The Fanatic No. 4 – Internal Exile Special

The Fanatic was a short-lived and elusive underground magazine initiated by countercultural spearheads John Michell and William Levy in the mid-1970s. The editors, who knew each other from their work for International Times, conceived a DIY magazine for anybody to compose and publish under the umbrella of The Fanatic. “Make your own Fanatic…” it says in The Fanatic No. 3, “any shape… any size… print as few or as many as you can afford… Yes, you!… Just remember to use The Fanatic logo to show it is the genuine article… And please… send copies to our Post-Apocalypso Archive… Postbus 2080… Amsterdam-C… Holland”. After the first edition had been published in Bath in 1975, editions produced by various editors appeared sporadically in various languages from other locations in Europe and, once, from the US over a period of five years.

The Fanatic No. 4 – Internal Exile Special was edited and authored by John Nicholson and Cecilia Boggis in 1976. Nicholson and Boggis were a married couple and friends of Fanatic founder John Michell’s. They shared the latter’s radical-traditionalist views and ran an occult book shop and press from Cambridge. The Fanatic No.4 contains radical and satirical articles written by Nicholson and Boggis, collected newspaper clippings, artwork and adverts. The condition of this saddle-stitched and hand numbered copy is very good with slight yellowing of the pages and a hand written note on the back cover.