We Peaked at Paper: An Oral History of British Zines
Increasingly, as we come to terms with what a cesspit the internet really is, there has been a revival of interest in various artefacts once thought obsolete: vinyl records, analogue photography . . . and zines. With some zines from the punk era now selling for hundreds of pounds on eBay, and the study of zines a burgeoning field of academic interest, We Peaked at Paper appears at a propitious time.
The book consists of 20 in-depth interviews with current and former editors of zines. Authors Hogg and Ironside (themselves former zine editors) travelled across Britain to carry out the interviews face to face over a period of five years. In doing so they sought to examine the widest possible range of publications, from the science fiction zines of the 1930s right up to the present day, in the form of a thriving Bristolian zine begun by a ten-year-old editor during the Covid pandemic. Other case studies include legendary zines such as Sniffin’ Glue and Ablaze!, as well as lesser-known zines about football, feminism and crisps, among a host of other topics.
This is a volume that celebrates amateurism, and will be cherished by those who favour the local over the global, the home-made over the mass-produced, and Melody Dog over Ed Sheeran.
"Great read – it had me reaching for my Stanley knife and glue!" — Peter Doherty of The Libertines
You May Also Like
The Loneliness of the Electric Menorah
An argument between two stubborn men is the fuse that puts the sixties—and much of modern culture—into motion.
Burn Collector: Collected Stories from One through Nine
Burn Collector compiles the first nine issues of Al Burian's sporadically published and widely acclaimed personal zine. A re-release of the cult classic, with a new introduction by the author.
Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980-1984
The true story of the UK punk scene from '80–84 told by the bands and record labels that created it; profiling bands like Vice Squad, Angelic Upstarts, Blitz, Anti-Nowhere League, Cockney Rejects, and more obscure groups.
The Future Generation: The Zine-Book for Subculture Parents, Kids, Friends & Others
A timeless resource for parents, caregivers, and those who care about them. First published in the '90s, the essays and observations—about parenting, children, and surviving a hostile political climate—still ring true.
Punk Rock: An Oral History
Ranging through punk's widely debated roots in the late 1960s to its enduring influence on the bands, fashion, and culture of today, this history brings to life the energy and the anarchy as no other book has done.
Rad Dad: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Fatherhood
The best pieces from the award-winning zine Rad Dad and from the blog Daddy Dialectic, two kindred publications that have tried to explore parenting as political territory.
From The Garage To The Station: Stories from the Gateshead Music Collective 1980-1988
Stories from the Gateshead Music Collective 1980-88 by those who were there. As a social history we had something truly groundbreaking going on up here and it's about time that story was told.
Rad Families: A Celebration
Rad Families: A Celebration honors the messy, the painful, the playful, the beautiful, the myriad ways we create families.
The Fascist Groove Thing: A History of Thatcher's Britain in 21 Mixtapes
This book collects five hundred interesting songs that addressed one alarming feature of Thatcher’s Britain or another.
Hot Dog Diary
In the late 1990s, Nathan Tolzmann and his friend Matt took an epic bicycle trip across America to mark the end of their twenties. Hot Dog Diary captures the entire trip in comic-strip form.
Lucky Leaf Handbook, The
The Lucky Leaf Handbook is the world’s first guide to the game of catching leaves as they fall from the trees, written for readers of all ages who have a spirit of adventure and a love of the great outdoors.
Recently Viewed
Written in Blood: Courage and Corruption in the Appalachian War of Extraction
Written in Blood features the work of Appalachia’s leading scholars and activists making available an accurate, ungilded, and uncensored understanding of our history.
A Phalansterian in a Magnetic Field: Surrealism and Charles Fourier
Fourier was a philosopher, staunch supporter of feminism, and founder of utopian socialism. Girard’s essay explores how Fourier’s radical re-imaginings of community entwine with surrealism. Illustrated with paintings by the author.
Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980-1984
The true story of the UK punk scene from '80–84 told by the bands and record labels that created it; profiling bands like Vice Squad, Angelic Upstarts, Blitz, Anti-Nowhere League, Cockney Rejects, and more obscure groups.