K44

[May 1994? No masthead details in disk document]

UPDATE

There's not a lot of hope that we could understand Centaurians or Procyonites when our own species offers some impenetrable individuals. In my own butterfly-minded fashion I look with astonishment at those who are able to concentrate on a single subject for months or even years, and then write a book about it.

This not-very-profound thought has been inspired by a new book (out of the Public Library, friends) called Shakespeare: The Evidence by Ian Wilson, (Headline '93). Wilson, who has hitherto been known amongst people who take an interest in such things as the author of a book about the Turin Shroud and other religious byways, has here collected all the facts and suppositions about Shakespeare – with little reference to the actual text of his writing – and presents it in one 498 page volume.

I found it fascinating. As you will know, hard facts about Shakespeare are few and far between. This has been seized upon by various people as evidence that the man did not actually exist, his works being authored by various famous personages or even a committee. Yet, hard though it is to realise in these publicity-conscious times, this was not uncommon. There is only one signature known of Christopher Marlowe, one of his contemporaries, and no one has yet found out the birth place or date of birth, family details etc. of Ben Jonson, who was more popular than Shakespeare in his own time.

Wilson amalgamates some extensive reading (the bibliography runs to 9 pages) with his own peculiar slant. "The reader will note a perhaps undue attention to Shakepeare's religious inclinations" he says in his preface, going on to say that he (Wilson) is a 'liberal Roman Catholic', and he does make some attempt to imply that his subject was, if not RC, very much inclined to it. In an age when you risked all sorts of penalties for your religious beliefs, Shakespeare had to tread carefully.

There's some fascinating pieces in the book. In the twelve-acre yard of St. Paul's Cathedral "every available square inch of space had been rented out to stall holders who plied all manner of trade. Book after book from the Elizabethan period proclaims its origin as this particular churchyard on it's title page.....Here, in one central mart, were to be found the works of historians, travel writers, popular writers, medical experts, gardening experts, translators of classical texts, poets, pamphleteers (the newsmongers of their time) and of course dramatists."

Ah, ye olde 16th. century boot sale, but bigger.

This book recommended.

SHELF SERVICE

Realising that I was badly handicapped by not having sufficient shelves for the fanzine collection, I eventually & reluctantly bought an EXCHANGE & MART (incredible that they can charge when the zine is 95% adverts), and sent for a 6' x 34" x 12" plastic covered steel kit with 6 shelves (including top and bottom). It arrived in three days, and I'm now once again indexing and collecting together fanzines. And piling up the duplicates too.

This shelving kit cost £25.92. inc. VAT, and well worth it. For books I'd buy wood and do-it-myself, but fanzines weigh. Anyone wanting a copy of this mnfrs. list – numerous other sizes available – just ask.

COMMENTS ON 43rd. MAILING

THE PIE MANUAL – Ian Bambro

The Amstrad 'blowing up' a bit uncommon, I'd think, but your solution even more so – the brand new PCW 10. I can't see the logic of this, I'm afraid. Why not get the Amstrad repaired and then with the £250 (min) saved from the £370 you could have got LS3 and a 3¼" add-on? Or am I speaking out of turn?

You seem to have mastered the PCW10 extremely quickly, tho' with the slightly smaller-than-elite size of 10pt. – hits a lot more ink out of the ribbon, you'll notice – I reckon the sans-serif face is more appealing. Your choice, though.

Like the cat on page one, anyway. The crossed-out lines remind me of a crack of Walt Willis's in HYPHEN 37 in '87, (HYPHEN 36 was in '65) in which he gave a one-paragraph history of the intervening years and remarked "All this took time (22 years to be exact), and my correcting fluid dried up".

COLD IRON – Ross Calverley

Greetings! The title is from Kipling, isn't it? Interesting to have another nurse around fandom – those of us who are old enough remember with affection 'Wee Sister Ethel', who was Ethel Lindsay, and who rose to be a Matron or something equally dignified. She edited one of the longest lived fanzines – Dec. '54 to Sep. '81 – 82 issues.

Your remark about there being more disagreements in PoE than other APAs noted. Is there a solution, or, more important, is one needed? It's hard to visualise a meeting of 20-odd minds where there aren't disagreements.

Maybe ours are on a different level? It also occurs to me that possibly the whole structure, a monthly APA, means that the inclination is to write open letters, which is in effect what mailing comments are. Over a longer period, two months or more, the tendency might be to write proper essays a la Maureen instead of snap replies. Personally, I'd just as soon do mostly mailing comments, but I'd like to hear more on this.

RYCT Carol Ann: When I've been in hospital recently and am asked time and again what I'm allergic to, instead of "Nothing that I know of" I've started to answer "General anaesthetic". Last time I had it (post-op), I was throwing up at the sound of the tea-trolley at the other end of the ward. In view of the recent splash about some guy having a vasectomy under hypnosis, I'm beginning to wonder.....

Nice initial entry.

STRANGE DEBRIS 16 – Chris Carne

Nice reading, tho' not many points on which to comment except your note to Ken that he would be a great loss. I entirely agree, and unlike Eunice, who seems to have lost interest, there's surely a case for keeping on someone who through sheer economic circumstances and against his will could possibly be forced out.

The Simon Jenkins article sounds like soothing Tory syrup to me. It's too long and involved to dissect in detail, but I do notice that in para.2 he says we have one of the lowest crime rates in Europe, and in para.6 that only one-quarter of crime gets reported. No attempt made to correlate these statements.

Of course, there is some publicity which just panders to people's fears, but while unemployment is up and drug-taking is up, crime will also be up. I think it's sensible to fear it.

MARAUDER 50 (hoorah!) – Ken Cheslin

Yeah, the misspellings did make your older stuff a bit difficult to read fluently (tho' always worth it) and the improvement is remarkable. I've got used to running my stuff through a spell checker, not so much as to catch misspellings (said he, modestly) but for typos of various kinds.

RYCT Brian: The problem of copier paper creasing is one that often affects me. I suppose that copiering being a heat process, the moisture in the thread of the paper turning into a kind of steam distorts the fabric. I'm usually too impatient / haven't enough time to experiment, and usually end up by rolling up the paper the opposite direction to the prevailing curl, putting it through again, and just hoping for the best.

Of course, some copier paper is specifically intended for single-sided use, but I wonder what would happen if you left copier paper in a damp atmosphere (or even a standard non-centrally-heated house atmosphere) over night after using one side? Would the sheets absorb sufficient H20 to straighten out?

I have noticed that when I copy fanzines, using duplicating paper rather than copiering, that I rarely have this problem. Any comments from the knowledgeable? Carolyn?

RYCT me: The reason that I put Ella 'quarrelled' with others (and I'm not saying that in some cases she wasn't fully justified) was that she apparently said to hell with all of then-current fandom, and maintained that attitude. Pity that she didn't have fans of her own age to calm her down and help.

Liked the memories, of Heather's childhood and your own. And the piece on the Wendy House. I have a personal interest in this, as it's been suggested that I buy one for my grand-daughter's forthcoming birthday. Unfortunately, there seems to be nothing between store-bought pretty tiny canvas items up to about £20 and wooden ones with door and windows at £150+. Seems a gap in the market there. Don't think I have time to do-it-oneself out of fibre board and plenty of paint.

K43 – self

Ulp – mea culpa. When I went back to the bookshop to buy the £1 Tristram Shandy I'd mentioned, I found that someone had shoved a £5 edition of it in amongst the quid selections, and this is what I'd noticed. And this was approximately half-an-hour after I'd posted off the last 'K'. Sorry if I sent anyone on fruitless errands.

HIGH RATES DRIFTER – Ron Gemmell

Interesting on Warrington. I think what gets me is that the IRA could obviously do this sort of thing far more often and with horrendous consequences, but they keep mostly to annoying, aggravating, irritating actions. I guess this is because after the unification of Ireland they want to live on amicable terms with other countries. But in their own land it doesn't matter how many get killed, because their sympathisers will be in charge afterwards.

Nope, don't remember you on QT, but interesting account. Wish it had been longer.

I was putting aside duplicates of EAT THAT DUCK yesterday – must make space. Let me know if you want any spares, otherwise they'll end up in Pickersgill's fanzine distribution centre.

WATCHER FROM THE SHADOWS – Jenny Glover

RAEBNC except cover screams for a portrait ( of yourself?) smack in the middle.

FRAGMENTS – Mike Gould

Sort of symbolic-type cover; 'hounds of Spring are on Winter's traces' brought up to date?

Interesting on comics. I had a brief flirtation with Mad in the '50s (this was the original, not the lithoed slick version), but passed them by until just recently, when someone sent me a 'graphic novel' of a Pratchett story. Not impressed – whatever visual qualities it possessed didn't make up for the loss of most of Terry's words.

RYCT Ian, I'm getting a bit muddled. You say there are those "whose upbringing draws them into crime", and in the next para. say "I personally don't think.... ..upbringing...should be used as an excuse for breaking the rules...."

Very interesting contribution – feel like commenting on many of your comments to the comments of other people...aargh...that way madness lies.

LITTLE BITS OF ZERO – Carol Ann Green

Yes, I think I've mentioned it before – I've always found the first sentence hardest. Thanks for full explanation of 'Land of Green Ginger'. Nice friendly stuff, but nothing which calls for much comment.

andmoreagain – Paul Kincaid

Very very good piece on the Scottish convention (sounds like the actor's reference to 'the Scottish play' – you had this in mind?) and deserves wider circulation – RASTUS? CRITICAL WAVE? CONRUNNER?

But I think you're a little hard on the Con Committee – if they're willing to take on programming to amuse 3000 or so people for up to five days I just stand aside in wonderment (is that where the famous missing SoW has gone?). I went through this many years ago – that feeling of obligation to fellow fans that's driving you on.

RYCT Darroll, I've had letters addressed to 'Wenvoe Avenue' and with the post code for that address, which is two miles away, but it's probably someone with his mind on something else at the local sorting office.

THE MOON-DRENCHED SHORES – Darroll Pardoe

Interesting bit of nostalgia, and the remark on the shortness of time-span of the "60's".

A TEAR FOR THE HIGH STAR FALLING – Darroll Pardoe

I think Rob Hansen is aware of the sort of criticisms you voice, but do you want me to get an answer from him? Of course, you'd also have to define 'fun'.

Actually, the current Hugo fanzine winner MIMOSA, in the States, is full of articles about what it felt like to fan in different decades.

THE ARACHNO FILE – John D.Rickett

An ENORMOUS lot of comments. Difficult to know when and where to start, so will start at most familiar, which is, wouldn't you guess, old fanzines on p.15. I can lend copies of the Blish articles in VECTOR 61 (writing as Blish, not Atheling, by the way), and FOUNDATION 13.

Re. publishing dates of books, my Four Square PB of New Maps of Hell says "First published in Great Britain ((my underline)) by Gollancz in 1961, copyright KA 1960" which seems to indicate the Yanks (Harcourt Brace) published first, in '60.

If the "but when?" remark is about Science and Fiction, I reviewed this in HYPHEN 20, Feb. 1958 (nostalgia, anyone?), which seems to indicate publication by Harrap was in the previous year or even before – Moore's 'Acknowledgments' is dated '56. Not sure if it matters – I thought so little of the thing that I let the original go, and only recently bought the SFBC edition at what it's worth – 10p.

((I'll give you "down, Vinc"))

Throwing aside the bibliophile hat, which didn't suit me anyway, (and I'm probably over-valuing Science and Fiction come to think of it), love your determined effort to make sense of the 12 Things of Xmas that Theo brought up. I haven't actually been to the library this month, and, as said previously, don't know where to start looking, tho Steve Sneyd suggested Robert Graves as Being Interested In That Sort Of Thing, and has tried various friends. What annoys me is that I read of it many years ago and can't remember details. Just hope someone in the May PoE will come up trumps.

The piece about Josie and pigeons interesting. I once knew a lady who was a positive menace to pigeons – walking across Trafalgar Square was like walking with a frisky cat. I don't know her attitude towards mice, but only this last week this ancestral home was invaded by a family of them. I think that next-door falling heir to a cat probably drove them further afield. I caught them all, but felt sorry, especially for the two last babies (about 2" long) who were caught at the same time in the same trap. Silly, seeing that a pair of mice could result in 2000 more being born per year, but they nibbled on my conscience.

Incidentally, a bit of Mars Bar is far more efficacious than the traditional Cheddar. Don't think the latter would serve for a party, either.

Don't wish to appear wet-blanket, but never have liked samples of twisted English as the Traveller's Tales page. Always have the feeling that I couldn't do any better with Norwegian or Japanese or whatever.

Think you'll have to take the other ten pages of comment as read, Sir. Time is fleeting. A marvellous Arachno.

THE STRUTHIAN PERSPECTIVE – Theo Ross

Boggled at the size. With the cramping, as much as 4 or 5 ordinary pages.

There comes a time in every o-o-old fan's life when he's read all the arguments on all the old topics, and eventually either leaves the scene or obtains most of his amusement from friends in fandom. I went through that stage a long time ago, so discussion about Heinlein and his political stance is a wee bit like hearing the same tune over and over again. You youngsters carry on, but count me out.

Neither am I particularly interested in disinterring memories of World War 2, either as a Londoner who went through the Blitz of 1940 (and later) or who travelled through the ruins of Hamburg a few months after the end of hostilities. Both of them were experiences I'd rather forget – or try to forget. I am admittedly and unashamedly nostalgic, but not for horrors.

RYCT Jenny: I may have seen something like opera as an 'all embracing art' once – at least it's stuck in my memory over the years, Hollywood schmaltz and all. About 40 years ago there was a cinematic invention called Cinerama. The idea was that if the whole field of vision was occupied by a picture, then the observer would see a 3-D effect, without having to wear special glasses. One cinema in London was outfitted with screens which curved around the auditorium, taking up, I seem to remember, about 140 . There were three projectors, each showing 1/3rd. of the same scene.

It was hard to keep the edges of the three pictures synchronised, but when they were properly united, to the audience the whole cinema did in fact seem to swoop and bank in imitation of whatever they were showing – a roller-coaster, or an aeroplane flight over over fields which suddenly fell away to reveal the Grand Canyon.

And one curtsey to Culture was a showing of the March from Aida, as performed, I think, in La Scala in Milan. Hundreds of extras, exotic costumes (or lack of them), and overall the music, all in 3-D. It may have been kitsch, but it was as impressive as hell and, as I said, the memory has remained all these years.

Cinerama never caught on – I think the expense and the technical difficulties made exhibitors turn thumbs down, but it certainly filled some of the requirements of an all-embracing art.

RYCT Maureen: Are you sure about the cloth-of-gold knickers? I seem to remember someone called 'Gussie' Moran causing a sensation in those (comparatively) innocent days, but that was just frilly white underwear.

As for 'Another riddle', in fact Sirius 'B' was discovered by one A.Clark (no relation), but I don't know that there's any serious speculation amongst astronomers that an obscure tribe on the upper Niger include it in their rituals. I can't lay my hands on the reference, but there was a report that an early visitor to the tribe carefully fed them the data – if I find it will let you know. Comes, I think, under the heading of Piltdown Man and others – a hoax for the sake of sheer mischief.

Exhilarating effort, Theo.

ZINGIBERIS VIRIDIS TERRUM – Maureen Speller

Very interesting on the prospective job, which seems to be carved out for you, but I still don't see how you can get over the commuting drawback. Even using a lap-top computer – should it be possible – the time taken is cringe-making. Best of luck, though.

MS. SELENEOUS – Sue Thomason

Mar: "Members of the community of equals may not be killed except in very strictly defined circumstances, for example, self-defence". Be nice if humans could adhere to this precept, let alone chimpanzees, etc.

But wisecracks aside, it awakes echoes of David Brin's marvellous Uplift Wars series (series? 3 books, isn't it?). But what is the ultimate aim? If the apes are isolated to live as "free beings in their own ways", then it could well be several thousand years before evolution brings about some change. But have humans the moral right to interfere, trying however gently to force them up the evolutionary ladder? A cynic, looking at the state of our global civilisation, might well think we'd do better to put our own way of life in order first.

Re. Rory's comments on mailcoms; well, of course they're a substitute for conversations, the sort you have in a pub with a group of friends. It's the interaction which is part of the enjoyment.

No opinion on cars – living within 12 miles of the middle of London all my life I've never felt it necessary to add to the general pollution, but to some people the convenience is overwhelming.

APRIL issue: Agree on Gould – marvellous popular science writing. Wish I'd found him earlier.

TRICHINOPOLY – Barry Traish

Read your opening with mixed feelings, as although I have what is supposed to be a perpetual sub. to CRITICAL WAVE (the address label has something unlikely on it, ie. 'Last Issue: 434') this appears to mean that I get one of the last copies sent out. In fact, issue 34 and 35 turned up 2 hours ago, on 29th. Apl. (told you I did 'K' last minute).

Anyway, thanks for the congratulations on the Fan GOH. .....I think. Matter of fact, I've had no personal contact with anyone on the Intersection Committee, or any official correspondence, the initial contact at the beginning of the year being with a friend only. It took me some days to agree that if they were scraping the bottom of the barrel I couldn't see any harm in the thing.

But I'm starting to wonder if I've made a mistake in agreeing. Certainly from what I've heard the Con doesn't seem to be one that I'd normally go to except that it's a World Con, which is in a different classification from your normal EasterCon. And which will have correspondents from the States that I'd like to meet. But I'm dubious. Anyone have any comments?

The typographical tricks – skull, lips, etc., well done. I6d never have the patience. If I can help (one fairly reliable copier available), let me know.

ROPE OF SAND 11 – Brian Jordan

I've finally decided that this was intended as a post-mailing for April; wonder if there'll be a ROPE in May? Anyway, good stuff. On RASTUS JOHNSON'S CAKEWALK re. APAs, I think Greg was a bit overwhelmed by coming across the OMPA mailings of the mid-'50s/early '60s. He doesn't really realise that with such a small fandom, it was money-saving for the good fan writers just to concentrate their talents in the APA and neglect a larger audience.

Agree on high-handedness of TV companies (wonder if their executives have shares in video companies?). DAMN. Running out of space. Really enjoyed this RoS, and the Mercer's Day card. May continue this next month. AVC

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Vince Clarke's APAzines
Contents

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Notes and Queries
K1
K2
K3
K4
K5
K6
K7
K8
K9
K10
K11
K12
K13
K14
K15
K16
K17
K18
K19
K20
K21
K22
K23
K24
K25
K26
K27
K28
K29
K30
K31
K32
K33
K34
K35
K36
K37
K38
K39
K40
K41
K42
K43
K44
K45
K46
K47
K48
K49
K50
K51
K52
K53
K54
K55
K56
K57
K58 to K69
K70
Books About SF Continued
From K??
Vincentian 1
Vincentian 2
Vincentian 3