Mark Perry, Sniffin' Glue 7, February 1977, courtesy of The Mott Collection.
An exciting collection of zines is available to browse in the Materials Room. These range from some of the earliest punk titles like Sniffin' Glue and Vague (a play on mainstream Vogue) to lots of new examples in many shapes and sizes and covering a huge array of subjects, ideas, and perspectives. We also have many contemporary zines, including titles produced here at Middlesex by art and design students.
For more information please come down to the Materials Room (Sheppard Library Basement).
A list of zines we hold is available from the link below.
Use this list as a starting point for research on zines and as an introduction to major zine collections. It will help you locate zines and materials about creating them in other libraries and online databases.
Zines are a way individuals or small groups can share their particular interests or obsessions. Created against the flow of mainstream publishing, the zine is an opportunity for self-expression, especially for alternative ideas and lifestyles.
In the past, content included subcultural fashion and music, political ideas or club football news. The term fanzine (sometimes used) originally combined the concepts of fan club and magazine.
The zine is a self-published, non-commercial, cheaply produced, low circulation magazine. Content may be typed, handwritten, drawn, photographed – often printed on a photocopier, stapled, folded or bound with simple stitches.
The Materials Room is home to the MDX special collections related to art and design. The Room is normally open during term time, Monday-Friday, 12 - 3 PM - although there may be teaching in the room, especially in the Autumn term. You can find it in the Basement of the Sheppard Library, Hendon. Please contact us if you have any queries or would like to make an appointment for a time outsde the standard opening hours: ACILibrarian@mdx.ac.uk