Factsheet Five

''Factsheet Five'' was a periodical mostly consisting of short reviews of privately produced printed matter along with contact details of the editors and publishers. In the 1980s and early 1990s, its comprehensive reviews (thousands in each issue) made it the most important publication in its field, increasing distribution channels for self-publishers and heralding the wider spread of what would eventually be called fanzine or zine culture. A number of underground artists and writers read or submitted their work to ''Factsheet Five'', including Julie Doucet and Jonathan Lethem.

Before the widespread adoption of the web and e-mail beginning around 1994, publications such as ''Factsheet Five'' formed a vital directory for connecting like-minded people. It was the literary equivalent to such phenomena as ''International Sound Communication'' in the period of cassette culture. Provided by Wikipedia