Interpreter needed

[randy_byers]

Recently Science-Fiction Five-Yearly #12 was reviewed in a British zine called Krax that comes out of Leeds. The editor was kind enough to send me a copy. A copy of SFFY #12 had been passed along to him by someone he didn't name. I thought it was kind of sweet that the fanzine got reviewed two years after publication. It was a nice review, and he seemed to have a handle on the basics of fanzine fandom, although he clearly comes from a somewhat different sector of the zine universe. There were reviews of Banana Wings and Vanamonde, too, as I recall, along with many zines I'd never heard of. I wrote the guy a letter telling him about Lee Hoffman's death, the Hugo, and the discontinuation of SFFY. I also sent him a copy of the latest Chunga just for the hell of it.

Anyway, I've now received a query in response to that review that I'm having the hardest time making heads or tails of. I'm hoping y'all can help. The letter is from another Briton, a resident of Aylesbury. It says:

Jan 2009

Dear Mr Byers

I saw mention of your publication in "Krax" magazine (UK).

They don't mention a price nor much info on contents. Could you oblige please? I'm interested in "the topic" having seen one aged 8 years back in the 1950's! I can accept some simple media but my DVD is Region 2 though it will play NSTC format -- apparently. Also any books in French (they have some great SF writers you know and I *don't* mean Jules Verne). If you put out a list of "offers" please include when replying.

Best wishes of the season

The "having seen one aged 8 years back in the 1950's" maybe means they saw an issue of SFFY back then? Is that what's meant by "the topic"? My only guess about the rest is that they think SFFY is a catalog of collectibles or something. Anybody else got a better interpretation? I yam cornfuzzled.

Update: Here's the review from Krax, in case it helps shed light on the issue:

Well, yes, this does give you time to get going between issues. Founded by Lee Hoffman in 1951 this is guest edited (as many others have before) and, indeed, concludes with a starter kit D.I.Y. challenge. (Very fair for first time readers as I know it would inspire me.!) The back cover is purportedly a Hubble telescope photo despite looking like your vintage tie-dye T-shirt and I can't recollect there ever being a teddy-bear galaxy? The content is traditional fanzine fare -- spoof pulp tales; some crime based, some futuristic, and convention 'exposes', five-year old correspondence and those risible fillos. You would think you were back in the 1950s as it is in 'enhanced' mimeo on vintage paper that's probably nearly my age. And those contributors have been around a few years, too, so they're well-practised in doing these things right. Going to wait for 2011 or what?

Comments

[farmgirl1146.livejournal.com]

Time Traveler? Can't tell the "9" key from the "5" in the third position of the date? Is crazy?

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

Well, the first issue of SFFY was published in 1951 and the second in 1956, so it's not impossible for them to have seen a copy back then. If that's what they are meaning to say.

[farmgirl1146.livejournal.com]

True, but as calimac said, what's with the DVD distribution? The sentence could be parsed, and this is a stretch given the original, that at 8 years old in the 1950s he/she/it saw a copy. However, I want to know what this "list of offers" is and why I'm not getting any offers! Whoops shouldn't go there. (insert joke hand signal here)

Cubbette suggests that you bark at it. The cats recommend a nap. Looking forward to the rest of the story, myself.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

A nap sounds nice.