Wark

[ropardoe]

As far as I can tell, no one has started a thread for my primordial 'fanzine about fanzines', Wark.  Thanks to an old friend, I've just acquired six back issues, so I'll list the contents here in the next day or two.  Lots of contributions by the likes of Mike Ashley, David Sutton, Ramsey Campbell, etc., and a surprising amount of aggro.  Plus many people who are now unfamiliar to me.  In fact, thanks to the weirdness of my memory (always the case, not senility!), I have no recollection at all of any of the contents, including what I wrote myself.  I did notice at one point that I say a twenty page zine, a hundred copies, cost me £17.50 to print back then (and about 6p a copy to post).  Good grief, I knew prices had gone up, but not that much (Ghosts & Scholars, including postage - two hundred copies) costs me not that much under £1000 (the majority of that being postage).

[ropardoe]

Here are the contents of issues 3-8.  If anyone has any of the other issues please get in touch.  At some point I'll try and add some cover pics.

Wark 3 (March 1975)  

"SHADOW - The True Story" by David A. Sutton

"A Rather Long History of BALTHUS - Part One" by Jon Harvey

"20,000 Reams Only From Me" by Terry Jeeves (old timey SF fan describes his history as a faned)

"Reviews": AMON HEN 14, MIDDLE EARTHWORM 25, CINEFANTASTIQUE 3/4, CINEFANTASTIQUE 3/3 (reviewers: Keith Richmond, Nigel Smith, Ramsey Campbell, Mike Cassidy)

"Letters" (Jim Linwood, Harry Warner Jr, Keith Richmond, Steve Sneyd, Dave Rowe, Mike Cassidy, Ramsey Campbell)

Front-cover Artwork: Cyril Goldie from The Studio Winter 1898-9; Internal Artwork: Stephen Jones, Terry Jeeves

Wark 4 (July 1975)  

"How to produce a fanzine" by Rosemary Pardoe

"A Rather Long History of BALTHUS - Part Two" by Jon Harvey

"AMON HEN - An Answer" by Stuart Clark

"DARK HORIZONS: A Reader's Meanderings - Part One" by Mike Cassidy

"Reviews": NYCTALOPS 10, BRITISH FANTASY SOCIETY BULLETIN 3/1, DARK HORIZONS 11, THE ANOTAR 1, EGLADIL 1, FANTASYWORLDS 2 (reviewers: Dave McFerran, Nigel Smith, Rosemary Pardoe)

"Letters" (Russ Nicholson, Mike Glicksohn, Phil Stephensen-Payne, Dave Rowe, Archie Mercer, Mike Cassidy, David Griffin, Pamela Boal)

Front-cover Artwork: Stephen Jones; Internal Artwork: Russ Nicholson

Wark 5 (November 1975)  

"A Rather Long History of BALTHUS - Part Three" by Jon Harvey

"DARK HORIZONS: A Reader's Meanderings - Part Two" by Mike Cassidy

"Reviews": THE HORROR ELITE Journal 1 & Newsletter 1; NEWS FROM BREE 15; MALLORN 9; UGLY DUCKLING 1; MATHOM 13; EGLADIL 3; FANTASY CROSSROADS 3; NEBULA 6; AMON HEN 17; BRITISH FANTASY SOCIETY BULLETIN 3/2; THE NEWS 12 (later Fortean Times) (reviewers: Mick Sims, Martin Helsdon, Keith Richmond, Nigel Smith, Rosemary Pardoe, David Tate, Dave McFerran, Mike Cassidy)

"Letters" (Syd Bounds, David Griffin, Chris Jones)

Front-cover Artwork: Russ Nicholson; Internal Artwork: Russ Nicholson, Jim Pitts, Dave Rowe

   
Wark 6 (February 1976)  

"Send me more, with extra bottums!" by Harry Turner (old timey SF fan describes his history as a faned)

"A Rather Long History of BALTHUS - Part Four" by Jon Harvey

"Reviews": MYRDDIN 2; THE LITERATURE OF THE FANTASY ASSOCIATION (FANTASIAE, THE EILDON TREE), FANTASY ADVERTISER INTERNATIONAL 57, THE DIVERSIFIER 1/9, AMRA 2/64, FANTASY CROSSROADS 4/5, GLIMPSE 3, THE PANELOLOGIST 4, LITRATRIP 1, "Other Fanzines Received" (reviewers: Keith Richmond, Nigel Smith, Mike Grace, Jon Harvey, Martin Helsdon, Dave McFerran, Rosemary Pardoe)

"Letters" (Susan Cowie [of The Horror Elite: Mick Sims' review in issue 5 of their publications really offended them!], Mick Sims [his response], Syd Bounds, Dave Rowe, David Griffin, Mike Glicksohn)

Front-cover Artwork: Martin Helsdon; Internal Artwork: Russ Nicholson, Stephen Jones

Wark 7 (July 1976)

"Now & Then" by Harry Turner (old timey SF fan continues the history of his time as a faned)

"DARK HORIZONS: A Reader's Meanderings - Part Three" by Mike Cassidy

"Reviews": TOADSTOOL WINE, UGLY DUCKLING 4, REH: LONE STAR FICTIONEER, OUTWORLDS 25 & 26, WORDWORKS 7, DARK HORIZONS 13, TARDIS 6 (reviewers: Dave McFerran, Nigel Smith, C.W. Hill, Keith Richmond, Ramsey Campbell, Rosemary Pardoe)

"Letters" (Harry Warner Jr, Syd Bounds, Steve Sneyd, Pamela Boal, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Jean Sheward, Jon Harvey, C.C. Clingan)

Front-cover artwork: Stephen Jones; Internal Artwork: Jean Sheward, Russ Nicholson, Adrian Cuthbert

Wark 8 (December 1976) 

"How Not to Do It" by George Barnett (on producing A SHORT STOP AT THE TRANSYLVANIAN BRAIN SURGERY)

"Breaking Eggs" by Mike Ashley (on his discovery of SF and editing of XERON)

"Reviews" (a change from individual reviews to columns): "British Fantasy Fanzines" reviewed by Rosemary Pardoe; "Comic Fanzines" reviewed by Mike Grace

"Letters" (W. Paul Ganley, Phil Stephensen-Payne, Mike Glicksohn, Dave Cockfield, David Sutton, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Keith Richmond)

Wrap-around cover artwork: Russ Nicholson; Internal artwork: Russ Nicholson, David Lloyd, Jim Pitts, Mike Higgs

[helrunar]

Interesting. Can you tell us how the zine got its name?

Cheers, H.

[ropardoe]

Jul 30, 2019 20:04:20 GMT helrunar said:

Interesting. Can you tell us how the zine got its name?

Cheers, H.

I believe I named it after the cry of the pterodactyl.  Don't ask me why - or how I know that's what they sounded like (this was before Jurassic Park, so I can't have got it from that!).

[piglingbland]

I have the first 14 issues of Wark. Not sure if it went beyond no. 14...

[ropardoe]

Aug 1, 2019 9:02:16 GMT piglingbland said:

I have the first 14 issues of Wark. Not sure if it went beyond no. 14...

I think that was all there was.  Would it be possible to borrow the ones I haven't listed (1-2 and 9-14) so I can add to the contents listings here?  Not to worry if not.