Aporrheta
Aporrhēta (Ancient Greek for "Forbidden Matters"; nicknamed Apē[1] or just Ape) edited by Sandy Sanderson has been called one of the best British fanzines of the late 1950s – the last issue notes it "was recently voted the best British fanzine in both the Fanac and Skyrack poll."
Covers were by ATom. Sanderson's regular column, “Inchmery Fan Diary”, mostly recorded his activities, received fanzines and LoCs (incorporated passim), etc. by date.
Sanderson’s landlord and Inchmery Fandom fellow Vin¢ Clarke provided some writing (his main column was "Apidiascope"), but especially the excellent mimeography which characterized the fanzine. In his cri de coeur Ex-Inchmery Fan Diary, Clarke called it "the only link I had maintained with fan-publishing in the last two weary years,[2] and on which I had spent so many hours of spare (!) time."
At the start of June 1960, Vin¢’s partner Joy Clarke[3] left him for Sanderson (soon fulfilling her long-held desire of moving to the U.S.) and Aporrheta imploded.[4]
| Iss. | Date | Pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 1958 | 28 | |
| 2 | August 1958 | 32 | |
| 3 | September 1958 | 28 | 3 and 4 were bound together |
| 4 | September 1958 | 24 | |
| 5 | November 1958 | 40 | |
| 6 | December 1958 | 44 | |
| 7 | January 1959 | 44 | "Published monthly (almost) from 'Inchmery', 236, Queens Road, New Cross." Joy's column "The Li’l Pitcher" (pp 20–22) describes the November move to the new address. "Inchmery Fan Diary December 1958" pp 23–42; "INCHMERY IS FOUR. The latest member to join the gestalt personality" announced on the 19th. CAST IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE (address list) p43, then empty verso/bacover. |
| 8 | February 1959 | 38 | The Li’l Pitcher pp 20–24: 'The many letters of good wishes have been wonderful - perhaps the most hysterically received comment was that of Ethel Lindsay who arrived after just glancing through the last Ape on the train, and who walked through the door and said "Oh, I thought you’d got a cat!"' Inchmery Fan Diary: January 1959 pp 25–36; "Addresses" p. 37; last verso empty. |
| 9 | March 1959 | 40 | |
| 10 | April 1959 | 36 | |
| 11 | May-June 1959 | 52 | |
| 12 | July-August 1959 | 52 | |
| 13 | September-November 1959 | 52 | |
| 14 | December 1959 | 52 | |
| 15 | February 1960 | 52 | |
| 16 | March–April 1960 | 52 | |
| 17 | May–June 1960 | 52 | Final issue (unplanned, with several announcements for the next). "edited by H P Sanderson and published by Inchmery Fandom living at "Inchmery", 236 Queens Road … Interior illustrations by Don Allen, Joy Clarke, William Rotsler & H P Sanderson." Fan Diary from March 1st to April 19th, cut either due to growing length (pp 4–27) or production deadline. "About TAFF" (where Sandy was running, with vote deadline 15 June) on closing p52. |
| Aporrheta online at fanac.org | |||
- ↑ On typewriter, the diacritic was emulated by placing a hyphen above the E; in later issues, this was changed to overstriking it with a slash/virgule, presumably since that would require merely returning the carriage but not also moving the cylinder half a line up and down. Besides, on late issues' hand-drawn covers, the accent was closer to acute "Aporrhéta", form also widespread in English though technically less exact; however the early lettering-guide stenciled masthead had a horizontal macron.
Text from the first ish, explaining Aporrhēta's purpose. - ↑ Counting back from July 1960. The couple's baby was born in December 1958; he also mentioned demands of work.
- ↑ She took his surname, though they never wed, as it took long to get a divorce from her earlier marriage.
- ↑ Vin¢ wrote around mid-July that he "heard that Sanderson […] was thinking of continuing" it, in the context which might mean either after the imminent move overseas or that the source was not aware of it, but anyway nothing came of this.
| Publication | 1958—1960 |
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