im surprised this is still availble. I got this awhile back when it first came out. What i remember is the author was recently turned onto zines in the mid 90's and became very enthustiastic. I remember he covers alot of ground and feels passionate about politics. Like most books on zines he has them all lumped in seperate sections; music zines,comics,riot girl zines etc. I think there was a good write up with fact sheet five founder mike gunderloy and a phone interview with one of maximum rock n' roll's founder tim yohannon. I find it essential to access documents such as this book that we get word of motivation; otherwise its too easy to pass the time making money, partying, and playing with computers. a free press helps create a free mind eggplant

In this impressive and illuminating book, that is a both a superb cultural analysis and a labor of love, Stephen Duncombe provides a comprehensive look at zines and their creators. Frontlist Books

If you want to do some reading about zines & zine culture, I cannot recommend Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture, by Stephen Duncombe, enough. Duncombe is a former zinester himself and writes from a privileged insider's position within the zine world. He's also a first-rate sociologist, with a clear-eyed vision of what's good and bad and in-between about zines. His book is a fantastic biography of a genre, and is an excellent resource, to boot. Clicklit Forum

Underground works better as an extended essay on the meaning of zines than as an introductory survey. Stephen Duncombe wants to present the zine form as a potentially subversive medium, and does a good job doing so. AV Club, The Onion

Stephen Duncombe fills such a void with his examination of zines that, in his words, "privileges the material interpretation, not academic translations." As a zine editor himself, Duncombe is all too familiar with the academic treatment of cultural artifacts that tend to obscure the realities in which many of these creations become manifest. Other Voices

Duncombe retains his respect and even admiration for the utopian sentiments that animate the 'zine world, even as he unblinkingly diagnoses the contradictions and limitations of the political vision these publications offer. The result is a moving yet frustrating work, haunted throughout by the unresolvable tension between Duncombe's sympathy with the "zinesters" quest for authenticity and his recognition that that quest is doomed to both marginality and failure. Boston Pheonix

... [E]nlightening and strongly recommended. MSRRT Newsletter

Thoroughly researched analysis of zine history, with a focus on their political contractions. Includes extensive notes and index. Chris Dodge, Zine-O-Graphy

A timely new critical study, Stephen Duncombe's Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture (1997), throws some light on the current state of zines and what's at stake. Duncombe, a professor of American Studies and a zine-maker himself, locates zines within a wider bohemian tradition, and maps out both the potential and the limits of their cultural radicalism. Charles Hutchinson, The Atlantic

The slippery politics and insoluble contradictions of underground, culture are examined through the lens of 'zines in the relatively highbrow Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture. A "radical scholar" and former punk musician and 'zine editor who claims to be "of the world [he] writes," Stephen Duncombe brings neo-Marxism to bear on the thorny issues of purity versus sellout, withdrawal versus action, and accessibility versus insularity. Highly sensitive to all sides of the various debates, Duncombe tangles with the tar baby of bohemian politics, and emerges with some useful observations on the intolerant, elitist myopia of ostensibly egalitarian subcultures, the enforced banality of originality for its own sake, and the "We're all individuals!" paradox of iconoclastic communities, exemplified by the tail-chasing arguments over self-definition in the punk and riot-grrrl "scenes." Andrew Hulkrans, Artform

In his documentation of zine culture in Notes from Underground Zines and The Politics of Alternative Culture, Steve Duncombe claims: "They [zine writers] celebrate the everyperson in a world of celebrity, losers in a society that rewards the best and brightest." It is this definition that best describes the position of the zine writers. Amy Spencer, from DIY: the Rise of Lo-fi Culture

There has been very little scholarly work that has focussed on the cultural phenomenon of zines. Stephen Duncombe has produced the most comprehensive scholarly look at zines in his book, Notes From Underground. Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture. He covers various issues related to the production of zines, its history, and the culture that has grown up around it. And while he briefly touches on women as zine producers, he offers a very limited analysis, focussing solely on zines coming out of the Riot Grrrl movement. Brandi Leigh-Ann Bell, from Resources for Feminist Research

Most academic interest in zines has been from a sociological, cultural and youth studies perspective. These studies have focussed on exploring zine culture as a subcultural movement, encompassing particular styles of media consumption, relationships with mainstream culture and so on. Stephen Duncombe's book Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture, is an example of this type of work from America. Anna Poletti, Critical Animals

Having no idea what a "zine" was - in itself either tells you that I am completely removed from Bohemia and/or have been completely swallowed up by the mass of Big Business everything. But I clutched for that lifeline and reveled in the premise of freedom of speech as I read about the DIY zine creators/communicators. from amazon.com

This certainly is one of the best works about Zines. Steve laid out a bunch of topics which are rather unknown into zine's scene. The big amount of quotes reflects his commitment and background to perform this book. I still amazed of the number of quotes and interviews, which provides a wide vision of zine culture spreaded in USA. from amazon.com

This is a sobering, inspiring book. Duncombe shows us the boundless potential of zines and zine culture. At the same time he diagnoses the failure of zines to reach out and become relevant to people outside our little "underground." from amazon.com

What is most successful about this book is he didn't just write about the world of fanzines but explored through the social/economic/political structure of the USA. As a political science student and a fanzine writer I share his views concerning the new world order as an everchanging,imposing and even assimilating fact. Elif Ogzen

This book is a must-read for all art students and should also prove helpful to students of journalism and other fields. It offers an excellent insight into the whys and hows of zines while also maintaining a critical perspective. If you don't know what a zine is, you will find out. If you do know, you will get a deeper understanding of the history of zines and what they have morphed into since their heyday. Jokie X Wilson