Tartarus Press

Bibliography

 

1996-2000

2000:

 

50. THE LOST STRADIVARIUS, by John Meade Falkner, December 2000, xvi, 233 pages. £27.50. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by the Atheneum Press in blue wibalin cloth, stamped black and gold, with blue and yellow head and tail bands and blue silk ribbon marker. 300 numbered copies. ISBN 1872621 554. Out of print. Contents: Introduction by Mark Valentine/ The Lost Stradivarius/ A Midsummer's Marriage/ Charalampia.

 Reviews:

  "Tartarus Press has produced The Lost Stradivarius to its usual very high standards.... [It is] ... one of the finest ghost stories of the past two centuries. It had been unavailable in Hardcovers since the Tom Stacey edition of the 1970s, and I'm delighted to welcome it back." - Roger Johnson, Ghosts and Scholars.

“The Lost Stradivarius can justly be termed a masterpiece of supernatural literature.” – Steve Duffy, All Hallows

 

49. GHOST STORIES, by Oliver Onions, edited by Rosalie Parker, December 2000, vii, 455 pages. £30.00. Sewn hardback printed and bound by the Atheneum Press in green wibalin cloth stamped in white,with green and white head and tailband and green silk ribbon marker. 350 copies. ISBN 1872621546. The first edition is out of print. Contents: Introduction by Rosalie Parker/ Credo/ The Beckoning Fair One/ Phantas/ Rooum/ Benlian/ The Ascending Dream/ The Honey in the Wall/ The Rosewood Door/ The Accident/ IO/The Lost Thrysus/ The Painted Face/ The Out Sister/ “John Gladwyn Says...”/ Hic Jacet/ The Rocker/ Dear Dryad/ The Real People/ The Cigarette Case/ The Rope in the Rafters/ Resurrection in Bronze/ The Woman in the Way/ The Smile of Karen.

Reprinted May 2003 with an extra tale, "Tragic Casements".

Reviews

'This is a reason to rejoice, for those who missed the first edition: Tartarus press offers a second printing of Oliver Onions' Ghost Stories, a generous collection of supernatural invasion, psychological unease, and transitory shifts between the commonplace and the surreal.' - William Simmons, All Hallows

 

'Ghost Stories by Oliver Onions gives afficionados of suggestive horror a cause for celebration. Tartarus Press offers in its second printing of Oliver Onion's Ghost Stories a generous collection of superbly written tales of supernatural invasion, psychological unease, and transitory shifts between the everyday and supernatural - reality and the surreal both concepts presented by the author as paradoxical effects of the same cause . . . and the cause of similar events.' - 'Fine Frights' column from The Horror Within

 

'In this new book, Tartarus press has gathered all Onions' significant short weird fiction, eliminating a couple of very minor tales from the canon, but including several previously left out . . . He remains very much worth reading, because of the many arresting and unusual aspects of his work, the frequent passages of shining prose, and those two or three stories, amomng the best written in the genre of supernatural fiction, which make us lament that no more stories of their calibre were written.' - Don Tumasonis, All Hallows.

 

 

48. CHRISTMAS MISCELLANY, December 2000, stapled booklet. 1000 copies. Not for sale. Out of print. Contents: Uncollected Characters of the Book World/Sarban/ The Nephoseum by Mark Valentine/ Literary Society Contacts/ Robert Aickman: Degrees of Deviation/ Edward Heron-Allen and Christopher Blayre/ Alain-Fournier: "A bird was learning its song/ New and Forthcoming/ In Print

 

47. PAN'S GARDEN, by Algernon Blackwood, September 2000, x, 296 pages, £27.50. Sewn hardback printed and bound by the Atheneum Press in green wibalin cloth stamped in black and gold,with green and yellow head and tailband and green silk ribbon marker. 300 numbered copies. ISBN 187262152X. Out of print. Contents: True Inspiration by Mike Ashley/ The Man Whom the Trees Loved/ The South Wind/ The Sea Fit/ The Attic/ The Heath Fire/ The Messenger/ The Glamour of the Snow/ The Return/ Sand/ The Transfer/ Calirvoyance/ The Golden Fly/ Special Delivery/ The Destruction of Smith/ The Temptation of the Clay

Description: Pan’s Garden is the result of Algernon Blackwood’s passion for the supernatural in Nature.

Reviews

"Accept him warts and all as a great original and there are always rewards and illuminations on offer." - Alexis Lykiard in All Hallows

"A distinctly pagan tone dominates the stories of cosmic energies and ancient Powers within Pan's Garden ... These tales are evocative and thought provoking, moreover, Blackwood's philosophies are as relevant now as they were at the turn of the last century." - Matt Leyshon, Enigma

 

46. SHAPES IN THE FIRE, by M.P. Shiel. October 2000, vii, 233 pages. £27.50. Sewn hardback printed and bound by the Atheneum Press in orange wibalin cloth stamped in red and gold,with gold head and tailband and red silk ribbon marker. 300 numbered copies. ISBN 1872621538. Out of print. Contents: Jaunting on the Scoraic Tempests . . . by Brian Stableford/ Xélucha/ Maria in the Rose-bush/ Vaila/ Premier and Maker/ Tulsah/ The Serpent-Ship/ Phorfor

Description: Shapes in the Fire is M.P. Shiel at his decadent best.

Reviews:

"If Shiel's writing was decadent and perverse in 1896, to read it in the twenty-first century is even more so. Readers who may feel inclined to take that as a challenge shouldn't hesitate. Go on - I dare you!" - Douglas Campbell, All Hallows

"Thankfully, Tartarus has seen the light and put Shiel's original, unblandified collection back on the shelves. At last we can read 'Waila,' the high-octane version of 'The House of Sounds.' " - Michael Cisco - New York Review of Science Fiction

 

45. RINGSTONES, by Sarban. July 2000, 272 pages. £27.50. Sewn hardback printed and bound by Antony Rowe in yellow wibalin cloth stamped in copper,with yellow and black head and tailband and yellow silk ribbon marker. 350 numbered copies. ISBN 1872621511. Out of print. Contents: A Christmas Story/ Capra/ Calmahain/ The Khan/ Ringstones/ Number Fourteen

Point: The five original stories of the collection are here augmented by the first ever publication of “Number Fourteen”, a newly discovered conte cruel.

Description: Uniquely disquieting short stories.

Reviews

"Let us be thankful that Tartarus Press have given us this lovely edition of his work." - Roger Johnson in All Hallows

 

44. THE SALUTATION, by Sylvia Townsend Warner. June 2000, xiii, 255 pages. £25.00. Sewn hardback printed and bound by the Atheneum Press in blue wibalin cloth stamped in gold,with blue head and tailband. 250 numbered copies. ISBN 1872621503. Out of print. Contents: Introduction by Claire Harman/ Some World Far From Ours/ Early One Morning/ The Salutation/ Over the Hill/ A Parting gift/ Perdita/ How to Succeed in Life/ The Son/ A Moral Ending/ This Our Brother/ The Holy War/ The Maze/ Elinor Barley/ The Best Bed/ Emily

Description: Short stories.

 "This collection is by no means genre horror, but for those of you that may be unfamiliar with this brilliant author, this may serve as an excellent introduction to her work." -John Pelan, Hellnotes.

 

43. A FRAGMENT OF LIFE, by Arthur Machen. May 2000, x, 127 pages. £20.00. Sewn hardback printed and bound by the Atheneum Press in blue wibalin cloth stamped in silver,with blue and white head and tailband. 250 numbered copies. ISBN 187262149X. Out of print.

Description: The novella, augmented by the original ending from the Horlicks Magazine, 1904

 

42. THE GREEN ROUND, by Arthur Machen. May 2000, x, 129 pages. £20.00. Sewn hardback printed and bound by the Atheneum Press in green wibalin cloth stamped in gold,with green and gold head and tailband. 400 numbered copies. ISBN 1872621465. Out of print.

Point: With an Introduction by Mark Valentine

Reviews:

“Machen expertly conveys mystery and a sense of the supernatural whilst maintaining a believable environment and story line. Ultimately, The Green Round, though flawed, is an interesting supernatural tale with many very memorable scenes.” - Matt Leyshon, Enigma.

"A sense of the infinite, along with an interest in secret truths hidden beneath "illusions" of reality, are expressed with consummate power in The Green Round, one of Machen's few novels written to please a publisher." - William Simmons, Underworld

 

41. THE SMELL OF TELESCOPES, by Rhys Hughes. March 2000, 280 pages. £27.50. Sewn hardback printed and bound by Antony Rowe in black wibalin cloth stamped in gold,with yellow and black head and tailband. 250 numbered copies signed by the author. ISBN 1872621449. Out of print. Contents: The Banker Of Ingolstadt / Ten Grim Bottles/ Spermaceti Whiskers/ The Blue Dwarf/ The Purloined Liver/ The Squonk Laughed/ Telegram Ma'am/ Depressurised Ghost Story/ Thanatology Spleen/ The Tell-Tale Nose/ A Girl Like A Doric Column/ The Orange Goat/ Nothing More Common/ Muscovado Lashes/ A Person Not In The Story/ Bridge Over Troubled Blood/ Burke And Rabbit/ The Yellow Imp/ Lanolin Brows/ The Haunted Womb/ Mister Humphrey's Clock's Inheritance/ There Was A Ghoul Dwelt By A Mosque/ The Purple Pastor/ The Hush Of Falling Houses/ The Sickness Of Satan/ Omophagia Ankles

Description: A second collection of short stories by Hughes to be published by Tartarus

Reviews

  "Hughes' writing has the lightness of Calvino's prose grounded in hardy welsh pragmatism. He is probably one of the most criminally neglected writers in the world - in that his imagination, inventiveness, linguistic cleverness, and his lack of cliché should have been enough long ago to attract the attention of the same literary mainstream that delights in the aforementioned Calvino." - New York Review of Science Fiction

Hughes has crafted a series of literary gems here, filled with clever puns and word play, light and frothy on the surface, but with a dark and bitter brew concealed beneath the foam. This new collection shows that Hughes has continued to grow as a writer and most especially as a stylist. Anyone with a love of language will find much to enjoy in this book. - Hellnotes

For me to say that this is an important collection from a publisher that has previously offered up rare volumes by Machen, Sarban and Aickman is to put it in rather lofty company, but I don't feel that such praise is at all unwarranted. Rhys Hughes is one of the most wildly inventive talents that we are graced with today, and I think that anyone willing to approach this book without being shackled by restrictive concepts of what weird fiction should be will be very favourably impressed. - All Hallows

Rhys Hughes is an accomplished player with words, plots, effect, relationships, sensibilities; you name it, Hughes tries to stand it on its head. More often than seems attributable to mere chance, he succeeds. - Locus

Dazzling prose. Put your feet up and dip in. Life will never seem quite the same again. - The Third Alternative

 

1999:

 

40. PRECIOUS BALMS, by Arthur Machen. November 1999, 108 pages. £27.50. Sewn hardback printed and bound by Antony Rowe in green wibalin cloth stamped in gold,with gold and green head and tailband. 200 numbered copies produced by Tartarus for the Arthur Machen Society with the kind assistance of Javier Marias. Not for sale.

 

39. THE COLLECTED STRANGE STORIES OF ROBERT AICKMAN, VOLUME I, by Robert Aickman, 1999, pp.xvi/399, £70 with Volume II below, not sold separately. 500 copies printed. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. ISBN 1872621473. Contents: quote from Stenbock/ Robert Aickman: An Appreciation, by David Tibet/ An Essay by Robert Aickman/ Remembering Robert, by Ramsey Campbell/ The Trains/ The Insufficient Answer/ The View/ The School Friend/ Ringing the Changes/ Choice of Weapons/ The Waiting Room/ Bind Your Hair/ Your Tiny Hand is Frozen/ My Poor Friend/ The Visiting Star/ Larger Than Oneself/ A Roman Question/ The Wine-Dark Sea/ Ravissante/ The Inner Room/ Never Visit Venice/ The Unsettled Dust/ The Houses of the Russians/ No Stronger Than a Flower/ The Cicerones/ Into the Wood. Jacket by Steven Stapleton.

 

39a. THE COLLECTED STRANGE STORIES OF ROBERT AICKMAN, VOLUME II, by Robert Aickman, 1999, pp.viii/ 456. ISBN 1872621481. 500 copies printed. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. The Swords/ The Real Road to the Church/ Niemandswasser/ Pages from a Young Girl's Journal/ The Hospice/ The Same Dog/ Meeting Mr Millar/ The Clock Watcher/ Growing Boys/ Marriage/ Le Miroir/ Compulsory Games/ Raising the Wind/ Residents Only/ Wood/ Hand in Glove/ No Time Is Passing/ The Fetch/ The Breakthrough/ The Next Glade/ Letters to the Postman/ The Stains/ Just a Song at Twilight/ Laura/ Rosamund's Bower/ Mark/ Ingestre: The Customer's Tale. Jacket by Steven Stapleton.

Co-produced with Durtro.

Note: An addendum was produced for the volumes. Both volumes were reprinted in 2000 in an edition of 250 copies with minor corrections.

 Reviews:

“Tartarus have done a superb job of making these books available to the reader at a price which demands commitment, but represents value.” - Phil Baker, Times Literary Supplement.

“Straightforward genre horror, you would think, but it’s all crossed with acute social observation and the kind of resistance to closure associated with more literary work. Pricey, but well worth it.” - The Guardian

“I recommend buying The Collected Strange Stories by Robert Aickman; he is not simply a writer of ghost stories, but a master of the macabre whose ‘strange stories’ will haunt you forever.” - Matt Leyshon, Enigma (Waterstones Magazine)

“There has long been a need for an omnibus edition of Aickman’s ‘Collected Stories’—no easy task in view of the fact that he wrote 48 in all. Fortunately this project has now been realized with the publication by the Tartarus Press and the Durtro Press of The Collected Strange Stories, a handsome two-volume edition.” - Richard Dalby, Book and Magazine Collector.

“Aickman will continue to be read, should continue to be read, and this kind of lovingly constructed story collection is a straightforward and effective way of ensuring just that.” - Edward Bryant, Locus

“Now, at last—salvation! This handsome new two-volume edition, beautifully presented and printed, puts you in possession of all eight of his collections, for the price you’d have to pay for a tatty copy of any one of the originals.” - David Rowlands, Ghosts and Scholars

“Tartarus and Durtro are to be congratulated for doing justice to one of the most interesting writers of any sort of fiction.” - David Longhorn, All Hallows

“Surely the supernatural publishing event of the year.” - Jo Hird, Antiquarian Book Monthly

"These two volumes represent quality at a price that, while expensive, is worth the exhaustive quality of its presentation and thoroughness, including ALL of Aickman's short work" - "Fine Frights" column from The Horror Within

"All of this adds up to fiction of a singular, expressionistic excellence in a collection whose presence is a dark gift to the adventurous seeker of dark pleasures. " - Flesh and Blood Magazine

"Tartarus press and Durtro Press did a great favor for horror fans, as well as for the literary world in general, with the publication of Rovert Aickman: The Collected Strange Stories." - Tony Fonseca, Necrofile

 

38. THE SECRET GLORY, by Arthur Machen, 1999, iii, 253 pages. £25.00. Sewn hardback printed and bound by Antony Rowe in green wibalin cloth stamped in gold,with yellow and green head and tailband. 500 copies. ISBN 1872621268. Out of print.

Description: Contains all six chapters of the novel together for the first time.

"This definitive edition of The Secret Glory is essential reading for lovers of Arthur Machen and anyone else who values exquisite prose." - Peter Canon, All Hallows

"Offering ecstatic prose, genuine emotion, and passages that reach the ecstacy of which Machen so often aimed, The Secret Glory delights and disturbs in equal measure, embodying within its narrative an alchemist's brew of wisdom and wonder by an author whose work was an internal pilgrimage, an attempt to define and experience that which was undefinable. " - William Simmons, Underworlds

 

37. THE SOUND OF HIS HORN & THE KING OF THE LAKE, by Sarban (pseud J(ohn) W(illiam) Wall), 1999, pp.175, £27.50. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 350 numbered copies. ISBN 1872621430. Out of print. Contents: The Sound of His Horn/ The King of the Lake.

Reprint of the classic novel about an escaped WWII POW who stumbles into a very ugly parallel world where the Nazis won, and the first publication anywhere of a newly discovered fantasy story.

Reviews:

“This revival and expansion of Sarban's creepily masterful work is well worth the acquiring” - Edward Bryant, Locus

“[This edition contains] ... a very informative and interesting introduction. It's a lovely book” - Roger Johnson, All Hallows.

“Tartarus continues their most commendable program of bringing the works of John William Wall (Sarban) back into print... All in all, another highly recommended offering from Tartarus” - John Pelan , Hellnotes.

 

36. GUIDE TO FIRST EDITION PRICES, 2000/1, Edited by R. B. Russell, 1999, pp.326, paper only, £14.99. ISBN 1872621457. Printed and bound by the Atheneum Press. Front cover illustration by David Johnson. Out of print.

This revised edition now gives an indication of values for over 20,000 collectable books.

Reviews:

The tantalizing game of wondering how much your first editions are worth may be continued, with the publication of the Guide to First Edition Prices - T.L.S.

An extremely valuable book... This comprehensive volume indicates the going rate among serious collectors - Observer

It makes a very good job of guiding book lovers in general through the tough task of realistically valuing many collectables. - Antiques Magazine

 

35. FOREVER AZATHOTH AND OTHER HORRORS, by Peter Cannon, 1999, pp.viii/234, £25. 250 copies printed, all signed and numbered by the author. ISBN 1872621422. Out of print. Contents: Introduction by Steven J. Mariconda/ Forever Azathoth/ Azathoth in Arkham/ The Revenge of Azathoth/ The House of Azathoth/ Azathoth in Analysis/ Bride of Azathoth/ Son of Azathoth/ The Partridgeville Papers/ The Letters of Halpin Chalmers/ Last Flight/ It Was the Day of the Deep One/ The Hound of the Patridgevilles/ Parodies or Pastiches?/ The Undercliffe Sentences/ Tender is the Night-Gaunt/ Scream for Jeeves/ Cats, Rats, and Bertie Wooster/ Something Foetid/ The Rummy Affair of Young Charlie. Jacket/ frontispiece illustration by Jason Eckhardt.

New and reprint material

Reviews:

“This book is a total delight for the Lovecraftian and for the informed horror fan... In all respects a good job and a fine production.” - John Howard, All Hallows

“The man is an accomplished writer...” - John Pelan, Hellnotes

“...The thoroughly scholarly and wickedly funny Mr Cannon.” - Edward Bryant, Locus

“...is a book well worth buying and treasuring.” - Peter Coleborn, Prism

“However serious your Lovecraftian endeavors, I urge you to arm yourself with a copy of Forever Azathoth... Peter, I hope you will keep entertaining us with Lovecraftian pastiches well into the next millennium. The Lovecraftian field is richer for your efforts.” - Snake Den

return to top of page

 

34. THE DOLL MAKER and Other Tales of the Uncanny, by Sarban (pseud J(ohn) W(illiam) Wall), 1999, pp.227, £25. 200 numbered copies printed. ISBN 1872621414. This Tartarus edition is out of print but a new printing is available. Contents: The Doll Maker/ The Trespasses/ A House of Call. Afterword by Mark Valentine; bibliography.

Reprint of the 1953 Davies edition.

Reviews

 A beautifully written tale of rural magic reminiscent of Machen. Another Tartarus book to be read and treasured." - Matt Leyshon, Blood from Stones (Waterstones magazine)

I am delighted with this lovely new edition of a favourite book. There are only 200 copies, so get your order in quickly - you won't regret it." - Roger Johnson, All Hallows.

return to top of page

 

33. IN VIOLET VEILS, by Mark Valentine, 1999, pp.104, £20. 200 numbered copies, signed by the author. ISBN 1872621406. Out of print. Contents: The Effigies/ After the Darkness/ The Paravine Cries/ Pale Roses/ In Violet Veils/ The Lost Moon/ Cafe Lucifer/ The Craft of Arioch/ The Secret Stars.

Collection of nine stories, six original, about the occult detective, The Connoisseur.

Reviews:

“This is an interesting, if regrettably slim volume of highly original tales... In Violet Veils is nicely presented to complement the rich prose, and is not illustrated. This is a good thing: Mr Valentine conjures up quite enough vivid images in the reader's mind.” David Rowlands, Ghosts and Scholars

“This is a very curious and wonderful book: curious because a contemporary author dares to write in a style and mode fashionable a century ago; wonderful because he does so with such apparent ease, perfectly matching sometimes purple but always precise prose with outre subject matter. In this slim, elegantly produced volume ... nine exquisite episodes...” Peter Cannon, All Hallows

“Oh this is luscious! It's a hardback, 104 page special limited edition with an old-fashioned feel to it, but forget that, let's jump into this wonderful creation... guaranteed to enchant.” - Prism

“Mark Valentine is a truly gifted writer and I hope that we have not seen the last of him or of the Connoisseur.” - Hellnotes

return to top of page

 

32. LE GRAND MEAULNES, OR THE LOST DOMAIN, and MIRACLES, by Henri Alain-Fournier, the novel translated by R.B. Russell, the poetry by Adrian Eckersley, 1999, pp.xiv/283, £25. 250 numbered copies. ISBN 1872621384. Out of print. Contents: The Tantalising Elsewheres of Henri Alain-Fournier by Adrian Eckersley/ Le Grand Meaulnes by Henri Alain-Fournier; trans. by R. B. Russell/ How Far Should We Believe in "Miracles"? by Adrian Eckersley/ Translated by Adrian Eckersley: Miracles/ Summer Misery/ Young People/ The Shower/ Tale of the Sun and the Highway On This Great Road/ Round/ Through Summers/ Highway Shanty/ Under This Tepid Remnant/ The First Fogs of September/ The People of the Manor/ And Now That There's Rain.../ On the Road Which Drops Down/ Woman's Body/ Dialogue as Christmas Approaches/ [Untitled]/ The Poisoned Woman/ The Pleasure Party/ In the Very Small Garden/ Three Prose Poems: (Major Manoeuvres, The Tailor's Guestroom, March Before Daybreak)/ Love Seeks Out Abandoned Places/ Magdalene/ The Miracle of the Three Village Ladies/ The Quarrel and the Night in the Cell/ Public Holidays/ The Miracle of the Farmer's Wife/ Portrait. Jacket by Peter Strausfeld.

"This publication, handsomely printed on cream paper, comes from a small press and has clearly been undertaken with affection: the two introductions by Adrian Eckersley are enthusiastic and perceptive." Adrian Tahourdin, Times Literary Supplement.

 "This ravishing and utterly lustrous novel" - Zene

 

31. UNCANNY TALES, by F. Marion Crawford, 1999, pp.270, £25. 250 numbered copies. Out of print. Contents: Introduction by Richard Dalby/ The Dead Smile/ The Screaming Skull/ Man Overboard!/ For the Blood is the Life/ The Upper Berth/ By the Waters of Paradise/ The Doll's Ghost/ The King's Messenger/ A Mystery of the Campagna, by Anne Von Degen: A Mystery of the Campagna/ A Shadow on a Wave/ A Were-Wolf of the Campagna, by Mrs Mary Fraser.

Note: Due to the discontinuation of the flecked yellow paper used for the dustjackets the printer used a similar paper in light blue. A very few were printed on the original yellow paper.

Crawford's collected supernatural fiction; adds one story not in the original publication of this title as well as stories by Crawford's sisters, Mary and Anne.

Review:

"This is a treasure for the book-lined study we all hope one day to retire to." - Gail-Nina Anderson, Prism.

“My one complaint about this handsome volume is that it is printed on rather yellow paper...” - Katherine Haynes, All Hallows

 

1998:

 

30. THE COLLECTED STRANGE PAPERS OF CHRISTOPHER BLAYRE, by Edward Heron-Allen, 1998, pp.257, £25. ISBN 187262135X. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 250 copies printed. Out of print. Contents: The Purple Sapphire/ The House of the Way to Hell/ Aalila/ The Mirror that Remembered/ Purpura Lapillus/ Mano Pantea/ The Thing that Smelt/ The Blue Cockroach/ The Man Who Killed the Jew/ The Demon/ The Book/ The Cosmic Dust/ The Cheetah-Girl/ "Zum Wildbad"/ The Boots/ Another Squaw?/ Passiflora Vindicta.

Ghost and horror stories by the polymath Heron-Allen.

 "Tartarus Press have issued many memorable volumes in their time but few can possibly better Edward Heron-Allen The Collected Strange Papers of Christopher Blayre." - Zene

"The present edition can be recommended for libraries with developed collections of fantastic fiction" - SFRA Review.

"Readers ... should definately buy a copy of this extraordinary book," Alexis Lykiard, All Hallows,

 

29. AKLO, edited by Mark Valentine, Roger Dobson, and R.B. Russell, 1998, pp.256, £14.99. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 400 copies printed. Illustrations from various sources. ISBN 1872621325. Out of print.

Aklo was a late twentieth-century small-press literary magazine that published the likes of Cabell, Stenbock, Gawsworth, Stanford, and others. This collection was its last flourish , for the first time in hardcover.

Points: Published in association with Caermaen Books. Please note that the ISBN listed on front flap of the jacket is incorrect (it is the ISBN for The Hill of Dreams).

Review:

“ This finely-produced tome is presented as the final issue of a journal of the fantastic and decadent. I missed the previous numbers, and on this evidence, I'm sorry I came in late. It's a luxurious selection of lightly poisoned confections. The only thing that isn't decadent about it is the price.” - Douglas M. Campbell, All Hallows

 

28. THE HILL OF DREAMS, by Arthur Machen, 1998, pp.xxx/195, £25. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 350 numbered copies printed, with marbled endpapers, headbands, and silk ribbon marker bound in, and three illustrations by Sidney Sime tipped in. Introduction by Mark Valentine. Jacket illustration a detail from a picture by Sime. ISBN 1872621317. Out of print.

Machen's classic novel.

Review:

“"Any new edition of Machen's finest creation is cause for celebration, but when the production is as sumptuous as this, with marbled endpapers, burgundy boards, silk ribbon and cream coloured paper, then it's a doubly welcome addition to the Machen shelf. Ninety one years after the debut of The Hill of Dreams it's delightful to have all three of Sidney Sime's illustrations . . ." - Roger Dobson, Avallaunius

"Charming, even old fashioned...” - Hellnotes

 

27. AFTERGLOW by Mitchell S. Buck & ON PAGANISM by Arthur Machen, 1998, pp.58, £12.99 ISBN 1872621309. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 200 copies printed, with headbands and silk ribbon marker. An additional 10 copies were produced with marbled endpapers and lettered, (Not for Sale). Out of print.

The obscure Machen intro for Afterglow, "On Paganism" and a somewhat related oddity first published in America in 1924, Buck composed a series of sketches of decadent "Greek Egypt", peopled with courtesans and poets, philosophers and pharaohs.

 

1997:

 

26. GUIDE TO FIRST EDITION PRICES, 1998/9, Edited by R. B. Russell, 1997, pp.287, paper only, £12.99. ISBN 1872621295. Printed and bound by the Atheneum Press. Front cover illustration by David Johnson. Out of print.

This revised edition of the previous year's guide now gives an indication of values for over 18,000 collectable books.

Reviews:

'An indispensable volume for collectors, dealers and all who love books.' Biblio.

'Collectors will find this book invaluable.' Antiques Bulletin.

 

25. A NIGHT WITH MEPHISTOPHELES: Selected Works of Henry Ferris, edited by S. T. Joshi, 1997, pp.254, £20. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 250 numbered copies. ISBN 1872621260. Out of print.

Presented by S.T.Joshi as the original writings of a hitherto unknown author, two of the stories have been subsequently found to be translations of work by other writers. "A Leaf from the Berlin Chronicles" is by E.T.A.Hoffman and "Tobias Guarnerius" is by Charles Rabou. The others may well be by Ferris.

 

24. TALES OF HORROR AND THE SUPERNATURAL, by Arthur Machen, 1997

24a. First edition, second Impression, 1998.

24b. Second edition, 2004. Adds 'The Bright Boy'

24c. Second edition, second impression, 2006.

 

23. ORNAMENTS IN JADE, by Arthur Machen, 1997

 

22. STEEPLE ON A HILL: POEMS, by Glen Cavaliero, 1997

 

1996:

 

21. THE TARTARUS PRESS GUIDE TO FIRST EDITION PRICES, 1997, edited by R.B. Russell, 1996

 

20. ARTHUR MACHEN: A NOVELIST OF ECSTASY AND SIN, by Vincent Starrett, 1996

 

 

1990-1995