Arete Editions’ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Arete announced a new book yesterday - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald, illustrated by Dave McKean.

This Facebook link should work even if you don’t have an account: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02KEGzwr2jC2NtgKQ3ZquZezdgGWddq...

Or if you prefer it’s now up on the blog:
https://arete-editions-blog.com/2023/03/25/this-summer-the-curious-case-of-benja...

Interestingly, Dave’s artwork seems to be a little different from what we’re accustomed to seeing - it’s being printed letterpress. There are a couple of sample illustrations from Phil at Hand & Eye. As someone who enjoys Dave’s work, this is quite a treat.

>1 CTPress-Tony: I guess it will somehow compete with Thornwillows' editions, although I don't know if they include any illustrations:
https://thornwillow.com/the-curious-case-of-benjamin-button

>2 Dr.Fiddy: Ours is going to be very, very, different than Thornwillow's. For a start, it will be larger, and also full of prints, so I hope they will not be considered as competition, We started it well before Thornwillow announced their book, it was a shame, but we went ahead as it would end up being a different sort of book.

>3 marceloanciano: Sounds great! If I get the chance, I’ll definitely get your edition 😊

>4 Dr.Fiddy: Thanks!

Any update on gaiman poetry?

>6 trentsteel: Ludlow's are finally binding, I'll be putting up news next week, I really hope that we'll get them out the door very soon, it has been a problematic production for such a simple book.

>3 marceloanciano: Interesting artwork! Are those splashes of colour also letterpress printed?

>8 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: Yes, Phil wanted them to be more traditional blocks of colour but Dave really wanted to do tones, so Phil created a plate with dots, which I quite like.

>9 marceloanciano: They are different and really nice! Can't wait to see more. Do you have a tentative timeline for preorders for Frozen Hell and this?

>10 Praveenna_Nagaratnam: I was hoping to get Frozen Hell out in March but that seems very unlikely, probably be April earliest. Benjamin Button around July and, I'm hoping to get Brave New World in around Oct/Nov...

>11 marceloanciano: does that put Lud in the mist around early 2024?

>12 EdmundRodriguez: Couldn't say at the moment, depends on Scott McKowen's art, he's making 40/50 pieces for the book! Realistically summer I think...

>12 EdmundRodriguez: Actually, I should probably check the contracts as to when we need to publish the book by!

>14 marceloanciano: Just been searching for examples of Scott McKowen's art. Superb choice! And 40/50 pieces...what a book that's going to be! Looking forward to all your forthcoming titles.

Something to look forward to! Also very interested in The Razor's Edge (in the even more distant future!).

>16 EdmundRodriguez: Both Brave New World and Razor's Edge are classics that need a really considered approach, which always seem to take a long time for me!

>15 Levin40: Yeah! He is so perfect for Lud, it was Neil Gaiman's idea, and was brilliant. He's doing about 33 full pages and dozens of half pagers, it is looking stunning, Phil Abel and he are working on tests to make the relief prints sing...

>17 marceloanciano: I'm sure they will be worth the wait (and the time and effort for you!).

>18 marceloanciano: Wow. Can't wait.

>11 marceloanciano: Meaning that is when Frozen Hell will be up for order, or did I somehow miss the ordering window?

>21 ultrarightist: No, you haven't missed the order window for Frozen Hell, we're still working out the stitching and the way we're trying to place the plates, everything is taking longer, I'm hoping by the end of April to put out FH.

This is going up for pre-sale on Saturday 4 November at 5pm GMT. Will be listed here: https://www.arete-editions.com/store

>23 Shadekeep: Happy with the pricing, I'll be trying to get a copy

The price is OK, the book is gorgeous. I will try to get a copy.
I hope there won't be such problems like the last time, it gave me the chill.

Maybe it's just me, but I didn't see any pics nor any prices nor any mention of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on the website?

>26 astropi: They shared them via email. I’m a little surprised they haven’t been published on the site, though.

>26 astropi: >27 NathanOv: Phil is in the process of putting the store together, it takes more time than doing a mail out! As we had to meet the 4th deadline, we went ahead. Phil wasn't around after that for a few weekends. We only got the final prototypes a few days ago, and that was late, so only got the photos Sunday. So he's still working on the site which is why they are not yet listed. Very proud of the way the book came out.

The books look great, and the artwork has a fine press feel, kinda like an AP book.

Can I ask about the cover of the numbered - what inspired that design?

>29 What_What: That was from an idea by Dave, Rich then took that to make it work for foil blocking, it is going to have another pass of blocking we think, to give outline and detail to the sperm. It's a cool notion, when we first got the ideas, we were like, no, we can't! We did. The printing of the letterpress plates are really up Phil's street, I feel, getting to work images in colour, he would have preferred them to be block colours, but Dave really wanted dots.

>30 marceloanciano: It’s definitely an interesting take! Are the sperms related to the story in some way? I only saw the movie, haven’t yet read the book.

>30 marceloanciano: I like what I've seen of Dave's art, and as usual the production quality looks fantastic.

I did have the same moment with the "mystery sperm" cover though. I'm also scratching my head at the connection to the story, and can only come up with tangential ones at best.

>31 What_What: >32 NathanOv: It's 'high concept'! The idea that a mutant sperm created the old man to a baby and then to nothingness. I did think he had created a concept which intrigued and, kind of, symbolically set the story.

>32 NathanOv: Dave's art is really surprising and perfect for letterpress plates, it is a lavish Art book.

>27 NathanOv: Might you, or someone else who received the email, very kindly share the info here? I have not received an email, despite buying all Arete books to date…

>35 BorisG:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Just in! New photos of the bindings of both the Lettered and Numbered editions of our next pre-sale. Dave McKean has illustrated F Scott Fitzgerald's fantasy short story, and has been collaborating with Richard Tong and Sam Cartwright at Ludlow Bookbinders on the bindings. We think they've done a fantastic job.

These fabulous books will be available for pre-sale from our website from
Saturday 4 November at 5pm GMT

The Numbered Edition
72 pages, 286 x 206 mm
An edition of 200 copies, of which 180 are for sale
Seventeen three-colour relief prints by Dave McKean including three double-page plates that will be tabbed into the book blocks to allow opening without a gutter
Signed by Dave McKean and numbered
Typeset in Baskerville and printed letterpress by Phil Abel at Hand & Eye Editions on Munken 150 gsm paper
The book will be quarter bound, with a square spine in chocolate brown Canada Grain cow hide. The face papers are hand marbled by Freya Scott of Paperwilds and foil blocked in two colours to the front board. The top page edge will be gilded.

The book will come in a cloth-covered slipcase, lined in light brown suedel. The front of the slipcase will be foil blocked in three colours.

£395.00 plus shipping

The Lettered Edition
72 pages, 286 x 206 mm
An edition of 36 copies, of which 26 will be lettered A-Z for sale. Six copies hors de commerce will be marked in red roman numerals
Seventeen three-colour relief prints by Dave McKean including three double-page plates that are tabbed into the book blocks to allow opening without a gutter
Signed by Dave McKean and numbered
Typeset in Baskerville and printed letterpress by Phil Abel at Hand & Eye Editions on Liber Charta 170 gsm paper
The book will be fully bound with a square spine in chocolate brown Canada Grain cow hide. There will be two passes of foil blocking to the front board in black and cream and one pass to the spine in cream. All three of the page edges will be gilded.

It will come in a cloth covered solander box with a large leather label affixed to the front. The label to be foil blocked in three passes, with a further pass to the spine in black.

Remarqued with an original Dave McKean illustration.

£1450.00 plus shipping

And don't forget, the Numbered Edition of Frozen Hell can still be pre-ordered too. We recently finished printing it, and here are some of the final pages on the press.

>36 wcarter: Many thanks!

>35 BorisG: If you sign up to our email list at the bottom of the home page, you'll get the mail outs.

>38 marceloanciano: If those that have purchased books from you aren't automatically included in the news updates, it might be worth checking which email addresses have placed orders, cross referencing this against those on the news list, and sending an email just to those not already signed up who have previously purchased books asking if they wish to be signed up to receive news, and including the details about Benjamin Button

>39 DMulvee: I don't think that a company can do that with data laws at the moment, I believe that one can't send out without permission, when you sign on it gives permission to send out emails, so we can't add people. However, we could ask, if Phil ever has the time to cross reference hundreds, if not thousands, of emails (which I know what he'll say!) and send a request asking them if they want to sign on. Easier if you could just sign really.

>40 marceloanciano: Must not be the law everywhere, because lately I've received a spate of newsletters from companies I bought one thing from ages ago, or who I never bought anything from. Either that or they don't care about the law.

I believe it's acceptable to send out one email to previous customers, informing them of upcoming books and touting the newsletter. This is different than subscribing them without permission. After that you may want to make a text block about the newsletter part of the standard email body when you send the purchase confirmation, so that new customers are aware it's an option. (Maybe you already do that, if so, good on you.)

It's a European law, not an American one. And it is very, very strict.

>41 Shadekeep: Really? ok, I'll check. Thanks

>42 ambyrglow: That was my sense too. I think sometimes when you buy something the terms say that you agree to emails, unless you opt out, when you purchase something. I do know that if you not respect data law it is policed.

I plan to purchase the numbered copy, it looks like a really fine edition of the book, even though the cover didn't resonate at first. Looking forward to it.

Marcelo and Phil got me with 'brown Canada Grain cow hide', that mock-up pictures are looking very delicious.
Fitzgerald is a no-brainer, too.
Maybe not his best story, but he is a fantastic writer.

Well the Frozen Hell numbered still hasn’t sold out so maybe there’s a chance.

>48 kdweber: Chance for what?

Numbered edition ordered :)

Got mine too. 151 available right now. And I also got the numbered for Frozen Hell.

I had intended to buy it, but after looking at the illustrations, I decided against it. I'm just not a fan of that style of art.

>53 supercell:
In my opinion "Frozen Hell" and "Benjamin Button" are 2 fantastic titles, but they are both kind of very expensive short storys and not extremely known to the public.
Frozen Hell is only known to genre fans.
The original title is "Who Goes There?", the film adaption by Carpenter, which is fantastic, was just "The Thing".

Benjamin Button is an semi popular film and I assume not many people know about the short story, which isn't Fitzgeralds most popular one.

For "Scrapper" or reseller this wouldn't be a good choice to add to their stock.
Suntup books mostly sell out so fast, because of the right system, the monthly book phenomenon and people that wanna make some huge money with those Artist/Classic Editions which sell far more better then most of the numbered Editions do.

I'm not sure wheather slow selling is an problem for the publisher, but atleast the chances are very high, that only people, that will give the book an forever home, will buy an edition and love it until death rip them apart.

>48 kdweber: It does look like the Frozen Hell Roman edition quietly sold out in the past few days / weeks, though.

I think it looks great, however I'm not really interested in the title so plan on saving my money for future arete editions (of which there are multiple I am very excited for!).

Plenty of copies of both versions available, high prices and a slowing economy. I picked up a numbered copy.

>57 EdmundRodriguez: Same, particularly Lud in the Mist

Iam excited for the 'Conan Book'.
I never heard of 'Lud in the Mist', but I did some research and think I could like it aswell.

Lud in the Mist will be amazing -- I love it when a publisher makes a fine press edition of arguably "obscure" works, which is to say, works that rarely or have never had the fine press treatment!

I would like to see Fight Club as an Letterpress printed book... I love that book so much.
I have the Easton Press signed version, but the bonded leather is just awful hideous. (Even more if you know the 'real stuff' )

>58 kdweber: I also picked up a numbered. It does feel that a lot of books are either being released for pre-order (and so you need to pay for these now), or being finished and haven’t been paid for yet in the October-December period, which might lead to hard choices.

Barbarian Press Bordering on the Sublime just had its second payment, Corvus press Palatino should be ready in the next month, Old School Press has Washi Memories, and On Books released in the next six weeks, Fleece Press has A Bed in Chelsea and Yvonne Skargon just being released, Greenboathouse If the Winds Come, Reading Room Press Selection of Shakespeare Sonnets, Cordes Press The Moon Moth, No Reply Passages, Tudor Black Arden of Favershem, Folio just released The Moonstone, Curious King has Hyperion in a few days, St James Park Press still says The Beauty of Byrne will be in 2023, and there are probably others I am unaware of.

Whilst books can have dates that change a lot of publishers are wanting money all at the same time.

>63 DMulvee: also Conversation Tree Press’ preorder of Flowers for Algernon is supposed to be in the second half of November

>63 DMulvee: >64 BorisG: >65 supercell: And don't forget the next Suntup mid-November, as well as CP's Children of Dune in December.

>62 Libri_mea_vita_sunt: Easton Press does not use bonded leather. They use either cowhide or pig hide. Their Deluxe Editions typically use good quality leather. Their "normal" editions such as what you purchased typically use cheaper pig hide. You will never see an EP edition as nice as anything done by Ludlow, but the price is also a small fraction of the price of most beautiful letterpress editions today.

>67 astropi: hmm okay. It doesn't look and feel like leather tbh.
Looks like painted. Which leather quality do they use ?

>68 Libri_mea_vita_sunt: I asked them about this. It really varies. Their Deluxe editions (not all) have had very soft and high-quality leather imported from Italy. Those editions are often extremely pricey compared to "regular" books which use lower-quality pig hide. Again, it's a matter of economics. EP aims to make their books affordable which is why Fight Club uses lower quality leather. That said, considering it's a signed edition, I tend to think the prices are quite reasonable. Also, their books really are well made and I've seen EP books from the 70s that look like they could have been printed yesterday. All that said, of course these editions are not in the same league as Arete, Curious King, Lyra, etc.

Here's an example --
https://www.eastonpress.com/deluxe-editions/letters-on-demonology-and-witchcraft...

The description just says "Fully bound in genuine leather."
But if you look at one of the images they provide you see that it's not just "genuine leather" but actually imported from Italy --



EP's website is notorious for being terrible! Their customer service is excellent, but wow, it's been decades of poor info on a poor website... sigh :)

Genuine leather:
“Goods marked as genuine leather will be several layers of low-quality leather bonded together with glue and then painted to look uniform. It's made from what is left over when the other, higher grades are stripped away for pricier projects.

This grade of leather is acceptable if you're just buying something cheaply and don't care too much about its quality.“

That it’s imported from Italy isn’t really relevant, for what should be obvious reasons.

>70 What_What: In case there is confusion, genuine leather is different from, and typically considered somewhat superior to, bonded leather. The use of "bonded" in the description you shared refers to a different process.

Also, you can only really count on "genuine leather" being used accurately as a grade if you're buying fashion goods or raw materials. While I think Easton does mean it as the particular grade of leather, I see it frequently misused to simply mean "real" leather given it's such a common phrase and many people don't know any better.

>70 What_What: Goods marked as genuine leather will be several layers of low-quality leather bonded together with glue and then painted to look uniform.

As NathanOv pointed out, that's incorrect. Easton does not use bonded leather. The book in my previous page uses cowhide imported from Italy.
https://www.cortinaleathers.com/about/

That it’s imported from Italy isn’t really relevant, for what should be obvious reasons.

What are these "obvious reasons"? Leatherwork in Italy goes back to before the Renaissance. Italy is renowned for it's high-quality leather goods. Based upon my own personal experience, the imported leather is soft and of very good quality. Again, nothing is going to beat hand-bound books by Ludlow and other comparable bookbinders, but you're also paying 1/7 the cost or less.

Argh. Sorry for starting this discussion here.

I think this will settle it:

"Genuine Leather is the third grade of leather and is produced from the layers of hide that remain after the top is split off for the better grades. The surface is usually refinished (spray painted) to resemble a higher grade. It can be smooth or rough."

When I was Six-and-ten I bought some books from the Anaconda press... they said bound in leather, but that is bonded leather for sure and the books are the cheapest and poorest things you have ever seen...

>63 DMulvee:
>64 BorisG:
>65 supercell:
Sounds stressful.
I feel lucky that I am not interested in any of these books.

>63 DMulvee: A solid half of the titles being discussed are on my to-acquire list. Good thing this time of year doesn't have any major holidays associated with large outlays of cash, eh?

>73 Libri_mea_vita_sunt: "Genuine Leather is the third grade of leather and is produced from the layers of hide that remain after the top is split off for the better grades. The surface is usually refinished (spray painted) to resemble a higher grade. It can be smooth or rough."

Source? Citation, please.

>76 Glacierman: https://medium.com/@trisha.idoni/introduction-to-buying-leather-e5f80a5543a6

https://www.btod.com/blog/buying-leather-office-chairs/

>77 Libri_mea_vita_sunt: Basically, they are saying that genuine leather = bottom-grain leather, which makes sense. And bottom-grain leather is in turn above bonded leather.

>77 Libri_mea_vita_sunt: Thanks. However, leather for furniture is not the same as leather for books.

Bookbinding leather is another thing entirely. It may be that the term "genuine leather" is being used simply to indicate that the books are not bound in fake leather which in bookbinding, is likely to be bonded leather. All quality bookbinding leather is genuine, i. e. real, leather from critters (there exist imitation leathers intended for binding). The grade and quality may vary, but it comes from animals and is normally used full thickness and not split, as this give greater strength and wear to the binding. There was a time when split calf was popular as the results were gorgeous, but the bindings soon broke down and wore hard at the hinges.

http://upstairs.talasonline.com/guide-to-bookbinding-leathers/

https://www.hewit.com/download/fs-leathertree.pdf

https://www.hewit.com/download/fs-tol.pdf

Here's some imported Italian bovine leather: https://hollanders.com/collections/italian-fine-cow-leather

Don't know if any of this helps or hinders y'all in understanding what EP means by "genuine leather," but maybe you'll find it at least informative.

I am reminded of the ad I once saw for some furniture which was covered in "genuine naugahyde." I wondered that there might be fake naugahyde........

>79 Glacierman: Fake leather (faux leather) and bonded leather are different. Bonded leather uses real leather scraps glued together. Fake leather is material that is not animal skin that is processed to look like animal skin leather. An example of faux leather bookbinding is the Folio Society LE of the Call of Cthulhu.

I dont think even the finest leather could make up for Easton's design aesthetic.

>81 wooter: True!

>80 ultrarightist: No argument here, but there are those who consider bonded leather a faux leather, as it is a manufactured substance composed of ground up leather scraps mixed with a bonding agent.

>81 wooter: Oh, sooo true!

>79 Glacierman:
Yeah you may use different qualities for books, then for furniture, but does that change something on the qualities there are ?

>81 wooter: It depends on what you're looking for. Some of EP's designs are fabulous, particularly for the more expensive editions. Their "normal" books do tend to have a rather generic look to them. That said, keep in mind that compared to most leather-bound books they are quite affordable and far higher quality than the truly cheaply produced editions such as B&N "leatherbound" editions.

>86 astropi: Yes, I'm quite pleased with EP's limited edition of The Kalevala. Not a fan of their lower-end designs, but this one and some of the others I've seen from the upper-end are nice indeed.

>56 NathanOv: one of the Roman edition has come back up for sale if anyone is interested

>89 supercell:
I think the Neil Gaiman Honey Sherlock book took an year to sell out completely.

The Frozen Hell book is very nice, but not very well known I would say.

Sadly the books spine and the text on the store page (if not changed) doesn't mention the author with one word aswell.
The original title wasn't The Frozen Hell.

Benjamin Button is an nice story, but extremely expensive for 40 pages of story . The illustrations are not my kind of taste aswell.

I come back for the Conan Book. I'm really excited for it to get published

>90 Libri_mea_vita_sunt: The numbered copies of Death and Honey were sold out in just a few days, I believe? Surely not a full year… Or are you including the standard copies as well?

It could be a strong Gaiman effect coupled with extraordinary design vision and high production values at a (relatively) human price. I ordered both Frozen Hell and Benjamin Button, as I love what Arete are doing, but neither gave me as visceral a desire to buy immediately as Honey and Death did.

>91 BorisG:
Ohhh true. I forgot about that. Yes, I mean the standard edition indeed.
Neil Gaiman is like a plague in fine press publishing. Would be the same for some Stephen King books.

Some Authors mean instant sell out even if the price isn't reasonable. I hope there won't be any more Gaiman title very soon 😁

>89 supercell: Overall, I have been rather more surprised about Frozen Hell's slow sales - genre titles really should do better than that

I think that in that sort of price range, for most people, one has to really want the title. Ok for Curious King's similarly-priced recent Hyperion sell-out, not so much for a quite obscure title such as Frozen Hell.

>90 Libri_mea_vita_sunt: I agree it's a little strange the author doesn't get a mention anywhere. Again, not so much of a problem for a well-known title but might help in this case. Probably best not to make the assumption that prospective buyers already know.

>91 BorisG: I ordered both Frozen Hell and Benjamin Button, as I love what Arete are doing, but neither gave me as visceral a desire to buy immediately as Honey and Death did.

Same here...

Frozen Hell was a handsome production by Arete but I passed because I have probably seen John Carpenter's The Thing thirty times and it's impossible to revisit that story without having Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley and those guys acting out the scenes in my head. I want something where I can bring more of my own imagination to it.

>95 LeBacon: I need to re-watch that movie soon. It's been maybe 5 years - far too long!

I've been getting progressively more excited about this edition of Frozen Hell. To me, the book looks like an incredibly well thought-out and harmonious looking production. I'm sure the binding and printing are going to be typically high quality, as I have come to expect from Hand & Eye and Ludlow, but I think the paintings and how they will be presented are what I am most looking forward to seeing in the flesh.

This picture (link below) looks pretty amazing, and it appears to show only 7 of the 16 colour plates that will be in the book. I think it's going to be a really fun and immersive reading experience that I will hopefully enjoy revisiting regularly over the coming years (that's my own justification for spending this much on a single book!). Very much looking forward to it.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1030819638224632&set=pcb.10308197815579...

>96 GardenOfForkingPaths: I'm confused by what we're looking at there. If these are to scale, it looks like the larger painting would have to fold out and down - unless those are proofs from both sizes of the book?

>97 NathanOv: The larger painting is the size of the foldouts from the Roman Edition, we had an opportunity to add other colour tests, so they were put into the bottom of the proof, not actual sizes for any of the books! Just using up space to experiment.

>98 marceloanciano: Ah, that makes more sense!

>95 LeBacon: Aye, I've lost track of the many dozens of times I've seen the Carpenter film, but the book is different enough that I can slot new faces in. Though it may help that I'm also a fan of the Hawks film of the book, so am used to different takes. All the same, your point is entirely valid. And I do wonder how well I'll be able to read Suntup's edition of Psycho without trying to turn the book's Norman into the film's. (That his appearance is quite different in the book may help.)

>100 Shadekeep:
The book is much better, but I have to admit that the film is very accurate 👌

>100 Shadekeep: While reading Psycho, you're likely to hear this...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x622m18ut74

>103 marceloanciano: I wonder if the commercials could work better with a bit more of a barbell approach in this economy (and maybe beyond)
For example, with three tiers, e.g. 26 lettered, ~100 numbered, ~250 "basic" fine press (letterpress, illustrations but simply bound on modest paper).

There may be a core (small) market of people interested in luxury books who do not have material financial constraints - the top two tiers cater predominantly to them, but also to those who really love the specific book (particularly relevant with no rights system in play). Could that be a route to achieving higher margins?

Whilst I'm not immune from financial constraints (sadly), I will happily pay a premium for books I really love (and pass on many that don't). I don't know what you're planning on selling Lud for, but it's a title I'm really interested in, so I'd probably be happy to pay 20% more than you're going to ask (and pay a deposit in advance). And I'd probably buy more basic editions of almost everything you're scheduled to produce. But maybe I am atypical, and I'm afraid I have no experience to support my musings.

The discerning reader, one who appreciates the finer points of craftsmanship and enduring quality, invariably gravitates towards high-grade leather for their literary companions. While the initial investment may appear substantial, it is a testament to the inherent value and longevity of such bindings. Indeed, the finest examples of literary works are often adorned with the noblest materials, reflecting the profound respect and admiration held for the written word.

>105 RogerReads:

No to leather as my favoured material. I definitely prefer a nice cloth.

>98 marceloanciano:

The illustrations look great, no matter the size. I'm really looking forward to the book. Will all the illustrations be in all the editions, just presented differently? That would be very important to me, I must admit.

>105 RogerReads: How disappointing to learn that I'm not "discerning" based solely on my preference of binding materials. I'm sure my taste in art is equally plebeian because I don't insist on rare wood frames for everything.

>105 RogerReads: I'll "third" the sentiment that full-leather bindings are not my preference, and I personally prefer high quality cloth or an interesting mix of materials.

>92 Libri_mea_vita_sunt: "Neil Gaiman is like a plague in fine press publishing." haha, so true.

>110 wooter: Sadly, I concur. Along with Dave McKean, who for some reason presses are also lunging at like seagulls after an airborne french fry.

>111 Shadekeep: lol Nice simile!

I enjoy Neil Gaiman's work very much and am grateful that there are nice editions, though it would be good if more publishers tackled different works instead of going for the same ones others already did. (There are very few for his short story collections, for example.) Areté certainly did that with Death and Honey and Words of Fire, which I greatly appreciate. His books also sell really well, so the publishers can rely on a good income from them, which is naturally good for them, especially smaller ones that are only just starting. If one doesn't like his work, there's no pressure to buy anything, so I fail to see a problem, let alone a 'plague'.

It's more problematic when a publisher (or several) keeps coming back to an illustrator one doesn't like, especially if it's about an edition one would be interested in otherwise. And in McKean's case I can understand that his style might not be everyone's cup of tea. Personally, I always find it at least interesting and in the case of the FS Invisible Cities, for example, quite lovely. But there are also books where I don't enjoy his illustrations. It really varies since he doesn't always work with the same style, and I wish Areté had shown a few more pictures before the sale. That being said, I took the risk of buying somewhat blindly there and am looking forward to seeing the result. It will be the first time I'll see his illustrations in this kind of print quality, which should be interesting on its own.

I'm sure a fine press Harry Potter would also instantly sell out and would rival any Stephen King book in value -- especially if signed. Wonder if we'll ever seen one?

>114 astropi:

I doubt it, least of all signed. At least not in our lifetime.

>115 SF-72: I'm not holding my breath. If it did happen, bet it would be a huge boon to the fine press world.

>116 astropi: I wish the fine press world would just tackle longer works. easy to say, harder to do obviously.

>117 wooter: I agree and it is starting to happen. Curious King - admittedly focused on SF and fantasy - are publishing some pretty hefty volumes letterpress. The Blade Itself, for example, ran to nearly 500 pages and the forthcoming second and third volumes are considerably longer still. Amaranthine are doing Catch-22, Hand and Eye are planning The Woman in White for next year. I plan on supporting all of these and hope the trend continues. Now we just need Lyra's Classics to cast their gaze upon The Count of Monte Cristo...

Received my Caroline book...ahh Coraline - and its fantastic 😍

>118 Levin40: "Now we just need Lyra's Classics to cast their gaze upon The Count of Monte Cristo..."

I second that! That would be a day one purchase.

>120 Dr.Fiddy: i third it!

>118 Levin40: oh man, i would so be in for some lyra's dumas!

>107 SF-72: All the illustrations will be in every copy of the book, different paper, but the same letterpress designs!

>111 Shadekeep: when we first approached Dave McKean, eighteen months ago now (!) he really wasn't that ubiquitous. Comes from taking so long to put a book together. And, the use of colour relief prints is not a medium he usually works with but that has been lost in the plethora of books he's done recently.

>120 Dr.Fiddy: 1200 page book! At 160gsm paper, even 120gsm, can you imagine how thick would that be?!!

>125 marceloanciano: multiple volumes, necessarily.

As it was often originally published.

18 parts, as the first edition, could be a nice candidate for a subscription offering.

Or maybe three volumes for more common style of recent fine press treatment.

>126 abysswalker: Ohh, that would be cool, 18 parts, once a month serial...

>124 marceloanciano: Ah, the curse of being the fastidious one with foresight! While you were going about bringing it to the public the patient way, everyone else was racing to market with the same. I don't fault you for that, it's just bad luck and timing.

>126 abysswalker: I rather like the idea of it in installments, perhaps as quality chapbooks, and then later bound in larger volumes if warranted.

>123 marceloanciano:

That's wonderful, thank you!

>125 marceloanciano: Like >126 abysswalker: mentioned: 3 volumes ;)