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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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,
THE CHEETAH GIRL, by Christopher Blayre, 1998, pp.71, £25. Sewn
hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 99 copies printed. Frontispiece by
David Johnson. Gilt top and edge, marbled endpapers. No ISBN assigned.
Out of print
on publication.
A once controversial story of
human-feline miscenegation which was considered too erotic for publication in
the author's early collection The Purple Sapphire.
Review:
“An excellent example of a school of writing that has
virtually vanished...” - SF Site
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
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
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.
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.
RITUAL AND OTHER STORIES, by Arthur Machen, 1997, pp.270, £25 ISBN
1872621279. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 20 copies in
marbled binding as presentation, NFS; 180 copies "trade." Contents: The Town
of Long Ago/ Of the Isle of Shadows/ A Further Account of the Academy of
Lagado/ Tales from Barataria/ Sir John's Chef/ The Autophone/ A Remarkable
Coincidence/ A Double Return/ A Wonderful Woman/ The Lost Club/ An Underground
Adventure/ The Decorative Imagination/ The Novel of the Iron Maid/ Jocelyn's
Escape/ The Red Hand/ The Hidden Mystery/ The Soldier's Rest/ Drake's Drum/ A
New Christmas Carol/ 7B Coney Court/ The Gift of Tongues/ The Islington
Mystery/ Johnny Double/ Awaking/ The Compliments of the Season/ The Dover
Road/ The Exalted Omega/ Change/ Out of the Picture/ Ritual.
Prior edition: Tartarus, 1992. This edition replaces
stories now in Ornaments in Jade with the novelette "The Red Hand."
Now out of
print, but a fourth edition is available.
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 authors. "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.
TALES OF HORROR AND THE SUPERNATURAL, by Arthur Machen, 1997,
pp.xviii/ 391, £25. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. Only 250
copies were printed, although it was originally intended to be 500. 20 of
these copies were bound in with marbled endpapers, NFS. ISBN 1872621252.
Introduction by Roger Dobson. Contents: Introduction, by Roger Dobson/ The
Novel of the Black Seal/ The Novel of the White Powder/ The Great God Pan/ The
White People/ The Inmost Light/ The Shining Pyramid/ The Bowmen/ The Great
Return/ The Happy Children/ Out of the Earth/ N/ The Children of the Pool/ The
Terror.
Considered the quintessential Machen, with his
best longer stories.
Reviews:
... this is an excellent collection,
particularly for those who are unfamiliar with Machen’s work, which at its
best is as good as anything the genre has to offer - Berenice M.
Murphy,The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror
Studies
Stories of the macabre exert their pull from
Hallowe'en onwards, such as the stories of Arthur Machen, republished by
Tartarus Press in handsome editions, made for reading by a flickering fire. -
Suzi
Feay, The Independent (29/10/05)
A storyteller of impressive imaginative power,
startling authenticity, and undeniable originality … Tales Of Horror And The
Supernatural, a generously thick collection of the author's
arguably best short macabre fiction is a celebration of primal mysteries and
complex human conflicts between psyche and soul which serves as a fine,
fitting tribute to a man whose life was as paradoxical and mystifying as much
of his fictions. - William Simmons, Gauntlet
Tales of Horror and the Supernatural is, quite simply, one of the most important collections of
weird tales by any author, and Tartarus press has done it proud. -
Ramsey
Campbell,Waterstones Guide to Science fiction,
Fantasy and Horror.
ORNAMENTS IN JADE, by Arthur Machen, 1997, pp.x+54, 25 copies in
special marbled binding for presentation only, NFS; 375 copies clothbound,
£12.99. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. Introduction by Barry
Humphries, President of the Arthur Machen Society. ISBN 1872621244.
Out of
print. Contents: The Rose Garden/The Turanians/The
Idealist/Witchcraft/The Ceremony/Psychology/Torture/Midsummer/Nature/The Holy
Things
Point: Published in association with Caermaen Books.
First UK edition of this slender collection
first published by Knopf in 1924
Reviews:
“A desirable little volume... ” - All Hallows
“Contains some of his most finely modulated prose and most
elusive supernaturalism” - Necrofile
STEEPLE ON A HILL: POEMS, by Glen Cavaliero, 1997, pp.57, £9.99. Sewn
hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 400 hardcover copies. ISBN
1872621236. Out of print.
Glen Cavaliero's fourth collection of
poetry.
Review:
“These are poems to return to, to live with, and to
ponder. ” - Powys Society Newsletter
THE TARTARUS PRESS GUIDE TO FIRST EDITION PRICES,
1997, edited
by R.B. Russell, 1997, pp.254, trade paperback only, £8.99. Printed and bound
by the Atheneum Press. ISBN 1872621228. Front cover illustration by David
Johnson. Out
of print.
Covers 15,000 titles.
Reviews:
Should become a classic,
like Miller's Antique Guide. - The Guardian.
Beautifully produced and easy to use.
- It
Goes on the Shelf.
ARTHUR MACHEN - A NOVELIST OF ECSTASY AND SIN, by Vincent Starrett,
1996, pp.64, Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. Not for sale.
Produced by Ray Russell and Jon Preece in memory of the late Christopher
Palmer, given to members of the Arthur Machen Society. No ISBN. Out of print.
WORMING THE HARPY and other Bitter Pills, by Rhys Hughes, 1995,
pp.203, £14.95. Sewn hardback, printed and bound by Antony Rowe. 200 numbered
copies, plus 26 which were lettered A-Z and signed by the author, £14.95 ISBN
187262120X. Out of print. Contents: Cat O' Nine Tales/ Worming the Harpy/
The Falling Star/ Quasimodulus/ The Good News Grimoire/ Fintlock Jaw/ Velocity
Oranges/ A Carpet Seldom Found/ The Chimney/ One Man's Meat/ The man Who
Mistook His Wife's Hat For The Mad Hatter's Wife/ Cello I Love You/ What to do
when the Devil Comes Round to Tea/ Arquebus for Harlequin/ Eclair de Lune/
Grinding the Goblin. Jacket design and text in gold on black,
laminated.
Original horror collection by British
author.
Reviews:
“The stories are essentially literature in its purest form
- wonderfully rumbustuous, humorous, word-magical fantasies, liberally
peppered with honest-to-goodness horror. They remind me of Lord Dunsany, John
Barth, Jorge Luis Borges, Jack Vance, involving fabulous traditions of
surrealism, fairy stories and piquant wit . . . Rhys Hughes’ book is one that
I had dreamed of reading but never thought I’d be so lucky ever to do so in
real life." - Deathrealm
"Rhys Hughes is a very good writer . . . a fabulist whose
sense of the absurd is peerless." - Grotesque
"The overall tone is one of disturbing, occasionally
shocking surrealism . . . fans and others who are looking for something
significantly offbeat in supernatural fiction will be delighted with this, his
first book."- All Hallows
