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Wonderella
Recommends

THE BEST OF THE
INDEPENDENT PRESS

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In this section of the Wonderella website, we will be recommending other publishers's pamphlets which we feel capture the spirit of the independent press. Each time we read these publications we do a little dance of joy, and we bet you will too. You are encouraged to order these pamphlets directly from their respective publishers. You will not be disappointed.

The list on this page features our first set of recommendations, dubbed “The Best of the Independent Press,” from April 2002. To see all the Wonderella recommendations, please follow the links here:
2002: The Best of the Independent Press
2003: Summer Reads
2004: Mystical England
2006: The Old Ways Are Best

To order, follow the instructions below. You can click on the cover images to get a closer look.

The Cunningham Amendment - Click to view larger image.

The Cunningham Amendment: Written, printed, and distributed by a group of Yorkshire free-thinkers calling themselves “Anarcrisps,” the Cunningham Amendment is a beautiful, witty declaration of independence from across the pond. Like those of the other publications on this page, the scans of this pamphlet’s letterpressed cover and interior pages do not do them justice.

The issue of the Cunningham Amendment shown here has 32 pages, with additional foldout flaps and inserts throughout. Bound within a cheerful purple cover, it measures 6.25 x 9 inches. Send inquires about price and availability to:

The Cunningham Amendment
1005 Huddersfield Road
Bradford BD12 8LP

West Yorkshire, England

Newer issues of The Cunningham Amendment can be seen on the Wonderella’s Summer Reads 2003 page.

The Free Press Death Ship No.1 - Click to view larger image. The Free Press Death Ship No.2 - Click to view larger image.

The Free Press Death Ship: This new series navigates the choppy seas of the underground press, reviewing hundreds of independent publications and reprinting excerpts from some of the best. Columns by Karl Wenclas and Death Ship publisher Violet Jones illuminate some of the most important issues faced by the underground press. The Death Ship’s sentiment is perhaps best summed up by this quote, from the cover:

“Why does the underground press exist only ‘underground,’ if the glorious Freedom of the Press — mandated by the Constitutional Brotherhood, and set so poetically to paper two and one quarter centuries ago — is still a reality?”

Ms. Jones’s contention is, correctly, that it is not.

The Free Press Death Ship has 44 pages and is printed legal size, or 8.5 x 14 inches. A subscription is “free,” which is to say that you should give what you are able to support this worthy endeavor. Send cash only, no checks, to:

The Death Ship
P.O. Box 55336
Hayward, Calif. 94545

The current issue of The Free Press Death Ship can be seen on the Wonderella’s Summer Reads 2003 page.




The Goblin: Here we have the follow-up pamphlet series to Sean Goblin's remarkable one-shot Binocular Rebellious. Sean treads some of the same paths this time around, leading us deeper down, down, into Goblin Town, a place that used to look a lot like America but is now an overgrown punk-rock European forest brimming with possibility and free will. Obtain this key and the kingdom shall be yours.

The initial issue of The Goblin has 60 pages and is printed in a custom size of 5.5 x 5.5 inches. Orders for this highly-recommended pamphlet can be made through the Goblinko website or via post. If you’re trodding the latter route, send $3.00 (cash or checks payable to Sean Aaberg) to:

The Goblin
P.O. Box 12044
Eugene, Oreg. 97440

The Match! No.90 - Click to view larger image. The Match! No.98 - Click to view larger image.

The Match!: Fred Woodworth’s The Match has consistently questioned authoritarian government, society, and religion since the magazine’s inception in 1969. Computers, organized religion, the police, the U.S. Census, jury duty, and the bookselling industry are just a few of the institutions regularly disparaged in its pages. Mr Woodworth is a collector of antique printing machinery, and he puts his collection to regular use, printing each issue without the use of computers. The Match also features the world’s largest letters column, which in recent issues has spanned more than 20 pages. Put shortly, The Match is not only recommended, it is required.

The Match averages 80 pages and is printed 6.75 x 9.5 inches. Like the Free Press Death Ship above, a subscription to The Match is “free,” but a donation of $10 is recommended for four issues. Send cash only, no checks, to:

The Match!
P.O. Box 3012
Tucson, Ariz. 85702

A Reader's Guide to the Underground Press No.17 - Click to view larger image.

A Reader’s Guide to the Underground Press: Also known as Zine World, this publication is the most consistent meter of independent publishing. More than 30 of its 70 pages are devoted to insightful reviews of publications received by the dedicated staff. The rest of the magazine is filled with news, columns, and other items of interest to publishers and readers. Perhaps the most interesting contribution in the issue shown here is Daniel Nauenburg’s three-page instructional comic strip “Making Paperback Books by Hand.”

A Reader’s Guide to the Underground Press is printed letter size, or 8.5 x 11 inches. A single copy is $4.00, a four-issue subscription is $14.00. Send cash only, no checks, to:

A Reader’s Guide to the Underground Press
P.O. Box 330156
Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37133-0156

The Mystery & Adventure Series Review No.35 - Click to view larger image.

The Mystery & Adventure Series Review: Another pamphlet series from Fred Woodworth, the Review examines adventure books series such as Tom Quest, The Hardy Boys, and Ken Holt. Aside from looking at the plots of his favorite books, Fred also discusses the social and cultural ideas behind them. The Review regularly prints articles on typography and “outdated” printing techniques, and readers of The Match! will find this pamphlet series to be a welcome supplement.

The Review varies in length, recent issues running 48 and 92 pages, and is printed 6.75 x 9.5 inches. Like The Match, a subscription to The Review is “free,” but a donation of $10 is recommended for four issues. Send cash only, no checks, to:

The Mystery and Adventure Series Review
P.O. Box 3012
Tucson, Ariz. 85702

The Studio No.13 - Click to view larger image.

The Studio: Collecting collage and rubber stamp art from around the world, each issue of The Studio opens windows into the imaginations of dozens of artists. Aside from its gallery-like spreads, The Studio also instructs readers on how to create their own collage art. Most of the interior pages are reproduced in black and white, but there are usually a few color inserts that give you an even better sense of the original art.

As of this writing, The Studio series is being ended so that the editor can focus on her new, similar series called Play, which will be produced in full-color. Details on both series can be found at The Studio’s official website.

The Studio has 60 pages and is printed letter size, or 8.5 x 11 inches. Copies of No.20 and No.21 are available for $7 each (United States only, see website for orders outside the U.S.), payable to:

Alternative Arts Productions
P.O. Box 3329
Renton, Wash. 98056

The Ptolemaic Terrascope No.24 - Click to view larger image.

The Ptolemaic Terrascope: This highly-acclaimed labor of love documents past and present musical acts, many of which fall under the umbrella of psychedelic music. Beautifully designed and printed, each issue ships with a compilation CD featuring new and old songs. The Terrascope can be hard to find, as editor Phil McMullen prints only enough issues to fill subscriptions and pre-orders.

The Ptolemaic Terrascope is printed A4 size, or 8.25 x 11.5 inches. Recent issues have averaged 60 to 70 pages. Curious readers in the United States can pre-order the next issue by sending $12 to the address below. Ordering information for readers outside the U.S. can be found at the Ptolemaic Terrascope’s official website.

The Ptolemaic Terrascope
P.O. Box 2152
Melksham, Wiltshire SN12 7UQ
England

The current issue of The Ptolemaic Terrascope can be seen on the Wonderella’s Summer Reads 2003 page.


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