'London OZ': acquired in 1967
'OZ' – or more accurately 'London OZ' – was one of the most celebrated of the underground or alternative magazines which surfaced in London in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It first appeared in February 1967, was involved in a court case for obscenity in 1971, and finally folded in 1973.
As a UK legal deposit library, the National Library of Scotland receives material rich in resources for social history. Through legal deposit, we added almost the complete run of 'London OZ' to our serials collections.
The underground press reflected radical, anti-establishment ideas of the time. 'OZ' had been founded in Sydney in 1963, and was then brought to London, as 'London OZ', by its editor, Richard Neville.
Pictured is the cover of the October / November 1967 issue of 'London OZ'. It shows the composer and singer Bob Dylan, one of the great anti-establishment cult figures of the time. The designer was Australian artist Martin Sharp, the magazine's Art Director.