Oz Magazine No. 5 [Special Surprise Issue with Plant a Flower Child Poster]
- London: Oz Publications Ink Limited, 1967
London: Oz Publications Ink Limited, 1967. Very Good +. London: Oz Publications Ink Limited, 1967. Single newsprint sheet, folded as issued (29x45in unfolded). Black-and-white photographs throughout; pink and purple illustration at verso. Sheet toned, especially along creases; tears forming in several spots. Nevertheless Very Good or better.
Oz Magazine was an underground newspaper closely associated with 1960s international counterculture. It was created by journalist Richard Neville in Sydney, Australia in 1963 and relocated to London four years later. There, Neville oversaw the magazine’s forty-eight-issue run alongside Jim Anderson and Felix Dennis. Oz printed cutting commentary on topics spanning gay rights, racism, feminism, the pill, rock music, and the Vietnam War. The magazine garnered criticism in both Australia and the UK, where it was the subject of the longest-running obscenity trial in British history.
Oz railed against conformity: this issue exposes the “Alfs” in our midst, a “bizarre cult of grey, short-haired nine-to-fivers” infiltrating the population. Cheeky copy includes Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy, and King George V among a list of Alf apologists, and true/false quiz allows readers to determine whether they are Alfs themselves. Whether you believe “London swings” (UK slang that means all things even out over time) or “God is on our side,” you’re out of luck. Oz declares that “If you attempted any of these questions then you are an alf.”
Martin Sharp’s psychedelic covers became a hallmark of the magazine, one of which is showcased here.
Oz magazine archive, Victoria & Albert Museum, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/oz-magazine-archive?srsltid=AfmBOoqLRvCNi6B-u4DKnt6jSQUzRNbhwvY1NR08BavBJHjg1xzk511E.
Oz Magazine was an underground newspaper closely associated with 1960s international counterculture. It was created by journalist Richard Neville in Sydney, Australia in 1963 and relocated to London four years later. There, Neville oversaw the magazine’s forty-eight-issue run alongside Jim Anderson and Felix Dennis. Oz printed cutting commentary on topics spanning gay rights, racism, feminism, the pill, rock music, and the Vietnam War. The magazine garnered criticism in both Australia and the UK, where it was the subject of the longest-running obscenity trial in British history.
Oz railed against conformity: this issue exposes the “Alfs” in our midst, a “bizarre cult of grey, short-haired nine-to-fivers” infiltrating the population. Cheeky copy includes Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy, and King George V among a list of Alf apologists, and true/false quiz allows readers to determine whether they are Alfs themselves. Whether you believe “London swings” (UK slang that means all things even out over time) or “God is on our side,” you’re out of luck. Oz declares that “If you attempted any of these questions then you are an alf.”
Martin Sharp’s psychedelic covers became a hallmark of the magazine, one of which is showcased here.
Oz magazine archive, Victoria & Albert Museum, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/oz-magazine-archive?srsltid=AfmBOoqLRvCNi6B-u4DKnt6jSQUzRNbhwvY1NR08BavBJHjg1xzk511E.
Details
Title
Oz Magazine No. 5 [Special Surprise Issue with Plant a Flower Child Poster]
Author
Richard Neville [ed.]; Martin Sharp [illus.]
Condition
Very Good
Publisher
Oz Publications Ink Limited: London
Date
1967