The Factsheet Five Zine Reader: The Best Writing From The Underground World Of Zines

The Factsheet Five Zine Reader: The Best Writing from the Underground World of Zines

Ergodebooks.com ReviewOne of the many collections of articles from the world of zines, The Factsheet Five Zine Reader, has the distinction of being edited and selected by R. Seth Friedman. Friedman is the zine fanatic behind Factsheet Five, the world's leading source of zine information, and the first zine dedicated solely to the subject of, well, zines. Commencing with a brief, informative history of his subject, Friedman then goes on to present 73 extracts from almost as many little magazines. Some of the most surprising include the pieces from two different Momzines (magazines dedicated to the subject of motherhood); some good advice on how to sell out; and a disturbing compendium of the 25 partners that Sky Ryan, of the zine How Perfectly Goddamn Delightful It All Is, amassed in the two years since she lost her virginity. Although you'll also find the usual assortment of articles on '70s pop culture, lounge music, eight-track tapes, and Hello Kitty, this collection offers quite a few pleasant surprises, and would be a good introduction to the world of zines, in case you're looking for a hipifying gift for your Aunt Hettie.Zines, those hip, alternative, self-published magazines, have broken out from the obscurity of the underground and found themselves in the spotlight. Zealous readers are turning to zines for smart writing on everything from cutting-edge music to radical politics. With all that's been said about zines, one question still remains: Where the heck can you find them? And even if you dig them up, who has time to read through them all to get to the good stuff?R. Seth Friedman, super zine sleuth and the head honcho at Factsheet Five magazine, does. Culled from thousands upon thousands of zines, this book features seventy of the best stories, essays, and rants that have appeared over the past few years. These selections are intensely personal, unconventional, and sometimes completely out of this world.More than just a simple anthology, The Factsheet Five Zine Reader includes original art and covers from the zines, descriptions and histories of the zines, and complete ordering information so you can start exploring this exciting new world on your own.From Library JournalOtto von Stroheim, publisher of Tiki News, a journal of all things tiki, explains his entrance into the world of zines as a sort of epiphany: After putting a lot of time into researching tiki culture, he thought "Why don't I try to package all this knowledge I've gained into something I can share with other people? That way I can create more of a community." Such is the motivation of most of the thousands of zine enthusiasts, whether they are publishers, writers, collectors, or traders. Vale, one-time copublisher of Re/Search publications, conducted interviews with 12 practitioners?from von Stroheim to Dishwasher Pete to the editor of Eight-Track Mind?and has collected them here along with short, representative excerpts from each zine. The interviews are entertaining and capture the spirit of the culture for those new to zines, and they offer zinesters a rare chance to hear some of these legendary writers/editors/publishers out of character. Friedman, editor of Factsheet Five, a sort of yellow pages of zine publishing, has produced the perfect complement to Vale's work. Friedman collects one or two short excerpts from each of nearly 80 different zines. Whether it is the "Guide to Kids' Birthday Parties" from Hip-Hop Housewife or the workers' rights manifesto from Temp Slave, there is something for everyone here. Both books include addresses for dozens of zines. Since collecting, cataloging, and circulating zines is a librarian's nightmare, the publication of this pair of titles is an excellent opportunity for public libraries to acquire an easy-to-deal-with package of one corner of American pop culture.?Eric Bryant, "Lirbary Journal"Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.From Kirkus ReviewsA useful introductio