Category Archives: Other fringe

Every item has a story….

While most people love the feel of opening up a brand new book or magazine, or being the first to see a photograph “hot off the camera”, what I love most about the NLA’s collections are the ”pre-owned” items that we’ve acquired. If … Continue reading

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Sad finale for a droll entertainer

In the days before TV and local movie theatres, what did people do for a night’s entertainment out in the suburbs or in country towns? Playbills and broadsides provide a fascinating insight into what was “hot”. In the early years of … Continue reading

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Something to tickle the palate?

The Christmas festive season is here And we all take a sip with good cheer As you savour that drink Something to ponder I think What gives a beverage its fame Is it all in the name? Some last long … Continue reading

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Snakes on the loose!!!

I have been busy cataloguing more zines and comics from the Nick Henderson Zine Collection.  My favourite surprise was “Snake Tree” by SOLS (really Allan Salisbury), which is a collection of strips from the Snake Tales cartoon. Snake Tales is syndicated in many papers … Continue reading

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Pen vs. PC

One of the things I enjoy most about zines is their handcrafted nature. Lovingly drawn and stapled/stitched/taped, they make you feel close to the creator. A handwritten manuscript evokes that same emotion. Perhaps I’m just a little old fashioned, but … Continue reading

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Champion of the world – quite a claim to fame!

With the London olympics fast approaching, some champions of the past are in the news again. Last Sunday the ABC program Hindsight mentioned an upcoming broadcast that would include a discussion of Fanny Durack, the Australian who won the gold medal for … Continue reading

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Can a truck inspire you? – Meet Isuzu Lu

Sometimes what begins as a spoof or an advertisement can become something much more. Back in the 1970s a cartoonist in Port Moresby PNG did a series of humorous ads in pidgin for Isuzu trucks featuring a character called Isuzu … Continue reading

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Ally Sloper – the first comic strip?

Have you ever wondered what was the first comic strip? Well the one often cited as the earliest is Alexander “Ally Sloper”, first published in a British satirical magazine called “Judy, or the London serio-comic journal” on August 14 1867. … Continue reading

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Typing to stop those leaks!

As the biennial Festival of the Photocopier hosted by the Sticky Institute shows, zinesters love photocopiers! Now you might think that they’re a fairly recent invention, but duplicating machines of various types have been around for well over a century. … Continue reading

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Please send 40 sheets of printed toilet tissue…

WIPE Light-Weight Bookwork Please send 40 sheets of printed toilet tissue. Open theme and technique, rubber-stamp, etc. No organic materials or traces please. On going project, no deadline. Edition made every 20 participants. Copy of edition sent to all taking … Continue reading

Posted in On my desk, Other fringe, Zines | 4 Comments