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A Brief History of Zines

From science-fiction fan mail to punk, queer publishing and feminist networks, zines have helped people write for—and find—one another.

7 min readUpdated September 29, 2026

A zine is a small publication that someone makes and shares themselves, usually because they have something they want to say rather than a plan to make money. It might contain writing, drawings or both. Its subject could be a favourite band, politics or the maker's own life. The word is shortened from fanzine: a magazine made by fans. University of Iowa Libraries

To understand how zines developed, it helps to look at how people used them to share their interests and find others who cared about the same things. The examples here follow that history mainly through the United States, Britain and Canada.

The 1930s: science-fiction readers make their own magazines

People were printing their own publications as a hobby as far back as the late 1800s. This was known as the amateur press—publishing done by enthusiasts rather than as a professional business. By the 1930s, science-fiction fans were making magazines where they could share their own stories and opinions about the books and films they enjoyed. University of Iowa Libraries

One way these fans met was through the magazines they bought. Science-fiction magazines had sections that printed letters sent in by readers. People could respond to what others had written, turning a magazine's letters section into an ongoing conversation between fans.

Some of those exchanges grew into magazines made by the fans themselves. They printed copies and sent them through the post or shared them at conventions, where fans gathered in person. Someone who began by reading a magazine could end up writing for one or making their own. University of Iowa Libraries, Hevelin collection history

One early example is The Comet, edited by Ray Palmer and Walter Dennis for the Science Correspondence Club. Its first issue appeared in May 1930. The fan-history archive FANAC describes it as often considered the first fanzine and has a scanned copy you can read online. The broader practice of making your own publication was already much older. FANAC, The Comet

The 1960s: fans write their own stories

Fans also made publications about television programmes. In September 1967, Devra Langsam and Sherna Comerford published the first issue of Spockanalia, a fanzine about Star Trek. Across five issues, readers shared stories, poetry, artwork and their thoughts about the show. People who worked on the programme also sent letters. StarTrek.com, Spockanalia

These fans were using a show they loved as a starting point for their own writing and art, then sharing that work in print. Reading the surviving issues gives you a sense of how fans could create things together long before they had websites on which to post them. FANAC, Spockanalia archive

The 1970s: punk fans publish their own coverage

Music fans used zines to write about the bands they followed. One influential example was Sniffin' Glue, a British punk fanzine started by Mark Perry in July 1976. It ran for twelve issues and inspired other people to make their own publications, according to its official history. Sniffin' Glue, About the Glue

Its December 1976 mini issue discussed bands including the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned and Buzzcocks. The makers used drawings instead of photographs to keep printing costs down. This meant that even a decision about how the pages looked was connected to the practical work of paying for copies. Liverpool John Moores University preserves the issue as part of its collection. LJMU Special Collections, December 1976 issue

The 1980s: finding other zines through the post

Making a publication was only part of the work. Publishers also needed ways to reach people who might want to read it.

Before people could search the web for zines, a publication called Factsheet Five helped them find things to read. Mike Gunderloy started it in 1982. It printed short reviews of other publications, along with contact details for their makers. If a review interested you, you had a way to get in touch with the person who made the zine. New York State Library, Factsheet Five collection

The reviews covered many interests. Punk publishers, science-fiction fans, political groups and wrestling fans all used Factsheet Five. Bringing their publications together in one place helped people discover zines beyond the subjects and groups they already knew. New York State Library, collection scope

Queer and feminist publishing

Zines also gave people space to write about sexuality, gender and their experiences within music communities. In Toronto, G.B. Jones and Bruce LaBruce edited J.D.s, a queer punk zine whose first issue appeared in 1985. The archive Alternative Toronto preserves a copy of that photocopied issue, contributed by Jones. Alternative Toronto, J.D.s issue one

In the 1990s, zines became an important part of riot grrrl, a feminist punk movement in which women made music and challenged sexism. Making and sharing zines helped young women describe what they were experiencing and connect with others beyond their own towns. A personal account of being treated unfairly could become part of a wider discussion about how women were treated. New York Public Library, RRRevolution! Girl Style! Now!

Some writers also used zines to address discrimination within the communities they belonged to. Sabrina Margarita Alcantara-Tan started Bamboo Girl in 1995 because she was not finding publications that reflected her experiences. Writing from her own Filipina perspective, she addressed racism and homophobia alongside sexism, including exclusion within the alternative punk scene. Her zine shows how publishing could give someone a way to question the people around them as well as the wider society. NYPL, Bamboo Girl

Zines in the internet era

As the web and email became more widely used, people gained new ways to find and contact one another. The New York State Library's history of Factsheet Five helps put that change in context: its printed reviews and contact lists had provided a way for people with shared interests to connect before those online tools were common. New York State Library, historical note

People continued making zines as the internet became part of everyday life. Barnard College began planning its zine collection in 2003. Today, the collection includes writing about friendship, cooking, gender, physical and mental health, and COVID-19. These subjects show how widely people have used the form to record their interests and experiences. Barnard, collection history; Barnard Zine Library, collecting scope

The internet has also made older zines easier to read. At the University of Iowa, library staff photograph pages of science-fiction, fantasy and horror fanzines. Volunteers then type out the text so readers can search it online. This work lets people explore publications without travelling to the library to handle the original copies. University of Iowa Libraries, Hevelin digitisation project

To explore that history yourself, start with an actual issue. Compare The Comet with Spockanalia or J.D.s using the archives below. Look at who is writing, who they expect to read it, and how they invite readers to respond. Those details show how a publication could also become a meeting place.

Read next: What is a zine?

Sources and further reading

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