A fanzine is a publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share their interest. The term was coined in an October 1940 science fiction fanzine Detours by Russ Chauvenet and first popularized within science fiction fandom.

Typically, publishers, editors, writers and other contributors of articles or illustrations to fanzines are not paid. Fanzines are traditionally circulated free of charge, or for a nominal cost to defray postage or production expenses. Some fanzines are typed and photocopied by amateurs using standard home office equipment. A few fanzines have developed into professional publications and many professional writers were first published in fanzines. 

With the increasing availability of the Internet the traditional paper zine has begun to give way to the webzine (or "e-zine") that is easier to produce and uses the potential of the Internet to reach an ever-larger, and in the case of our ERBzine Webzine, a global, audience. The host server for our ERBzine site for years now has tallied over 20 million annual international visits to our ERBzine.com site where our Webzine has been published every Friday since 1996 and where all back issues are available in our Googliable archive. 

Since we founded ERBzine in 1996 we have taken pride in promoting the many print fanzines devoted to ERB SF and Fantasy Fiction. We have given new life and a worldwide audience to many of these zines by indexing them and in many cases reprinting entire issues. Many of the surviving issues that have been buried away in the files of a few dedicated collectors are now available for a multitude of readers.

I've compiled a list and links for many of the fanzines that are featured in ERBzine.

Science-Fiction newsletters and fan magazines began to proliferate in the late 1930s and early 1940s, most of them amateur publications mimeographed in purple and seeking to share enthusiasms for the emerging genre. Most of these publications were distributed gratis or with nominal fees, to cover mailing costs. These works frequently referred to Burroughs as “the Grandfather of American Science Fiction,” but the first magazine devoted exclusively to the author and his work was the Burroughs Bulletin, founded and edited by Vernell Coriell, a circus performer and acrobat who produced his first issue in July 1947 with the blessing of Burroughs, then in retirement at Encino, California, after having served as the oldest war correspondent in World War II.

In 1956 on April 3, Peter Ogden published his first issue of "ERBANIA," in England. Later, Peter moved to Canada and then to Florida, where he continued to publish ERBANIA through issue 103 -- 60 years later.

When I was a kid back in the '50s it was very difficult finding ERB books and information. My search led me to book dealers in England where I discovered a magazine published by an English fan that was devoted to Burroughs  -- Peter Ogden's ERBANIA! I bought them all. I've been a fan and in awe of Pete's treasure trove of ERB knowledge ever since. 

It was a thrill to finally meet and visit with Pete and Joan at numerous ERB conventions. I've tried to convey my appreciation of Pete's contribution to ERB fans by compiling a lengthy illustrated bibliography featured in the links below, starting at ERBzine 0119. We miss you Pete. Peter passed on October 22, 2017.

In 2012, Rod Jackson started providing thousands of scans of these fanzine pages for which he gave me permission to reproduce in ERBzine. Eventually, this project resulted in our reprinting 53 complete issues of FANTASTIC WORLDS -- an amazing 2,000-page resource for ERB fans and scholars.

The current fanzine from the BRITISH ERB SOCIETY is ANOTAR, published by Rod Jackson at Admiralrogvoz@yahoo.co.uk

"A lot of things were lining up by 1965.  After years of reading comics books and then science fiction, adventure stories, some horror stories (along with our fascination with horror movies during my junior high school years) and, of course, encountering Edgar Rice Burroughs and the Burroughs Bibliophiles, we were ready to do something constructive. We'd already done a fanzine devoted mostly to horror and science fiction movies that we sold to neighborhood kids and Charly Kagay had worked on his school newspaper in the ninth grade lending him a little more experience in the fast paced world of journalism.  All we needed was a big spark.
"The spark came in late 1964 when Charly and I met Chuck Pogue and Jerry Toner in used book store in downtown Cincinnati.  After a lot of snail mail, a few phone calls and another visit, we went into action.

"The result would be the first issue of our fanzine, The Long Sword."

~ Dick Spargur

ERBzine did a two-part feature on our friend and longtime ERB fan and researcher back in 2009: "Edgar Rice Burroughs in My Life."

Part of the tribute featured covers and Dick's backstory behind each of the five ERB fanzines he and his friends published in 1965 - 1967. 

ERBzine Has Been The Official Edgar Rice Burroughs Tribute and Weekly Fanzine Site for Over 25 Years
Since 1996 ~ Over 15,000 Webzines and Webpages are in Archive

Our weekly Webzine publication serves as a regular voice to inform readers of some of the features added to the main ERBzine site over the last week. We have a huge international following, The Server Company to which we upload our files document over 20 million visits to the site each year. 

ERBzine Weekly Fanzine has been published to the same Web address EVERY Friday for 25 years . . . 
I've managed to keep to this schedule by uploading from a wide variety of locations: Via Satellite in Canada's Far North ~ by laptop from hospital rooms ~ while on tour across Canada and the US ~ using the WiFi facilities in Europe, UK, Mexico, China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, SE Asia, Japan, Korea, etc. 

Reminders of each week's release are usually posted on Twitter, e-Mail, and Facebook . . . in parts of the world where these brands of social media are allowed. WiFi service to my Website on the Internet, however, I've found to be very accessible worldwide.