Books
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AVAILABLE: Ordinary editions of both Vampire Cat of Nabeshima and Lust Poem are available to purchase along with an optional slipcase. All special of both The Vampire Cat and Lust Poem have now been sold.
THE MOON MOTH by Jack Vance - Paul Binnie announced as the artist. To be published in December 2023 in time for The Oxford Fine Press Book Fair. Text in Spectrum.
COMING 2024 - The Bamboo Cutter and The Princess Moonlight is being edited and artwork commissioned and to be printed by St James Park Press,
Vampire Cat of Nabeshima
The Vampire Cat of Nabeshima is one of the tales collected by the British far east diplomat Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford. It was published in 1871 as "Tales of Old Japan" and tells the story of a shape shifting Bakeneko supernatural cat who after murdering the love of the Prince of Hizen assumes her form and begins to bewitch and consume him with sickness and the low ranking but wily foot soldier, Ito Soda who solves the puzzle and overcomes the demon.
There are two woodblocks carved by Beth S. Robinson with 5 and 7 colours each in this new edited version.
The ordinaries have been printed on Zerkall Smooth White and covered in Suminigashi paper and the specials printed on Shin-Obonai and covered in Japanese Decorative paper, both stab bound.
Ordinaries at £220 with optional slipcase at £45 and coloured specials housed in a folding slip case at £440.
THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE. - Ordinary edition remaining.
The Moon Moth by Jack Vance
The Moon Moth Mask
Preliminary sketch showing the low status befitting of the wearer.
Jack Vance was a prolific and highly regarded multi-award winning American sci-fi, mystery and fantasy writer working for nearly 60 years.
The estate of Jack Vance has kindly agreed for Cordes press to publish "The Moon Moth", a short story first published in 1961 set in an alien society on the planet Sirene.
The story has our hero, Edwin Thissel, a consul newly arrived from Earth who has been ordered to stop an assassin, Haxo Angmark, and his detective work in unmasking the murderer. It combines sci-fi, a murder mystery and the intricacies of society culture formalities involving the wearing of elaborate masks that determine your status and communication through song and the playing of instruments....get it wrong and you could end up dead.
This edition will have 10 specials (all reserved) and 50 ordinaries at £450 with an optional slipcase for both at £55 and will be available by December 2023 in time for The Oxford Fine Press Book Fair.
Paul Binnie will be the artist for this publication.
The Bamboo Cutter and The Princess Moonlight
The Bamboo Cutter and The Princess Moonlight is one of the oldest if not oldest folk tales from Japan and dates from the 10th century with the first manuscript published in 1592. Those with a keen knowledge of Studio Ghibli anime films will recognise this as the 2013 film "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya". However, this new edition of the story has had the story line changed especially, the ending to take the sadness away that quite often is part of Japanese folk lore tales.
In this new version there will be 2 colour woodblocks for the 10 specials along with several b&w vignette illustrations. The woodblocks for the 40 ordinaries will be b&w possibly with a splash of colour in one.
Pricing and details to be announced late 2023.
Lust Poem - Simon Casimir Wilson
Alphabet books are often instructive as well as rhyming but always short, fun and usually colourful - this book is a alphabet of lust to a woman complete with a double page spread of a 3 colour woodcut from Ralph Kiggell printed on Bunkoshi Antique Japanese paper.The main text is the first use of a new face, Joshua Sans designed by Lawrence Beck and is to be printed James Freemantle at his St James Park Press on Hahnemuhle Bugra Butten 130gsm Mallow Pink paper from Purcell's. The book is bound by Roger Grech in Bamberger Kaliko orange-yellow cloth with Canson Mi-Teintes endpapers. Standard copies priced at £155 a with an optional slipcase at £45.00 are available. The 10 specials in pink quarter leather housed in a slip case are now all sold.