This is SKYRACK Number 48, edited and published by Ron Bennett, 13 West Cliffe Grove, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. 6d per copy. Six issues 2/6d. Stateside subscriptions to Bob Pavlat, 6001-43rd Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland at six issues for 35cents surface or 65cents airmailed. News of interest to sf fandom always welcome. Cartoon and heading by Arthur Atom Thomson and contributions from Burkhard Blum, Larry Crilly, The Shaws, Archie Mercer, George Locke, Dick Lupoff, Ken Slater and Vector.  
- 17th December 1962.

ANALOGISTICS

At the meeting of the Eastern S. F. Association held in New Jersey on December 2nd, Sam Moskowitz is reported to have dropped something of a bombshell by announcing that Analog is not drawing as much advertising revenue as its publishers desire. Accordingly, certain changes will take place commencing with the March 1963 issue. Analog will revert to a large size format (11 by 8 and a half inches) and will contain 96 pages, the centre 64 of which will be standard stock and the other 32 slick laid paper, split 16 pages in the front and 16 in the back. The price will remain at 50cents as at present for the 176 paged digest sized Analog. It is feared that if this move to boost advertising is not successful then the magazine may well cease publication within the year.

METROPOLIS RIDES AGAIN

Legendary convention feature film Metropolis will be shown at the Peterborough Convention this coming Easter. The prewar German fantasy, produced by Fritz Lang and scripted by Thea von Harbou was last shown at a convention ten years ago in London. Because of repeated showings of the film at early postwar British conventions, the tradition sprang up that no convention programme is complete without a screening of Metropolis and later Convention Committees have tended to regard the film with no little scorn. The choice is, however, a most worthy one for it must be the vast majority of present day fandom (your editor included) who have not had the opportunity of seeing this historical silent film. In addition to the German production another Continental fantasy classic will be, shown, this being Jean Cocteau's ORPHEE, an unusual choice for a convention programme, but one which should certainly appeal to fantasy lovers.

NEWS FROM GERFANY, provided by ace reporter Burkhard Blum: The promised new apa, RAPE, has in fact now been founded, with the first mailing scheduled for January. Projected apazine titles are Karezza (Rolf Gindorf), Rost (Rolf Harder), Ecrases l’inflame (Franz Rottenst), Gonadotrop (Thea Grade), Exitus (Hans Rosenbleck), Bebe (Burkhard Bluem). There are altogether seven members but to date the name of Mario Kwiat’s zine is undecided.

Juergen Nowak (41 Duisburg, Friedrich-Wilhelm-str 24) has published a cloth-bound collection of his reviews on sf publications and films. There were 50 numbered copies, thirty of which were sent free to friends, and there are others for sale, though the price is unknown. There was an introductioñ by Winnie Scholz, a well-known club fan and sf author in Germany. Title of the book is Der Bumerang.

It is so far undecided whether next year’s 4th NiederrheinCon will be held at Easter or Whitsun. The Committee are following a British lead by searching for a hotel which will be large enough to house all the attendees.

The greatest German club, SSFI, has been having difficulties with its clubzine. It’s some months late, with editor Heinrich Arenz having to do all the work (in Germany’s greatest club!). It may even fold completely. For some time there have been plans to combine the SSFI with its. zine Stellaris with the SFCD and its zine Andromeda, but to date nothing has come of this.

Also late is Jurgen Mann’s zine Teleskop (6 Frankfurt NO 14, Hallgartenstr 71). Jurgen is now the editor of the apa Fan and it seems, as of a year ago, that Jurgen may fold his zine, the reason being lack of time.” (BB)

GEORGE LOCKE, the latest British fan to turn pro, writes that as the BSFA Friday evening meetings have had to be terminated at the Pen (for reasons of Ella moving house - and at the time of writing poor Miss Parker is still not off the London Council’s hook), several of the former regular attendees have banded together to continue the gatherings at their various homes. It not clear just which home a casual visitor to London tries for, but your editor may have cause to investigate the situation in person around the New Year. George mentions that he has bought a scooter to replace the bike I bought from him three years ago, a  symbol undoubtedly of his new status. And to finish on a sad note, George mentions a lack of interest in IPSO at the moment. Don’t be surprised if it has to fold altogether, he says, a sign of the times and like that.

WHILST IN LONDON, SFCoL Secretary Keith Otter chides Skyrack’s reporter for omitting the names of Ted Ball and Ian and Betty Peters from the list of attendees at the Hallowe’en party, reported last issue. He also adds that one of the main attractions of the confab was when non-smoker George Locke demonstrated the workings of the hookah.

RUMOUR HAS IT that the Cheltenham Circle has caved in and because of lack of support has even had to move from its excellently fannish clubrooms. Any details anyone? It is understood that John Humphries has moved, as have other former Cheltenham stalwarts, Audrey Eversfield (now in Paris) and Pete Mabey (now in London). Peter’s move, of course, meant that BSFA Library, the largest sf and fantasy library in the world, has had to move quarters and the proprietors now are John Nash (5 Whitehedge Road, Garston, Liverpool 19) and Joe Navin (77 College Road North, Blundellsands, Liverpool 23), two young Liverpool Group members. And whilst in the sphere of the BSFA let me remind members that SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THE RENEWAL OF MEMBERSHIP ARE DUE.

VECTOR 17 (the Official Organ of the British Science Fiction Association. 34pp. Members only.) Another excellently produced issue from ace publishers Ella Parker and Michael Rosenblum, a meaty issue which provides members with the latest internal BSFA news and does not limit itself to that function. Philip Harbottle continues his appraisal of the world of John Russell Fearn. Jimmy Groves and Brian Aldiss review new books. Ken Slater chunters. Ian Aldridge contributes a two-page cartoon and letters from people like Terry Jeeves and Don R. Smith make up the issue.

WARHOON 17 (October 1962. Richard Bergeron, 110 Bank Street, New York l4, NY, USA. 20cents. 90 pp) This bulky and perfectly produced fanzine appears as the first issue from Bergeron since he won the Hugo at the September ChiCon.If the standard continues throughout the next nine months, he’ll probably net another Hugo, which is a pretty sad state of’ affairs - if you’re a fanzine publishers and your name isn’t Bergeron. It has of course been suggested that the 1963 Fanzine Hugo will be won by F&SF, but this only goes to show how low Skyrack will stoop to fill up space. In this issue of Wrhn, Editor Bergeron discusses Picasso, as detailed an analysis of any facet of the field of art ever seen in a fanzine. (A couple of years ago Don Geldart, Chris Miller, Bruce Burn, Ted Forsyth and I spent a morning at the Tate during the Picasso exhibition there, coming up with the conclusions that a) most other visitors were as. philistine as we but wouldn’t admit it,  b).that a larger than expected. percentage of the exhibits were below standard and were being lauded merely because of Pablo’s magic name). There are a few pages of fascinating letters and a short convention report by Walter Breen, apart from short articles by Charles Wells, John Baxter and James Blish. Look, don’t let that description of Breen’s conreport throw you. If you like detailed convention reports, this near-perfect blow by blow description of the ChiCon should delight you, no less, all forty odd pages of it. And all for 20 cents!

AWARD MINDED FANS ATTENTION. Last issue Skyrack ran an item about a group of Stateside fen banding together to look into the possibility of annual fan awards. Charles Wells is the chairman of this temporary committee which will initiate the series of awards and I’m grateful to Dick Lupoff for supplying the following item:  “Ballots for the 1963 awards, covering fanac of 1962, will be mailed in January. At the same time, polling will be held for a new committee to take over for the coming year. Five members are to be selected. They in turn will elect a chairman from among themselves.To simplify procedure and to save time, the present committee is by-passing any nominating machinery and is asking simply that any fan intereted in serving on this committee for a one year term send a note stating his interest, to Dick Lupoff, 210 E 73rd Street, New York 21, N.Y., U.S.A. Deadline is 1st January 1963. There are no firm geographical boundaries on the comimittee memberships which will be decided by popular vote, but on the preliminary committee it has been thought that it would be desirable to have members representing different regions of the U.S., plus at least one overseas member.”

AND THAT’S NOT ALL. Also by-passing any fiddling around with narrowing down nominations is the BSFA Committee which is inaugurating the Doctor Arthur R. Weir Memorial Award to be presented at the Peterborough Eastercon. Anyone can win the award, pro, fan or non-fan even, though voting is open only to Convention members. Write and send your vote now, to Terry Jeeves, 30 Thompson Road, Sheffield 11. Let us hope that this Award becomes a significant one which is supported. Skyrack looks forward to the first fanzine which comes out in support, TAFFlike, of one candidate.

CHANGES OF ADDRESS SECTION
Archie Mercer, 70 Worrall Road, Bristol 8
Noreen & Larry Shaw, 1235 Oak Avenue, Evanston, Illinois, USA.

FURTHER ON THE CONVENTION is that hotel bookings will not commence until early in the New Year. Rules for the Art Competition and Fancy Dress Party have now been published in the fourth issue of the Convention’s newszine, East Fanglian Times. Incidentally, in the bulletin, Brian Aldiss writes on Edmund Crispin, Peterborough’s  Guest of Honour, and in his article mentions “there is more sf being published now than there was during the boom”, a fact which might make John W. Campbell smile wryly.

Request for Fan Directory in from High Commissioner for New Zealand!

From Daily Mirror, 8th December: “Seven RIGHT-FOOTED shoes were stolen from. a Nottingham shop yesterday.”

“Robert A. Henlein is the author of The Day After Tomorrow (Mayflower Books). In our September 19 issue he got misprinted as Hieline.” (Item in Punch, issue of 3rd October 1962. Absolutely no comment about what some magazines will do to raise a laugh).

SEASONAL GREETINGS TO BOTH OUR READERS