Tartarus Press

Bibliography

 

2016-20

 

under construction...

 

2020:

 

202: GO BACK AT ONCE, by Robert Aickman, 5th November 2020. 362+ix pages. £40.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by Antony Rowe Ltd, in wibalin cloth stamped in gilt and silver, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-29-5. Cover artwork by Stephen J Clark of The Singing Garden.

Reviews:

"Entertaining." Margaret Drabble, Times Literary Supplement

"Good fun, and an enjoyable read." The Complete Review

"To try and make sense of [Go Back at Once’s] assortment of images and metaphors is like trying to interpret a feverish dream . . . the pleasure comes not from retaining a firm grasp on meaning, but in yielding to “the greater power of imagination than reality”, something Cressida comes to appreciate herself." Andrew Michael Hurley, The Telegraph

"Aickman's hitherto unpublished second novel . . . is an oddity, a puzzlebox of queerness and a utopian fantasia . . . The prose vibrates with energy." Catriona Ward, The Times

 

WORMWOOD 35, Edited by Mark Valentine, 5th November 2020. 88 pages. £9.99. 400 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by CPI/Antony Rowe.

Contains: ‘Editorial’ by Mark Valentine, ‘ “Half Ironical, Half Diabolical”: Charles Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer’ by Jane Jakeman, ‘Fictions, Lies and Self-Deceit: The Opium Haze of The Blind Owl’ by Colin Insole, ‘Shaka Zulu in Genre Literature from 1892 to the Present’ by Thomas Kent Miller, ‘ “The Most Remarkable Cornishwoman of her Time”: C.C. Vyvyan’ by Peter Bell, ‘An Undiscovered Nerve: The Alarming  Visa for Avalon’ by John Howard, ‘Under Review’ by Reggie Oliver, ‘Camera Obscura’ by John Howard.

 

201: STRANGE TALES: TARTARUS PRESS AT 30, edited by Rosalie Parker, 14th September 2020. 284 pages. £40.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by Antony Rowe Ltd, in printed wibalin cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-27-1. Covert art by Marcela Bolívar. Contains ‘Tartarus Press at 30’ by Rosalie Parker, ‘Grassman’ by Rebecca Lloyd, ‘The End of Alpha Street’ by Mark Valentine, ‘Hunger’ by Andrew Michael Hurley, ‘Tell me, whacher, is it winter?’ by N.A. Sulway, ‘The Flickering Light’ by Stephen Volk, ‘Nervous System’ by Inna Effress, ‘What it Says’ by Ibrahim R. Ineke, ‘Monsieur Machine’ by Eric Stener Carlson, ‘Great Dead American Authors Alive and Living, in Cwmbran’ by Jonathan Preece, ‘The Women’ by Tom Heaton, ‘Meiko’ by J.M. Walsh, ‘The Three Burdens of Nest Wynne’ by Angela Slatter, ‘The Gathering’ by John Gaskin, ‘The Wardian Case’ by D.P. Watt, ‘The Afterlife of Books’ by Karen Heuler, ‘These Pale and Fragile Shells’ by John Linwood Grant, ‘Collectable’ by Reggie Oliver, ‘Flood’ by Carly Holmes.

Reviews:

Featured in the Washington Post

"These formally beautiful stories showcase the best of Tartarus Press and are ones to savor." Publishers Weekly

"Let me tell you right away that this is one of the best anthologies I’ve had the opportunity to read in years. The quality of the included tales is quite high, there are no misfires, and the book is a real treat for anyone fond of good short fiction." Mario Guslandi at the British Fantasy Society

 

200a: THE NIGHTFARERS, by Mark Valentine, 7th August 2020. 219 pages. £40.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by Antony Rowe Ltd, in wibalin cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-25-7. Contents: ‘The 1909 Proserpine Prize’, ‘Carden in Capaea’, ‘White Pages’, ‘The Inner Sentinel’, ‘The Dawn at Tzern’, ‘The White Sea Company’, ‘Undergrowth’, ‘The Seer of Trieste’, ‘Their Dark and Starry Mirrors’, ‘The Bookshop in Novy Svet’, ‘The Box of Idols’, ‘The Axholme Toll’, ‘A Walled Garden on the Bosphorus’, ‘The Mascarons of the Late Empire’, ‘About the stories’.

Reprinted:

200b. October 2022. Paperback.

Reviews:

"The Nightfarers is an exquisite collection of stories from a writer of incredible genius and talent."  Oddly Weird Fiction blog

"It's a stunning collection of stories that once again displays the scope of the gentleman's imagination and is, as ever, hugely recommended." Wyrd Britain

 

199: ONE MORNING, by Jessica Hagy, 6th July 2020. 244 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by Antony Rowe Ltd, in printed cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-26-4.

Reviews:

"Hagy’s fascinating debut novel . . . takes place over 12 hours starting at midnight, with each hour narrated by one of 12 women living in the dying, former coal mining town of Gour Borough, Pa. . . . Each voice is captivating and distinct, and each adds a new level of urgency that leads to the haunting finale. The big mystery is how the stories will intersect and affect one another. This elegantly told and thought-provoking work deserves a wide audience." Publishers Weekly

"It's an astonishing accomplishment, a novel that follows one perception after another to craft a vivid portrait of environmental memory echoing from one decaying life to the next. Disturbing, poignant and alive with the beauty of human struggle trapped in economic runoff, One Morning is a page-turner that ends up haunting the reader." Rick Kleffel, Narrative Species

"The novel’s meticulous construction and its flawless narrative make this a most impressive debut. Warning: Don’t read this book alone in an isolated cabin in the woods." Aurealis #134

 

198: LEAVE YOUR SLEEP, by R.B. Russell, 8th June 2020. 225 pages. Paperback reprint.

Reviews:

"Leave Your Sleep is a collection that lingers on your mind for a long time after reading it. Because the stories are hauntingly beautiful and unforgettable, and the prose is amazingly good, it's easy to say that this collection is speculative fiction at its best." Risingshadow

"I’ll admit: I wasn’t able to guess the endings of these tales. And for me, that’s enough to recommend this collection." Hellnotes

"One of our best writers of unsettling fiction, R. B. Russell, can be sampled in collections from Swan River Press (Ghosts) and PS Publishing (Leave Your Sleep)." Michael Dirda, The American Scholar

"An enticing collection of elegantly written, strange stories." Mario Guslandi, Bookgeeks

 

197: SYLVIA TOWNSEND WARNER: A BIBLIOGRAPHY, by R.B. Russell and J. Lawrence Mitchell, 28th may 2020. 163pps. £14.99. Print on demand paperback. With a Foreword by Glen Cavaliero.

Review:

"For all this information and much more, including the late Glen Cavaliero’s sympathetic and elegant introduction, Ray Russell and Lawrence Mitchell deserve hearty thanks from all Warner scholars." Janet Montefiore, The Journal of the Sylvia Townsend Warner Society, June 2022

 

196a: PAST LIVES OF OLD BOOKS, by R.B. Russell, 19th May, 2020. 282 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJInternational in printed cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 signed, numbered copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-23-3.

Contains: ‘Introduction: Less Frequented Paths’, ‘Rolfe’s Revolver: The Baron Corvo Archive at the Brotherton Library’, ‘In the “Virtual” Footsteps of Arthur Machen’, ‘ “Find the Happiness They had Never Noticed”: Alain-Fournier’s Le Grand Meaulnes, ‘Correspondence, or Otherwise: Aickman and L.T.C. Rolt’, ‘Brocard Sewell: A Black Swan’, ‘Alastair’, ‘Pierre Louÿs: Pagan Sensuality’, ‘Bibliography of Pierre Louÿs’, ‘Robert Aickman’s “Holiday Photographs”’, ‘Alternative Lives: Arthur Machen’s “A Fragment of Life” and Sylvia Townsend Warner’s Lolly Willowes’, ‘Roman Polanski’s The Tenant’, ‘The Connoisseurship of Count Stenbock and Phyllis Paul’, Count Stenbock Bibliography’, ‘Phyllis Paul Bibliography’, ‘Booksellers’ Labels’, ‘Walter J.C. Murray and Copsford’, ‘Immortal Creations: The Brontës Went to Woolworth’s’, ‘Chapman Winston Blubberhouse, and How He Returned to Haunt Me’, ‘The Moon and the Sledgehammer’, ‘Fragile Ivory Towers: The Critics and Donna Tartt’, ‘Denton Welch and Jocelyn Brooke: Kindred Spirits’, ‘Denton Welch Bibliography’, ‘Jocelyn Brooke Bibliography’, ‘George Locke: The Passing of a Legend’, ‘Collecting Arthur Machen Rarities’, ‘Visiting Chydyok’, ‘Past Lives of Old Books’, The Cocteau Twins’, ‘Christopher Millard: Posthumous Friend of Oscar Wilde’, ‘Bibliography of Stuart Mason/Christopher Millard’, ‘Frank Baker: Master of the Absurd’, ‘N.F. Brookes: International Man of Mystery’, ‘Addendum’, ‘Literary Revelations’, ‘The Dangers of Nostalgia’, ‘Pruning a Book Collection’, ‘Down the Literary Rabbit Hole’, ‘Asking About the Weather’, ‘Quentin Crisp Bibliography’, ‘Internal Narrators’, ‘Reference Books’, ‘Outsider Literature’, ‘The Most Frightening Book, Ever’, ‘Katherine Burdekin Bibliography’, ‘Memento Amori: The Poetry of John Sewell’, ‘John Sewell Bibliography’.

Reprinted:

196b. January 2021. Paperback.

Reviews:

'Lovers of obscure authors and literature will welcome this eclectic collection of mostly previously published essays from British editor Russell His easy, accessible style is a delight to read. Publishers Weekly

'Highly engaging', Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

 

WORMWOOD, Issue 34, Edited by Mark Valentine, 4th May 2020. 88 pages. £9.99. 400 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by CPI/Anony Rowe.

Contains: 'Oscar Wilde and Shake-speares Sonnets: A Study of Artful Criminality' by Geoff Dibb, 'The Forgotten Novels of Peter Van Greenaway' by J. Cruikshank, 'The Hand of the Invisible: On August Strindberg and the Weird' by Karen Joan Kohoutek, 'William Croft Dickinson: The Scottish Ghost Stories of an English Antiquarian' by Iain Smith, 'Still They Wished for Company: Two Novels Linked through Time?' by John Howard, 'The Cry of the Curlew: Anne Douglas Sedgwick’s The Third Window' by Mark Valentine, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson, 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard.

 

195: UNHOLY TALES, by Tod Robbins, 17th April 2020. 262 + xxix pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI/Antony Rowe Ltd in printed cloth, stamped in gilt, with ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300  copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-18-9.

Contains: 'An Unholy Biography' by Johnny Mains, 'Spurs', 'Silent, White and Beautiful', 'Who Wants a Green Bottle?', 'Wild Wullie, The Waster', 'The Unholy Three'.

Reviews:

"I am certainly recommending Unholy Tales to anyone who will listen. Deliciously twisted writer indeed, and I can't get enough." Oddly Weird Fiction

"For those readers who tend to skip the preface of any fictional work, I strongly recommend the splendid, exhaustive introduction by Johnny Mains, which provides an extraordinary, enjoyable insight of Robbins’ restless life." Mario Guslandi, Hellnotes

 

194a: LONDONIA, by Kate A. Hardy, 13th March 2020. 399 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI/Antony Rowe Ltd in printed cloth, stamped in gilt, with ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 400  copies. Cover art by Karl Fitzgerald. ISBN 978-1-912586-19-6.

Reprinted:

194b. October 2022. Paperback.

Reviews:

"Enchanting . . . Hardy’s almost hopeful view of the world’s inevitably chaotic future lifts this entertaining and well-told tale." Publishers Weekly

"A deeply engaging and always-entertaining novel, the author’s superb use and invention of future language is brilliant." Paula Guran, Locus magazine

"I enjoy a good sprawl of a novel about London and Kate A Hardy has served up a good one in her big stewpot of ideas and images with a solid side order of mystery. This is a long, immersive read, excellent for those of us waiting out lockdown." Sarah Tanburn, Horla

"A clever dystopian adventure . . . if you like your apocalypse on the literary side with a relatable human plot, then this is definitely worth your attention . . ." Aurealis

"A good read. It’s certainly well written by a skilled storyteller . . . I believed in the characters and their world events, I wanted them to succeed and to ultimately be happy. Any book that can drag you in that far has to be good." British Fantasy Society

"Londonia fizzes with boisterous humour and quirky invention . . . For those needing diversion, this chunky and handsomely produced novel is a delicious book to sink into; it also helps to think through what really matters in life and perhaps to learn a lesson or two from our own current predicament." Hackney Citizen

"This is a superbly written book retaining dialogue, place and characterisation to a masterful level. You believe in Hardy’s world and it should hardly be long before a producer is clamouring to make her highly visual future London into a film or series… it strikes at the heart of what we consider to be important in life – something all of us are thinking about at this strange time." Kindred Spirit

 

2019:

 

193: THE CHILD CEPHALINA, by Rebecca Lloyd, 28th November 2019. 261 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI/Antony Rowe Ltd in green cloth, printed, stamped in gilt, with ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300  copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-20-2.

Reviews

"[Lloyd] grounds her story in such rich and colourful period detail that events seem eerily believable when they take a turn for the macabre. Readers will race to this novel’s eerie conclusion." Publishers Weekly

"...an authentic and well-crafted piece of Gothic fiction, in turns as eerie and captivating as the child Cephalina herself." Laura Mauro, Black Static #74

"The Child Cephalina is a slow burn in the gothic style of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll & Hyde or Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey or Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. A perfect late night read." AUREALIS #129

"A wonderful supernatural novel." Des Lewis

"A  dark supernatural tale of friendship and obsession in Victorian London" ... "subtly unsettling and brilliantly written" (5/5 stars) Ringshadow.net

"Very, very highly recommended.  You will want to read this book.  Trust me.  It's unlike anything I've read before."  Oddly Weird Fiction

 

WORMWOOD Issue 33, edited by Mark Valentine, 13th November 2019. 91 pages. £9.99. 300 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by Antony Rowe.

Contains: 'Broken Time and the Dreamings on Hanging Rock' by Colin Insole, 'In Silence and Semblance: Georges Rodenbach’s Bruges-la-Morte' by Mat Joiner, 'Strange Enough to be Remembered Forever: John Crowley’s Little, Big' by Henry Wessells, 'Lost Earths and Stolen Suns: Emil Petaja’s Novels of the "Land of Heroes" ' by John Howard, 'Deep Thinking: Arthur Conan Doyle, Dennis Wheatley and the Fiction of Atlantis' by James Riley, ' "Change Here for the Dark Age": Edward Shanks’ The People of the Ruins' by Mark Valentine, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard.

 

192a: PETALS AND VIOLINS: FIFTEEN UNSETTLING TALES, by D.P. Watt, 11th November 2019. 296 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI/Antony Rowe Ltd in printed cloth, stamped in gilt, with ribbon marker and head and tailbands. Illustration ‘Sulfur III’ by Marcela Bolívar. 300 signed copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-22-6.

Contains: 'The Sanity of Madness: An Introduction to D.P.Watt' by Peter Holman, 'Blood and Smoke, Vinegar and Ashes', 'The Magician, or, Crab Lines', 'But They Withered All', 'Mizpah', 'We Don’t Want for Company', 'Ophelia', 'Doreen', 'Conflagration', 'Oh, Pretty Polly!', 'The Rocking Horse', 'The Pedagogue, or, They Muttered', 'Our Second Home', 'A Species of the Dead', 'Golden in the Mercy of His Means', 'Four Windows and a Door', , Afterword' by Helen Marshall, Publication History and Acknowledgements.

Reprinte192223b. February 2023. Paperback.

Reviews

'Watt creates terrifying situations in prosaic settings in this superior collection. . . .  The standout is “Blood and Smoke, Vinegar and Ashes,” which gains its power through Watt’s artful incremental ratcheting up of the tension. . . . Fans of daylight horror will be eager to seek out more of Watt’s work.' Publishers Weekly

'... a fine collection that seized my attention with the opening story and held it to the last. It’s rich, varied and entertaining and draws on a range of traditions from the library of the weird. In addition, it proves the form is vital, relevant to our era and capable of endless reinvention. A compelling set of tales...' Andy Hedgecock, Black Static #74

'...the large majority of the included material is of high quality, confirming Watt's ability to produce excellent yarns bound to fascinate and disquiet the reader.' Mario Guslandi at SFRevu

 

191a: A WILD TUMULTORY LIBRARY, by Mark Valentine, 16th September 2019. 290+xv pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI/Antony Rowe Ltd in blue cloth, stamped in gilt and blue, with ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 350 signed copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-21-9.

Contains:

Introduction, ' "He Saw the Absolute Coming through the Door": Rex Warner’s Allegories', 'Through the Spaces of the Dark: G.W. Stonier’s The Memoirs of a Ghost', 'The Palace of Isis: A Note on Elizabeth Bowen’s "Mysterious Kôr" ', 'Call for the Colonel: The Crime Novels of Philip MacDonald', 'Dusty Cathedral: The Piquant Thrillers of Edwin Greenwood', 'Pagan Mysteries in the Novels of P.M. Hubbard', 'Dorian by Candlelight', 'Narcissus of the Nineties: The Poems and Prose of Richard Le Gallienne', 'A Most Surprising Book: John Davidson’s Earl Lavender', 'Always Gaping at Weeds: Frank Kingdon-Ward, Himalayan Plant-Hunter', 'Perceval Landon’s Book of Shadows', 'J. Milton Hayes: The Green Eyed Yellow Idol Man', 'The Seer of Simla', 'The Craziest Road of All: E.H. Jones and The Road to En-Dor', 'Some Books on Tea Cup Reading', 'Three Dandies of the Thirties', '‘A Rather Beautiful Refuse’: Mayvale by H.E. Clifton and James', 'Wood', 'The Ephemeral is the Eternal: Sidney Hunt, Avant Garde Pioneer', 'Of an Antiquary'. ' "A Crocodile Truly": The Poet of St Bertrand De Comminges', ' "The Rare, the Choice and the Curious": A.N.L. Munby’s "The Comte de Marnay" ', 'Echoes of Saumur', 'Scottish Gothic: Lord Kilmarnock’s Ferelith', 'Modern Ghosts: The Macabre Fiction of L.P. Hartley' 'The Ancient Art: The Tales of A.E. Coppard', ' "Great-Nephew to the Queen of Faerie": A Note on the Grindletonians', 'At the Club of Bad Books: Dylan Thomas & John Davenport’s The Death of the King’s Canary', 'The Pierrot on the Shore: Robert Walmsley’s Winged Company', 'The Peterley Mystery', 'Zodiacs in Britain', 'The Return of the Grail', 'Beyond Tradition and Dream: Three Forgotten Authors', 'At the Sign of the Black Pterodactyl: George Hay and Books of "Some Other Dimension", 'Through the Three Choir Shires: A Holiday Among Bookshops', 'Acknowledgements'.

Reprinted:

191b. June 2020. Paperback.

Reviews

"This delightful collection . . . Valentine’s essays brim with fascinating insights and details . . . Book lovers will find this volume’s contents compulsively readable and will almost certainly be driven to seek out the many books and authors cited with whom they are not already familiar." Publishers Weekly

"The four collections of essays by Mark Valentine published by Tartarus Press in Yorkshire contain some of the best writing on books of the last twenty years. It is unsurprising that his name is not cited alongside Basbanes, Dirda or Gekoski, for Valentine’s chosen subject is, more often than not, the rediscovery of a neglected author or lighting a candle at the shrine of an author who had no wide audience in life." Peter Cooper, The Book Collector, Summer 2022

'A Wild Tumultory Library . . . is just as enthralling as its predecessors, Haunted by Books and A Country Still All Mystery. Against all reason, I devoured this latest collection in one night, unable to stop myself. Actually, that’s not quite true. I did pause occasionally to search online for some of the titles Valentines writes about so infectiously.' Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

'Mark is a delightful wordsmith and as such always a joy to read, the lives and ideas of his subjects make for engaging topics and you're always going to find at least one author that you're going to absolutely need to track something down by.' Wyrd Britain

 

190: THE WAY THINGS END, by Charles David, 22nd August 2019. 234 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI/Antony Rowe Ltd in blue cloth, printed, stamped in gilt, with ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-17-2.

Reviews

'This unsettling horror novel is a must for David Lynch fans.' "Starred" review at Publishers Weekly

'As a debut novel, this is excellent'" British Fantasy Society

‘. . . accomplished, dark and troubling . . . It finds beauty and some measure of reason in the midst of chaos and tells us about it in prose suffused with a fractured, dislocating and chaotic beauty.’ Jon Gower, Horla

'In The Way Things End Charles David proves his command of literary expression and unassuming empathy . . . Through the slow decay of reality, The Way Things End is a sincere consideration of life and circumstance. Unsettling, but a worthwhile read for artful contemplation.' Aurealis 125

 

189a: THE NEW INN HALL DECEPTION, by John Gaskin, 19th July 2019. 233 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by Antony Rowe in cloth boards stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 380 signed copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-13-4.

Contains: ‘Preface’, ‘The New Inn Hall Deception’, ‘Near Berwick’, ‘Conditions’, ‘Faces in a Garden’, ‘Deadwater’, ‘Sources’.

Reprinted:

189b. March 2021. Paperback.

Reviews

'Gaskin is subtle and indirect in his approach to the uncanny, and the rich atmosphere he builds in his stories makes them enjoyable for fans of classic weird tales.' Publishers Weekly

'...the book provides further evidence of Gaskin's enticing storytelling skill and of his ability to create subtly unnerving atmospheres.' Mario Guslandi, SFRevu

'The book is impressive to hold, its dark stories intriguing to read.' Aurealis 125

 

188: HIEROGLYPHICS, by Arthur Machen, 10th June 2019. 197+xviii pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by Antony Rowe in cloth boards stamped in gilt. Ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-12-7.

With errata sheet.

Featured in the Times Literary Supplement

 

187a: OCCULT TERRITORY: AN ARTHUR MACHEN GAZETTEER, edited by R.B. Russell, 7th May 2019. 272+xiv pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by Antony Rowe in printed cloth stamped in gilt. Ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 400 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-14-1.

Reprinted:

187b. May 2021. Paperback.

Reviews:

Featured in the Times Literary Supplement

'...a delightful pictorial scrapbook' The New York Review

'... a beautifully produced and richly illustrated guide to places Machen lived, worked, drank and ate at in England and Wales' Los Angeles Review of Books

'This long-planned labour of love will be welcomed by Machen readers interested in the links between locale and literature.' The Fortean Times

'... it’s an enchanting guide through a life less ordinary.' Horla

 

WORMWOOD Issue 32, edited by Mark Valentine, 11th April 2019. 90 pages. £9.99. 400 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by Antony Rowe.

Contains: 'The Mystery of Mark Hansom' by Peter Bell, 'The Deceptions of Julian Osgood Field' by Chris Mikul, 'Epitaph for a Grand Delusionist: Edogawa Ranpo’s Strange Tale of Panorama Island' by Oliver Kerkdijk, 'The Long Count-Down:The Novels of 'Charles Eric Maine' by John Howard, 'Victor Neuberg: Pan-Poet, Shy Satyr, Decadent Diviner' by Adam Daly, 'Rolfe’s Revolver' by R.B. Russell, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson, 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard

 

186: HOUSE OF THE FLIGHT-HELPERS, by Philomena van Rijswijk, 22nd March 2019. 310 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by Antony Rowe in cloth boards stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-09-7.

Reviews:

"The author adds, 'It was even said that a good storyteller could drag the full moon with the seductiveness of his tongue.' This is a moon-draggingly good work of fantasy worldbuilding." Publishers Weekly

"Van Rijswijk manages the complexity of dystopia beautifully. Each page bristles with unlikely details, strange insights into the horror within and outside the city colliding with beauty, with trust and the possibility of connection. Sentences carry great weight, repaying close reading to quarry out the references and possibilities they contain." Sarah Tanburn, Horla

"An astonishing book of many merits for readers of intelligent dystopia." Aurealis, issue 122

 

185a: COPSFORD, by Walter J.C. Murray, 28th January 2019. 203 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by Antony Rowe in cloth boards stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-11-0.

reprinted:

185b. February 2023. Paperback.

Reviews:

Featured in the Susssex Express and on Wormwoodiana.

'The writing is masterful, moving gracefully between farce when he's waging war on rodents and the sublime when he's painting the beauty of the South Downs.' Patrick Galbraith, Country Life

 

184a: THE BALLET OF DR CALIGARI AND MADDER MYSTERIES, by Reggie Oliver, 1st January, 2019. 297 pages. £40.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJInternational in printed cloth stamped in gilt and silver, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 400 signed, numbered copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-08-0.

Contains: From Madder Mysteries: ‘A Donkey at the Mysteries’, ‘The Head’, ‘Tawny’, ‘The Devil’s Funeral’, ‘Baskerville’s Midgets’, ‘The Game of Bear’ (with M.R. James). And more: ‘The Final Stage’, ‘The Endless Corridor’, ‘The Vampyre Trap’, ‘The Ballet of Dr Caligari’, ‘Love and Death’, ‘Porson’s Piece’, ‘Lady with a Rose’, ‘Author Note’.

Reprinted:

184b. July 2019. Paperback

Reviews:

‘13 exceptional eerie stories. This volume is essential reading for aficionados of classic weird fiction.’ Publishers Weekly 'starred' review

'Lovers of dark fiction will welcome with enthusiasm a new collection by Reggie Oliver,by far one of the very best living authors in that genre. . . . Graced by exquisite illustrations drawn by Oliver himself, the book is a real treat for any fan of great fiction.' Mario Guslandi, Hellnotes.com

'A fine collection well worth the read." Aurealis issue 122

 

2018:

 

183: THE CLOCKWORM AND OTHER STRANGE STORIES, by Karen Heuler. 3rd December 2018. 252 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJInternational in printed cloth stamped in gilt and silver, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-10-3.

Review

'Heuler’s voice is refreshingly original, and readers will find these stories remarkably inventive and brimming with ideas not found anywhere else in contemporary fantasy fiction.' Publishers Weekly 'starred' review

"Tilted towards the literary end of speculative fiction, The Clockworm collection is reminiscent of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, recreated for our time. Readers looking for profound yet accessible stories are richly rewarded. As protagonist Nola reflects in ‘Here and There’, dreams don’t come true in the way you want or in the way you think. The unexpected in Heuler’s writing is addictive." Aurealis 120

‘Nineteen strange and intriguing stories, brilliantly written.’ Horla

 

WORMWOOD, Issue 31, Edited by Mark Valentine, 22nd October 2018. 88 pages. £9.99. 400 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by TJInternational.

Contains: ‘Beyond Lud: The Poetry, Prose, Translations from the Russian, and Longer Fiction of Hope Mirrlees’ by Colin Insole, ‘A State of Emergency: Jocelyn Brooke’s The Image of a Drawn Sword’ by Mat Joiner, ‘After The Flood’ by Ibrahim Ineke, ‘Karel Babánek and the (Forgotten) Golden Age of Czech Fantasy’ by Tony Mileman, ‘The Dark and Decadent Dreams of Doctor Doyle’ by Paul M. Chapman, ‘Looking Backward from Tomorrow: Mack Reynolds and His Pulp Fiction Utopias’ by John Howard, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson, 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard.

 

182. PAULISKA, OR, MODERN PERVERSITY, by Jacques-Antoine Révéroni, baron de Saint-Cyr. Translated by Eric Butler. 17th October 2018. 234 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJInternational in printed cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-07-3.

Review:

"Révéroni’s deliciously lurid novel is a heady dram of vintage gothic . . . With its many moments of fade-to-black fainting, hairbreadth escapes, and rationalizations of what may be supernatural, this book is a high melodrama sure to appeal to fans of the writings of Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Gregory Lewis, and other classic gothicists." Publishers Weekly

 

181. PUTTING THE PIECES IN PLACE and LITERARY REMAINS, by R.B. Russell. 14th September 2018. 284 pages. £14.95. Paperback reprint printed by Amazon.

Contains: ‘Putting the Pieces in Place’, ‘There’s Nothing That I Wouldn’t Do’, ‘In Hiding’, ‘Eleanor’, ‘Dispossessed’, ‘Literary Remains’, ‘An Artist’s Model’, ‘Llanfihangel’, ‘Una Furtiva Lagrima’, ‘Another Country’, ‘Loup-garou’, ‘Blue Glow’, ‘A Revelation’, ‘Asphodel’, ‘Where They Cannot Be Seen’, ‘Afterword’.

Reviews for Putting the Pieces in Place:

"...an excellent and very satisfying debut collection..." - Ellen Datlow, The Best Horror of the Year Volume Two.

"The hallmark of these stories is their subtlety. Putting the Pieces in Place is a wonderful debut from an author who is among those leading the way in blending horror and the strange tale." - The Speculative Fiction Junkie

"Ray Russell's stories in Putting the Pieces in Place are captivating for their depth of mystery and haunting melancholy. These qualities place Russell in a tradition of authors that includes Sheridan LeFanu and Ramsey Campell, storytellers whose works proceed with a creeping uneasiness that leaves a lasting impression on the reader." - Thomas Ligotti

". . . classy, tasteful stories of quiet horror told in an unassuming, polished narrative style. Mostly starting out as mainstream tales, Russell’s stories gradually convey a subtle feeling of disquiet as, page after page, the supernatural or the horrific unobtrusively creeps in. . . . In short, an enticing, remarkable collection proving that it was high time Russell would start a career as a writer. I’m looking forward to his next book." - Mario Guslandi, Hellnotes

"R.B. Russell has produced a work of timeless elegance which wouldn’t be out of place among the classic European ghost stories collections. The stories are all richly enigmatic with a subtle horror subtext. The European setting give the stories a distinctive feel, everything here is slightly, subtly different. - Highlander's Book Reviews

"As with Henry James, one might ask whether Russell is telling stories of the supernatural or of the psychological. It comes down to perception and this superb collection illustrates how each of us has a different way of putting the pieces in place." - Brian J. Showers, Rue Morgue

"In “Putting the Pieces in Place” R.B. Russell plays with human emotions without drawing a perceptible line between reality and fiction, passion and obsession, and creates an atmosphere of unease without pointing exactly the reason for it."- Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews

"Russell's horror is profoundly internal - the horrors of alienation, of loss, of obsession, even of love. Fans of Walter de la Mare take note. Hartley makes a good point of reference … for like him and his successor Robert Aickman (and by that logic his predecessor Henry James also deserves a mention), Russell is concerned primarily with giving you a glimpse of daily life gradually warped into another perverse shape without you knowing it. … an outstanding collection." - Andy McQuade in Gorezone, June 2009

"...the author's gift for a finely-turned sentence and a well-crafted tale." - David Longhorn in Supernatural Tales 15.

Reviews for Literary Remains

"Literary Remains by R. B. Russell (PS) is the second collection of stories by a writer who in the past few years has been making a name for himself with his well-written weird and dark fiction, although he's still better known for being the publisher of Tartarus Press. The ten stories, eight new, are all well worth reading." - Ellen Datlow, The Best Horror of the Year 3

"...readers are held spellbound by Russell’s elegant prose." - Dead Reckonings # 10

"This is an engaging and enjoyable collection from a writer whose work, through the power of suggestion implicit in each text and the oblique narrative strategies, brings to mind that of Aickman, perhaps crossed with some of the more adventurous strands of European cinema." - Peter Tennant, Black Static

"...a worthy successor to R.B. Russell's first collection, Putting the Pieces in Place. It should appeal to those who enjoy well-crafted short stories in general, and strange stories in particular." Peter Bell, Supernatural Tales 18:

"...a remarkable read..." - David Longhorn, Supernatural Tales 17

"This collection sets the bar high for himself, not to mention future authors, but also ensures a special place for his fiction in the contemporary weird's bright future. " - The Grim Blogger

"...strangely beautiful prose . . . compelling stories. " Risingshadow

"...all the stories are elegantly written, clever, classy tales apt to delight the reader throughout the whole volume..." - Mario Guslandi, Bookgeeks

"A fine collection at times reminiscent of Machen, Aickman, Ligotti and others but always with that unique R.B Russell style." - Tales from the Black Abyss

"I shall also need to seek the 'sold out' Putting the Pieces in Place, another anthology by RB Russell (Ex Occidente Press) because I now feel I want to be a RB Russell completist! - Des Lewis, Weirdmonger

"The stories in this collection are, to be sure, effective taken individually (I first read "Loup-garou," an unsettling story that has less to do with werewolves than you might imagine, in an anthology, and very much admired it).  But read as a cohesive whole, preferably in one sitting, they reveal a profound awareness of human drives and limitations, an understated but very real sense of the large and small tragedies that characterize our lives.  Literary Remains is dark fantasy of the first order." - Brendan Connell, The Stars at Noonday

Review for the combined volume:

"Russell is an accomplished storyteller." Aurealis, 118

 

180. THE OLD KNOWLEDGE, by Rosalie Parker. 5th September 2018. 120 + ix pages. £12.95. Paperback reprint printed by Amazon. ISBN 9781718147911.

Contents: 'Introduction' by Glen Cavaliero, 'The Rain', 'Spirit Solutions', 'In the Garden', 'Chanctonbury Ring', 'The Supply Teacher', 'The Old Knowledge', 'The Cook's Story', 'The Picture', 'Acknowledgements'

Reviews:

'Parker has a way of crafty spinning that makes each story work.' Aurealis magazine

'... straightforward, unassuming prose belies a keen psychological insight. Old knowledge is never without its secrets and mysteries, and neither is The Old Knowledge.' The Stars at Noonday

'The stories to be found in this slim volume are chilling to be sure, and engrossing in every way. But there's a bigger picture than just the stories themselves. These stories take us not to a different world, but a different vision of this world.' Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column

'. . . a beautifully produced collection of nine stories by Rosalie Parker, in which themes of ancient knowledge intrud[e] into the modern world. . .  My favourite out of all that’s on offer, there’s a delightful ambiguity to ‘The Cook’s Story’ . . . The atmosphere of a country house and the life of wealthy people are brought to vivid life . . . with a sense of the madness and alienation that’s bubbling away beneath the surface and just waiting to explode.'  Peter Tennant, Black Static

'The Old Knowledge is perfect reading for a winter's afternoon when the light is beginning to fail. Curl up by the fire in your holiday cottage, open a good bottle of red, and enjoy.' Katherine Haynes, Ghostly Company Newsletter

'Well crafted prose hinting in soft tones at the darker side of reality.' Mario Guslandi at The Short Review.

'Parker shows considerable skill at creating dramatic tension and moods of menace that will appeal to fans of subtly told tales of the macabre.' Publishers Weekly

'This book, despite its disarmingly simple pure prose style and traditional-seeming supernatural plots, is possibly more intriguing than many a book with dense textured styles and ostensibly complicated plots. An eye-opener for me.' D.F. Lewis, My Last Balcony: Real-Time Reviews

'With a clear descent from the school of classic ghost stories these tales are another branch of the evolutionary tree for the ghostly weird tale, exploring modern relationships and feelings in a timeless style.' The Black Abyss

 

179a. INNER EUROPE, by John Howard and Mark Valentine, 3rd September 2018. 242 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJInternational in printed cloth stamped in gilt and silver, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-05-9.

Contains: ‘The Roses of Ravenna’, Mark Valentine, ‘Here is My Country’, John Howard, ‘Tregarrion’s Bequest’, Mark Valentine, ‘Another Sea’, John Howard, ‘The Fencing Mask’, Mark Valentine, ‘The Light of Adria’, John Howard, ‘The Concession’, Mark Valentine, ‘Orient Imperial’, John Howard, ‘The Antinomy to Zeno’, Mark Valentine, ‘Sun Voyager’, John Howard, ‘The Dragons of Medea’, Mark Valentine, ‘Threshold’, John Howard, ‘Lost Gonfalon’, Mark Valentine.

Reprinted:

179b. June 2020. Paperback.

Reviews

'...Inner Europe, a companion to Secret Europe. Both these handsome volumes ... are suffused with that air of mystery, transgression and foreboding one associates with continental literature and film during the 1920s and ’30s.' Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

'Inner Europe is a remarkable achievement, straddling genres to offer the reader strange, moving, and always entertaining tales.'  David Longhorn at the Supernatural Tales blog

 

178. FIGUREHEAD, by Carly Holmes, 9th July 2018. 246 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJInternational in printed cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-06-6.

Contains: ‘The Demon L’, ‘Miss Luna’, ‘Little Matrons’, ‘Sleep’, ‘Ghost Story’, ‘Dropped Stitches’, ‘Like Water Through Fingers’, ‘Maria’s Silence’, ‘Piece by Piece’, ‘The Glamour’, ‘Wich’, ‘Three for a Girl’, ‘Strumpet’, ‘Runty’, ‘Into the Woods’, ‘Alter’, ‘Before the Fairytale’, ‘Bake Day’, ‘Friday’, ‘Heartwood’, ‘Figurehead’, ‘They Tell Me’, ‘Woodside Close’, ‘A Small Life’, ‘Beneath the Skin’, ‘Rootless’. ‘Acknowledgements.’

Reviews:

"The 26 stories in Holmes’s impressive first collection of fantasy fiction alternate between skillfully orchestrated forays into traditional supernatural horror and modern vignettes steeped in the magic of classic fairy tales." Publishers Weekly, "starred" review.

"...great heights of truly exquisite description" British Fantasy Society

"This is an impressive body of twenty-six pieces which are by turns surprising, intriguing, poignant and humorous, and always intelligent." Horla magazine. (Carly Holmes has also been interviewed here.

"[A] terrific debut, by a Welsh writer, with twenty-six stories (and a poem or two), almost half of them new. They’re weird, ghostly, dark, and often chilling. Highly recommended." Ellen Datlow, The Best Horror of the Year Vol 11

 

177. THE QUEST FOR CORVO, by A.J.A. Symons, with an Introduction by Mark Valentine, 17th May 2018. 362+xviii pages. £45.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 150gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI Antony Rowe Ltd in printed cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-01-1.

Review:

"Newly reissued by Tartarus Press in a handsome illustrated edition, superbly introduced by Mark Valentine." Michael Dirda in The Washington Post

 

WORMWOOD, Issue 30, Edited by Mark Valentine, 26th April 2018. 88 pages. £9.99. 400 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by TJInternational.

Contains: ‘ "The best Vitality / Cannot excel Decay": Echoes of Literary Decadence in the Fiction of Caitlín R. Kiernan' by James Goho, 'Another Kind of Fairyland: Margaret Benson’s The Court of the King' by Joseph Hinton, 'A Scientist reads Algernon Blackwood’s The Fruit Stoners' by Rebekah Memel Brown, 'Phantasmion and Phantastes' by William Charlton, 'Impostor in the Hebrides:  The Strange History of Ada Goodrich Freer' by Peter Bell, 'Night-Doings in Victorian England: The Sojourn of Ambrose Bierce' by Tim Foley, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson, 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard.

 

176. TREE SPIRIT AND OTHER STRANGE TALES, by Michael Eisele, 3rd April 2018. 291 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI Antony Rowe Ltd in printed cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-02-8. Contents: ‘Mouse’, ‘Aedan of the Taexili and the Giant’, ‘Leshi’, ‘Sacrifice’, ‘Come Not High’, ‘The Professor and the Nixie’, ‘Tree Spirit’, ‘Willow Rawnie’, ‘Mr Saria’, ‘The Wife’, ‘Brown Jenkins’, ‘The Gardinel’, ‘The Black Man’, ‘The Selchie’, ‘The Nun’s Tale’.

Reviews:

"Beguiling" Publishers Weekly

"Again, we are in the folk-horror territory of fantasy, melding Hoffmann, Carter and Pullman." The Pan Review

Tree Spirit has also been the subject of a "running review" at the Supernatural Tales blog and a "real-time" review by D.F. Lewis.

"These two collections [Tree Spirit and The Girl with the Peacock Harp] contain stories that are polished, quirky and eccentric; that won’t quite fit into any genre straitjacket but instead entertain and enthral in part by virtue of their protean nature." Peter Tennant, Black Static

 

175. THE MACABRE TALES OF EDGAR ALLAN POE, 1st March 2018. Large format sewn hardback book of 436 + xviii pages. £50.00. Sewn signatures, printed lithographically on 150gsm Munken pure rough paper, with decorated boards, silk ribbon marker, head and tailbands, and d/w. 400 numbered copies. ISBN 978-1-912586-00-4.

Contains: 'Introduction' by Brian Stableford. ‘Metzengerstein’, ‘MS. found in a bottle’, ‘The assignation’, ‘Berenice’, ‘Morella’, ‘King Pest’, ‘Shadow—A Parable’, ‘Silence—A Fable’, ‘ Ligeia’, ‘How to Write a Blackwood Article’, ‘The Devil in the Belfry’, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’, ‘William Wilson’, ‘The Conversation of Eros and Charmion’, ‘The Man of the Crowd’, ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’, ‘A Descent into the Maelström, The Colloquy of Monos and Una, ‘Never Bet the Devil Your Head’, ‘Eleonora’, ‘The Oval Portrait’, ‘The Masque of the Red Death’, ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’, ‘The Mystery of Marie Rogêt’, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, ‘The Black Cat’, ‘A Tale of the Ragged Mountains’, ‘The Premature Burial’, ‘Mesmeric Revelation’, ‘The Oblong Box’, ‘Some Words with a Mummy’, ‘The Imp of the Perverse’, ‘The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar’, ‘The Cask of Amontillado’, ‘Hop-Frog’, ‘The Lighthouse’.

The Macabre Tales of Edgar Allan Poe contains all of the illustrations by Harry Clarke for the 1923 edition of Tales of Mystery and Imagination, with one illustration reinstated (for 'Morella'), and a variant added ('The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar'). In total there are 8 colour plates (tipped-in by hand), 23 full page black and white illustrations, and numerous ornaments.

 

2017:

 

174. HOLY TERRORS, by Arthur Machen, 16th December 2017. Paperback reprint, 70 pages. £5.95. ISBN 978-1-905784-99-8

Contains: ‘The Cosy Room’, ‘The White Powder’, ‘The Bowmen’, ‘Ritual’, ‘The Happy Children’, ‘Midsummer’, ‘Afterword’, ‘The Friends of Arthur Machen’.

 

WORMWOOD, Issue 29, Edited by Mark Valentine, 30th November 2017. 88 pages. £9.99. 400 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by CPI/Anony Rowe.

Contains: ''John o’ Dreams and the Siren Voices in Hope Mirrlees’ Lud-in-the-Mist' by Colin Insole, '"Incurable": Lionel Johnson, the Disconsolate Decadent, Part 2 by Nina Antonia, 'Peak Victorian' by Henry Wessells, 'A Forgotten Radical Voice: Edward Upward' by Nick Wagstaff, 'From Canterbury to the Stars: The Dark Imagination of Philip E. High' by John Howard, 'Further Recollections of Robert Aickman' by Richard Dalby, 'The Young Antiquary: Ulric Daubeny' by Richard Dalby, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson, 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard.

 

173. THE LONDON ADVENTURE, Or, The Art of Wandering, by Arthur Machen, 13th November 2017. 252 + xi pages. £40.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI Antony Rowe Ltd in blue printed cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-97-4. Contents: 'The London Adventure', From the London Evening News: 'The Night Sky of London', 'Peter Pan', 'The Enchanted City', 'A Night on the Thames', 'Wonderful London', 'A Study in Back Streets', 'More about Back Streets', 'Wonderful London: Some of Its Unwritten Laws', 'London in Brave Attire', 'When I was Young in London', 'London Thirty Years Ago', The Young Man in the Blue Serge Suit', 'The Joy of London', 'Re-Discovery of London', 'Sunday Night in London', A Night at the Café Royal', Night in London', 'How Spring Came to Kew', 'I Recommend a House', Ghosts of the Strand', 'Hornsey House of Nightmares', 'Racketty Ghost Breaks Out Again', 'Bertie’s Banging Ghost'.

Recommended by Michael Dirda in the Washington Post.

 

172. DEVIL'S DAY, by Andrew Michael Hurley, 19th October 2017. 249 pages. £40.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 120gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI Antony Rowe Ltd in green cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 signed copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-98-1.

Winner of the Royal Society of Literature's Encore Award for best second novel.

Reviews:

"The nebulous presence of the Devil is evoked so palpably in this novel that at times I hardly dared look up when reading for fear of seeing him grinning at me from the chair next to mine. But the book would not be so terrifying were Hurley less adept at making the reader believe in his characters . . . Hurley's riveting, disturbing novel is about the ways in which both communities and families create myths to make sense of their pasts, and about how the comforting embrace of these myths can turn, if they are allowed to become too powerful into a stranglehold." Literary Review

"The new master of menace. This chilling follow-up to The Loney confirms its author as a writer to watch . . . Hurley doesn't need the devil's help to grip you. His taut writing does that for him. Nature's routine cruelties are caught with a fierce accuracy that Ted Hughes would have admired." Sunday Times

"Hurley is a superb storyteller. He leads you up on to the moors, into the eye of a snowstorm, dropping little clues, sinister hints at devilment and demonic possession. Then he changes course, scuffs over the prints in the snow, springs new villainies on you, abandons you overnight in the hills." The Times

"Beautifully captures a bleak landscape and the feeling of something evil and unknowable in the moors, the hills and the byways." Sunday Express

"Hurley is a fine writer, with concerns that place him a little to the left of the literary mainstream, a remove that makes him extremely interesting."  John Boyne, Irish Times

"This impeccably written novel tightens like a clammy hand around your throat." Daily Mail

"This is a story with pull. Its lively, building sense of evil is thoroughly entangled with the assumptions of the way of life depicted, that apparently timeless relationship of the smallholder and the moor." Guardian

"Makes for impressively uncomfortable reading." TLS

"A gorgeously written novel that leaves the reader wondering and perturbed." Metro

"Devil's Day is evocative and unsettling, exploring the potency of tradition, place and allegiance in a brutal rural environment." Daily Express

"The follow up to The Loney deploys myth, landscape and the tropes of horror to chilling effect." FT

"Andrew Michael Hurley's The Loney was one of the surprise stand-outs of last year, and a worthy winner of the Costa First Novel Award. His new novel, Devil's Day is equally good . . . it is a work of goose-flesh eeriness . . . Hurley's work is like a reincarnation of novels such as John Buchan's Witch Wood or the stories of M.R. James. His prose is precise and his eye gimlet." The Spectator

"A master of flesh-creeping menace. Around macabre happenings in a remote farming community on the bleak moors of the Lancashire-Yorkshire border, he weaves a terror tale of human vulnerability. Hidden horrors surface. Eerie malevolence flickers. Nature's routine cruelties are caught with a fierce accuracy that Ted Hughes would have admired." Sunday Times, Books of the Year

"Andrew Michael Hurley is adept at making his readers' spines tingle." The Times, Books of the Year

 

171. MIRROR DEAD, by Magda McQueen, 1st September 2017. 254 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI Antony Rowe Ltd in blue cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-94-3.

Reviews:

'Mordantly amusing ... Readers fond of dark fantasy with a light touch will be rewarded.' Publishers Weekly

'I thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end.' Peter Tennant at Black Static

'This is a book that I am going to immediately read again, and there have only been a handful of those in my entire life. Part ghost story, part horror, a dash of love story, this book is an intensely modern examination of the psyche but without ever being pretentious. Written with a deliciously dark humour that keeps the story rolling along, this book is a rare treasure. McQueen is definitely an author to watch out for, I can’t wait to see what she’ll write next.' The Wyrd

'...The book is not really a ghost story in the traditional sense, but it is a superb tale of possession. It certainly belongs in the supernatural category, but its complex psychology goes well beyond any easy classification. Put simply, this is by far the best written modern horror story I have yet experienced.' Nigel Robert Wilson, British Fantasy Society

'A great piece of paranormal writing that will keep you guessing right up to the end. Highly recommended.' Druid Life

'Magda McQueen has written a startling debut.' Russell C.J. Duffy

 

170a. A COUNTRY STILL ALL MYSTERY, by Mark Valentine, 9th August 2017. 306 + xii pages. £40.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI Antony Rowe Ltd in blue cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 41 black and white photographs. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-95-0.

Contains: ‘Introduction', '"A Country Still All Mystery": Machen, Sarban and Otherworldly Landscapes', '"An Atlas of Unknown Worlds": Mary Butts, John Metcalfe and Stories of Strange Regions', '"A Landscape of the End of the World": The Supernatural Terrain of Francis and Eric Brett Young', 'Borderland Mysteries: The Thrillers of R.C. Ashby', 'The Islands Beyond: The Books of Robert Atkinson', 'Half- Seen Shadows: C.R.J. Carstairs and the Great', 'Crying For Elysium: The Pagan Fantasies of Forrest Reid', 'Courted by an Orchid: The Mystical Fantasies of Ronald Fraser', 'The Singer of Samarkand: James Elroy Flecker', 'The Third Alias: A T.E. Lawrence Mystery', 'The Roads to Shangri-La: James Hilton and the Mysteries of the East', 'The Ceremony at Arnsburg: Playing the Glass Bead Game', 'In an Unresting Land: Randolph Stow’s The Girl Green as Elderflower', 'Towards Tir-Nan-Og: Lord Dunsany’s The Curse of the Wise Woman', 'The Last Wolf in England', 'Beyond the Boundaries: Extra-Parochial Districts', 'The Wind in Their Faces: The After-Life of Becket’s Assassins', 'Inheritance of Shadows: John Meade Falkner’s Other Novels', 'Written in Smoke: Oliver Onions’ The Hand of Kornelius Voyt', 'Against the Abyss: Carnacki the Ghost-Finder', 'Gentleman Renegade: A.J. Raffles, Cricketer and Crook', 'Teaching Yourself to Think: Eric Ambler’s Spy Stories', 'Holy Treasures: Three Arthur Machen Mysteries', '‘This Cackling Old Gander’: The New Age and Arthur Machen', 'Gentle Mephistopheles: The Fiction of Frank Baker', 'Cope & Fenwick: A Reminiscence, and a Checklist', 'The Amber Chapel', 'The Original Tower of Moab', '"Who Could Damn Hardest": A Muggletonian Influence upon "Casting the Runes"?', 'The English Catalogue', 'Acknowledgements'.

Reprinted:

170b. 29th August 2018. Paperback

Reviews:

'Mark's easy, elegant and erudite style, and his vast knowledge of books, places, forgotten legends and folklore, ensure that every single essay is an enjoyable read.' Rosemary Pardoe, the Ghost and Scholars Newsletter 32

"The four collections of essays by Mark Valentine published by Tartarus Press in Yorkshire contain some of the best writing on books of the last twenty years. It is unsurprising that his name is not cited alongside Basbanes, Dirda or Gekoski, for Valentine’s chosen subject is, more often than not, the rediscovery of a neglected author or lighting a candle at the shrine of an author who had no wide audience in life." Peter Cooper, The Book Collector, Summer 2022

'A Country Still All Mystery is a delightful and fascinating collection of essays about books, landscapes, writers, publishers, and the pleasures derived therefrom. Mark Valentine introduces us to his passion for old books, and recounts some of the pleasurable zig-zags this has sent him on. Readers of Machen and Hodgson will find much of interest in each article.' Jay Rothermel, Easily Distracted

'A hugely recommended read for anyone with an interest in the roads less travelled and in the words spoken with a quieter resonance." Wyrd Britain

 

169. SEVEN STRANGE STORIES, by Rebecca Lloyd. 24th May 2017. 245 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI Antony Rowe Ltd in blue cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-96-7.

Contains: ‘The Monster Orgorp’, ‘Jack Werrett, the Flood Man’, ‘Christy’, ‘The Pantun Burden’, ‘Again’, ‘Little Black Eyes and Tiny Hands’, ‘Where’s the Harm?’.

Reviews:

"An exquisite collection of macabre tales..." which "...will appeal to readers who like stories that are subtle as well as strange." Publishers Weekly

"... a very strong collection, one that adds new ideas to the genre of the weird, while at the same time recognising the debt to all those who have gone before. Lloyd is shaping up to be a major talent, one with a unique vision and compelling style." Peter Tennant in Black Static 62

"Contains some unforgettable classics of the 'strange stories' genre." D.F. Lewis

'Where's the Harm' has been chosen by Ellen Datlow for her Best Horror of the Year Volume 10.

 

WORMWOOD, Issue 28, Edited by Mark Valentine, 9th May 2017. 88 pages. £9.99. 400 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by CPI/Anony Rowe.

Contains: 'Among the Toiling Masses: On Robert Aickman’s "Meeting Mr Millar"’ by Philip Challinor, 'Herbert Moore Pim: Hibernian Hierophant, Chameleon of Identity, Sorcerous Scribbler' by Adam Daly, 'Incurable: Lionel Johnson: The Disconsolate Decadent, Part 1' by Nina Antonia, 'Kipling’s Fancy: "Wireless" Communication and Cross Correspondences, by Jacob Huntley, 'The Fairy Suffragettes: Evelyn Sharp, Bessie Hatton and Mary de Morgan' by Mark Andresen, 'Devil’s Tor: A Voyage from Arcturus' by Robert Eldridge, 'The Eternal Feminine: David Lindsay’s Fixation as Developed in Devil’s Tor' by Thomas Kent Miller, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson, 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard.

 

168. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ARTHUR MACHEN, by Arthur Machen. 24th March 2017. 309 + xii pages. £40.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI Antony Rowe Ltd in pictorial cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. Four colour plates on art paper. 350 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-92-9.

Contains: ‘Introduction' by Stewart Lee, ‘Far-Off Things, ‘Things Near and Far’.

Recommended by Michael Dirda in the Washington Post.

 

167a. HOLIDAYS FROM HELL, by Reggie Oliver, 26th January, 2017. 310 pages. £40.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJ International in blue cloth stamped in gilt, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 500 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-91-2.

Contains: ‘Introduction' by Robert Shearman, ‘Holiday from Hell, ‘The Silken Drum’, ‘The Green Hour’, ‘The Perfect Author’, ‘Absalom’, ‘The Druid’s Rest’, ‘The Rooms are High’, ‘The Prince of Darkness’, ‘The Book and the Ring’, ‘The Maze at Huntsmere’, ‘Trouble at Botathan’, ‘A Day with the Delusionists’, ‘Rapture’, ‘Love at Second Sight’, ‘Afterword’.

Reprinted:

167b. 25th May 2018. Paperback.

Reviews:

"Each of the 14 stories in Oliver’s seventh collection (after Flowers of the Sea) is a gem of subtly evoked horrors whose climaxes are skillfully understated but still effectively chilling." from a "starred" review in Publishers Weekly

"Oliver is the leading contemporary exponent of the antiquarian ghost story as established by M.R. James." Locus

"Oliver also provides neat and evocative line drawings as illustrations at the start of each story, making this an all-round, very attractive package." Peter Tennant, Black Static 62

"...a wonderful, enticing collection of great stories, apt to prove once again what an incredibly deep pleasure reading can be." Mario Guuslandi, British Fantasy Society

 

2016:

 

166a. THIS SPECTACULAR DARKNESS, by Joel Lane, edited by Mark Valentine and John Howard, 1st December, 2016. 338 + x pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJ International in black cloth stamped in silver, gilt, copper and metallic red, with frontispiece portrait, ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-90-5.

Contains: 'Foreword’ by Mark Valentine, ‘Acknowledgements’, Critical Essays for Wormwood by Joel Lane: ‘The Dark Houses of Cornell Woolrich’, ‘The October Revolution: Ray Bradbury’s Existential Paradigm for the Horror Genre’, ‘The Territory of the Others: The Dark Fiction of Theodore Sturgeon’, ‘No Secret Place: The Haunted Cities of Fritz Leiber’, ‘Ruins of Time: The Mortal Terrors of Harlan Ellison’, ‘The Ruins of Reality: Thomas Ligotti and the Uses of Disenchantment’, ‘World Gone Wrong: H.P. Lovecraft’s Mythology of Loss’, ‘Forever Always Ends: Robert Aickman’s Visions of Afterlife’. Other Critical Essays by Joel Lane: ‘Strange Eons and the Cthulhu Mythos’, ‘Negatives in Print: The Early Novels of Ramsey Campbell’, ‘Beyond the Light: The Recent Novels of Ramsey Campbell’, ‘Writers in the James Tradition: Ramsey Campbell’, ‘The Double Edge: Robert Aickman’s Supernatural Stories’, ‘The Master of Masks’, ‘A Dream by the Old Canal’, ‘Hell is Other People: Robert Bloch and the Pathologies of the Family’. Appreciations of the Writings of Joel Lane: ‘Mapping the Territory: Joel Lane’s Essays’, by John Howard, ‘The Paper Ghosts: Reflections on Five Early Stories’, by Mark Valentine, ‘“Where the Gods are Rotting”: The Poetry of Joel Lane’, by Mat Joiner, ‘Socialism or Barbarism: Joel Lane’s Blue Trilogy and the poetry of the lost’, by Nina Allan. ‘Publication History.’

Reprinted:

166b. September 2018. Paperback.

Reviews:

'Joel Lane...was an exceptionally astute and sympathetic critic of supernatural horror' and 'Lane is particularly good on the modernist horror of Fritz Leiber, with its distinctive feel for the urban environment', also 'For Lane, worthwhile supernatural horror is always about something more: a displacement and distillation that crystallizes human situations in a moment of of metaphorical truth'. Phil Baker, Times Literary Supplement

'A fitting tribute to Joel, whose life was cut too short.' Rosemary Pardoe, Ghosts and Scholars, 31

'This is an excellent non-fiction book and deserves a place on the shelf of any serious scholar of the genre.' British Fantasy Society

'Joel Lane's perspective is insightful and intelligent, but never dull or overly academic, never afraid to introduce an element of humour even at his own expense. This Spectacular Darkness is the work of somebody who was passionate about the horror genre and its often untapped potential to throw light on the human condition, to help us make sense of our lives even as they feel ever more meaningless. In the present moment it often seems that rational and compassionate voices like that of Joel Lane are sadly absent from our dialogues at a time when we need them most.' Peter Tennant at Black Static

 

WORMWOOD, Issue 27, Edited by Mark Valentine, 10th November, 2016. 90 pages. £9.99. 400 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by TJ International.

Contains: 'The Dystopian Bones of Peake’s Castle Gormenghast' by James Butler, 'Lords of All Power: The Apocalyptic Science Fiction Novels of Robert Hugh Benson: Part 2' by John Howard, ' "A Death Most Peculiar and Sad": LeeRoy J. Tappan and the Omar Khayyam Cult' by Gavin Callaghan, 'Amyas Northcote’s Ghostly Companies' by Mike Barrett, 'Worlds: The Life and Theurgic Artistry of Andrei Bely' by Avalon Brantley, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson, 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard.

 

165. THE GIRL WITH THE PEACOCK HARP, by Michael Eisele, 21st October 2016. 268 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by CPI/Antony Rowe Ltd in burgundy cloth, printed, stamped in gilt and silver, with ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-89-9.

Contains: ‘An Old Tale’, ‘The Beginning’, ‘The Music’, ‘The Lighthouse’, ‘The Eyes’, ‘What Dreams May Come’, ‘Gloria and the Selchie’, ‘Frogs’, ‘Milosh’, ‘Sanity’, ‘Kelpie’, ‘Monkey’, ‘The Girl with the Peacock Harp’, ‘The Change’, ‘Rolf’.

Reviews:

"Eisele demonstrates uncommon skill at exposing the hearts and minds of his characters and giving their conflicts an emotional immediacy, no matter how weird their circumstances." Publishers Weekly

"I think this book will appeal to anyone who enjoys richly-imagined, intelligent fiction. They are not easy to classify, and certainly don't qualify as horror or ghost stories per se. Instead they occupy a fascinating region where myth and legend overlap with the fears and crises of all-too-real world." David longhorn, Supernatural Tales

Also included in Michael Dirda's Holiday Book Picks at the Washington Post.

"These two collections [Tree Spirit and The Girl with the Peacock Harp] contain stories that are polished, quirky and eccentric; that won’t quite fit into any genre straitjacket but instead entertain and enthral in part by virtue of their protean nature." Peter Tennant, Black Static

 

164. GREEN THOUGHTS AND OTHER STORIES, by John Collier, 15th September, 2016. 293 + ix pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJ International in green cloth  stamped in blind, gilt and silver, with ribbon marker and head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-87-5.

Contains: 'Introduction', 'Man Overboard', 'Green Thoughts', 'Special Delivery', 'Thus I Refute Beelzy', 'Evening Primrose', 'Witch’s Money', 'Are You Too Late or Was I Too Early', 'De Mortuis', 'Fallen Star', 'Pictures in the Fire', 'Wet Saturday', 'The Lady on the Grey', 'Old Acquaintance', 'The Devil, George, and Rosie', 'Ah, the University!', ''Midnight Blue', 'Gavin O’Leary', 'Little Memento', 'The Steel Cat', 'Sleeping Beauty', 'In the Cards','The Invisible Dove Dancer of Strathpheen Island', 'Spring Fever', 'Youth from Vienna', 'A Matter of Taste', 'A Dog’s a Dog'.

Reviews:

"A handsome hardback brimming with his unique, wicked, dandyish style." Tim Martin, Daily Telegraph

"...an attractive showcase of a talented writer’s fiction ... likely to resuscitate the author’s reputation and elicit new interest in his work." Mario Guslandi, Nudge

 

163a. THE HIDDEN BACK ROOM, by Jake Wyckoff, 14th July, 2016,306 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJ International in dark grey cloth with affixed vignette photograph by David Baker, with ribbon marker, head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-85-1

Contains: ‘The Hidden Back Room’, ‘Tanoroar’, ‘Gut Punch’, ‘On Balance’, ‘The Rain-Dirty Valley’, ‘The Homunculus in the Curio’, ‘A Blood Without Blood’, ‘The Dreams of Pale Night’, ‘The House on North Congress Street’, ‘Details’, ‘Comfortidor’, ‘In the Library’, ‘Les Ombres Chinoises’, ‘Stronger Than All Storms’.

Reprinted:

163b. May 2020.

Reviews:

"Wyckoff creates characters with whom the reader can easily identify, and that makes their dramas seem all the more disturbing when events move them into the more shadowed recesses of personal experience. His stories abound with surprises that even diehard readers of weird fiction are not likely to anticipate." Publishers Weekly

"Wyckoff is an original talent, but also one who seems very much plugged into the weird/horror genre, so that you can see how his work intersects with so much of what has gone before." Peter Tennant at Black Static

"Wykoff’s stories are elegantly crafted, aesthetically pleasing." This is Horror

"Recommended." Teleread

"Readers who enjoy a good dose of terror mixed with their reality will want to book The Hidden Back Room." Rick Kleffel, Narrative Species

"Each story and novelette is superbly written. Wyckoff is a brilliant writer." Aurealis #134

 

WORMWOOD, Issue 26, Edited by Mark Valentine, 19th May, 2016. 90 pages. £9.99. 400 copies. Paperback journal printed on cream bookwove paper, and bound by TJ International.

Contains: 'Inner Rooms: A Weird, Ecstatic Cosmology', by Daniel Watt, 'The Strange and the Supernatural in the Short Stories of Rudyard Kipling', by Colin Insole, 'Lords of All Power: The Apocalyptic Science Fiction Novels of Robert Hugh Benson: Part 1', by John Howard, 'A Weekend with a Latterday Henry Ryecroft: Roger Dobson and the Lost Club’s Last Literary Expedition', by Mark Samuels, 'D.K. Broster: Short Voyages through Dark Waters', by Mike Barrett, 'Reality within "Supernatural" Tales', by John Gaskin, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson, 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard.

 

162a. ARTHUR MACHEN'S 1890s NOTEBOOK, edited by The Friends of Arthur Machen, published May, 2016, 347+viii pages. Available to members of The Friends of Arthur Machen. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJ International in pictorial cloth, with head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-83-7.

Reprinted:

163b. 1st May, 2018. Paperback.

 

161a. MULADONA, by Eric Stener Carlson, published 18th April, 2016, 290 pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJ International in pictorial cloth, with head and tailbands. 350 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-84-4.

Reprinted:

161b. January 2020. Paperback.

Reviews:

'Carlson makes Vergil's increasing sense of helplessness as each is told seem palpable and believable. This book will appeal to readers who believe that childhood fears are often the most potent.' Publishers Weekly

'I really liked this book. It took on the tropes of horror and folklore and used them to throw light on very real and human evil.' Tennant at Black Static

'Muladona’s story-within-a-framework structure recalls the Decameron of Boccaccio, though the dark tone is more remi­niscent of Dante. It’s a dense tangle of cruelty, anguish, intrigue and history run riot that would be worthy of Borges himself.' Whistlingshade

'Muladona is original, fresh, and above all, it is a thinking person's horror novel ... well thought out and intelligently written ... Highly, highly recommended for readers who enjoy the work of excellent writers and for people who like their horror novels more on the cerebral side.  This is a good one, folks.' Oddly Weird Fiction

'Carlson captures the terror of an almost-remembered nightmare, juxtaposing the familiar and the strange with ease.' Rick Kleffel at KQED

'...a brilliant work of American Gothic supernatural horror.' David Longhorn, Supernatural Tales

 

160. THE COSY ROOM AND OTHER STORIES, by Arthur Machen, with an Introduction by James Machin, published 16th February, 2016, 189 + xviii pages. £35.00. Sewn signatures, printed on 110gsm acid-free paper, and bound by TJ International in pictorial cloth, with head and tailbands. 300 copies. ISBN 978-1-905784-81-3. Contains: ‘Introduction’ by James Machin, ‘The Double Return’, ‘A Wonderful Woman’, ‘The Lost Club’, ‘The Holy Things’, ‘Psychology’, ‘Torture’, ‘Witchcraft’, ‘The Turanians’, ‘The Rose Garden’, ‘The Ceremony’, ‘Midsummer’, ‘Nature’, ‘The Hidden Mystery’, ‘Munitions of War’, ‘Drake’s Drum’, ‘A New Christmas Carol’, ‘The Islington Mystery’, ‘The Gift of Tongues’, ‘The Cosy Room’, ‘Awaking’, ‘Opening the Door’, ‘The Compliments of the Season’, ‘N’

 

159a. MASQUES OF SATAN, by Reggie Oliver, 15th February, 2016. Paperback reprint, 322 pages. £14.95. ISBN 978-1-905784-80-6

Contains: 'Introductory', 'The Man in the Grey Bedroom', 'Grab a Granny Night', 'The Children of Monte Rosa', 'Mr Poo-Poo', 'The Silver Cord', 'The Road from Damascus', 'Mmm-Delicious', 'Puss-Cat', 'The Old Silence', 'Music by Moonlight', 'Blind Man’s Box', 'Shades of the Prison House, a novella', 'The End of History'.

Reprinted:

159b. February 2024

 

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