The Book of Zines is a one hundred and seventy paged introductory primer into the zine world. Chip Rowe basically picked his favorites articles and put the readings together in one book. In the introduction he concludes, “Most zines suck, but you find that golden 10 percent and you’re hooked for life. Found mine.” (Pg xiii) This book illustrates the charm of a non-sucky zine, and was a positive introduction to zine culture.
It is useless for me to try to respond to all of the entries so instead I will focus on one selection titled, “letter from Granpa Vic” which opens the book. Bob Bellerue sent an issue of his zine, Basura, and an accompanying letter to his grandparents, and within four days he got a response. The content of Bob’s grandpa’s letter is basically summarized in the first paragraphs:
Your letter, typed so legibly, gives me a first clue as to what is going on in your head. It takes me back to when I was 24 and younger- the worries, the uncertainty, trying to understand the world and what place I might make for myself. The ‘Basura’- aptly named, a crock of slime. I will not mince words, Do Not, repeat, Do Not, -send such a missive of filth to your Grandmother.

Bob’s grandfather then goes on to give him some genuine loving advice, contrasting the person represented in the zine to the person represented in the letter. I think this is an interesting idea to explore, which Bob is true or “authentic”, the one in the zine or the letter? Most likely Bob, the person, is a combination of both, and still a work in progress. The face a publisher puts on everyday for work or school is often different from the one that ends up in their zine.
Bob printed his grandfather’s letter in the next issue of his zine and when he was laying it out, he found out that his grandfather had died; “I was sad because I couldn’t continue the dialogue and somehow make good on his desire to see me as a ‘responsible young man’”. ….The creation of a zine is a self-interested act, but people are not just making zines for themselves, they publish to create a personal interactive community. ( )