The Book of Zines: Readings from the Fringe

When asked why 90 percent of science fiction was crap, Theodore Sturgeon replied that 90 percent of everything was crap. With zines that figure probably rises to about 99.9 percent. Luckily, we have editor Chip Rowe to sift through the detritus of the zine world and distill this entertaining volume. Included are selections from such well-known zines as Beer Frame (wherein the author discovers the horrors of canned pork brains in milk gravy), Murder Can Be Fun (about the truly bizarre Boston Molasses Flood), and Rollerderby (on the brutality and sexuality of "Little House on the Prairie"). With over 80 selections there's something here for every maladjusted ex-teenager, from cutely benign tales of Brady Bunch fandom to recipes for making your own edible underwear.

Chip Rowe is the editor of Chip's Closet Cleaner and Spinal Tap A to Zed and runs zinebook.com.