The Legacy of Mike Hinge

Last month, our Heritage Collections exhibition, Other Worlds, launched on Level 2 of Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero | Central City Library. A huge amount of work went into planning, preparing, and displaying all the material on show, down to the smallest detail. The curators, Andrew Henry and Renee Orr, did a fantastic job, as did everyone else involved in bringing it together. 

This blog post is inspired by a unique connection made in the process of planning Other Worlds, wherein I was tasked with researching the copyright status of some book covers that were selected to be reproduced as posters for the exhibition. Twelve covers were chosen, and one of those covers was this one below. You may recognise it as the main promotional image for our exhibition. It’s the first image visitors see upon walking into the exhibition, serving as a sort of beacon – the bright pinks and oranges catch the eye almost immediately. 

Image: Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, vol. XCVI, no. 4. New York: Condé Nast, April 1976. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections.

My passion for fantasy and science fiction led me ask the curators if I could help with this exhibition in any way. Renee gave me the task of researching the copyright for the wall images, as mentioned earlier. I was looking up the artist of the above image, Mike Hinge, when I saw that he was born and raised here in Auckland, New Zealand. What were the odds that a cover by a Kiwi artist would be picked out of the hundreds that we had?

Image: Amazing Science Fiction Stories, vol. 45, no. 4. New York: Ultimate Publishing, November 1971. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections.

The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a fantastic resource for bibliographic information about science-fiction publications. It has everything – it was made by fans, for fans. Renee had told me about it, and I wondered if it contained any information about Mike Hinge. Not only did someone create a page for Mike, but they also linked every single (known) published artwork of his with complete dates, volume numbers, and other details.

Image: Auckland Science-Fiction Club flyer, 1956.

What caught my eye was an illustration by Mike titled ‘Could you please direct me to the Auckland Science-Fiction Club?’ A piece of art about science fiction in Auckland seemed to be the perfect material for the exhibition, and so I did an internet deep-dive to try and find it but had no luck. It appeared to be a flyer made in the 1950s that no one had yet scanned and uploaded online. Mike Hinge had sadly passed away back in 2003, and I couldn't find any contactable surviving family. Also, there seemed to be nothing online about Mike Hinge by any New Zealand publications or authors – he was unheard of.  

However, the illustration was used on the cover of a fanzine published by someone named Nigel Rowe in 2021. I decided to be a nuisance and ended up e-mailing anyone who seemed to have a connection to Nigel Rowe, as his e-mail had not been posted anywhere. The fanzine was made for an annual fanzine convention called ‘Corflu’ – the next one was planned for Newbury, UK, April 2025, and featured special guest Nigel Rowe. I e-mailed the convention organizer (surely they would be in contact with him?) and that’s when I received my first e-mail from Nigel:

“Florette, hello and welcome to the wonderful world of science fiction (SF) fanzine fandom, where everyone you wrote to, let me know about your interest in contacting me. Mike Hinge was a friend, who I first met in 1984 at the National Science Fiction conference I ran that year at the Royal International Hotel in Victoria Street. He wandered in off the street after seeing a poster advertising the con, and I immediately recognized him. He was gobsmacked as he had left NZ in 1958 and this was his first time back - and I knew who he was and what he had been up to all these years! A month or so later he created the logo for my SF bookshop on Queen Street. Ever since that first meeting, I have shouted his name and his achievements from the rooftops. Mike was a great artist, a fine friend, and someone who deserves wider recognition in his homeland. Whatever I can do to aid the exhibition I will do so.” 

Nigel also let me know that he was also from New Zealand and coincidentally flying from his home in Chicago to Auckland next week, for his annual trip, and if I would like to meet at the library to talk more about his friend, Mike Hinge. 

Image: Photographer unknown. Mike Hinge Workspace. Date unknown.

Nigel was amazing – his infinite knowledge of science fiction in New Zealand was astounding. He e-mailed me back with a collection of digitised works from Mike, including a letter from Auckland Libraries, thanking Mike for his donation of science-fiction books. Nigel was also kind enough to donate a copy of his zine to our collection, and another just for myself. 

With an abundance of materials from our collections to display in the Other Worlds exhibition, Renee then asked if I would like to make a smaller display focused on Mike Hinge, his art and contributions to the science fiction world. As a result of this beautiful interaction with Nigel Rowe, Lost in Time: The Art of Mike Hinge is now open on the ground floor of Central City Library. 

Author: Florette Cardon, Senior Library Research Assistant