An on-line archive of Peter Roberts's famous 1970s British SF/fan
newsletter Checkpoint, including the issues edited by Darroll
Pardoe (#47 to #62) and Ian Maule (#63 to #73). The issue list at the
right is expanded from the
Memory Hole
Fanzine Bibliography. The last remaining issue of the second
series was uploaded on 7 September 2006, just over a year after this
project was launched. On 18 February 2007, the first-series archive
was also completed. All 111 issues are now on line.
Checkpoint continued the British sf newsletter tradition of
Ron Bennett's 1959-1971 Skyrack,
whose entire run is also archived on line (well done, Greg
Pickersgill). With Peter Roberts's blessing, Checkpoint was
succeeded by Ansible.
A regular feature was the Checkpoint
Fan Poll, also continued by Ansible.
Fliers and other extras
Asterisked items rode with Checkpoint.
- *TAFF ballot forms,
passim
- Hoax advertisement from the
Eastercon 22 programme book, discussed in Checkpoint
1 and Checkpoint 3
- *British Weird Fantasy Society flier,
included with Checkpoint 10 and
Checkpoint 15
- *"Paranoia Fandom" flier,
included with Checkpoint 13
- *Lurk fanzine flier,
included with Checkpoint 14
- 1972 DUFF
ballot form (for the first-ever DUFF race), included with
Checkpoint 16
- *Madcap fanzine flier,
included with Checkpoint 19
- *Contact, included with
Checkpoint 27
- *mi 3:6, included with
Checkpoint 34
- *"Newcastle in '74"
Eastercon bid flier (the convention later known as Tynecon) –
included within Checkpoint 35
- *Review Supplement included with
Checkpoint 41
- [*]Post-Eastercon Supplement to
Checkpoint 46 (distributed both
separately and with late copies of #46)
- Fanzine Activity Achievement Awards
rules and 1975 Ballot –
meant to be mailed with Checkpoint 59
but apparently sent separately
- Not Checkpoint 96 – "alternative"
fan poll
- Fans as Animals: Bruce
Townley's impression of several UK fans of the Checkpoint
era, drawn in 2006
- Notes and Queries – 21st-century
comments and corrections
Checkpoint regularly carried voting forms for
TAFF and other fan funds –
duly linked if available on line. Another regular extra was Eric
Bentcliffe's mini-fanzine mi (aka AmiZINE STORIES),
containing reviews and/or gossip. One example has been rekeyed since
it cross-refers to Checkpoint itself. Peter Weston kindly
provided a scan of the hoax ad from the Eastercon 22 programme book,
discussed in two early issues.
Issue breakdown
How we got 111 as the total number of issues:
First series
All issues
Second series
Trial issues #0 and #00
Main run #1-#100
#46 later supplement
#63a poll supplement
Total |
7
2
100
1
1
111 |
Thanks to those who transcribed Checkpoint:
- Sandra Bond (6 issues)
- Claire Brialey (7)
- Bridget Bradshaw (1)
- Ned Brooks (9)
- Bill Burns (+)
- Rob Jackson (16)
- Earl Kemp (+)
- Dave Langford (21+)
- Jim Linwood (1)
- Samuel Mcdonald (3)
- Ian Maule (4)
- Murray Moore (1)
- Mark Plummer (1++)
- Alison Scott (1)
- Peter Sullivan (36+)
- Paul Vincent (5 – including the long and tedious
subject index)
A couple of points for pedants: the above figures add up to one more
issue than the reality, since in a bout of early enthusiasm two of our
heroes transcribed the same Checkpoint. The + (as in Ralph
124C41+) is extra credit for a supplement or for doing just a page or
two of the long issue 1:1, which was eventually assigned in small
sections to make it less intimidating – Jim Linwood gets the
main credit, for rekeying six of its foolscap pages. Just for
historical interest, here are the guidelines
that were (sometimes) followed by the transcription crew.
Thanks for other help
When this project began, various paper issues of Checkpoint
were missing from the Langford hardcopy file. I'm deeply grateful to
the following benefactors for providing needed photocopies and/or
scans: Bruce Gillespie, Rob Jackson, Murray Moore, Peter Roberts, and
Robert Lichtman.
Thanks finally to Checkpoint's editors for giving
permission:
- Peter Roberts
- Darroll Pardoe
- Ian Maule
– Dave
Langford |
1971
- #00, April 1971 ("Trial Issue 00")
- #0, April 1971 ("Trial Issue 0")
- #1, April 1971
- #2, May 1971
- #3, May 1971
- #4, June 1971
- #5, June 1971 – with cut-down
version of 1971
TAFF ballot
- #6, July 1971
- #7, August 1971
- #8, September 1971
- #9, September 1971
- #10, October 1971 – with
British Weird Fantasy Society flier
- #11, November 1971
- #12, November 1971
- #13, December 1971 – with
"Paranoia Fandom" flier
1972
- #14, January 1972 – with
Lurk fanzine flier
- #15, March 1972 – with
British Weird Fantasy Society flier
- #16, March 1972 – with
1972 DUFF ballot
(for the first-ever DUFF race)
- #17, June 1972
- #18, June 1972
- #19, July 1972 – with flier for
the fanzine Madcap
[*]
- #20, July 1972
- #21, August 1972 – including
1971-2 Checkpoint fan poll
results
- #22, September 1972
- #23, September 1972
- #24, October 1972 – with flier,
mi
- #25, October 1972
- #26, November 1972 – with flier,
mi
- #27, November 1972 – with flier,
Contact
- #28, December 1972 – with flier,
mi 3:3
1973
- #29, January 1973
- #30, January 1973 – with flier,
mi 3:4
- #31, February 1973
- #32, February 1973
- #33, March 1973
- #34, March 1973 – with flier,
mi 3:6
- #35, April 1973 – with
"Newcastle in '74" Eastercon
bid flier
- #36, April 1973 – including
1972-3 Checkpoint fan poll
results
- #37, May 1973 [*]
- #38, May 1973
- #39, June 1973 – with flier, mi
4:1
- #40, June 1973 – with flier, mi
4:2
- #41, October 1973 – with
book review supplement and flier, mi
4:3
- #42, October 1973 – with flier,
1974 TAFF Ballot
- #43, November 1973
[*] – with flier, mi 4:4
- #44, December 1973 – with flier,
mi 4:5
Darroll Pardoe becomes editor
- #47, April 1974
- #48, May 1974
- #49, May 1974
- #50, June 1974
- #51, August 1974
- #52, September 1974
- #53, September 1974
- #54, October 1974
- #55, October 1974
- #56, November 1974
- #57, November 1974
1976
- #64, February 1976
- #65, March 1976
- #66, March 1976
- #67, March or April 1976
- #68, April 1976
- #69, May 1976
- #70, July 1976
- #71, August 1976
- #72, August 1976 – 1975-6 Checkpoint
fan poll results supplement, by Peter Roberts
- #73, August 1976
1977
- #78, January 1977 – with flier,
mi Xmas 1976
- #79, February 1977
- #80, March 1977
- #81, April 1977
- #82, June 1977
- #83, July 1977 – including
1976-7 Checkpoint fan poll
results
- #84, August 1977
- #85, Winter 1977 – with flier,
TAFF Talk 1
1979
- #93, February 1979 – with flier,
TAFF Talk 2
- #94, February 1979
- #95, April 1979 – with flier,
TAFF Talk 3
- #96, May 1979
- #97, June 1979 – including
1978-9 Checkpoint fan poll
results
- #98, July 1979
- #99, August 1979
- #100, September 1979 – with
index of past contents
The Checkpoint subscription list was passed on to Dave
Langford's new sf newsletter Ansible,
which launched in August
1979.
First Series
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