrison, LeRoy Haugsrud, Johnny Hautz, Art Hayes, Frank Herbert, Peter B. Hope, Terry Jeeves, Wally Johnson, Eddie Jones, Eric & Margaret Jones, Doug Lacey, Jean Linard, Ethel Lindsay, George Locke, Peter Mabey,Ian McAulay, Archie Mercer, Ellis Mills, Frank & Pat Milnes, Mike Moorcock, Gerry Mosdell, Howard Nichols, Stan Nuttall, John Owen, Ella Parker, Bob Parkinson, Joe Patrizio, Ken & Irene Potter, Boyd Raeburn, Bob Richardson, Alan Rispin, Phil Rogers, Ron Bennett, John Roles, Laurence Sandfield, Sandy Sanderson, Dick Schultz, Sture Sedolin, Bob & Sadie Shaw, Ina & Norman Shorrock, Ken Slater, Dale R. Smith, Juergen Vom Scheidt, Mike Wallace, Tony Walsh, Norman Wansborough, Wally Weber, Norman Weedall, Dr. Arthur Weir, James White, Madeleine & Walt Willis. These forms have been checked - two or three having been thrown out.We’re nasty!  

CONTRIBUTIONS TO TAFF were as follows: TAFF Auction at London Convention. £l5*. Detroit World Convention Committee £4-18s. Jim Groves £2-10s. Arthur Hayes £1-15-10d. Ashworth Nomination 35/-. Sanderson Nomination 35/- .Bentcliffe Nomination £1-12-6d* Archie Mercer £1-2-6d. War of Parkinson’s Beard £1-1-4d. LaSFaS New Year party brag 18/10d. Anon 17/6d. Cheltenham Circle Auction 12/6d. Peter Davies 12/6d. Ethel Lindsay 11/-. Keith Freeman 10/- Doug Lacey 10/-. Peter Mabey 1O/-.Ivor Mayne 10/.- Ellis Mills l0/-. Tony Walsh l0/-. Eric Bentcliffe 8/1d, Shaggy 7/10d, Brian Jordan 7/6d, Ken Potter 7/6d, Des Emery 7/2d; Dick Eney, Rory Faulkner, LeRoy Haugsrud, Jean Linard & Boyd Raeburn 7/- each. Dale R.Smith 7/-.Cheltenham-Liverppool Roulette 6/-. Bob Pavlat 5/6d. Jill Adams, Mal & Sheila Ashworth, Sid Birchby, Ken & Pam Bulmer, Les Childs, Joy Clarke, Ted Forsyth, John Hautz, Eric Jones, George Locke ,Ian McAulay, Joe Patrizio, Alan Rispin, Sandy Sanderson, Ken Slater, Mike Wallace, Arthur Weir -- 5/- each.  

Bill Donaho 4/6d. Bruce Pelz 4/d. Ken Cheslin 3/6d. ”On Account” 3/6d. Jeff, Joyce & Ted Collins, Marjorie Denton, Dave Gardner, Bill Harrison, Eddie Jones, Frank & Pat Milnes, Stan Nuttall, Maureen 0’Rourke, John Owen, Ina & Norman Shorrock, Norman Weedall - 3/4d halfpenny each. Alan Burns 3/3d. John Roles 3/1d. Nick Falasca 3/-. Ron Bennett 2/6d. - Daphne Buckmaster, Ron Buckmaster, Brian Burgess,Ted Carnell, Jim Cawthorn, John Challoner, George Charters, Rick Dalton, Alan Dodd, Dick Ellingsworth, Frances Evans, Audrey Eversfield, Bill Gray, Frank Herbert, Terry Jeeves, Wally Johinson, Margaret Jones, Mike Kilvert, Jim Linwood, Mike Moorcock, Gerry Mosdell,Howard Nichols, Ella Parker, Bob Parkinson, Irene Potter, Bob Richardson, Phil Rogers, Laurence Sandfield, Sture Sedolin, Bob & Sadie Shaw, Juergen Vom Scheidt, Arthur Thomson, Norman Wansborough, James White, Madeleine & Walt Willis - 2/6d each.

Don Durward 2/2d, George Jennings 1/6d, Fantasy Aspects l/1d, Dick Bergeron 1/-,Gregg Calkins 1/-Speculative Review 1/-, George Wells 9d.  

* The Taff Auction in London made £18 including £3 which was paid to Madle through postal bidding. Bentcliffe’s nomination was paid in two parts, in sterling to Bennett and in dollars to Madle - this is only the sterling contribution. The War of Parkinson’s Beard was the auctioning of Bob’s beard at the LonCon when he was shaved by Don Ford. Many of the fanzines named above have had amounts donated in their names by subscribers. Several other amounts have been paid in, mostly by Archie Mercer, in the names of other fans - such donations do not allow voting privileges.  

These contributions add up to £56-8-3d. There was £45-17-2d in the treasury from the previous fund, of which £19-6s. was paid to-Don Ford as a balance on the amount due to him and paid to him from the American treasury. This leaves a balance on hand of £82-19-5d. Many thanks indeed to all the fen who most generously donated money, artwork, magazines and books to the Fund, thereby ensuring its success.  

KEN, PAMELA & DEBORAH-LOUISE BULMER will be travelling to Belfast next week,staying over in Liverpool 27th. *** Bruce Burn arrives S’hampton 26th August. Address will then be 9 Temple Sheen Road, East Sheen,London SW l4. *** Congratulations to Les Childs who is to be married 25th June. Address will be 2 Amberley Court, Goldsmith Rd.,Cheltenham. *** George Locke due to be posted within next ten days. *** New UK agent for Eney’s FANCY II is Archie Mercer. 8/6d.  

A BOOK AN HOUR FROM ALL OVER....  
by Kenneth F. Slater  

A much sought series of books, the “Not At Night” items edited by Christine Campbell Thomson for Selwyn & Blount from 1925 to 1936 and largely drawn from “Weird Tales”, are making a long overdue appearance in paperback.... NOT AT NIGHT is No. 586 in the Arrow (Hutchinson) series @ 2/6d. Also from Huttchinson, first issues in September, are a new technical .series, the “Arrow Science Series”, the first four being INTELLIGENCE -Its Evolution and Forms:Gaston Viaud; MATTER AND ANTIMNTTER:Maurice Duquesne, D-es-Sc.; THE ANATOMY OF PLANTS: P.Font Quer; THE WIDER UNIVERSE:Paul. Couderc, De-s-Sc. Paper editions will be 5/- and full bound editions will also be published @ 10/6d. An October title of interest is Dr.R.L.F.Boyd’s SPACE RESEARCH BY ROCKET AND SATELLITE....  

ORDERS ARE NOW BEING TAKEN by the publishers for Professor J.R.R.Tolkein’s promised new work, provisional title, THE SILMARILLION, which recounts the earlier history of The Ring. The publishers still can’t give a date or a price for the work, but this acceptance of orders is a step forwards. ** Publication delays in the Perri Press INDEX TO THE SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINES l951 to1957 are in part accounted for by the fact that it will now be “1951 to 1959,” two years being added. There will be no change in the pre-publication prepaid price, but an increase, in the post-publication price is probable. Don B. Day says he hopes the work will be off the presses before the PittCon. ** A new low is achieved by the latest Beacon Book (Galaxy Selection -- or should it be Salaction?), Philip Jose Farmer’s FLESH which out-does such things as R.L.Finn’s CAPTIVE ON THE FLYING SAUCERS for undisguised pornography and sadism. The additives to some of the reprint Beacon titles have been pretty erotic, but so far as I read this one is pure sexology. The time would seem to be ripe for the much rumoured Spicy Science Stories. ** FANTASTIC UNIVERSE subscribers had their unexpired portions of subs filled with the reprint NEW WORLDS. ** Can anyone place the cover on the June ‘60 ASF BRE? No prizes are offered, but I’m interested in your answers....  ...K.F.S.  

DOCTOR ARTHUR WEIR also has some book news, writing: “Great Discovery! Since Arthur C. Clarke published “Tales from the White Hart” there has been a notable lack of comic SF. Now we really have something at last, and full length at that! Read WHAT WE DID TO FATHER by Roy Lewis (Hutchinson, 15/-). This is Caveman stuff - but with a slight difference. All SKYRACK readers should try it.” Thanks, Doc.  

Jim Linwood and Alan Rispin recently took part in a CND march at Lincoln (yes, Jhim,I gave out leaflets at an “On The Beach” show, too) and on 12th March they hitched up to Furness in Lancashire to seek out fandorn’s Barrow boy,Chris Miller. With a name like that the time is ripe for another LeeH hoax, but the travellers report that they taught Chris brag and that they wrote Ron Bennett a combined letter. Chris, incidentally,lives at 44 Wheatclose Rd., Barrow-in-Furness and will answer all letters.  

SMOKE 3 (April 1960. 50pp. 1/-. George Locke, 85 Chelsea Gardens, Chelsea Bridge Road,London SW 1). This issue has been delayed because of George’s entry into the armed forces and has finally been published by Ella Parker. George tells of his experience with the Officers’ Selection Board, seven pages of the best fanzine editorial in years. Mal Ashworth contributes a short piece in Stairway to the Stars fashion. John Berry ‘reviews’ a book. Vince Clarke columnises with “Eggplant,” mainly about group fanzines. Sid Birchby reports on another meeting of the Levenshulme Lo-Fi Group and Ken Potter writes what might turn out to be a film script of “Carry On, Bus Conductor.” There are 17 pages of interesting letters. SMOKE is the brightest new star on the zinescene and is highly recommended. *** The only other fanzine to appear from the home isles during the past few weeks was a surprise issue of SCINCE FANTASY NEWS (No.16.June 1960.4pp.Vince Clarke. Address on back page) but then, isn’t every issue of SFN a surprise? This issue covers a round up of book news in the best SFN tradition, scoops the field by reporting the recent fire at Nova offices which had to be dealt with by l00 firemen and apologises for a recent APE announcement that Eric Bentcliffe had stood for TAFF two or three times before his current successful campaign. There’s also an unusually sour note, which doesn’t sound like Vince, dealing with Dave Kyle’s invitation to spend a weekend in Liverpool. On the whole, though, this issue merely proves the point that we could do with more issues of SFN.  

WE’LL HAVE TO HAVE A PARTY so that John Owen will have something to-write about, says Eric Bentcliffe, adding:”When I went over to Norman Shorrock’s the weekend before Whitsun this seemed as good an excuse as any, so I went over to Liverpool for Whit, as well. We’d tested Norman’s latest creation, a blend of 90% proof rum, coke, ice cream and Marsala Creme Cafe and this also seemed a good draw. On Whit Sunday, Beryl and I left Manchester, heading for Freshfields Beach, via Southport. The Liverpool Group were encamped for the day. We spent the day sunbathing, paddling, eating and digging for bottles of assorted alcohol which had been buried in order to keep them cool. At dusk we headed back to Liverpool for some Chinese style Italian food. We then went on to THE OTHER CLUB, which is quite a good name for a club patronised by fans, I think. Dancing and drinking went on until 2 am. and then most of us retired for some rest at Hr. Bebington. We left behind at the club Jeff Collins, John Owen, and Bill Harrison who were almost prevailed to buy the club by the time they were cast out into the streets. Whit Monday was spent largely in getting over Whit Sunday and in playing After Lunch Nap on The Lawn. ((I rang up about this time, having just arrived in L’pool. I missed seeing Eric, who had to leave coincidence? - but I did get to speak with him on the phone. RB)). Present during the weekend were: Norman & Ina, Frank and Patty Milnes, Stan Nuttall & Marjorie, John Owen, John Roles,The William Harrison ((Chris)), Kitty Dowdall, Eddie Jones, Beryl Watkins and myself. R.I.P.” Thanks, Eric.  

Jim Linwood (10 Meadow Cotts, Netherfield, Notts) is forming a young fans group for the 18 to 25 year age group. *** Programme ideas for the 1961 (MCMLXI) Kettering LeXIcon should be sent to Bob Parkinson, 52 Mead Rd, Cheltenham, Gloc. *** Silverbergs at Globe 16th.  

AS MOST FANS WILL KNOW BY NOW, Inchmery fandom has split up under extremely sad circumstances. Sandy and Joy are still at Inchmery and hope to emigrate to the States as soon as possible. Nicki and Vince are currently at 1 Pepys Road, New Cross, London SE 14.Vince writes that he is settling down in his new flat and is trying to pick up the pieces. He thanks the numerous people who have written letters of encouragement and sympathy, and has been much helped by them; they will be answered as time permits. Vince says that the future is still pretty dark and whether he will have the time or the inclination to do any more fanning is still an open question, but it is open.  

GEORGE LOCKE writes on the Whit weekend get together at Kettering: “Alan Rispin and Jim Linwood made a big splash in the Wickstead Park boating lake. The boat sank but was salvaged. Ella Parker was in stitiches staples. A local nightspot had us chipping our own ice out of the frig. On thes Saturday 6 fen (Ella, Jim, Alan, Bob, Archie and Jhim) went out in one boat, rowing round in circles (except for Ella. who never feuds). We dined at Ivy’s Cafe. They were disappointed because I’m not in the Royal Army Kettering Corps. The Slaters’ party arrived on Sunday. Various meetings were held by the BSFA, The 1961 Con Committee and the “Young Fans.” Attendees were Ella Parker,Archie Mercer, Jim Groves, Jhim Linwood, Alan Rispin, Ted Forsyth, Bob Parkinson, Keith Freeman, Ken & Joyce Slater, Dave Eggleton and George Locke.” *** Ron Bennett went to Liverpool Whit Monday, just missing an impromptu party. The gang feasted at the traditional Golden Palace, wined at The Swan, and moved on to a would-be night club. Norman & Ina very kindly put me up and even went so far in their hospitality as to prevent the children jumping on me at 7am.  

MANY THANKS, you Disclavette attendees who sent me such a colourful card. That’s you, Mike Becker, Bob Madle, Dan Grayson, Harriett Kolchak, Don Studebaker, Will Jenkins, Ted Pauls, Hal Lynch, Dick Eney, Walter Breen, Phyllis Berg, Bill Berg, Billie Madle (hi! ), Chick Derry, Sandra Caton and ex-co-travelling giants Sylvia,Ted and Bob. *** From 19th June Brian Shandy Jordan’s address will be 86 Piccadilly Rd Burnley. *** Ritz, Leicester Sq., showing VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (Midwich Cuckoos).