“You Are Receiving This Zine Because...”

In science fiction fanzines in the ‘50s and '60s, it wasn’t uncommon for small zines to come with a loose sheet of paper headed, You are receiving this zine because.

At first, the reasons were basic (“You tribbed,” “You typed,” “You edited,” “You traded your zine for it”). Gradually the list of possibilities grew sillier, containing many in-jokes and shout outs to specific fans or fannish memories. (x)

An example from the Star Trek TOS fanzine Out of Bounds headed “I Bought This Zine Because” included the options:

• I like art and poetry, especially poetry.
  
• I wanted something to hide from my mother.
• K/S zines are scarcer than hairs on Kirk’s chest.
• I’m horny.
• It’s been too long since I’ve been horny.
• My library card to the Blueboy Library was revoked.
• I need a typo fix.
• I’m a connoisseur of filth.
• I need something to confess.
• I wanted to see if it would make it through customs.
• I love bad grammer [sic], misspelling, and misplaced punctuation.
• I collect four letter words.
• It was cheaper than the Joys of Gay Sex.
• I didn’t meet the requirements to receive Code 7.
• I couldn’t afford to go to San Francisco.
• I’m a secret investigator for the Moral Majority.
• I’m too shy to go to X-rated movies.
• I like Mary Jim and Mary Spock stories.
• I wanted a zine with no Bones about it.
• I don’t believe in the K/S premise–I just love to read it.