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ARCHIVE
Inspired by the Dave Langford-ledCHECKPOINT project some people became overenthusiastic and undertook a similar plan to web all of the lateRon Bennett's really quite legendary newszineSKYRACK. Yes, all 96 issues of it, from its start inApril 1959 to the absolute end inJuly 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 wereGreg Pickersgill, Jim LinwoodandClaire 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 whatSKYRACK was, or why you should (most certainly!) be interested, seethis article byRon Bennett his own self, courtesy of the excellent fanzineMIMOSA.
You will also find much related information inTHEN,Rob Hansen's extremely useful (indispensable, even!) history of British sf fandom. Chapters2.3 - 3.2 cover the years ofSKYRACK's highest activity. No longer online but available as abook or ebook
More very entertaining information can be got fromPeter Weston's really superb autobiography of a science fiction fan,WITH STARS IN MY EYES , fromNESFA Press , very much recommended, and see also this webbedsupplement to the book, which includes some photographs of persons and events mentioned.
If you (yesyou...)have any personal memories or anecdotes or retrospective observations that relate toSKYRACK,it's times, personalities and events, please contact me atskrac@gostak.cymru 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 2025, 20 years after this site was first webbed. Well, then.
