Niekas

A fanzine published from 1962–1998 by Ed Meskys. It won the 1967 Best Fanzine Hugo and was nominated for the Best Fanzine Hugo in 1966, 1967, and 1989. Felice Rolfe was co-editor for some of the early issues. The name come from the Lithuanian (Meskys is of Lithuanian extraction) for "nothing" or "nobody".

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	Notes
1	June 1962		At this point it is Ed 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		Felice Rolfe becomes co-editor. By this issue it had become a real genzine. in N'APA 18
7	December 1963	48
8	March 1964	33	in N'APA 20
9	September 1964	80	in N'APA 22
9.5	Fall 1964	10	Titled Fractional Nieka
10	December 1964	54	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	Editor is now Felice Rolfe, though Ed Meskys is still involved.
16	June 1966	100
17	November 1966	90
18	Late Spring 1967	68	Includes Tolkien interview
19	December 1968		Editor is now Ed Meskys with Charlie Brown, Marsha Brown, and Elliot Shorter as co-editors. Green Dragon #3 was bound in
20	Fall 1968	110
21	1977	37	Editors are now Ed Meskys, Sherwood Frazier, Margaret Shepard, and Rafe Folch-Pi
22	1980	60	Contributors from Jack Gaughan, Isaac Asimov, and John Brunner (short letter); Editors are now Ed Meskys, Sherwood Frazier, Mike Bastraw, and Rafe Folch-Pi
23	August 1980	62
	August 1980		A Niekas Sampler (not an issue)
24	November 1980	62
25	February 1981	76
26	May 1981	64	Editors are now Ed Meskys, Sherwood Frazier, and Mike Bastraw
27	August 1981	78
28	November 1981	72
29	February 1981	74
30	May 1982	84
31	September 1983	80
32	February 1984	106
33	1985	68
34	1986	58
35	1987	60
36	1988	64
37	August 1988	64
38	1989	76
39	1989	56
40	August 1989	56
41a	January 1990	46	In a half-width format
41b	1990	64	In a half-width format
42	1990	76
43a	1991	104	In a half-width format
43b			Never published
43c	1991	1	A supplement inserted into #43a
44	March 1994	92
45	1998	128	Special Dark Fantasy issue
46	February 2001	68
47
48

Niekas online at fanac.org

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Publication

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1962—1998

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