Niekas

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A fanzine published from 1962–98 by Ed Meskys, frequently with others. It won the 1967 Best Fanzine Hugo and was nominated for the Best Fanzine Hugo in 1966, 1967, and 1989. The name come from the Lithuanian (Meskys was of Lithuanian extraction) for "nothing" or "nobody".

Editorial credits are complicated. Felice Rolfe was co-editor with Meskys for many early issues (including the Hugo-winning issues) and in later years Meskys had a host of co-editors, art editors, deputy publishers and nearly every other title, though he usually held the title of "Editor-in-chief". The table below barely scratches the surface of the complicated credits.

Meskys wrote, "I started a separate mailing-comments zine for N'APA, and changed its name to Niekas and started the numbering over again with the June 1962 issue... Since there was no Tolkien fanzine being published I decided to devote Niekas to Tolkien and try to run at least one Tolkien related piece in each issue."

Contributors included Piers Anthony, ATom, John Boardman, Vaughn Bodé, Anthony Boucher, Marion Zimmer Bradley ("Bloodthirsty for Power: Vampirism in Hambly's Those Who Hunt the Night"), Charles N. Brown, Don D'Ammassa, Philip K. Dick ("Naziism and the High Castle"), an ongoing "Glossary of Middle Earth" by Robert Foster, who later published Tolkien's World From A to Z: The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, Clyde Kilby, Jack Gaughan, Jack Harness, Ben Indick, S. T. Joshi, Tim Kirk, Fred Lerner, Dave Locke, Sam Moskowitz, Andrew J. Offutt, Diana Paxson, Bruce Pelz, Darrell Schweitzer, Bjo Trimble, and Roger Zelazny ("Song of the Ring" [a poem]).

Niekas also published a number of special issues including A Silverlock Companion and...

When Niekas won the 1967 Best Fanzine Hugo, following the custom of the time, NYCon 3 awarded only a single Hugo trophy which wound up with co-editor Felice Rolfe. In 1998, the Ditto 11 organizers got a spare Hugo rocket from Bruce Pelz and created a replica Hugo base and presented Ed Meskys with his own long-overdue Hugo trophy.

Issue Date Pages Editors Notes
1 June 1962 Ed Meskys Meskys'mailing comments apazine for N'APA. In N'APA 13
2 1962 17 "
3 December 1962 12 " In N'APA 15
4 March 1963 32 "
5 June 1963 26 "
6 September 1963 Ed Meskys, Felice Rolfe and Ann Chatland By this issue it had become a real genzine. in N'APA 18
7 December 1963 48 Meskys & Rolfe
8 March 1964 33 Meskys in N'APA 20
8.9 June 1964 11 Meskys, Rolfe, Chatland in N'APA 21
9 September 1964 80 " in N'APA 22
9.5 Fall 1964 10 Meskys & Rolfe Titled Fractional Nieka
10 December 1964 54 " in N'APA 23
10.5 January 1965 5 " in N'APA 23
11 March 1965 82 " in N'APA 24
12 June 1965 84 " in N'APA 25
13 September 1965 46+ "
14 December 1965 76 " in N'APA 27
15 March 1966 68 Rolfe & Meskys FAPA 112
16 June 1966 100 "
17 November 1966 90 Meskys & Rolfe
18 Late Spring 1967 68 " Includes Tolkien interview
19 December 1968 " FAPA 123, Green Dragon #3 was bound in
20 Fall 1968 110 Meskys, Rolfe, Charlie Brown, Marsha Brown FAPA 126
21 1977 37 Sherwood Frazier, Meskys, and Margaret Shepard
22 February 1980 60 Meskys, Frazier, Mike Bastraw, and Raphael Folch-Pi Contributors from Jack Gaughan, Isaac Asimov, and John Brunner (short letter)
23 August 1980 62 "
August 1980 A Niekas Sampler (not an issue)
24 November 1980 62 "
25 February 1981 76 "
26 May 1981 64 Meskys, Frazier, & Bastraw
27 August 1981 78 "
28 November 1981 72 "
29 February 1981 74 "
30 May 1982 84 "
31 September 1983 80 Meskys
32 February 1984 106 "
33 1985 68 "
34 1986 58 "
35 1987 60 "
36 1988 64 "
37 August 1988 64 "
38 1989 76 " Arthurian issue
39 1989 56 "
40 August 1989 56 Anne J. Braude Andre Norton issue
41a January 1990 46 Anthony S. Magistrale and Robert H. Knox In a half-width format; Obsessions issue
41b 1990 64 Meskys, Braude, Frazier In a half-width format; Bradbury issue
42 1990 76 Meskys
43a 1991 104 Meskys & Fred Lerner In a half-width format; Sam Moskowitz "After All These Years"
43b Never published
43c 1991 1 Meskys A supplement inserted into #43a
44 March 1994 92 " Kipling issue
45 1998 128 Meskys & Joe R. Christopher Special Dark Fantasy issue
46 February 2001 68 Meskys Strange sports issue
47
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