Old News

 

Click here to go to the current news page

 

 

21st May 2021

Occult Territory paperback

Occult Territory: An Arthur Machen Gazetteer by R.B. Russell has now been reprinted in paperback. The first edition was featured in the Times Literary Supplement.

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

'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

***

 

20th May 2021

Out of print

We regret to announce that Tree Spirit and Other Strange Tales by Michael Eisele and House of the Flight-helpers by Philomena van Rijswijk are now out of print as limited edition hardbacks.

***

 

17th November 2021:

Locus review for The Tallow-Wife

Paula Guran reviews The Tallow-Wife and Other Tales by Angela Slat­ter in the online edition of Locus:

"Each story stands alone, a gleaming gem to enjoy individually, but they also fit together to become an even richer treasure"

***

 

16th May 2021:

Waiting for the End of the World and Through the Storm

Copies of Waiting for the End of the World by R.B. Russell and Through the Storm by Rosalie Parker, both published by PS Publishing, are available through our website.

***

 

13th May 2021:

Two reviews to brighten the day

Sphinxes and Obelisks by Mark Valentine is discussed at length by Michael Dirda in The Washington Post. He writes that Valentine is ...

   "... an exceptionally genial excavator of half-forgotten and eccentric books."

and

Ezra Slef by Andrew Komarnyckyj gets a great review at Whispering Stories, who write...

   "The book is a delight."

***

 

6th May 2021:

New Review

A great new review for The Way Things End by Charles David at the BFS website. "As a debut novel, this is excellent."

***

 

26th April 2021:

Low Stock

We are now low in stock of the following books:

Tree Spirit and Other Strange Tales by Michael Eisele

House of the Flight-helpers by Philomena van Rijswijk

 

And we are out of print of

Strange Tales III edited by Rosalie Parker

The Girl With the Peacock Harp by Michael Eisele

Occult Territory: An Arthur Machen Gazetteer by R.B. Russell

***

 

17th April 2021:

The Tallow Wife and Other Tales reviewed

Angela Slatter's The Tallow Wife and Other Tales is reviewed by Mario Guslandi at Black Gate: "Wonderful prose and ... enticing narrative style, where words are musical notes and the stories are symphonies"

***

 

12th April 2021:

New Mark Valentine essays collection

A new collection of mainly bookish essays by Mark Valentine, Sphinxes and Obelisks, will be available on 15th April, 2021.

***

 

11th April 2021

The New Inn Hall Deception reprinted

The New Inn Hall Deception by John Gaskin is available again as a paperback, direct from Tartarus Press, or through Amazon.

 

7th April 2020:

Washington Post review

Michael Dirda writes today in The Washington Post of Ezra Slef by Andrew Komarnyckyj, "It’s a joyful book, packed with surprises."

***

 

1st April 2021:

Locus review

Angela Slatter's new collection of short stories, The Tallow-Wife and Other Tales has been reviewed by Paula Guran in Locus:

"Angela Slatter is a dark enchantress and her exquisite stories are likely to steal your soul (or at least your enthralled attention). The Tallow-Wife and Other Tales will also compel you to read or re-read the previous entries in this fantastic mythos."

***

 

25th March 2021:

Ezra Slef recommended

Ezra Slef: The Next Nobel Laureate in Literature by Andrew Komarnyckyj is recommended by Paul Brazil: "A cracking read and highly recommended."

***

 

24th March 2021:

Out of print

The Hidden Back Room by Jason A. Wyckoff is now out out of print as a limited edition hardback, but is still available as a paperback and ebook.

***

 

15th March 2021:

Bloody Baudelaire

Bloody Baudelaire by R.B. Russell is now available as a paperback, as well as an ebook.

 

***

14th March 2021:

Low Stock and Out of Print

We are now low in stock of:

The Girl With the Peacock by Michael Eisele

The Hidden Back Room (hardback) by Jason A. Wyckoff

 

We have now sold out of:

The New Inn Hall Deception by John Gaskin

The Buckross Ring by L.A.G. Strong

***

 

9th March 2021:

The Tallow-Wife

Anglea Slatter's The Tallow-Wife receives a great review in Aurealis #136: "The Tallow-Wife and Other Tales is a deliciously sophisticated and layered collection."

***

 

8th March 2021:

The House of Souls

We have reprinted Arthur Machen's classic collection of supernatural, horror and mystical tales, The House of Souls.

***

 

5th March 2021:

The Collected Connoisseur

The Collected Connoisseur has been reviewed at Oddly Weird Fiction, where they conclude:

"I am also in complete awe of Valentine and Howard's visionary writing here and elsewhere. Every reader of the weird, the fantastical, and of the occult should have The Collected Connoisseur sitting on his or her shelves.  No collection would be complete without it. "

***

 

1st march 2021:

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly have given The Tallow-Wife by Angela Slatter a very good review:

"Slatter’s characters and settings are so richly described that the pages feel akin to paintings on a canvas. Accompanied by lovely illustrations by Jennings, this is an exciting, intelligent must-read."

***

 

1st March 2021:

Out of Print

Please note that The Cosy Room is now out of print as a limited edition hardback. It remains available as an ebook.

 

27th February 2021:

European customers, please note that customs fees may now be chargeable on some books. We are very sorry, but this is out of our control, and you should make allowances for this possibility when placing orders. We are no longer able to sell through Amazon in Europe.

***

 

9th January 2021:

The Tallow-Wife

We are delighted to announce the first publication of Angela Slatter's new collection of short stories, The Tallow-Wife and Other Tales, illustrated by Kathleen Jennings, and with an Introduction by Helen Marshall. It will be published 18th February 2021.

Each limited edition hardback copy comes with a postcard signed by the author.

***

 

27th January 2021:

More great reviews

More great reviews for Ezra Slef: The Next Nobel Laureate in Literature by Andrew Komarnyckyj:

"An outstanding read." Rae's Reading Lounge

"A landmark read."  Des Lewis

***

 

19th January 2021:

Ezra Slef recommendations

Ezra Slef: The Next Nobel Laureate in Literature by Andrew Komarnyckyj was recommended by the author and critic John Llewellyn Probert on social media yesterday:

"Tartarus Press is well known for producing beautiful books of top quality, often slightly strange, literature & our shelves here are emblazoned with patches of bright yellow from their spines. I can honestly say, however, that I don't think I've ever quite as much fun reading one of their books as I have with this, their latest novel."

 

This was followed today by a wonderful review in the Manchester Review of Books, which sums up by calling it:

"This is a damn fine novel."

***

 

15th January 2021:

Sample Ezra Slef available

Read the opening of Ezra Slef at minor literature[s]

Alternatively, an excerpt is available here as a pdf

***

 

11th January 2021:

First publication of 2021

We are delighted to announce the publication, on 14th January, of Ezra Slef: The Next Nobel Laureate in Literature by Andrew Komarnyckyj. This great new novel introduces Humbert Botekin, writing the definitive biography of renowned author, Ezra Slef. But when the self-absorbed Botekin fails to notice he may have made a pact with the devil, his world collapses around him...

***

 

7th January 2021:

Out of print

We regret to report that Petals and Violins by D.P. Watt,  The Autobiography of Arthur Machen, and Strange Tales II are now all out of print as a limited edition hardbacks. They are still available as as ebooks.

***

 

1st January 2021:

Happy New Year!

We are pleased to announce that Past Lives of Old Books is now available as a paperback.

***

 

10th December 2020:

The Nightfarers

Mark Valentine's short story collection The Nightfarers has been very positively reviewed at Wyrd Britain, who conclude:

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

***

 

4th December 2020:

Out of Print

Mirror Dead by Magda McQueen is now out of print.

***

 

2nd December 2020:

Oddly Weird Fiction

A great review of Mark Valentine's The Nightfarers has been published at the Oddly Weird Fiction blog: "The Nightfarers is an exquisite collection of stories from a writer of incredible genius and talent."

***

 

26th November 2020:

Out of Print

Strange Tales: Tartarus Press at 30, edited by Rosalie Parker, is now out of print as a hardback limited edition. It remains available as an ebook.

***

 

24th November 2020:

Out of Print

We regret to announce that Past Lives of Old Books by R.B. Russell is now out of print. It remains available as an ebook, and we intend to reprint as a paperback in due course.

***

 

23rd November 2020:

Arthur Machen back in print

We have now brought back into print The Secret Glory by Arthur Machen.

***

 

23rd November 2020:

New Review

Strange Tales: Tartarus Press at 30 has been reviewed by Mario Guslandi at the British Fantasy Society website:

"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."

***

 

22nd November 2020:

Low Stock

We have added to our Low Stock Page:

Past Lives of Old Books by R.B. Russell

Mirror Dead by Magda McQueen

***

 

30th October 2020:

Go Back At Once

We are delighted to announce the first ever publication of Robert Aickman's novel Go Back At Once on 5th November 2020. It is a limited edition hardback, uniform with our other Robert Aickman editions.

***

 

30th October 2020:

Wormwood 35

Wormwood 35 will be published 5th November 2020. The new issue includes Jane Jakeman on Melmoth the Wanderer, Colin Insole on The Blind Owl, Thomas Kent Miller on Shaka Zulu, Peter Bell on C.C. Vyvyan, John Howard on Visa for Avalon, and reviews by Reggie Oliver and John Howard

***

 

28th October 2020:

The Washington Post

Strange Tales: Tartarus Press at 30  is featured in Michael Dirda's Halloween choices in The Washington Post.

***

 

27th October 2020:

A 'starred' review

The Way Things End by Charles David has received a 'starred' review at Publishers Weekly. "This unsettling horror novel is a must for David Lynch fans."

***

 

23rd October 2020:

Out of Print

We are sorry to report as out of print as limited edition hardbacks, Orpheus on the Underground by Rhys Hughes, and Pauliska, or, Modern Perversity by Jacques-Antoine Révéroni, baron de Saint-Cyr.

***

 

14th October 2020:

One Morning

A great review of One Morning by Jessica Hagy can be found at Narrative Species, written by Rick Kleffel (with an accompanying conversation). He writes that One Morning is "... 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."

***

 

13th October 2020:

Out of print

We are sorry to report that Dark World edited by Timothy Parker Russell is now out of print as a paperback. It is still available as an ebook.

***

 

12th October 2020:

Out of print

We are sorry to report that Strange Tales IV is now out of print and unavailable

***

 

9th October 2020:

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly have given a very good review to Strange Tales: Tartarus Press at 30. "These formally beautiful stories showcase the best of Tartarus Press and are ones to savor.".

***

 

9th October 2020:

Out of Print

We are sorry to report that The London Adventure by Arthur Machen is now out of print as a limited edition hardback. It remains available as an ebook.

***

 

5th October 2020:

Low stock

A few more books are low in stock and may well sell out before Christmas (these things are difficult to judge), including

The London Adventure by Arthur Machen

Orpheus on the Underground by Rhys Hughes

Pauliska, or, Modern Perversity by Jacques-Antoine Révéroni, baron de Saint-Cyr

Dark World edited by Tim Parker Russell

***

 

4th October 2020:

Out of Print

Glen Cavaliero's Justice of the Night

***

 

13th September 2020:

Publishers Weekly reviews

Publishers Weekly have published very positive reviews of two recent Tartarus Press books. First, Petals and Violins by D.P. Watt:

"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)

And also, Past Lives of Old Books, by R.B. Russell:

"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)

***

 

12th September 2020:

Out of print

We regret to announce that The Collected Macabre Stories of L.P. Hartley is now out of print.

***

 

11th September 2020:

Tartarus Press is 30!

Tartarus Press is 30, and to celebrate we have published a new anthology of contemporary fiction, Strange Tales: Tartarus Press at 30. It contains stories by many authors we have published over the years, and some new writers. All copies are signed by Rosalie Parker and Ray Russell.

***

 

10th September 2020:

Phantom Cities by The Sodality of the Shadows

Phantom Cities is an album of music inspired by the secret society formed by Arthur Machen and A.E. Waite in the early twentieth century. The Sodality of the Shadows is a collaboration between R.B. Russell, Rosalie Parker, Mark Valentine, Cousin Silas and Jon Mueller.

This long-paying vinyl record and CD is now available direct from Tartarus Press. However, to download the album, do go to Bandcamp.

***

 

9th September 2020:

Out of print

We regret to report that we have now sold out of The Macabre Stories of Edgar Allan Poe. (It is still available as an ebook.) We are now very low on copies of L.P. Hartley's The Collected Macabre Stories (second printing).

Now added to our Low Stock page are L.A.G. Strong's The Buckross Ring, as well as Strange Tales V, Strange Tales IV, Strange Tales III and Strange Tales II.

 

***

 

3rd September 2020:

Aurealis Reviews

Aurealis magazine, issue 134 has reviewed four Tartarus Press books:

 

One Morning by Jessica Hagy: "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."

 

Darkscapes, by Anne-Sylvie Salzman: "Darkscapes lives up to its name. Gothic, horrific, bordering on the twilight realm between nightmare and reality, the writing shares some style with classic writers like Edgar Allan Poe. . . . Salzman has terrifyingly beautiful prose. . . ."

 

The Hidden Back Room by Jake Wyckoff: "Each story and novelette is superbly written. Wyckoff is a brilliant writer."

***

 

18th August 2020:

One Morning review

Publishers Weekly has published a great review of One Morning by Jessica Hagy: "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."

***

 

9th August 2020:

Unholy Tales review

A fine new review for Unholy Tales by Tod Robbins ends: "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

***

 

7th August 2020:

Mark Valentine

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new, augmented edition of The Nightfarers by Mark Valentine. In The Nightfarers, you will discover the secret of a remote Lincolnshire island, visit the last official of a seventeenth century company of explorers, and watch for the light from a Moorish heliograph tower. You’ll encounter a book that speaks for itself, books that aren’t quite books, and a rare book that really draws you in. There’s also the reincarnation of a decadent occult detective and another, reluctant sleuth who investigates an unusual printing press. Other stories are set in the afterglow of old Empires in interwar Europe, in the same milieu as the author’s work in Secret Europe and Inner Europe (shared volumes with John Howard). They depict apocalyptic dawns, strange faiths, the stare of stone masks, a Prague actuary, an astrologer in Trieste, a scholar of lost languages.

   This new edition of The Nightfarers, the first for over ten years, includes twelve of the original stories and adds two more from the same period.

***

 

3rd August 2020:

Free postage/shipping again!

After further research we are returning to our policy of offering free shipping on all our books, worldwide. We will be using a variety of postal services/couriers including the Royal Mail, Fedex and UPS depending on the weight of parcel and destination. Some international destinations are very slow due to the current pandemic, and we are advised that shipping to Canada is extra slow.

If you would like guaranteed delivery dates and tracking, this can be arranged at an extra charge.

We would like to thank everybody for their continued support in these challenging times!

***

 

28th July 2020:

A new Londonia review

"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 on Londonia.

***

 

23rd July 2020:

Unholy Tales

Oddly Weird Fiction give an enthusiastic review to Unholy Tales by Tod Robbins: "I am certainly recommending Unholy Tales to anyone who will listen. Deliciously twisted writer indeed, and I can't get enough."

***

 

19th July 2020

Podcast

Recommended listening--The Sherds Podcast #31 The Child Cephalina: An Interview with Rebecca Lloyd.

***

 

16th July 2020:

Publishers Weekly Review

Publishers Weekly have given Londonia by Kate A. Hardy a great review: "Enchanting . . . Hardy’s almost hopeful view of the world’s inevitably chaotic future lifts this entertaining and well-told tale."

***

 

10th July 2020:

Free pdf

Read the first chapter of One Morning by Jessica Hagy here.

***

 

8th July 2020:

Postage adjustments

Looking further into recent increases into postage costs, it appears that we will still be able to send books to European customers post free, after all. We have updated the Paypal buttons accordingly.

***

 

6th July 2020:

One Morning!

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new novel, One Morning, by Jessica Hagy. This enjoyable, intriguing and clever Gothic tale takes place over twelve hours, moving in real time as the characters’ lives intertwine, their fates soaked in and stained by the polluted waters of the long-abandoned coal mines that crumble below their town.

    It is a smaller format book than usual, similar to the first printings of The White Hands and Dear Dead Women.

    Recommended reading!

***

 

4th July 2020:

Postage prices

After thirty years of offering free postage to all of our customers, we are sorry to report that we will now have to start charging overseas customers. Unfortunately, our costs for posting overseas have effectively doubled due to the current world situation

    Inland, UK customers are still able to benefit from free postage.

***

 

2nd July 2020:

No review

Thank you to Michael Dirda, who can't review Past Lives of Old Books by R.B. Russell because he is a co-dedicatee, but who gives it a very nice mention in the Washington Post today, calling the book 'highly engaging'.

***

 

8th June 2020:

Paperback editions

We have recently made available in new paperback editions the following books:

A Wild Tumultory Library by Mark Valentine

Inner Europe by John Howard and Mark Valentine

Leave Your Sleep by R.B. Russell

Sylvia Townsend Warner: A Bibliography, by R.B. Russell and J. Lawrence Mitchell

***

 

3rd June 2020:

Londonia Review

Londonia by Kate A. Hardy has had a great review in Psychologies magazine: "Fantastical yet believable, it also shares hopeful messages for the future about how we can live more simply and create less waste – repurposing and reusing, growing food and foraging; less immersed in screens, and more connected to ourselves, each other and nature."

***

 

19th May 2020:

New publication

We are pleased to announce the publication of Past Lives of Old Books, essays by R.B. Russell. This new volume collects thirty-six essays, mainly on books and writers.

***

 

8th May 2020:

New York Review of Books

Michael Dirda has written a very fine article on Arthur Machen in the New York Review, in which he describes Occult Territory as '...a delightful pictorial scrapbook', and he recommends our Youtube series of videos on collecting Machen.

***

 

7th May 2020:

Out of Print

We are sorry to report that the following books are now out of print as limited edition hardback books:

Mark Valentine: A Wild Tumultory Library

Howard and Valentine: Inner Europe

Arthur Machen: The Children of the Pool

W.F. Harvey: The Double Eye

***

 

4th May 2020:

Wormwood 34

Wormwood 34 is now available. It contains Geoff Dibb on Oscar Wilde and ‘Mr W.H.’, J Cruikshank on Peter Van Greenaway, Karen Kohoutek on Strindberg’s ‘Inferno’, Iain Smith on William Croft Dickinson and John Howard on two time-slip novels, as well as the usual review columns by Reggie Oliver and John Howard.

***

 

3rd May 2020:

More Londonia reviews

More great reviews for Londonia by Kate A. Hardy:

 "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

***

 

2nd May 2020:

LOCUS review

A brilliant review of Londonia by Kate A.Hardy, from Paula Guran in the new Locus magazine:

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

***

 

27th April 2020:

Londonia

Londonia by Kate A. Hardy has received a great review in Kindred Spirit magazine:

"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."

***

 

24th April 2020:

Wyrd Britain

Wyrd Britain has given A Wild Tumultory Library by Mark Valentine a very good review, writing: "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."

***

 

21st April 2020:

A new video for bibliophiles

Ray Russell has uploaded to youtube a new video, Discovering Sarban.

***

 

17th April 2020:

Hackney Citizen

Hackney Citizen has reviewed Londonia by Kate A. Hardy: "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."

***

 

Reprints

We are making available a number of out of print books as print on demand paperbacks. These include:

The House of the Hidden Light by Arthur Machen and A.E. Waite

Dear Dead Women by Edna W. Underwood

Darkscapes by Anne-Sylvie Salzman

 

11th April 2020:

New publication

We are delighted to announce the publication of Unholy Tales by Tod Robbins on Friday 17th April, 2020.

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

    Robbins' posthumous and popular reputation is based on the short story ‘Spurs’ (1923), which Tod Browning used as the basis for Freaks (1932), a controversial film that suffered from censorship and bans, but which developed a cult following. The critic E.F. Bleiler praised the tales included in this new collection, calling them "excellent commercial fiction" "with a note of whimsy and sophistication".

    Johnny Mains provides an insightful new  biography of Robbins, with hitherto unknown information.

 

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who submitted short stories for our 30th anniversary anthology. We received over 500 stories. Submissions are now closed.

***

 

8th April 2020:

Petals and Violins has been positively reviewed by Mario Guslandi at SFRevu. He writes: "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."

 

The Child Cephalina has been give the "thumbs-up" at the Oddly Weird Fiction blog: "Very, very highly recommended.  You will want to read this book.  Trust me.  It's unlike anything I've read before."

***

 

7th April 2020:

Londonia excerpts are now available on Kate A. Hardy's Youtube channel.

***

 

3rd April 2020:

Londonia

Kate A. Hardy has written a great article for Writers Online which gives an insight into the ideas behind Londonia. She says: "I actually refer to my novel Londonia, as dyst-hopian in genre because it contains hopeful messages for making the best of the post apocalyptic societal collapse."

 

Kate has a new channel on Youtube. There is a short story reading at the moment, and an excerpt from Londonia will follow...

***

 

1st April 2020:

The Child Cephalina review

AUREALIS #129 has reviewed Rebecca LLoyd's new novel and writes that 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."

***

 

30th March 2020:

Paperback reprints

We have now reprinted as paperbacks, the two very well received collections of short stories by Jake Wyckoff: Black Horse and Other Strange Stories and The Hidden Back Room.

 

29th March 2020:

Readings

We have uploaded to Youtube readings from Copsford by Walter J.C. Murray and House of the Flight-helpers by Philomena van Rijswijk.

***

 

24th March 2020:

Update

We consider ourselves very lucky that online businesses are allowed to continue in the current Covid-19 crisis, and that the Post Offices are being kept open as essential. We have been told that national and international postal services are operating as usual, with only slight delays due to inevitable staff absences. We would like to thank everyone who is continuing to support us during these difficult times. But, more importantly, we would like to extend best wishes to our customers, their friends and family, hoping that all remain well.

 

New Reviews

The new issue of Black Static carries two very positive reviews of Tartarus Press books:

 

The Child Cephalina by Rebecca LLoyd '... is an authentic and well-crafted piece of Gothic fiction, in turns as eerie and captivating as the child Cephalina herself' writes Laura Mauro.

 

Petals and Violins by D.P. Watt is '... 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...' writes Andy Hedgecock.

 

Free Music Album

Exactly 100 years ago Walter J.C. Murray rented a derelict house in the Sussex countryside with the aim of making a living collecting herbs. His year is described in the wonderful book, Copsford. On this anniversary Tartarus's Ray Russell is releasing an album of music inspired by the book. It is free to stream and download digitally from Bandcamp.

And here is a video for 'Midsummer', featuring the guitar of Cousin Silas on Youtube.

It is hoped that a physical release will happen later this year. In the meantime, we hope that you enjoy the music.

***

 

18th March 2020:

Business almost as usual

It is almost business as usual here at Tartarus Press. We are still taking orders and posting books to customers. The Royal Mail advise that although many international borders are closed to people, mail to the countries to which we send books is unaffected. (Royal Mail).

 

Sadly, but understandably, Stokercon in Scarborough this April has been cancelled/postponed. We would like to support the organisers in their attempts to rearrange the event, and we hope to meet later in the year with customers, authors and fellow-publishers in the dealers' room.

 

In the meantime, we hope that you all keep well.

***

 

25th February 2020:

Charles David review

Jon Gower, at the Horla website has written a glowing review of The Way Things End by Charles David:

‘. . . 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

 

Read the first chapter of The Way Things End here.

***

 

24th February 2020:

The Child Cephalina

A free pdf of Chapter One of The Child Cephalina by Rebecca Lloyd is available to download for free here.

***

 

13th February 2020:

Library of the Lost Review

The real stuff has reviewed The Library of the Lost: In Search of Forgotten Authors, by Roger Dobson, and finds:

'As soon as I had started reading, I grabbed pen and paper and started noting titles of various books and stories mentioned here that  wanted to read. When I'd finished Library of the Lost, the list numbered thirty-four, of which I only owned twelve. I bought three more immediately, and then after a second read, I purchased another three. I couldn't help myself.

***

 

4th February 2020:

Aurealis reviews

Aurealis 125 have reviewed The Way Things End by Charles David and The New Inn Hall Deception by John Gaskin:

'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.

And of The New Inn Hall Deception they write:

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

***

 

31st January 2020:

Publishers Weekly review

Publishers Weekly have given The Child Cephalina by Rebecca Lloyd a very good review: "...she grounds her story in such rich and colorful period detail that events seem eerily believable when they take a turn for the macabre. Readers will race to this novel’s eerie conclusion."

***

 

27th January 2020:

The Most Decadent book in the World

The Hill of Dreams is back in print as a hardback from Tartarus Press. How can one resist a book that Madeleine L. Cazamian claimed is "without doubt the most decadent book in all of English Literature"? (L'Anti-Intellectualism et L'Esthetisme: 1880-1900)". It was also called "the most beautiful book in the world" by Carl van Vechten.

***

 

26th January 2020:

Londonia launch in London

Londonia by Kate A. Hardy will be launched Friday 13 March, 2020, 6.30pm-9.30pm at Shoreditch Tree House, 34 Charlotte Rd, Hackney, London EC2A 3PB. There will be readings, Londonia soundscapes, live music and unusual vittles. All are welcome (we would be grateful if you could let us know in advance if you hope to attend.)

A pdf of the first chapter of Londonia can be read here.

***

 

26th January 2020:

Muladona reprint

Muladona by Eric Stener Carlson has been reprinted as a paperback. The book, which received a host of very good reviews, was recently the inspiration for an album by Swiss post-metal band Rorcal.

***

 

26th January 2020:

The Child Cephalina

The Child Cephalina by Rebecca Lloyd has received a very generous review at Ringshadow.net. "A  dark supernatural tale of friendship and obsession in Victorian London" ... "subtly unsettling and brilliantly written" (5/5 stars)

***

 

15th January 2020:

A new novel for pre-order: Londonia

In a break from our usual practice, we are making available for pre-order a wonderful new novel, Londonia, by Kate A. Hardy. It will be officially published 13th March, 2020, but we will post copies direct to Tartarus Press customers in advance of this date.

Londonia is a magnificently immersive page-turner. Set in 2073, it seems at first to be a dystopia in which the internet and other modern technologies have collapsed. An elite have sealed themselves up in Central London, while everyone else has to get on as best they can, making-do, bartering, and cooperating with their neighbours. Moving between the two societies is Hoxton, a "Finder" of desirable objects, her own past a mystery to be solved, with the help of new friends. Can hope and friendship survive in this strange new world? . . .

A pdf of the first chapter can be read here.

***

 

10th January 2020:

Call for Submissions – Short Stories

It’s Tartarus Press’s thirtieth year in 2020, and we are celebrating by publishing a volume of contemporary literary strange tales. If you would like to be considered for inclusion, then please send one story only to rosalieparker@btinternet.com.

Your submission should  be entirely new, unpublished elsewhere, c.2,000 – 6,000 words, and on the literary strange/horror/supernatural spectrum. Payment will be by a share in profits. Deadline: 10th April 2020. We look forward to hearing from you!

***

 

8th January 2020:

Happy New Year!

Tartarus Press is one of ten publishers featured in a new video wiki Independent Book Publishers Producing Quality Literature.

***

 

19th December 2019:

Times Literary Supplement

The Times Literary Supplement has a lengthy discussion of Arthur Machen, with a generous discussion of Occult Territory: An Arthur Machen Gazetteer, The Occult Catalogues and Hieroglyphics, among other recent publications.

"Occult Territory, the first of three Machenian volumes produced this year by the indefatigable Tartarus Press, seeks to chart as much of the writer’s geographical imaginary as is practicable, blending image and text – including generous excerpts from Machen’s own autobiographies, letters, essays and fiction – in a kind of topographical biography ('gazetteer' is too modest a designation for the book, as is 'editor' for its maker, Tartarus’s founder R. B. Russell)."

***

 

19th December 2019:

Real-time review

Des Lewis has just finished his real-time review of his reading of The Child Cephalina by Rebecca  LLoyd. On the All Hallows Facebook page he writes that it is "A wonderful supernatural novel".

***

 

28th November 2019:

New Rebecca Lloyd Novel

We are delighted to announce the publication of a new novel by Rebecca Lloyd, The Child Cephalina. A powerful novel of the occult and supernatural, it is set in Victorian London, and will haunt and disturb the reader. Rebecca Lloyd is the author of two Tartarus Press collections, Mercy and Other Stories (nominated in the World Fantasy Awards), and Seven Strange Stories.

***

 

19th November 2019:

Occult Territory reviewed

Occult Territory, An Arthur Machen Gazetteer has been very favourably reviewed in The Fortean Times: "This long-planned labour of love will be welcomed by Machen readers interested in the links between locale and literature".

***

 

13th November 2019:

Wormwood 33

Readers will notice that with Wormwood 33 we have redesigned the journal, with a new cover design, titles and other changes. We hope you will find this attractive and that it achieves what all good publishing design should: making space for the words to thrive.

***

 

9th November, 2019:

Out of print

We must report that The Snow-Image by Nathaniel Hawthorne is now out of print.

***

 

8th November, 2019:

New publication

We are delighted to announce the publication, on the 11th November, of Petals and Violins: Fifteen Unsettling Tales by D.P. Watt. This is a terrific collection of contemporary weird stories by a very fine author.

***

 

8th November, 2019:

Worming the Harpy

Rhys Hughes' classic first collection, Worming the Harpy and Other Bitter Pills, is back in print as a paperback, available either direct from Tartarus Press, or through Amazon.

***

 

8th November, 2019:

Rupetta

The award-winning novel by Nike Sulway, Rupetta, is available from us as a traditional paperback, and it can now be ordered via Amazon, print on demand.

***

 

7th November, 2019:

Glen Cavaliero

We are sad to report that Glen Cavaliero passed way on the evening of 28th October. He was a fine poet and critic, and a lovely man. Copies of his collection, The Justice of the Night, are still available through Tartarus Press, although the definitive collection of his poetry is The Flash of Weathercocks.

***

 

7th November, 2019:

The Washington Post

In The Washington Post today Michael Dirda writes about Mark Valentine's A Wild Tumultory Library:

"For some time now, my favorite essayist has been an English writer named Mark Valentine. In fact, the now antiquated term “bookman” more aptly describes the multitalented Valentine. Besides essays, he also writes elegantly eerie or criminous short stories, some about an occult investigator known as the Connoisseur; he’s produced the single best monograph on the mystical Welsh man of letters Arthur Machen; and he oversees the journal Wormwood: Literature of the Fantastic, Supernatural and Decadent. Book collecting, though, lies at the center of Valentine’s life."

For those who haven't seen it, there is an interview with Mark Valentine on Youtube.

***

 

5th November 2019:

Publishers Weekly review

Publishers Weekly have written of Mark Valentine's A Wild Tumultory Library:

"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."

***

 

23rd October 2019:

Out of print

Please note that The Triumph of Night by Edith Wharton and Frankenstein's Prescription by Tim Lees are now out of print as a hardback limited editions.

***

 

21st October 2019:

Publishers Weekly review

Publishers Weekly have printed a very good review of John Gaskin's The New Inn Hall Deception, concluding '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.'

***

 

8th October 2019:

Out of Print - update

We have now sold out of the last copies of Mark Valentine's Star Kites, and Anne-Sylvie Salzman's Darkscapes.3rd October 2019:

 

Low Stock

We are down to our last handful of copies of Mark Valentine's collection of poetry, Star Kites. It recently received a very positive review at the Within Limits blog.

There are also dwindling numbers available of:

Darkscapes by Anne-Sylvie Salzman.

"An outstanding collection and an essential book for all serious readers of dark and fantastic fiction. Not to be missed under any circumstances!" Rick Kleffel at The Agony Column

The Triumph of Night by Edith Wharton

"...the fullest (and most attractive) collection..." Michael Dirda, barnesandnoblereview.com

Frankenstein's Prescription by Tim Lees

"...a philosophically insightful and literary tale of terror." Publishers Weekly

The Snow-Image and Other Stories of the Supernatural by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

"A pessimistic and psychologically disturbing writer if ever there was one, Hawthorne's dark outlook on humanity's fate still makes for compelling storytelling some 150 years on." Gorezone

 

***

 

16th September 2019:

New Mark Valentine book

We are delighted to announce the publication of A Wild Tumultory Library, a third volume of Mark Valentine's essays on books and authors. The new collection takes its title from an encounter in Thomas De Quincey’s youthful wanderings--Valentine’s writing shares that author’s delight in the arcane, the recondite and the obscure. All copies are signed by the author.

***

 

11th September 2019:

A recommendation

Figurehead by Carly Holmes is mentioned in The Best Horror of the Year Vol 11. Ellen Datlow writes:

"[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."

***

 

1st September 2019:

John Gaskin review

Mario Guslandi, at SFRevu writes of The New Inn Hall Deception, '...the book provides further evidence of Gaskin's enticing storytelling skill and of his ability to create subtly unnerving atmospheres.'

***

 

29th August 2019:

Publishers Weekly review

Publishers Weekly have given a very good review to reviewed House of the Flight-helpers by Philomena van Rijswijk, concluding:

"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."

***

 

22nd August 2019:

Three new reviews

Peter Tennant at Black Static has published three new reviews of Tartarus Press Books.

Of Muladona by Eric Stener Carlson he writes:

"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."

Of Mirror Dead by Magda McQueen he writes:

"I thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end."

He also comments on This Spectacular Darkness by Joel Lane, writing:

"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."

***

 

20th August 2019:

New publication

Tartarus Press is pleased to announce the publication of the first novel by Charles David, The Way Things End. A beautifully-written exploration of the inter-connectedness of various disparate characters in the twentieth century.

***

 

19th August 2019:

Hidden Back Room reviewed

The Hidden Back Room by Jason A Wyckoff has been positively reviewed by Peter Tennant at Black Static. He concludes:

"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."

***

 

16th August 2019:

New email address

Please note that we are retiring the old 'pavilion' email address. For all general enquiries from now on, the address is ray@tartaruspress.com. (The address for submissions remains the same.)

***

 

16th August 2019:

In praise of pretty books

Michael Dirda writes in the The Washington Post today 'In Praise of pretty Books', mentioning Secret Europe and Inner Europe by John Howard and Mark Valentine:

'...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.'

***

 

13th August 2019:

Muladona out of print

We are sorry to report that the hardback limited edition of Muladona is now out of print. However, there will be further news in due course...

***

 

12th August 2019:

Monsieur de Phocas

Only just discovered, a long and laudatory review of Monsieur de Phocas by Jean Lorrain... Risingshadow writes of the book:

 

'Jean Lorrain's Monsieur de Phocas is one of the most intriguing, mesmerising and memorable novels I've read in a long while, because once you've read it, you won't be able to forget it. It lingers on your mind and you'll be thinking of its contents for a long time after the final page has been read. It's a perfect literary marriage of decadence and depravity, visioned by an author who himself had personal knowledge and experiences about many things described in the story.'

***

 

27th July 2019:

Orpheus on the Underground

We have just unearthed a couple of reviews of Orpheus on the Underground by Rhys Hughes that we had not seen before:

"A terrific showcase for this quirky writer's weird fiction. Occasionally horrific, but more often ... strange." Ellen Datlow, Best Horror of the Year, Volume 8

"A brilliantly inventive mix of stories from different genres, all entertaining and fascinating at the same time." Matthew Johns, British Fantasy Society

If Italo Calvino had been interested in supernatural fiction he might well have written such stories.

***

 

17th July 2019:

New publication!

We are delighted to announce the publication of a new collection of "tales of mystery and fear" by John Gaskin, The New Inn Hall Deception. There are 380 signed copies available. This is John Gaskin's third Tartarus Press collection (The Long Retreating Day and The Master of the House are available as paperbacks.)

***

 

16th July 2019:

Out of print

We regret to announce that we have now sold out of all copies of Beresford Egan by Adrian Woodhouse and Where Nothing Sleeps by Denton Welch

***

 

11th July 2019:

Back in print

We are delighted to reprint, as a signed, numbered limited edition paperback, Reggie Oliver's most recent collection, The Ballet of Dr Caligari.

We have also reprinted as a paperback, Secret Europe by Mark Valentine and John Howard. There is also a new reprint of their classic collaboration, The Collected Connoisseur (containing an extra story, 'The Celestial Tobacconist'.)

***

 

10th July 2019:

Reviews

Glenn Cole Russell has now published reviews of three more Tartarus Press books: Sub Rosa and Night Voices by Robert Aickman, and Green Thoughts by John Collier.

***

 

7th July 2019:

Occult Territory reviewed

Occult Territory: An Arthur Machen Gazetteer has been favourably reviewed at Horla. "... it’s an enchanting guide through a life less ordinary."

***

 

4th July 2019:

Reviews

Aurealis magazine, issue 122, has reviewed House of the Flight-helpers by Philomena van Rijswijk, concluding "An astonishing book of many merits for readers of intelligent dystopia."

Aurealis has also reviewed The Ballet of Dr Caligari by Reggie Oliver, describing the book as "a fine collection well worth the read."

And Glenn Cole Russell has also reviewed, very positively, Mark Valentine's Herald of the Hidden very positively on his blog.

***

 

10th June 2019:

Valentine and Howard reviewed:

Glenn Cole Russell has reviewed Secret Europe on his blog: "...this outstanding collection, tales that have been stored away in places waiting for a sensitive ear to give voice to their hidden secrets." And The Collected Connoisseur here: "I can’t recommend The Collected Connoisseur highly enough."

***

 

6th June 2019:

New Publication!

We are pleased to announce the publication, on 10th June, of Hieroglyphics by Arthur Machen. In this unconventional book of literary criticism Machen argues, through an unnamed literary hermit, that the best writing invokes a sense of awe, wonder and mystery. In this new edition we add Machen's ‘A Note on Poetry’, along with a new Introduction by D.P. Watt, and an Afterword by Nicholas Freeman.

***

 

5th June 2019:

Publishers weekly 'starred' review

In a Publishers Weekly 'starred' review, The Ballet of Dr Caligari by Reggie Oliver is described as ‘13 exceptional eerie stories. This volume is essential reading for aficionados of classic weird fiction.’

***

 

29th May 2019:

Country Life

Copsford by Walter Murray is featured in Country Life this week. Patrick Galbraith says: "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"

***

 

20th May 2019:

First review

House of the Flight-helpers by Philomena van Rijswijk has received its first review, and it is a good one. Sarah Tanburn writes at the Horla website: "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."

***

 

7th May 2019:

An Arthur Machen Gazetteer

We are pleased to be publish Occult Territory: An Arthur Machen Gazetteer. This 272 page limited edition hardback book contains over 160 entries for those places in which Arthur Machen lived, worked, wrote, ate, drank and worshipped. It is also a guide to sites that influenced his life and his work. It is illustrated, often with contemporary photographs, and includes quotes from Machen, and those that knew him.

***

 

4th May 2019:

The Clockworm review

The Clockworm by Karen Heuler receives a great review in Aurealis 120: "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."

***

 

1st May 2019:

Correction

We must apologise for the mis-spelling of Victor Neuburg's name in the article on the poet in Wormwood 32.

 

***

 

8th April 2019:

Wormwood 32

The new issue of Wormwood is available this week, with articles on Mark Hansom, Julian Osgood Field, Edogawa Ranpo, Charles Eric Maine, Victor Neuberg and Frederick Rolfe's revolver, as well as the regular columns 'Under Review'', 'Late Review's' and 'Camera Obscura'.

***

 

2nd April 2019:

The Saint Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires reviewed

Aurealis magazine, issue 119, has published a great review for The Saint Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires by Eric Stener Carlson: "The first-person narrative is a slow burn that erupts into a furnace spilling with untameable flame."

***

 

23rd March 2019:

The Collected Connoisseur reviewed

'Exquisite writing and tales that transport...' Matthew G Rees, Horla

***

 

22nd March 2019:

New Publication

We are delighted to announce the publication of House of the Flight-helpers by Philomena van Rijswijk.

This brilliant new dystopian novel is a strange and satirical narrative, a mythological mosaic of horrors, feather phobias, dead saints, clay flutes, terrible birds, Border Monkeys, forbidden zones and unsettling forebodings.

Philomena van Rijswijk lives in Tasmania, the ‘south island’ of Australia. Her last novel, The World as a Clock-face, was published by Penguin. Her poems and short stories have been published in collections and literary journals in Australia, Ireland and India.

***

 

11th March 2019:

Aurealis reviews

Aurealis magazine (issue 118) has positively reviewed two Tartarus Press paperbacks:

Of Nike Sulway's Rupetta they write "The book is high-concept but beautifully written, with florid, fluid language and just enough of a connection to reality to make it seem believable" and "If you’re into speculative fiction, fantasy or books with LBGTI+ content, this is definitely one you shouldn’t miss."

***

 

10th March 2019:

Out of Print

We regret to report that The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving is now out of print.

***

 

6th March 2019:

Reggie Oliver Reviewed

Mario Guslandi has reviewed Reggie Oliver's The Ballet of Dr Caligari at Hellnotes.com:

'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.'

***

 

4th March 2019:

The Old Knowledge

The Old Knowledge by Rosalie Parker has been reviewed by Forrest Aguirre.

He begins: "First impressions are important. At first, I thought "The Rain" might be a well-written rehash of the 1970 TV drama Robin Redbreast. I was so wrong! There are elements of homage (whether intentional or not) to that (in)famous drama. This is far more horrifying, yet the frisson is brought on by careful omission and ominous indicators, by what is explicitly not said or shown, rather than with the literary equivalent of jump-scare scenes. This is something Rod Serling would nod to and smile. Oh, it's five stars worth of eloquent dread!"

***

 

3rd March 2019

Arthur Machen's Occult Catalogues

Tartarus Press has produced, for the Friends of Arthur Machen, a new hardback book, Arthur Machen's Occult Catalogues, edited by R.A. Gilbert:

 

In June 1885 Arthur Machen received a letter from the publisher of The Anatomy of Tobacco, George Redway, suggesting that he could find some work for the author, if he would like to return to London. The job Redway had in mind was the compilation of a catalogue: ‘For the publisher of York Street was also a second-hand book-seller. He had a mass of odd literature stored in a garret in Catherine Street, and on these volumes I was let loose’. Machen summed it up as being ‘as odd a library as any man could desire to see. Occultism in one sense or another was the subject of most of the books.’

The Friends of Arthur Machen are pleased to be able to reprint Machen’s catalogue, The Literature of Occultism and Archaeology, along with the ‘Frederick Hockley’ catalogue of 1887.

Later, while working for the book-sellers Robson & Kerslake, Machen spent his evenings selling books on his own account. With his friend Harry Spurr he created a business under the name of ‘Thomas Marvell’ and produced Thesaurus Incantatus, ‘a remarkable combination of magico-alchemical fable and very select catalogue of al-chemical books’. This was published in a small edition in December 1888, but it was not a great commercial success and with it Machen’s career as a cataloguer and bookseller came to an end. This catalogue is also included in the present volume.

As R.A. Gilbert writes in his Introduction, there is ‘a codicil. Machen retained his enthusiasm for esoteric literature—perhaps inevitable, given his close friendship with A.E. Waite—and thirty-five years later gave his support to a catalogue of modern literature issued by R. Townley Searle’s First Edition Bookshop in 1923.’ Machen’s foreword, ‘The Grande Trouvaille’, describes a successful quest for books in the company of Waite. This last catalogue is also included, and if it is not quite so esoteric as the previous examples, collectors might be interested (and frustrated) to know that it includes a first edition of Dracula at 21s (£1.05) . . .

 

Please note that this limited, hardback, first edition, will be available free to members of the Friends of Arthur Machen, and cannot be obtained elsewhere. Membership can be obtained here.

***

 

1st March 2019

Figurehead reviewed

Figurehead by Carly Holmes has been reviewed by the British Fantasy Society: "...great heights of truly exquisite description".

***

 

21st February 2019

Wyrd Britain

Wyrd Britain reviews a collection of early Mark Valentine stories, Herald of the Hidden, featuring his occult detective Ralph Tyler. Valentine '. . . draws from a heritage of writers that I find fascinating and marries it with a lively imagination, a curious nature and a writing style that embraces both the then and the now to produce stories that feel timeless.'

***

 

21st February 2019

Congratulations

Congratulations to Carly Holmes, whose story 'Sleep' from Figurehead has been selected for The Year's Best Horror, edited by Ellen Datlow.

***

 

18th February 2019

The Collected Connoisseur Reviewed

Forrest Aguirre has written a lengthy and very positive review of The Collected Connoisseur by Mark Valentine and John Howard: 'This might be as close to a perfect short story collection as I will ever read. This is definitely becoming one of my "chained books" (meaning I'm figuratively chaining it up so you'll have to remove it with a bolt cutter to get it out of my library or pry it from my cold, dead hands).'

***

 

15th February 2019:

3 Wyrd Things

The Wyrd Britain blog has published Ray Russell's 3 Wyrd Things, which are Copsford by Walter J.C. Murray, The Cocteau Twins' album Garlands, and the film The Moon and the Sledgehammer.

***

 

6th February 2019:

"A heady dram of vintage gothic"

 Publishers Weekly have reviewed Pauliska, or, Modern Perversity by Jacques-Antoine Révéroni, baron de Saint-Cyr: "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."

***

 

29th January 2019:

'Starred' review

The Clockworm and Other Strange Stories by Karen Heuler has received a 'starred' review at Publishers Weekly. It concludes: "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."

***

 

26th January 2019:

And now for something slightly different

In 1920 a young man left London for the Sussex countryside, attempting to make a living collecting herbs. His experiences were published in 1948 in a book called Copsford and we are reprinting this as a limited edition hardback. It is not our usual 'supernatural' or 'strange' fiction, but a quietly beautiful book of nature mysticism. We urge you to take a chance on something slightly different.

Featured in the Sussex Express and on Wormwoodiana.

***

 

25th January 2019:

Out of Print

Please note that The Ballet of Dr Caligari and Madder Mysteries by Oliver, Reggie is now out of print as a limited edition hardback. We hope that a paperback edition will follow later this year.

***

 

21st January 2019:

Inner Europe Review

Inner Europe by John Howard and Mark Valentine has been the subject of a rolling review by David Longhorn at the Supernatural Tales blog. He writes: 'Inner Europe is a remarkable achievement, straddling genres to offer the reader strange, moving, and always entertaining tales.'

***

 

20th January 2019:

Review

The Clockworm and Other Strange Stories by Karen Heuler has been reviewed at Horla: ‘Nineteen strange and intriguing stories, brilliantly written.’

***

 

16th January 2019:

Audiobook

Author John Gaskin has just issued a three CD set of stories, Tales of Twilight and Borderlands, read by himself and Michael Hordern.

Disc One contains: 'Introduction', 'Blindburn', 'The Pit'. Disc Two: 'Road Closed', 'The Black Knight'. Disc Three: 'Cropsey's Hole'. The set can be ordered direct through this Paypal link. The CDs are £9.99 plus postage (UK = £1.40, EU  = £3.85. US = £4.85.)

John Gaskin has two collections of stories currently available from Tartarus Press as paperbacks: The Long Retreating Day and The Master of the House.

***

 

1st January 2019:

New Reggie Oliver

We are delighted to announce the publication of The Ballet of Dr Caligari, and Madder Mysteries by Reggie Oliver. It is illustrated by the author, and is available as a numbered, signed hardback edition, as well as an ebook.

The illustrations are also available as limited edition prints.

***

 

29th December, 2018:

Out of print

We are sorry to report that Dear Dead Women by Edna Underwood is now out of print.

***

 

7th December 2018:

The Quest for Corvo in The Washington Post

Our new, augmented edition of the classic The Quest for Corvo by A.J.A. Symons has been recommended by Michael Dirda in The Washington Post.

   "Newly reissued by Tartarus Press in a handsome illustrated edition, superbly introduced by Mark Valentine."

***

 

3rd December 2018:

New Book - The Clockworm

We are pleased to announce the publication of our latest book, The Clockworm by Karen Heuler, a collection of wonderful, character- and idea-driven strange tales by an accomplished writer.

***

 

14th November 2018:

Out of Print

We regret to announce that Strangers and Pilgrims by Walter de la Mare is now out of print. Please do check our Low Stock page to see which books are low in stock.

***

 

7th November 2018:

Strong Words

Ray has been interviewed about Tartarus Press at Strong Words magazine. You can read the full article as a pdf here.

***

 

1st November 2018:

Aurealis review

The Old Knowledge has been very positively reviewed by Aurealis magazine: "Parker has a way of crafty spinning that makes each story work."

***

 

28th October 2018:

John Gaskin short story for Halloween

John Gaskin has written and recorded a new short story for Halloween, "The Mere House Derogation". It can be heard for free on Soundcloud and Youtube. We currently have two John Gaskin paperbacks available, The Master of the House and The Long Retreating Day.

***

 

27th October 2018:

Figurehead appreciation

The author Tyler Keevil has written to say of Figurehead by Carly Holmes: "These stories are extraordinary.  The collection moves between settings and time periods as seamlessly as it shifts between genres.  Here you’ll find threads of the gothic, the uncanny, the supernatural, the ghost story, the fairy tale, and more: all spun together into a rich tapestry that defies categorization.  The writing is both precise and sumptuous, the tales startling and – at times – genuinely frightening.  The result is a collection of dark delights that will keep you reading, and keep you up at night."

***

 

22nd October 2018:

Wormwood 31

Wormwood 31 is now available, containing essays on subjects as diverse as Hope Mirrlees, Jocelyn Brooke, the Golden Age of Czech Fantasy, Arthur Conan  Doyle and Mack Reynolds. Among the reviews, Reggie Oliver comments on the new Robert Aickman paperback, Compulsory Games.

***

 

16th October 2018:

Pauliska, or, Modern Perversity

We are delighted to announce that our latest publication is the first ever English translation of a minor classic of the French Gothic, very much a part of the roman noir genre, Pauliska, or, Modern Perversity by Jacques-Antoine Révéroni, baron de Saint-Cyr.

***

 

10th October 2018:

Starred review at Publishers Weekly

Figurehead by Carly Holmes has received a 'starred' review by Publishers Weekly, who write: "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."

***

 

 8th October 2018:

Simply Scary Reggie Oliver

The Simply Scary Podcast features a new reading of Reggie Oliver's short story "Mr Pigsny".

***

 

2nd October 2018:

Paperbacks

We have now made available as paperbacks The Purple Cloud by M.P. Shiel, The Library of the Lost by Roger Dobson, and two short story collections by John Gaskin, The Long Retreating Day and The Master of the House.

***

 

14th September 2018:

Putting the Pieces in Place and Literary Remains

R.B. Russell's first two short story collections have now been reprinted as a paperback as Putting the Pieces in Place and Literary Remains.

***

 

13th September 2018:

Real Time Reviews

Figurehead by Carly Holmes is being reviewed by David longhorn at Supernatural Tales, just as Des Lewis has finished reviewing Inner Europe by John Howard and Mark Valentine.

***

 

9th September 2018:

Arthur Machen's 1890s Notebook

Matthew G. Rees at Horla has posted a thoughtful and sympathetic review of Arthur Machen's 1890s Notebook.

That Machen’s notebook can be read in an accessible printed volume is down to the admirable efforts of R.B. Russell and Rosalie Parker (of The Friends of Arthur Machen and also Tartarus Press) for whom one suspects it must also have been a labour of love. Assistance with certain finer points was provided by Mark Valentine, James Machin, Jon Preece and William Charlton.

   They have performed a fine service. Making sense of Machen’s not always easily readable handwriting (which is reproduced beside typewritten transcriptions) must have been a challenge at times, never mind some of his meanings. And then there’s the astonishing breadth of the material. Not to mention the less than obvious sequencing of some of the pages.

***

 

6th September 2018:

Wormwoodiana

Mark Valentine has written on the Wormwoodiana blog of his recent visit to Coverdale with John Howard to sign copies of Inner Europe.

***

 

5th September 2018:

Further paperbacks

We have been able to make further older titles available as paperbacks:

The Old Knowledge by Rosalie Parker, This Spectacular Darkness by Joel Lane, Morbid Tales by Quentin S. Crisp, Herald of the Hidden by Mark Valentine, and Dreads and Drolls by Arthur Machen.

***

 

1st September 2018:

Inner Europe

We are delighted to announce the publication of Inner Europe by John Howard and Mark Valentine. Inner Europe collects thirteen stories, eleven of them newly written for this book. This shared volume follows the two authors’ well-received Secret Europe and takes the reader once again on strange journeys to forgotten or little-known places and peculiar historical byways.

***

 

29th August 2018:

Paperback reprints

We have decided to bring back into print as paperbacks a number of our older titles, using Amazon's "print on demand service" and the examples we have received so far look very good. The first four titles are Haunted by Books and A Country Still All Mystery by Mark Valentine, Le Grand Meaulnes and Miracles by Alain-Fournier, and The St Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires by Eric Stener Carlson. The books can be ordered direct from us, but we would advise that ordering through your own country's Amazon site will be much quicker. There will be more paperbacks to follow...

 

Nb - A new limited edition hardback, signed by the authors, will be announced next week...

 

***

 

11th August 2018:

Figurehead reviewed and Carly Holmes interviewed

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

***

 

26th July 2018:

World Fantasy Awards nomination

With  great pleasure we note that Tartarus Press has been shortlisted for the 2018 World Fantasy Awards.

***

 

14th July 2018:

Black Static

Peter Tennant in the new Black Static reviews Michael Eisele's Tree Spirit and The Girl With the Peacock Harp, writing "These two collections 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."

***

 

9th July 2018:

Debut short story collection

We are delighted to announce the publication of a debut short story collection, Figurehead, by Carly Holmes. This stunning collection of tales peers into every corner of the strange fiction genre: from rural gothic through to traditional ghost stories, the uncanny, and folk horror. Recommended reading!

***

 

8th July, 2018:

News

Last weekend we attended the Dublin Ghost Story Festival, run by Brian Showers, with Joyce Carol Oates as Guest of Honour. It was wonderful event, and great to have the opportunity to meet a number of Tartarus  authors, including Eric Stener Carlson, Anne-Sylvie Salzman, Andrew Michael Hurley and Reggie Oliver. A hugely enjoyable and successful weekend, it was also the launch of Rosalie Parker's short story collection, Sparks from the Fire. We will certainly be going again!

 

There have a been a few very good reviews of Tartarus Press books published recently:

 

Publishers Weekly  like Tree Spirit and Other Strange Tales by Michael Eisle, which they call "beguiling", although they mistakenly say it is the author's first collection. The Pan Review has also posted a very enthusiastic review of Tree Spirit, pointing out that, 'Again, we are in the folk-horror territory of fantasy, melding Hoffmann, Carter and Pullman.' It has also been the subject of a "running review" at the Supernatural Tales blog and a "real-time" review by D.F. Lewis.

 

And Wyrd Britain has discussed Star Kites, poems by Mark Valentine, suggesting that the book is '...another glimpse into the worlds of this most captivating of authors.'

***

 

29th May 2018:

Numbered, signed, Reggie Oliver

We have now reprinted as a paperback, Reggie Oliver's 2017 collection of short stories, Holidays from Hell. The first 200 copies are numbered and signed.

Please note we have 5 copies remaining of the 500 print run hardback, numbered and signed. Please email us direct if you would like a copy at the original cover price.

 

22nd May 2018:

The Wyrd review

A great new review for Mirror Dead by Magda McQueen: "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

***

 

9th May 2018:

Royal Society of Literature Award

Congratulations to Andrew Michael Hurley, joint winner of this year's Royal Society of Literature's Encore Award for best second novel, for Devil's Day (with Lisa McInerney for 'The Blood Miracles'.)

***

 

1st May 2018:

New and Forthcoming

 

We are delighted to announce the reprinting of Arthur Machen's 1890s Notebook.

 

And on May 17th we will publish a reprint of an acknowledged classic, the brilliant, The Quest for Corvo by A.J.A. Symons. This new Tartarus Press edition is augmented by over sixty photographs of the characters discussed by Symons, and reproductions of the letters he received and sent while conducting his quest. It also includes a very insightful Introduction by Mark Valentine.

The Quest for Corvo will be launched on 16th May at Maggs Bros. Ltd., 48 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DR, 6:30pm - 9pm. All are welcome, but we would be grateful if you could tell us if you hope to attend, so we can have some idea of numbers. As well as launching the The Quest for Corvo, there will be a small exhibition of material relating to A.J.A. Symons and Rolfe/Corvo.

 

***

 

26th April 2018:

Washington Post

Michael Dirda recommends the Tartarus Press editions of The Autobiography of Arthur Machen and The London Adventure in the Washington Post today.

 

Mirror Dead Review

Mirror Dead by Magda McQueen has been reviewed by Russell C.J. Duffy:  "Magda McQueen has written a startling debut."

 

 

Late Reviews

Douglas A. Anderson, who writes the "Late Reviews" column for our journal Wormwood, has collected many of his fascinating reviews of older and obscure books under his Nodens Books imprint. Details can be found here.

***

 

23rd April 2018:

Wormwood 30

The new Wormwood 30 is published 26th April, and contains essays on the fiction of Caitlín R. Kiernan, Margaret Benson’s The Court of the King, Algernon Blackwood’s The Fruit Stoners', 'Phantasmion and Phantastes, Ada Goodrich Freer and Ambrose Bierce. There are also the regular columns 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson and 'Camera Obscura 'by John Howard.

***

 

19th April 2018:

Out of print

We are sorry to report that This Spectacular Darkness by Joel Lane is no longer available as a limited edition hardback. The ebook, however, is still available.

***

 

3rd April 2018:

Tree Spirit and Other Strange Tales

We are delighted to announce a second collection of short stories by Michael Eisele, Tree Spirit and Other Strange Tales. This terrific volume follows the acclaimed The Girl With the Peacock Harp, which Publishers Weekly described as demonstrating "uncommon skill", and which Michael Dirda recommended in the Washington Post.

***

 

27th March 2018:

Sold out

We are sorry to report that Nightmare-Touch by Lafcadio Hearn is now out of print.

***

 

16th March 2018:

Sold out and low stock

Tales of Terror by Guy de Maupassant is no longer available as a limited edition hardback direct from Tartarus Press.

Please note that the following books are low in stock

Holidays from Hell by Reggie Oliver

Star Kites by Mark Valentine

Secret Europe by John Howard and Mark Valentine

Nightmare-Touch by Lafcadio Hearn

This Spectacular Darkness by Joel Lane

***

 

7th March 2018:

Black Static reviews

Peter Tennant has discussed two new Tartarus Press titles in Black Static 62, and gives them both very positive reviews. He concludes his review of Seven Strange Stories by Rebecca Lloyd: "... 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."

And the review of Holidays from Hell by Reggie Oliver is ended: "Oliver also provides neat and evocative line drawings as illustrations at the start of each story, making this an all-round, very attractive package." Bonus material by Peter, reviews of several of the Reggie Oliver short stories already published, can be found on Peter's Blog.

***

 

6th March 2018:

Mirror Dead reviewed

Mirror Dead by Magda McQueen has received a fine review at Druid Life: 'A great piece of paranormal writing that will keep you guessing right up to the end. Highly recommended.'

***

 

26th February 2018:

The Macabre Tales of Edgar Allan Poe

We are delighted to announce the publication, on March 1st, of  The Macabre Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, with illustrations by Harry Clarke, and a new Introduction by Brian Stableford. It is a volume we have wanted to publish for several years because Poe is, after all, the grandfather of horror fiction.

Our new volume is a large format sewn hardback book of 436 + xviii pages. It is printed lithographically on 150gsm Munken pure rough paper, with sewn sections, decorated boards, silk ribbon marker, head and tailbands, and d/w. It is limited to 400 numbered copies.

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.

***

 

23rd February 2018:

Three news items

 

Joel Lane's This Spectacular Darkness is reviewed in this weeks Times Literary Supplement. Phil Baker writes: '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'.

 

'Where's the Harm', a terrific short story by Rebecca Lloyd from her collection Seven Strange Stories has been chosen by Ellen Datlow for her Best Horror of the Year Volume 10.

 

Wormwood is recommended in the Washington Post today along with The Green Book, Weird Fiction Review, Faunus (published by the Friends of Arthur Machen) and Der Orchideengarte. All highly recommended by Tartarus Press too!

***

 

12th January 2018:

Wyrd Britain

Wyrd Britain enthuses of Mark Valentine's A Country Still All Mystery. "A hugely recommended read for anyone with an interest in the roads less travelled and in the words spoken with a quieter resonance." If only we had some physical copies left!

***

 

4th January 2018:

Dublin Ghost Story Festival

Tartarus Press is booked-in for the Dublin Ghost Story Festival this year. Highly recommended!

***

 

3rd January 2018:

Radio Three ... again

Do listen to an effectively spine-tingling essay by Andrew Michael Hurley on BBC Radio Three, in which he considers the hauntings of Chingle Hall, a 17th-century manor house near Preston.

***

 

2nd January 2018:

Instagram

Please feel free to follow us on Instagram, where we are slowly uploading a great number of book photos.

***

 

1st January 2018:

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all customers and friends of Tartarus Press.

***

 

29th December 2017:

The Verb: Radio Three

Ian Macmillan and Stewart Lee discuss Arthur Machen and The Autobiography of Arthur Machen on BBC Radio Three's The Verb. The show can be listened to again via the link.

***

 

19th December 2017:

Mirror Dead

Magda McQueen's excellent first novel, Mirror Dead, has just received a great review at Publishers Weekly, which described it as "Mordantly amusing" and says, "Readers fond of dark fantasy with a light touch will be rewarded."

***

 

13th December 2017:

Out of print

We are sorry to report that Holy Terrors is now out of print with us. However, copies may still be available from our dealers, and copies may also be obtained from Obsolete Films at screenings of the Holy Terrors film.

***

 

12th December 2017:

Holy Terrors

On the 16th December we will publish Holy Terrors, a paperback of five stories by Arthur Machen. This is in association with Obsolete films, whose portmanteau film, Holy Terrors, will be screened at Folk Horror Revival's Winter Ghosts, 16th December at the Metropole Hotel, Whitby, UK.

***

 

1st December 2017:

A fantastic review

Mirror Dead by Magda McQueen has received a fantastic review from Nigel Robert Wilson at the British Fantasy Society:

"...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."

***

 

1st December 2017:

Out of Print

Please note that the signed, limited edition hardback of A Country Still All Mystery by Mark Valentine is now out of print. The ebook edition is still available.

***

 

29th November 2017:

Wormwood 29

The new Wormwood 29 is published tomorrow, 30th November, and contains essays on Hope Mirrlees, Lionel Johnson, Edward Upward and other fascinating writers, by Colin Insole, Nina Antonia,  Henry Wessells, Nick Wagstaff, John Howard and Richard Dalby. There are also the regular columns 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson and 'Camera Obscura 'by John Howard.

***

 

15th November 2017:

Black Static review

Horthólary: Tales from Montagascony by Michael Reynier has been reviewed by Peter Tennant in the latest issue of Black Static (#61): "...Reynier is his own man and his creation is as original as it is vivid and entertaining.... Be sure to put Montagascony on your travel itinerary in the near future. You will not be disappointed."

***

 

13th November 2017:

Out of Print

Please note that we have sold out of copies of our signed, limited edition of Devil's Day by Andrew Michael Hurley.

***

 

 

13th November, 2017:

The London Adventure

We are pleased to announce the publication of Arthur Machen's The London Adventure, or, The Art of Wandering, in which the author plays a fine game with the reader, discussing what his book might be about, how he should begin it and where it might end. The result is a curiously up-to-date psychogeographical manifesto, written, as always, in the author’s beautiful prose. Added to the original text are a number of essays, several uncollected, which inform and illustrate Machen’s contention that, ‘All the wonders lie within a stone’s-throw of King’s Cross Station.’

***

 

11th November 2017:

The British Library

Last night the British Library celebrated the acquisition of the Robert Aickman archive. Left to right on stage, Richard Kelly, Jeremy Dyson, Victoria Nelson, Reece Shearsmith, Leslie Gardner and Ramsey Campbell. Raymond Russell and Rosalie Parker of Tartarus Press attended and were also delighted to talk to Heather, Graham and Guy Smith, Jenny Campbell, Brian Showers, Amelia  Bradshaw, Reggie Oliver and Pippa, Nidge Ince, Steve Jones, James Machin, Roger Luckhurst, Eddy Obermuller, Chris Maloney, Monica Petzal and Valerie Butler. We are sorry we didn't get to talk, Mick Curtis and Darryl Samaraweera! It was a good crowd of approximately 150 people, and not the kind of event we ever imagined when Tartarus Press first published Robert Aickman back in 1999.

***

 

13th October, 2017:

Devil's Day

We are delighted to announce the publication of a signed, limited edition of Andrew Michael Hurley's second novel, Devil's Day. This will be published on the 19th October, on the same day as John Murray's trade edition.

***

 

11th October, 2017

Easily Distracted

'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

***

 

11th September 2017:

Robert Aickman news

We have recently written a guest blog for Wormwoodiana, discussing the Robert Aickman archive, and its sale to the British Library. It also gives detail of a celebration event at the British Library.

***

 

10th September 2017:

Ghosts and Scholars

Rosemary Pardoe in the Ghost and Scholars Newsletter 32 discusses A Country Still All Mystery by Mark Valentine, stating that: "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.

***

 

1st September 2017:

New publication: Mirror Dead

We are delighted to announce the publication of Mirror Dead by Magda McQueen, a contemporary novel which we believe demonstrates the rude health of the ghost story at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

***

 

29th August 2017:

Joel Lane reviewed

 The British Fantasy Society have reviewed This Spectacular Darkness by Joel Lane: This is an excellent non-fiction book and deserves a place on the shelf of any serious scholar of the genre."

***

 

8th August 2017:

A Country Still All Mystery

Our next publication is a collection of literary essays by Mark Valentine, A Country Still All Mystery. It is available as a limited edition hardback (signed by the author), and as an ebook. This new book is a follow-up to the previous volume Haunted by Books.

***

 

30th July 2017:

Out of print

Please note that Stories from a Lost Anthology by Rhys Hughes is no longer available as a limited edition hardback. It is still available, however, as an ebook.

***

 

20th July 2017:

BFS shortlist

This Spectacular Darkness by Joel Lane is on the shortlist for the British Fantasy Society Awards.

***

 

18th July 2017:

In print!

We recently reported that Holidays from Hell by Reggie Oliver had sold out, but we are very relieved to have found another two boxes! These are available through the website once again.

 

Low stock:

Star Kites by Mark Valentine is now low in stock. Signed copies are still available for the time being.

 

As previously reported, we are also down to the last few copies of Stories From A Lost Anthology by Rhys Hughes, The Man Who Could Work Miracles by H.G. Wells,  The Wandering Soul by William Hope Hodgson and Dreads and Drolls by Arthur Machen. These remaining copies had been previously held back because they all show slight marks and bumps, and we are unable to replace jackets on the Machen and the Hodgson volumes. These four books have all been substantially discounted on the website to reflect this, and are still offered with free post and packing worldwide.

***

 

7th July 2017:

Seven Strange Stories reviewed

Seven Strange Stories by Rebecca Lloyd has been reviewed by Publishers Weekly and is described as an "exquisite collection of macabre tales" which "will appeal to readers who like stories that are subtle as well as strange."

The collection has also been "real-time" reviewed by D.F. Lewis who remarks that it "contains some unforgettable classics of the 'strange stories' genre.'"

***

 

4th July 2017:

Muladona review

Eric Stener Carlson's wonderful novel Muladona has been reviewed by Whistlingshade: "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."

***

 

29th June 2017:

The Life of Arthur Machen

John Gawsworth's excellent The Life of Arthur Machen is now back in print as a paperback and an ebook.

***

 

12th June 2017:

Olalla

Read 'Olalla' by Robert Louis Stevenson from The Suicide Club and Other Dark Adventures, as a pdf here.

***

 

22nd May 2017:

Seven Strange Stories

Our next publication is Seven Strange Stories by Rebecca Lloyd, author of the previous Tartarus Press collection, the World Fantasy Award nominated Mercy and Other Stories.

***

 

19th May 2017:

Dollar cheques

Please note that we are now longer able to accept cheques in US dollars, due to a new policy by our bank. Paypal and bank transfers are still fine.

***

 

12th May 2017:

Reggie Oliver review

Reggie Oliver's Holidays from Hell receives a glowing review in April's Locus. "Oliver is the leading contemporary exponent of the antiquarian ghost story as established by M.R. James."

***

 

11th May 2017:

Out of print

Please no that The Master of the House by John Gaskin is now out of print as a limited edition hardback. It is still available, however, as an ebook.

***

 

4th May 2017:

Richard Dalby, RIP

We are very sad to report the death of Richard Dalby, editor and researcher. Richard's literary knowledge was immense, but in the ghost story field, especially, he was without compare. RIP, Richard.

***

 

4th May 2017:

Wormwood 28

We are pleased to announce the publication on Tuesday 9th May of Wormwood 28. The new issue 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

£9.99 including p&p worldwide.

***

 

10th April 2017:

Out of Print

The Secret of the Sangraal by Arthur Machen is now out of print. Please check the Low Stock page to see which other books are low in number.

***

 

 

6th April 2017:

Booking the Hidden Back Room

The Hidden Back Room by Jason A. Wyckoff receives a very good review from Rick Kleffel at Narrative Species: "Readers who enjoy a good dose of terror mixed with their reality will want to book The Hidden Back Room."

***

 

3rd April 2017:

The House of the Hidden Light

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new paperback edition of The House of the Hidden Light by Arthur Machen and A.E. Waite.

Please note that Ritual and Other Stories is no longer available as a limited edition hardback.

***

 

2nd march 2017:

The Autobiography of Arthur Machen

We are pleased to announce the publication, on Friday 24th March, of The Autobiography of Arthur Machen. Comprising Far Off Things and Things Near and Far, this new volume has an Introduction by Stewart Lee, and has four colour plates. It is also available as an ebook.

***

 

17th March 2017:

"Starred" review

Holidays from Hell by Reggie Oliver receives a "starred" review in Publishers Weekly: "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."

***

 

7th March 2017:

BFS Review

Holidays from Hell by Reggie Oliver has been very positively reviewed by Mario Guuslandi at British Fantasy Society: "...a wonderful, enticing collection of great stories, apt to prove once again what an incredibly deep pleasure reading can be."

***

 

21st February 2017:

Ebooks

A number of our titles are newly available as ebooks direct from Tartarus, or through Amazon:

The Girl With the Peacock Harp, by Michael Eisele from Amazon UK and Amazon.com

And by Arthur Machen:

The Secret Glory, from Amazon UK and Amazon.com

The Secret of the Sangraal, from Amazon UK and Amazon.com

The Children of the Pool from Amazon UK and Amazon.com

The Cosy Room from Amazon UK and Amazon.com

Dreads and Drolls from Amazon UK and Amazon.com.

***

 

9th February 2017:

Reggie Oliver Illustrations for sale

Limited edition prints of Reggie Oliver's illustrations from his collections are available for sale:

Holidays from Hell illustrations

Flowers of the Sea illustrations

Masques of Satan illustrations

The Dreams of Cardinal Vittorini illustrations

The Complete Symphonies of Adolf Hitler illustrations

Mrs Midnight and Other Stories illustrations

***

 

6th February 2017:

Tor.com

Matthew Keeley at Tor.com writes in praise of small presses, specifically Small Beer, Subterranean and Tartarus.

***

 

25th January 2017:

New Reggie Oliver collection

We are delighted to announce that a new collection by Reggie Oliver, Holidays from Hell, will be published on January 30th. It contains fourteen stories by Oliver, and an 'Introduction' by Robert Shearman. 'No one story is like another' as poet and critic Glen Cavaliero has written of Oliver’s work. And as Pulitzer prize winning Michael Dirda of the Washington Post wrote: ‘Once you’ve read one story by Reggie Oliver you’ll want to read them all.’

 

A Lost Book

Back in 2001 we published Uncle Stephen by Forrest Reid, a wonderfully sensitive supernatural novel, with a new Introduction by Colin Cruise. We seemed to sell out of the book a little quicker than we expected, but this was because a whole box had been mis-labelled and archived. We recently opened the box and discovered that it contained copies of this great book, and we are pleased to be able to offer copies once again, while stocks last, at the original price of £27.50.

***

 

20th January 2017:

Publishers Weekly review

The Girl with the Peacock Harp has received a great review at Publishers Weekly: "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."

***

 

9th January 2017:

Happy New Year!

We have updated our low stock report, adding another two books by Arthur Machen which are now low in number, Ritual  and Dreads and Drolls.

 

In 2009 Tartarus Press published The St Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires by Eric Stener Carlson. This is still available from Tartarus as an ebook, although the limited edition hardback sold out several years ago. Admirers of the book might like to know that the Megapolisomancy website has created a page called Locations in The St Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires, which offers photographs of the key sites from the book. Still available as a limited edition hardback, though, is Carlson's Muladona.

***

 

21st December 2016:

Merry Christmas!

We would like to wish all customers and friends of Tartarus Press a very Merry Christmas!

Please note that from 21st December we will not be able to acknowledge orders, and we will be sending physical and ebooks again from the 30th December.

***

 

11th December 2016:

The Girl with the Peacock Harp

The debut short story collection by Michael Eisele, The Girl with the Peacock Harp, has been reviewed at the Supernatural Tales website, where the astute David Longhorn has been commenting on the individual stories as his has been reading them. He concludes:

"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."

 

The Girl with the Peacock Harp has also been included in Michael Dirda's Holiday Book Picks at the Washington Post.

***

 

7th December 2016:

The Los Angeles Review of Books

The books of Sarban, and specifically The Sound of His Horn, are the subject of in-depth analysis at the Los Angeles Review of Books. Paul StJohn Mackintosh discusses Sarban's relevance in the modern world, and recommends Tartarus Press: "...the leading independent English publisher of fine editions of weird and dark fiction, specializes in limited fine-quality print hardbacks and equally well-produced but much cheaper DRM-free ebooks."

***

 

5th December 2016:

Ebook available

This Spectacular Darkness by Joel Lane is now available as an ebook, direct from Tartarus, or Amazon.

***

 

30th November 2016:

This Spectacular Darkness

We are pleased to announce the publication of This Spectacular Darkness, a collection of critical essays by Joel Lane, edited by Mark Valentine and John Howard.

 

Joel Lane, renowned as a writer of compelling strange stories, novels in the noir tradition, and acute poetry, was also a thoughtful and perceptive essayist on the fantasy and horror fields. For the journal Wormwood he wrote a series of pieces discussing the leading figures in twentieth-century dark literature, including Lovecraft, Ligotti, Leiber and Aickman. Joel always intended to collect these essays in a book to be entitled This Spectacular Darkness. This cannot be that book: but it brings together all the essays he was able to write in the series.

***

 

29th November 2016:

Green Thoughts reviews

A very good review for John Collier's Green Thoughts & Other Stories: "...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

***

 

23rd November 2016:

Out of Print

We regret to announce that the limited edition hardback of The Haunted Woman by David Lindsay is now out of print. It is still available, however, as an ebook.

***

 

21st November 2016:

Oddly Weird Fiction

Muladona by Eric Stener Carlson has received a very fine review at Oddly Weird Fiction. They write: "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."

***

 

20th November 2016:

The Hidden Back Room reviews

Jake Wyckoff's The Hidden Back Room has garnered a number of very good reviews:

Publishers Weekly:

"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."

This is Horror:

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

Teleread:

"Recommended"

 

The Hidden Back Room has also been the subject of a "real-time review" by D.F. Lewis:

 

***

 

10th November 2016:

Wormwood 27

We are pleased to announce the publication on 14th November of Wormwood 27. The new issue of our journal 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

***

 

30th October 2016:

Green Thoughts recommended

The Daily Telegraph has recommended a number of books for Halloween, including Green Thoughts by John Collier: "A handsome hardback brimming with his unique, wicked, dandyish style."

***

 

21st October 2016:

The Girl with the Peacock Harp

We are delighted to announce the publication of The Girl with the Peacock Harp, a new collection of entrancing short stories by contemporary author, Michael Eisele.

***

 

20th October 2016:

The Washington Post

Michael Dirda, in his Halloween reading recommendations in The Washington Post today writes: "R.B. Russell and Rosalie Parker are not only the proprietors of England’s much-admired Tartarus Press, but also accomplished practitioners of the eerie tale." He then goes on to recommend The Stones are Singing by Russell, and Damage by Rosalie Parker.

***

 

15th September 2016:

Green Thoughts by John Collier

Our latest publication is Green Thoughts and Other Stories by the inimitable John Collier. The collection represents what we believe to be the very best of John Collier's dark, witty, sardonic stories.

***

 

10th August 2016:

Back in print

We are delighted to announce that Sarban's The Sound of His Horn is back in print as a Tartarus Press hardback, and is now available with all of the posthumously published stories from The Sacrifice.

***

 

5th August 2016:

Out of print

We regret to note that Tarnhelm by Hugh Walpole is now out of print as a limited edition hardback. It is still available, however, as an ebook.

***

 

27th July 2016:

Black Horse

Please note that Black Horse by Jason A. Wyckoff is now unavailable as a limited edition hardback. It remains in print as an ebook.

***

 

18th July 2016:

Horthólary review

Horthólary: Tales from Montagascony by Michael Reynier has been positively reviewed in Aurealius # 92 by Stephanie McLeay: "Hortholary, with all its rich imagery, slow storytelling and depth of (even minor) characters, would appeal more to the Gabriel Garcia Marquez fan than the fan of hard-nosed detectives, but it is the perfect meal for lovers of both."

***

 

11th July 2016:

The Hidden Back Room

Our next publication is The Hidden Back Room, a collection of strange stories by Jake Wyckoff, author of Black Horse (about which Publishers Weekly wrote '...these tales are the work of a writer skilled at navigating the twists and turns of his unconventional horror themes.') The Hidden Back room will be published 14th July, and will be available as a limited edition hardback and as an ebook.

***

 

24th June 2016:

Wormwood Number 1 reprinted

We are pleased to announce a reissue of Wormwood 1.

***

 

15th June 2016:

Really Weird Books for Fogged-in, Coast-Side Reading this Summer

Muladona is reviewed by Rick Kleffel at KQED: "Carlson captures the terror of an almost-remembered nightmare, juxtaposing the familiar and the strange with ease."

***

 

24th May 2016:

Supernatural Tales

The Supernatural Tales Blog, administered by David Longhorn, has reviews Muladona by Eric Stener Carlson and pronounces it to be "a brilliant work of American Gothic supernatural horror."

***

 

20th May 2016:

Arthur Machen's 1890s Notebook.

Please note that Arthur Machen's 1890s Notebook is now out of print! While FoAM still welcomes new members, we can no longer offer the Notebook as a part of the membership package.

***

 

17th May 2016:

Wormwood 26

We are pleased to announce the publication of Wormwood 26. The new issue of our journal contains two essays that consider how supernatural fiction works: Daniel Watt reflects on some sources of the fantastic in literature today, while John Gaskin argues that the ghost story form assumes a distinction between the natural world and another, super-natural world separate to ours Colin Insole considers the work of Rudyard Kipling, while John Howard provides the first part of an extensive essay studying R.H. Benson's apocalyptic science-fiction novels. Mark Samuels takes us on a literary jaunt with the late Roger Dobson, while Mike Barrett considers the short stories of D.K. Broster. In his ‘Under Review’ column, Reggie Oliver considers Charles Williams, Sax Rohmer and Lafcadio Hearn.

***

 

10th May 2016:

We have various items of news:

 

Arthur Machen First Edition

Later this month we are delighted to be publishing, along with the Friends of Arthur Machen, the first ever publication of Arthur Machen's 1890s Notebook. The book is only available as a part of the FoAM membership package, so to secure a copy please join (and also receive two hardback journals a year!)

 

The Suicide Club & Other Dark Adventures

Next week sees the republication of The Suicide Club & Other Dark Adventures. This definitive collection of Robert Louis Stevenson’s fantastic and macabre stories is Introduced by Mark Valentine. We first published the collection in 2004 and it quickly went out of print.

 

How The Loney took the publishing world by storm

As revealed by the Daily Telegraph.

 

Wormwood 26

The new issue of Wormwood has been slightly delayed, but is now at the printers. An email will be sent when it is available to order.

 

New Ebooks

New ebooks are available in mobi and epub formats of the following Tartarus Press books:

Tarnhelm by Hugh Walpole

The Haunted Woman by David Lindsay

The Double Eye by W.F. Harvey

Uncanny Tales by F. Marion Crawford

and The Suicide Club & Other Dark Adventures

 

Out of Print

The House of Souls by Arthur Machen is no longer available as a limited edition hardback.

 

9th May 2016:

Book of the Year

Andrew Michael Hurley has won great critical and popular acclaim for his debut novel, The Loney, first published by Tartarus Press. He has been shortlisted for a number of awards and in January won the Costa First Novel Award. It has now won both the Debut Novel and the Book of the Year at the British Book Industry Awards. The full story with pictures can be read at the Telegraph and Guardian websites.

***

 

12th April 2016:

Muladona

We are delighted to announce the publication, on April 18th, of a new novel by contemporary author Eric Stener Carlson. Muladona is a Southern Gothic horror story, by the author of the acclaimed The St Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires (Tartarus Press, 2009) which received, amongst others, the following reviews:

"The multi-layered narrative is full of surprises, and the conclusion provides a modest grace note that beautifully befits the tale." - Christopher Fowler, Financial Times

"At bottom, it’s a deal with the Devil story, and as always in these it’s the Devil who has the last laugh, but made special by the distinctive tone and the wealth of ideas planted in the text. Recommended." Peter Tennant, Black Static 17

"Unpredictable and steeped in allusions to classic and contemporary works, this spry exercise in magic realism can be enjoyed as a parable on how our reading transforms our perception of the world." - Publishers Weekly

"...a captivating novel written in a sparkling style, precise yet imaginative." - Rick Kleffel's Agony Column

 

In addition, The St Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires is now available as an ebook.

***

 

23rd March 2016:

Robert Aickman

We Are for the Dark and Cold Hand in Mine are now back in print, which means that all eight of Robert Aickman's short story collections are available once more, along with both volumes of autobiography:

 

We Are for the Dark (with Elizabeth Jane Howard)

Dark Entries

Powers of Darkness

Sub Rosa

Cold Hand in Mine

Tales of Love and Death

Intrusions (now including 'The Strangers')

Night Voices (now includes 'The Coffin House' and 'The Fully-Conducted Tour')

The Attempted Rescue

The River Runs Uphill

 

Additionally, our Documentary, Robert Aickman: Author of Strange Tales is now available to view on Youtube. We do still have a few copies of the DVD left, which we are happy to make available for £10 (inc. p&p)

 

22nd March 2016:

The Loney

Congratulations to Andrew Michael Hurley whose novel The Loney is included in the inaugural British Book Industry Awards’ Book of the Year shortlists.

 

18th March 2016:

Louis de Bernières

We have recently discovered a handful of copies of our two hand-set, hand-printed booklets by Louis de Bernières, Günter Weber's Confession (2001) and A Walberswick Goodnight Story (2006). We are making these available at the original price, while stocks last.

***

 

3th March 2016:

Last copies

We are down to our last couple of boxes of The House of Souls by Arthur Machen. However, these books all have unfortunate marks to the book block (made during the production process) and/or bumped corners. We have therefore reduced the price of these from £40 to £35 (incl. p&p worldwide.)

***

 

16th February 2016:

The Cosy Room

We are delighted to announce that our newest publication is The Cosy Room and Other Stories by Arthur Machen. This 1936 collection of Arthur Machen’s short stories was curated by John Gawsworth (aka Fytton Armstrong), and as well as exhuming some very early tales published in the first half of the 1890s, Gawsworth included Machen’s decadent prose poems from Ornaments in Jade. But the highlight of the collection is ‘N’, the only original contribution to The Cosy Room, and perhaps the most interesting and thought-provoking story of Arthur Machen’s later career.

***

 

16th February 2016:

Review

The Weird Fiction Review publishes a great review of Hortholary by Michael Reynier today! "With the quality of Reynier’s Horthólary so well established, I see no reason why he or Tartarus should not gain popularity in coming years. Indeed, both deserve it."

***

 

2nd February 2016:

New Reggie Oliver paperback

We are delighted to announce the paperback publication, on 15th February, of Masques of Satan by Reggie Oliver. (It was first published in 2007 by Ash-Tree Press.) The first 250 copies of the paperback come numbered and signed by the author.

We are also able to report that the paperback reprint of The Dreams of Cardinal Vittorini is back in print once more. Also available in paperback are The Complete Symphonies of Adolf Hitler, The Flowers of the Sea and Mrs Midnight and Other Stories.

***

 

29th January 2016:

The Bitterwood Bible reprinted

The World Fantasy Award winning The Bitterwood Bible by Angela Slatter is now available as a trade paperback.

***

 

28th January 2016:

'Starred' Publishers Weekly review

Horthólary: Tales from Montagascony by Michael Reynier has received a 'starred' review at Publishers Weekly, who write: 'These tales are superb examples of worldbuilding fantasy at its finest.'

***

 

25th January 2016:

Horthólary review

Horthólary: Tales from Montagascony by Michael Reynier has been very positively reviewed by Paul St.John Mackintosh at See the Elephant: "Fearful French Fantastic Fun"!

***

 

20th January 2016:

The Bitterwood Bible

The limited edition hardback of The Bitterwood Bible has now sold out! A paperback reprint will be available at the end of January.

***

 

19th January 2016:

Low Stock

Please note that we are now down to the last few copies of Stories from a Lost Anthology by Rhys Hughes, and The Bitterwood Bible by Angela Slatter. A paperback reprint of The Bitterwood Bible is in hand and will be available in February.

***

 

4th January 2016:

Happy New Year!

And we start off the New Year with some great news: The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley, first published by Tartarus Press in 2014, has just won the Costa First Novel Award. Many congratulations to Andrew! Copies of this wonderful novel are now available direct from John Murrays.

***

 

22nd December:

Merry Christmas!

We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a great New Year. Please note that any orders received over the next week will be dealt with from the 30th December.

***

 

15th December:

Out of print

Please not that Haunted by Books by Mark Valentine and The Pale Ape by M.P. Shiel are both now out of print.

***

 

14th December:

Low stock

Requests for copies of Haunted by Books by Mark Valentine have been very high and we have had to add it to our low stock page. It is likely to go out of print in the next few days, along with The Pale Ape by M.P. Shiel.

***

 

3rd December 2015

Valentine!

All pre-ordered copies of Haunted by Books have now been posted. For those interested in Mark Valentine's fiction with John Howard Wyrd Britain have just reviewed The Collected Connoisseur, noting that the stories '...intrigue, they entice and they beguile; they are, simply, magical.'

***

 

27th November 2015

Haunted by Books

Our next book, to be published on 3rd December, will be Haunted by Books by Mark Valentine. This substantial collection of essays highlighting the author's varied and esoteric literary interests will be signed, and orders received by the end of Monday 30th November can be personally inscribed, if customers let us know when placing their order.

***

 

24th November

Highly Recommended

A very positive review has been received for Hortholary by Michael Reynier at Risingshadow

***

 

18th November 2015:

Costa short-list

The Guardian has just announced that The Loney by Andrew Hurley is short-listed for the Costa first novel award. Congratulations Andrew!

***

 

16th November 2015:

Black Static Reviews

Black Static Issue 49 is now published and contains very positive, lengthy reviews of four Tartarus Press Books.

 

Towards the end of his review of Orpheus on the Underground by Rhys Hughes, Peter Tennant writes: '... Nearly every story here is highly entertaining, filled with prose pyrotechnics and inventive verve, a joyful outpouring of literary madness and mayhem. ... Taken individually several of the stories here are outstanding ... Complementing the text are some splendid ink drawings by artist Chris Harrendence.'

 

All of the stories in Strange Tales V edited by Rosalie Parker are discussed at length, starting with ‘The Investigation of Innocence’ by Charles Wilkinson '... an extremely clever story, one that hints at much more than is conveyed...' through to ‘McBirdy’ by David McGroarty '...in which two young boys fall under the influence of teachers with an interest in the occult, with disturbing consequences in later life. It is a story in which the outré elements barely impinge and yet are central to the story, one in which nothing supernatural takes place and yet the whole is imbued with a sense of the weird.'

 

Of World Fantasy Award-winning The Bitterwood Bible by Angela Slatter, Tennant concludes: '...now time for me to gush. This is a collection of stories in which each individual work is a perfectly crafted gem, and the whole is considerably greater than the sum of its parts. ... As intricately plotted as Martin’s magnum opus, and with similar outbursts of bloody violence. ... As of today’s date, I rate The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings the best book I have read so far this year.'

 

And finally he reviews The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley: 'A beautifully written and thoroughly absorbing work of fiction, The Loney is also a book that touches on themes that are fundamental to the human condition.'

 

***

 

11th November 2015:

The American Scholar

Only just brought to our attention is this article at The American Scholar in which Michael Dirda recommends 13 books for Halloween. SUB ROSA by Robert Aickman is pictured in our edition, but they could have easily chosen to illustrate our editions of The House of Souls by Machen, The Triumph of Night by Edith Wharton, The Man Who Could Work Miracles by H.G. Wells, and An Occurrence at Owl-Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

***

 

9th November 2015:

World Fantasy Awards

We are delighted to hear that The Bitterwood Bible by Angela Slatter won a World Fantasy Award in Saratoga Springs yesterday (jointly with Gifts for the One Who Comes After by Helen Marshall.) Additionally, Tartarus won an award in the Best Non-Professional category. The full results can be found here.

***

 

2nd November 2015:

Back in Print

We are pleased to report that two volumes by Robert Aickman are back in print, and containing new material from The Strangers and Other Writings (which will not be reprinted).

Intrusions: New second printing adds 'The Strangers'.

Night Voices: New second printing adds 'The Coffin House' and 'The Fully-Conducted Tour'.

***

 

2nd November 2015:

Out of print

The Lost Poetry of William Hope Hodgson is now out of print.

***

 

31st October 2015:

Halloween mentions in the Daily Telegraph

Tartarus receives a number of mentions in The Daily Telegraph in Tim Martin's double-page spread of recommended ghostly reading.

***

 

30th October 2015:

Low Stock

In addition to those titles listed on our low stock page, we must now add the signed, numbered paperback edition of Flowers of the Sea by Reggie Oliver. (Unsigned copies will still be available.)

***

 

29th October 2015:

Sold Out

We have now sold out of Wormwood issue 3

***

 

28th October 2015:

Documentary screening

For those going to the World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, there will be a screening of our documentary, Robert Aickman: Author of Strange Tales, on the Thursday night at 9:30.

***

 

27th October 2015:

Wormwood 25

In our twenty-fifth year, Tartarus Press is delighted to announce the publication on November 9th of Wormwood 25. The new issue contans 'Notes on the Modernist Ghost Story' by James Riley, 'Dark Dreams and Deep Desires: A Reading of Sarban’s The Doll Maker' by Rebekah Memel Brown, 'Alexei Remizov: An Opleshik in Exile' by Avalon Brantley, 'Romanticism and the Deranged Mind: The Maniac' by Robert Eldridge and 'The Many Lives of Guy Endore' by Chris Mikul, as well as the regular columns, 'Under Review' by Reggie Oliver, 'Late Reviews' by Douglas A. Anderson and 'Camera Obscura' by John Howard.

 

Additionally, please note that we only have a couple of copies of Wormwood 3 left.

***

 

19th October 2015:

Sold Out

We have now sold out of all copies of Five Degrees of Latitude by Michael Reynier

***

 

16th October 2015:

Further tales of Montagascony

Our next book will be Horthólary: Tales from Montagascony by Michael Reynier. It continues the adventures of Professor Horthólary from Five Degrees of Latitude. The new book is a sewn hardback volume of 340 pages with silk ribbon marker, head and tailbands, and d/w. Limited to 300 copies.

***

 

13th October 2015:

Film Rights sold and Radio Four

Congratulations to Andrew Hurley for selling the film rights to his novel The Loney, now available from John Murrays. Andrew is interviewed by Mariella Fostrup on Radio Four's Open Book.

***