Annish

An anniversary issue of a fanzine.

The effort to produce an extra-elaborate zine for the occasion may lead to a sudden cessation of publishing, Annishthesia or Nydahl's Disease are gafia-like syndromes associated with publishers who subside, stunned, after this herculean effort. It's commonly a result of first-anniversary issues; those editors who survive this mark are usually too canny to catch the disease again.

Of course, these days, every issue of some fanzines is an annish.

The term apparently first applied to a prozine, Startling Stories, which in 1948 advertised its annish for sale for 20¢, twice the price of an ordinary issue. Previously, as in the Fancyclopedia 1 article below, the term was anniversary.

See also: Crifanac, Hyperfanac, Fanniversary.

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

ANNISH or ANNIVERSARY The issue of a subscription fanzine which comes out, or is planned to come out, in the same month as the fanzine was launched, is the occasion for great celebration by the editor, since relatively few fanzines reach even one anniversary. He often makes it an extra-large number, which contains material solicited from Big Names, and sometimes booster ads requested to help defray the additional expense. Annishthesia is the gafia-like syndrome associated with publishers who subside, stunned, after this herculean effort. It's commonly a result of first-anniversary issues; those editors who survive this mark are usually too canny to catch the disease again. One picture being worth a thousand words, we present a 2000-word composition by Leeh below.

From Fancyclopedia 2 Supplement, ca. 1960

We might mention the habit fans have of designating annishes with words of which this is a component;Quannish, Vegannish, Innish, for Quandry, Vega, and Innuendo. It may derive, as an independent word, from Ann-issh, from a Boggs article in the Vegannish.]

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

Anniversary – The issue of a subscription fanzine which comes out, or is planned to come out, in the same month as the fanzine was launched, is the occasion for great celebration by the editor, since relatively few fanzines reach even one anniversary. He makes it an extra-large number, with material often especially solicited from big names, and booster ads requested to help defray the additional expense.

---

Fanspeak

This is a fanspeak page. Please extend it by adding information about when and by whom it was coined, whether it’s still in use, etc.