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Richard Neville

and Oz

In April 1963, the underground magazine Oz hit the newsstands. The brainchild of Australian writer Richard Neville, Oz would come to stand as a symbol of free speech, experimentation, and the socially rebellious years of the 1960s and 1970s, raising ire from authorities from the first issue to the last. It was published as a satirical humor magazine until 1969 in Sydney, but it became better known in its British incarnation as a psychedelic, “hippie” magazine, published in London between 1967 and 1973.

Richard Neville Papers

Richard Neville Papers and Oz at the Beinecke

Richard Neville Papers include correspondence, writings, notebooks, scrapbooks, printed materials, artwork, and audiovisual materials by, to, or related to Richard Neville and Oz magazine.

Oz, nos. 1-48, February 1967-Winter 1973.

 

Other Richard Neville and Oz material at the Beinecke

London newspapers with articles related to the Oz obscenity trial, 1971.

Rex Weiner collection of underground press material, 1955-1981, includes letters from Richard Neville.

Oz

Richard Neville was the central editor throughout Oz’s decade-long run, starting in 1963. He was joined by Richard Walsh and Martin Sharp on the Sydney edition, and by Jim Anderson and, later, Felix Dennis, on the London iteration. Oz became synonymous with the artwork and illustrations of Robert Crumb and Martin Sharp, and featured articles by such prominent counterculture figures of the time as Bob Hughes, Germaine Greer, David Widgery, Abbie Hoffman, Gerry Rubin, Lillian Roxon, Lenny Bruce. The magazine was the subject of two famous obscenity trials, the first in Australia in 1964, the second in England in 1971, for which the three editors famously dressed as women during their London court appearance. In both cases, the magazine’s editors were acquitted on appeal after initially being found guilty and sentenced to rigid jail terms. On the night the editors were sent to jail, John Lennon and Yoko Ono broadcast their song “God Save Oz.”

 

Complete collection of Oz London covers (February 1967-November 1973)

Oz 1 (February 1967)

Oz 1 (February 1967)

Theological Striptease

Oz 2 (March 1967)

Oz 2 (March 1967)

Bite Size Oz

Oz 3 (May 1967)

Oz 3 (May 1967)

Love Me I'm an Ugly...

Oz 4 (June 1967)

Oz 4 (June 1967)

Hapshash and the Coloured Coat.

Oz 5 (July 1967)

Oz 5 (July 1967)

Plant a Flower Child

Oz 6 (August 1967)

Oz 6 (August 1967)

Other Scenes

Oz 7 (October 1967)

Oz 7 (October 1967)

Blowing in the Mind

Oz 8 (January 1968)

Oz 8 (January 1968)

Louise Ferrier

Oz 9 (February 1968)

Oz 9 (February 1968)

UFO

Oz 10 (March 1968)

Oz 10 (March 1968)

Pornography of Violence

Oz 11 (April 1968)

Oz 11 (April 1968)

Stickers Cover (red / green / yellow)

Oz 12 (May 1968)

Oz 12 (May 1968)

Fun and Games

Oz 13 (June 1968)

Oz 13 (June 1968)

Catherine and the Wheel of Fire

Oz 14 (July 1968)

Oz 14 (July 1968)

Strange Days/Trip without a Ticket

Oz 15 (September 1968)

Oz 15 (September 1968)

Jagger Cartoon

Oz 16 (November 1968)

Oz 16 (November 1968)

The Magic Theater

Oz 17 (January 1969)

Oz 17 (January 1969)

Louise Ferrier/Jenny Kee

Oz 18 (February 1969)

Oz 18 (February 1969)

Fingerlickin' Good

Oz 19 (March 1969)

Oz 19 (March 1969)

Stanshall/Greer

Oz 20 (April 1969)

Oz 20 (April 1969)

Hell's Angels

Oz 21 (May 1969)

Oz 21 (May 1969)

Elektra Amazement Ad

Oz 22 (July 1969)

Oz 22 (July 1969)

Mickey Mouse/Smiling Moon Cover

Oz 23 (August 1969)

Oz 23 (August 1969)

Homosexual Oz

Oz 24 (October 1969)

Oz 24 (October 1969)

The Beautiful Freaks

Oz 25 (December 1969)

Oz 25 (December 1969)

Hippie Atrocities!

Oz 26 (February 1970)

Oz 26 (February 1970)

Pussy Power

Oz 27 (April 1970)

Oz 27 (April 1970)

Acid Oz

Oz 28 (May 1970)

Oz 28 (May 1970)

School Kids Issue

Oz 29 (July 1970)

Oz 29 (July 1970)

Female Energy/Cunt Power

Oz 30 (October 1970)

Oz 30 (October 1970)

Travel Oz

Oz 31 (November/December 1970)

Oz 31 (November/December 1970)

Brave New Morning

Oz 32 (January 1971)

Oz 32 (January 1971)

Granny's Oz/Emergency Issue

Oz 33 (February 1971)

Oz 33 (February 1971)

Farmers Daughter

Oz 34 (April 1971)

Oz 34 (April 1971)

A Parents Guide to Drug Abuse

Oz 35 (May 1971)

Oz 35 (May 1971)

Special Pig Issue

Oz 36 (July 1971)

Oz 36 (July 1971)

Dream Power

Oz 37 (September 1971)

Oz 37 (September 1971)

Angry Oz/A World of Young Love

Oz 38 (November 1971)

Oz 38 (November 1971)

The Day the Earth was Out to Lunch

Oz 39 (December 1971)

Oz 39 (December 1971)

Thrilling Murder Comics

Oz 40 (February 1972)

Oz 40 (February 1972)

5th Anniversay Issue

Oz 41 (April 1972)

Oz 41 (April 1972)

Angry Oz/Crime and Conspiracy

Oz 42 (May 1972)

Oz 42 (May 1972)

Hippie Couple

Oz 43 (July 1972)

Oz 43 (July 1972)

Revelation of St. John

Oz 44 (February 1972)

Oz 44 (February 1972)

Virgin Sperm Dancer

Oz 45 (November 1972)

Oz 45 (November 1972)

Big Ice Cream Cone in the Sky

Oz 46 (January 1973)

Oz 46 (January 1973)

All dressed up...and nowhere to go

Oz 47 (April 1973)

Oz 47 (April 1973)

My How We Laughed

Oz 48 (November 1973)

Oz 48 (November 1973)

The Last Issue

Resources

Interview with Richard Neville, The Overlook Press (July 26, 2012).

 

Felix Dennis Official Website, co-editor of London edition.

 

"The Sum of Oz Magazine," The Australian (March 23, 2013).

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