Peter Roberts

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(Did you mean the American fan?)

(March 27, 1950 –)

Peter James Roberts is a UK fan first from Bristol and later Keele, London and Dawlish, active from 1966 to around 1980 and occasionally thereafter. Among numerous publications he founded Checkpoint, the main newszine of the 1970s, and a produced a detailed bibliography of UK fanzines up to 1970. He was a member of ANZAPA (the first overseas member), APA-45, FAPA, FEAPA, OASIS and OMPA and was perhaps the first serious British fanhistorian. Rob Hansen, writing in Then, argued that: 

During the 1970s transatlantic links had not been all that strong and though there was a certain level of exchange of fanzines only a few fans on each side were determined enough in promoting the link that they become well known on the other. Peter Roberts, by way of Egg and Checkpoint, was probably the most successful in that regard on this side of the Atlantic, as Terry Hughes by way of his fanzine Mota was probably the most successful fanzine editor in that regard on the other, and their oft-expressed mutual regard doubtless helped both.

Roberts explained his fannish origins in an article 'Back to the Roots' (Stop Breaking Down 1 (March 1976)). He had joined the BSFA back in 1966 and organised a school sf society where for a fee, members "borrowed my books and read my copies of Vector". The society had a couple of dozen paid-up members so "the Clifton College Science Fiction Society was probably the largest fan group in Britain at the time". In 1967: 

I contacted the much smaller Bristol and District Group and started going to meetings. I remember I used to go straight from school during the first few months; a withdrawn figure, keeping to the corners, as silent as the grave, and wearing a nice grey suit – every inch the young businessman. Hardly anyone noticed me – just like at school. Then came the longawaited release from the institution, and I decided I'd had enough of my drab, conservative existence. The first BaD Group meeting afterwards I went dressed in salmon-pink jeans, orange pajama jacket (embellished with dragons), fake rabbit-fur waistcoat, and a Yugoslav fez. Beryl Mercer called me an exhibitionist. It was a good meeting.

The 1967 Eastercon, Briscon, was in Bristol but Roberts did not attend and rather "stood outside the Bristol convention hotel and debated whether to go inside and mix it with Jack Vance, Phil Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, William Burroughs, and all the other science fictioneers. I chickened out, which is probably just as well."

His first convention was thus Thirdmancon, the 1968 Eastercon, for which he published his first fanzine, Mor Farch. That year he also moved from Bristol to Keele in Staffordshire to attend university, and launched the first series of Checkpoint in December 1968. This was devoted to fanzine reviews and continued until 1969. In April 1971 he launched a second series as a newszine with two trial issue before publishing 46 numbered issues through to March 1974. He then handed the title to Darroll Pardoe who in turn passed it to Ian Maule in December 1975. Roberts resumed the title in September 1976 with its 74th issue then published it through to its final and 100th issue in September 1979.

Roberts also published Egg, the "Official Organ of Aardvark Fandom", from 1970. It topped the Checkpoint Fan Poll in 1971/1972 and again in 1972/1973 and would continue until 1978. He moved to London around 1973, initially staying with Greg Pickersgill. At the same time Checkpoint became larger and less frequent, and discontinued most science fiction news. In 1974 he was a candidate in the 1974 TAFF Race, coming second to Peter Weston who was then standing for the third time. He was on the committee as treasurer for SEACON 75, the 1975 Eastercon, and the following year he was fan guest of honour at Mancon 5. Roberts stood again for TAFF in 1977, winning over Terry Jeeves and Peter Presford. He travelled to Suncon the 1977 Worldcon, and several chapters to a TAFF report were published in fanzines. The report was complete and published as New Routes in America in 1999. At Suncon he was involved in the Britain in '79 Worldcon bid and he served on the committee of the subsequent Worldcon, Seacon '79.

Roberts had moved to Dawlish in Devon in 1976 and Graham and Pat Charnock published the celebratory The Horror of Westbourne Park, also billed as Egg 10.5, to mark his departure. He was fan guest of honour at Unicon 80, the first British Unicon (UK), at his alma mater in Keele. From 1980 to 1985 he worked for the publisher David & Charles and had some involvement in the later days of the Science Fiction Book Club, including writing jacket copy for some of their books. Later still he retrained in plant biology with a special interest in mycology and worked at Kew Gardens (website) in London. He is now retired. Roberts largely gafiated around 1980 although he still occasionally attended fannish events.

Fanzines and Apazines:

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

Person 1950—
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