Books you'd like to see in a fine press edition

1. Tom Lea. Hands of Cantu. Whether with or w/o the author's portrait illustrations.

2. Loren Eiseley. Particularly Notes of an Alchemist (verse), but many of his works would fill the bill: The Night Country, The Mind as Nature, etc. His poetry and his essays are well worth reading if you have not already done so.

3. Lloyd C. Douglas. The Robe. My wife's pick.

4. Frances Hodgson Burnett. My Robin. Not a major work, by any means, and one of her lesser known works, The Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy being her two best known works, My Robin is a short piece that would lend itself to a fine press edition very nicely.

Your turn.

Mario Puzo's The Godfather.

1. The Homeric Hymns

2. Some of Orwell's Burmese essays with etchings by Walton Ford.

3. Kundera: The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Titling set in Cancellaresca Bastarda.

4. Ishiguro: Remains of the Day

5. Tolkien: LotR, Hobbit, Silmarillion

6. A translation and edition of the Iliad matching Bruce Roger's Odyssey

7. A more affordable edition of Don Quixote translated by Grossmann. Thornwillow shows that this is possible.

And some German/Italian/French editions: Das Parfum (Süskind), Im Westen Nichts Neues (Remarque), La Peste (Camus), Terres des Hommes and Le petit prince (Saint-Exupery), and Il Nome della Rosa (Eco).

Maybe there are some fine press editions I have overlooked?

>1 Glacierman:
I will have a look at Loren Eiseley who was completely unknown to me. Thanks for the suggestion.

>3 SebRinelli:

You may want to consider purchasing a copy of one of Loren Eiseley's most famous essays, The Inner Galaxy, directly from the Yolla Bolly Press. I am near certain they have a few remaining copies and Carolyn Robertson can be contacted directly.

http://yollabollypress.com/yollabollypress/index.html

>4 dlphcoracl: Thank you for the hint. Wine and Tears looks also very interesting!

An Outpost of Progress. It's gets overshadowed by Heart of Darkness but I find it a much more accessible read than Conrad's more famous work. It's also a very short book so would think it lends itself to fine press treatment too.

Watership Down.

in terms of big projects: The Federalist, Jane Eyre, The Travels of Ibn Battutah, and Journey to the West

>5 SebRinelli:

Seb: I will spare you from 'Wine and Tears' which I found disappointing. The writing style is stilted, choppy and sophomoric - deliberately so, I might add - but annoying nevertheless. It did not read well and I laboured to complete it.

>8 gmacaree:

The Folio Society published an attractive edition of 'Ibn Battutah' in 2012. I think this would be a poor choice for a small private press to do as a letterpress edition, nor would it really be necessary.

>9 dlphcoracl: Very disappointing to hear. I still give it a try someday. Maybe it is better in Italian?

So much to read, so little time...

>11 SebRinelli:

I do not think this would be any more enjoyable to read in Italian. In addition to the quality of the writing, the protagonist (main character) is strange and dislikable. My suggestion: pass on this book and read something else on your "To Be Read" list.

>8 gmacaree: The LEC published an edition of the Federalist

1. Stoner by John Williams

2. A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace (just the essay, not the entire book by that name). Also, Infinite Jest by the same author.

3. East of Eden (I'm sure editions already exist, I just don't know of them)

Probably many others, but that's what immediately comes to mind.

isaac Babel

>12 dlphcoracl: I just read my copy of Tears and Wine, and while I'd love nothing more than to disagree with the oracle ... the oracle is 100% right. I didn't find it slow going per se but the affectation(s) Vittorini puts on is bizarre and annoying. There are some passages that perhaps are worth reading, but they are few and far between.

>16 gmacaree:

Trust the dlphcoracl.

>16 gmacaree:
>17 dlphcoracl:
Ok, you convinced me ;-)

>17 dlphcoracl: I already owned it so I wasn't just going to let it sit there :)

Was there a fine copy of Dreamsnake ever published?

Let me add one more to my list: Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose. In English. I can't read Italian.

>21 Glacierman: Printed letterpress with medieval style woodcuts printed directly from the block

H. L. Mencken.

>22 ultrarightist: Duuuude! I'm drooling already!

>23 MobyRichard: I second that

>24 Glacierman: :-)

I would appreciate having Dorothy L Sayers' translation of Dante's Divine Comedy. Dante died within a year of completing the Paradiso, Dorothy L Sayers was less fortunate and died before she could complete the trilogy, which was finished by her god-daughter and eventual biographer, Barbara Reynolds.
In fact I would like any hardback edition of her translation, fine press or otherwise, as it has only appeared as a Penguin paperback.

I vote for "The Library of Babel" by Jorge Luis Borges. It's a short story, so not a massive undertaking from the press I suppose. It's also from where Umberto Eco found inspiration to the library in "The name of the Rose", which was mentioned previously in this thread.

>28 Hellbent2:

Rights to Borges stories are extremely hard to get. I won't get into the "controversy" around why that is.

>29 MobyRichard: please do share.

Kodama, Borges' widow (whom he married a couple of months before his death) and heir on the basis of the marriage and two wills, gained control over his works. Her assertive administration of his estate resulted in a bitter dispute with the French publisher Gallimard regarding the republication of the complete works of Borges in French, with Pierre Assouline in Le Nouvel Observateur (August 2006) calling her "an obstacle to the dissemination of the works of Borges". Kodama took legal action against Assouline, considering the remark unjustified and defamatory, asking for a symbolic compensation of one euro.

Kodama also rescinded all publishing rights for existing collections of his work in English, including the translations by Norman Thomas di Giovanni, in which Borges himself collaborated, and from which di Giovanni would have received an unusually high fifty percent of the royalties. Kodama commissioned new translations by Andrew Hurley, which have become the standard translations in English.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/writing-with-borges-20030712-gdw1a9.html

Resurrecting an old thread, I'm adding Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac to my initial list. Either the entire book, or selected essays from within. Wood engravings or some other appropriate b & w illustrations.

I'd like a series of select essays/short pieces from Didion, Dillard, Erpenbeck, Judith Schalansky, Rebecca Solnit, as they comment on the urban and natural world. They use powerful language and rhythm and have strong voices.

Or a collection of essays of those who have a collage style (Eliot Weinberger, Annie Dillard, Maggie Nelson, etc.)

Some great titles have been named already.

Titles that I'd love to see in fine press editions (and for all I know, some of them exist already):

Saul Bellow, Herzog
Peter Straub, Mr. Clubb and Mr. Cuff
Anne Serre, The Governesses
Susan Black, Dolly
Gene Wolfe, Soldier of the Mist

.

>35 LBShoreBook: "The Town Ho's Story." You really thought you'd slip that inappropriate title past us!

I'd like to see a fine press version of "The whispering earring" : https://gwern.net/doc/fiction/science-fiction/2012-10-03-yvain-thewhisperingearr...

It's a short story about taking (basically optimal) advise from a machine (AI stand-in) and the long term impact. Very prescient for how LLMs are used today.

Nabokov

>38 DMulvee: Yes. I'd love to see the short fiction get a spotlight.

I've asked in a similar thread for Black Spirits and White (which did get a Tartarus edition but no full-on fine press release to my knowledge).

I'd love a richly illustrated edition of The Seven Against Thebes or The Voyage of Saint Brendan.

And for all the science fiction that's coming out, I'm still amazed that John Wyndham continues to get overlooked. The Day of the Triffids would make a great addition to the fine press releases, for example.

Spitballing and in maybe quasi-order:
- echo anything Nabokov (and 2nd the short fiction)
- anything Murakami
- Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny
- A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
- We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (bonus - it’s the centennial)
- Johnny Mnemonic (novella)
- The Fifth Head of Cerberus
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
- At the Mountains of Madness
- The Destructors by Graham Greene (short story)
- Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came
- something Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus or The Stranger
- some Bukowski poetry
- In Harm’s Way by Doug Stanton

In general would love to see more short fiction collections. I tend to pick these up far more often, can appreciate the book more.

>41 greenwald1: You may/may not be aware but LEC did The Stranger: https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=the+stranger&publisher=The+Limited+E...

And Allen Press The Fall, although that's not one of the Camus titles you listed.
https://booksandvines.com/2013/12/07/the-fall-by-albert-camus-allen-press-1966/

>42 PBB: Thanks, I’m aware of the LEC editions but find the binding kind of abhorrent. I have the Allen Press one, searching around for non-LEC Camus books is actually how I found the press.

>41 greenwald1: Yes, I second Graham Greene's The Destructors in the form of a single-use artist's book!

Japanese literature (and translated foreign literature in general) and fewer fine press editions of Sci-Fi and Fantasy to make space for it. Mishima, Soseki, Dazai, Ogawa, Yoshimura, Tanizaki ... Japanese novels are typically shorter works which should lend themselves well to letterpress.

‘One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich’ by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

>46 ChestnutPress: I'll second that!

>41 greenwald1: - A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny

Love this book, and it would be great if a fine press edition could somehow incorporate the Gahan Wilson illustrations as well.

- We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

That was my original proposal to Consensus Press Round 2 before I withdrew it due to length. I certainly think one of the established press could, and should, bring it out.

I'll play.

The Grass Harp by Truman Capote (short story)
The Thin Red Line by James Jones

6 years later, my wish list has not changed much, but has focused on feasibility.

I would like to do in the next two to three years:
- The Homeric Hymns to Dionysos + The Homeric Hymn to Demeter
- Creation; Four Ages; Flood; Lycaon of Ted Hughes’ Tales from Ovid
- The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice excerpted from Virgil’s Georgics

Camus’ L’etranger (The Stranger) and Kafka’s Die Verwandlung (Metamorphoses), if I have the impression that there is an audience for works in German and French. I still need to find the right text of a Japanese author.

And some Modernist poetry: Any suggestions, folks?
Strong contenders are
- H.D.’s flower poems of Sea Garden
- Wallace Stevens, Sunday Morning

This is crazy and there's no audience for it, but I could go for some choice colonial American writings. I can see it now: Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana or William Hubbard's History of New England.

>51 DenimDan: Would Hawthorne appeal in this regard?

>52 SuttonHooPress: Between Red Angel and Intima Press, there are some truly magnificent Hawthorne editions out there. Though only the former are really "colonial" writings.

>44 Transfixed: I could see it inspiring some great art. Just the thought of that house is so vivid.

>50 SebRinelli: And some Modernist poetry: Any suggestions, folks?

The City of Dreadful Night by James Thomson, perhaps?

>50 SebRinelli: Wallace Stevens, to me, seems like the perfect author for modern fine press. That he's received only a limited treatment I'm aware of, productions in his own life with the cummington press, a Hockney tribute, and the wonderful arion press volume later, perhaps is due to his reputation of difficulty. I've tried printing several of his poems in different styles - and the language holds up to almost any typography, (unlike other writers who look out of place in certain styles). You could in theory have enormous fun printing a sort of commonplace book with excerpts from his work.

Personally I’d like to see a work of Shelley’s, a mid length poem, the Witch of Atlas, in a pseudo-Ashendene garb.

1. Another vote for Watership Down
2. Another vote for Name of the Rose
3. Another vote for anything Borges
4. A definitive illustrated edition of Homer; nothing out there has been done for this unlike a veritable history lesson that can come from a study of Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost's illustrated editions.
5. Anything from Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. The fine press treatment of both has not been as it should.
6. Aeschylus's The Oresteia
7. Crime and Punishment and Brothers Karamazov: both of these are lacking a good fine press treatment. LEC did the best of both. Penguin Designer Classics' Idiot and C&P were at least an attempt.

The Uses of Pessimism by Roger Scruton

>55 Shadekeep: I’d love to have Anne Carson’s Autobiograohy of Red in a nice edition, though that’s probably not what you mean by Midernist given her classical background.

>59 yolana: I have a broad umbrella here so I'd count her (and would like to have that book done as well). Something from Louise Glück wouldn't be amiss either, or Stevie Smith (of Not Waving but Drowning fame).

EDIT: Incidentally I recently picked up Carson's Antigonick to read. From what I've glanced over of it, looks a treat.

On the topic of modernist poetry or postwar modernism, I'm surprised no one on this forum has ever mentioned Ingeborg Bachmann or her novel Malina. She seems like a very prominent figure who would appeal to some.

I mentioned this a while back on another thread, I'd quite like a nice version of Mr Weston's Good Wine by TF Powys.

>54 greenwald1: For me, the best of Graham Greene are the Travels with my Aunt. And yes, I'd probably buy a fine edition of that book.

I wouldn't turn my nose up at either 84 Charing Cross Road or The Haunted Bookshop in fine press editions.

>60 Shadekeep: I have that one and loved it. Even the design of it is quite lovely (as with a lot of her books). She’s come back to Antigone again since then.

>64 yolana: She seems to have a similar talent as Seamus Heaney for channeling and "vernacularising" the classics. Let me know if you have any other recommendations, I've only read a fraction of her oeuvre so far.

>65 Shadekeep: I’m not the one you were asking, but Beauty of the Husband is spectacular.

Hesiod's Works & Days. Agree w DenimDan's ambitious (and wholly left-field) suggestion of Magnalia Christi Americana. SJPP or Arion could really pull that off well.

>66 CabbageMoth: I welcome all good suggestions! Will give that a look too, thanks.

>68 Shadekeep: and when you finish with that give Nox a try, it has an odd format (accordion) so it’s not the kind of thing you can take with you to read wherever, but incredibly moving.

Another vote for Borges but what I would really like to see is a fine edition of the Pisan Cantos - keep hoping that No Reply might oblige

>69 yolana: That looks great, I've ordered a copy now, thanks! Nice to see it's put out by New Directions, they publish a wealth of great authors and poets.

One other novel I'd like to see a fine press treatment of is The Invention of Morel. I'm about due to read it again.

- The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia (Ursula K. Le Guin, 1974)
- We (Yevgeny Zamyatin, 1924)
- Childhood’s End (Arthur C. Clarke, 1953)
- The Gods Themselves (Isaac Asimov, 2000)
- His Dark Materials Trilogy (Philip Pullman, 1995-2000)
- The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert A. Heinlein, 2005)
- Earth Abides (George R. Stewart, 2006)

I would second the The Dispossessed

Also some of Seamus Heaney's main collections in a fine press treatment would be great. I know there have been various broadsheets and the Arion Press Stone From Delphi collection.

A genuine fine press edition of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion would be incredible although it seems unlikely right now. It would also be something of a bloodbath trying to secure a copy if it were to happen...

Even less likely would be each of the Lays of Beleriand in fine press given they are both incomplete. The Hobbit first edition (without the revisions that tie it to the Lord of the Rings in the Riddles in the Dark chapter) isn't too far off copyright expiry in the US though.

Homer has been mentioned already, I dream of the Caroline Alexander translation of the Iliad but I would settle for a Folio-esque quality-press treatment of that to be honest.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is another one I would be very keen on. The still fragmentary nature of the text counts against it I suppose. It would have to be a recent translation as substantial new fragments have been discovered even within the last 15 years or so. I've only read Benjamin Foster's so I couldn't say which of the up to date translations would be best.

I would choose Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan or Fooled by Randomness. These books could be beautifully illustrated and printed on handmade paper and include a new updated introduction by the author. I am sure he would like to get involved in such a project.

>74 Lukas1990: Adding a prospectus for A Story of Recursion would be a nice extra for Black Swan.

>34 Shotcaller: Latro is one of those books which would appeal to a more conservative reader interested in classical Greek literature and a newer fantasy based audience. You could even have a more traditional approach like woodcuts of the gods. I love the fact the book is based on the idea of amnesia or forgetfulness and oblivion which is very predominant theme in Greek myth. Odysseus battling lotus-eaters, circe, sirens. Lethe in other literature. The design could showcase all sorts of subtle connections to the wider Greek literature and the theme of amnesia.

My semi regular plea for fine press Milan Kundera. Ideally something other than Unbearable Lightness but honestly I'll take anything.

"The Thebaid", by Statius

>64 yolana: Just to follow up, read Antigonick last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Brief enough to be a reasonable fine press edition as well, would make a good slim volume for a press not looking to commit to a longer work.

His Natural Life (Marcus Clarke)
The Octopus (Frank Norris)
Berlin Alexanderplatz (Alfred Doblin)

>79 Steve92084: Berlin Alexanderplatz is a fantastic novel.

Is Christopher Logue's reinterpretation of the Iliad, War Music, too obscure? I think it would really lend itself to some nice typography:

And as she laid the moonlit armour on the sand
It chimed;
And the sound that came from it
Followed the light that came from it
Like sighing
Saying:
Made in Heaven.

And those who had the neck to watch Achilles weep
Could not look now.
Nobody looked. They were afraid.

Except Achilles: looked,
Lifted a piece of it between his hands;
Turned it; tested the weight of it; and then
Spun the holy tungsten like a star between his knees,
Slitting his eyes against the flare, some said,
But others thought the hatred shuttered by his lids
Made him protect the metal.

His eyes like furnace doors ajar.

>81 vicwong: That's pretty nice!

Great thread, thank you.

As a newbie fine press printer/publisher (Awen Press,) this is the part of the job I find the hardest to figure out, how to choose the text. It is a matter of feasibility for me.

So I would challenge you to suggest your ideal fine press book taking into account the craft first!

1. Is it out of copyright? (ideally, yes, certainly its easier to start there.)
2. If it is not out of copyright, will it be easy enough to get permission to use it?
3. If I am granted reproduction rights, will it cost a lot of royalties and kill my profit?
4. If it is out of copyright, is it already widely known and printed well, am I just treading old ground? Or is it sparkily, brilliant and new? Some people only like to read the familiar and won't risk new. This kind of decision informs my 'brand' and longevity.
5. Is it a text written by women? (My preference.)
6. Is it suitable in length, as I handset all the text?
7. Do I have an appropriate typeface, and other materials that will raise the work up well? What are the costs if I do not?
8. Does it lend itself to someone illustrating it? Few people want to buy unillustrated private press books.
9. Will I be able to sell it?
10. What are the margins?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

>81 vicwong: I’ll have to get a copy of that.

>78 Shadekeep: It’s length would actually make it a better choice than a lot of her works come to think off it and you’ve reminded me that I’m due for a re-read.

>83 hcm68: A selection of Edith Wharton’s ghost stories. Why? First of all, they’re wonderful. That’s the main thing.

They’re written by an important female writer; they’re public domain; they lend themselves beautifully to illustration. You can adjust the length by deciding which stories to include. Could you sell it? Yes, if you make a good book.

>83 hcm68: I think a text of suitable length (either complete or an extract) from the works of Nan Shepherd might appeal equally to both your interests as creator and to the potential buyer.
Perhaps illustrated with 1 or 2 of Paul Kershaw's Scottish engravings ( there would be plenty of existing blocks to choose from that might help mitigate costs).

>83 hcm68: Great questions.

On Q5, in addition to whether the text was written by a woman, is it a text that you love?
On Q4, private press covers a broad spectrum. For example, there's a big difference between Muttons & Nuts and Books Illustrated. It's tough to be out of copyright and sparkly new! Agree it's best to avoid well trodden ground but even if its widely known and printed well (there have been lots of private press releases of Christmas Carol, Frankenstein etc) you can still achieve success if you pitch it differently, e.g., a different price point/design if that's a book you love.

Agree developing a brand is important. Ideally you want repeat customers rather than having to win people over each time you come out with a new book that might be completely different to what you have done before. So, Q11, does this book help me build my desired niche/brand? Women authors is a good start but suggest that could be narrowed further.

Best of luck.

>83 hcm68: I think for a one-woman show you are best served by focusing foremost on work you love, and then deciding what among it has marketable potential. You clearly have a passion of nature, so that could figure into it as well. And you are a fine illustrator, so at least you can illustrate your own work, rather than expending additional fund in that direction. (Though I'm not quite as sure that folks are as resistant to un-illustrated works as you believe. Illustrations can enhance a work, certainly, but I wouldn't say that they are absolutely required every time.)

If you're looking for "old but fresh" stuff, check out the archive here: https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/ . I've discovered a lot of older writings which were unknown to me yet surprisingly modern in their attitudes. The section on utopian writings is especially interesting.

>86 Shotcaller: I would gladly support such a book of Wharton's ghost tales.

One other work I would suggest is The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective. Written mostly in 1893, this is one of the earliest female detectives (or indeed literary detectives of any kind). In theory a single story from the volume could be printed as a standalone as well.

I would love to see a proper fine press edition of The Once and Future King.

>91 SuttonHooPress: I’d welcome your edition of White Heron. As far as art, Abigail Rorer, maybe? Although I imagine she has no shortage of projects lined up.

.

Judging by some of the titles published, it doesn't seem like it makes that much difference what title is chosen, only the quality of the craft. At least for a good portion of the buyers. Personally, I only buy books I've read and love, so I am not really the target customer.

.

A few from me:

- The Archpoet (Medieval Latin) - Fleur Adcock did some lovely translations and her own work is pretty good too.
- (Selections from) The Carmina Burana (Medieval Latin)
- Stefan Zweig (surely ripe for treatment - lots of short stories. Also his autobiography is very interesting). Has anyone 'done' him? Has nobody mentioned him? Must be falling out of copyright...
- Churchill's autobiography My Early Years - maybe less feasible due to length but there are some fantastic episodes that could be extracted
- Catullus (there must be some editions already - please let me know)
- Augustus's Res Gestae (ditto)
- e e cummings
- another vote for Christopher Logue's War Music
- another vote for A Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich
- and slightly unusual, but Pope Francis's 2015 encyclical Laudato Si', a beautiful catholic meditation and exhortation to action on the environment.

Otherwise I would be interested to see shorter, less common works/essays of say RLS, TS Eliot, Kipling, or anything by Greene, Nabokov, Borges, Eco, as others have said.

>98 Opinacus:

That's a nice list!

Re: Catullus, there's a splendid edition by Abattoir Editions, The Poems of Catullus, 1979. 250 copies printed on Rives paper. It's beautifully printed and arranged. Highly recommended.

>98 Opinacus: Zweig is an excellent call, Beware of Pity is one of my favourite books. In a similar Austrian vein Joseph Roth would be nice to see too, something like The Legend of the Holy Drinker would be an ideal length.

>59 yolana: There is/was a private press edition of Carson's work that was displayed at CODEX one year that was in a very small edition. I don't recall the details but will look through my CODEX posts on The Whole Book Experiences to see if I put any detail there.

>101 jveezer: Kim Anno, Albertine Workout?

>98 Opinacus: Another vote for e. e. cummings here. Definitely.

>86 Shotcaller: Thank you! Excellent suggestion.

>87 duncjl: Thank you, I love her work and would love to print it, but I think it is still in copyright.

>88 Pendrainllwyn: Thank you for your kind reply and considered response. Yes, I think it must be a text that I love (and isn't too tired) because I must not only take all the financial risk of such a long project, but it must keep me interested during the (numerous) difficult stages. The first thing I ever printed was the old saw 'the power of the press belongs to those that own one' which I meditated on quite a lot. My small attempts to add something to the canon, will be very small indeed. Yet, I have a responsibility to raise up the things that I believe in, which is unheard female voices, and ideally, environmental matters and the divine feminine. This is what I want to do, but it is likely that the 'customer' (if there is such a thing for such preposterous books) is an older white man, who is unlikely to have such interests in those subjects. So I am also up against developing a new audience. And as ever, I come round to the constant thought 'this whole thing is quite daft' and it is, so I should just do what I want I suppose!!

>89 Shadekeep: Thank you so much for your kind comments on my illustration. I think that is my favourite part of any project and drives much of what I want to make. You are right, it must be a love thang, there is nothing much logical about making handmade books! Thank you for the link, I shall enjoy investigating that.

I have ordered a copy of Wharton's ghost tales to read through. Thank you!

>107 hcm68: This is what I want to do, but it is likely that the 'customer' (if there is such a thing for such preposterous books) is an older white man, who is unlikely to have such interests in those subjects.

Ha, you know me too well! I confess female authors writing on the divine feminine will probably not catch my attention, however female authors writing on environmental matters and that's a very different story. I loved Nan Shepherd's The Living Mountain, Isabella Tree's Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm and Christiane Ritter's A Woman in the Polar Night for example. All probably too long for you to publish but excellent reads as you cogitate on what you will publish next if you haven't had the pleasure yet.

Best of luck.

>107 hcm68: Older white man here: ALL of my favorite fiction writers are female. Their voices are key, have an internal logic, especially with ghost stories, and gynocentric themes are vastly more interesting and important than those canonized by establishment academics. I'm working on Edna St. Vincent Millay right now, and have Sarah Orne Jewett on the docket. The language is stunning, precise and imagistic, and super honest. Zora Neale Hurston, Eudora Welty, Maxine Claire, Mary Wilkins Freeman, and of course Willa Cather.

>110 SuttonHooPress: Seconded. The majority of new authors I pick up these days are women writers (Agustina Bazterrica, Tlotlo Tsamaase, Julia Armfield, Hiroko Oyamada), as are many of my established favorites (Alice Sheldon, Yoko Tawada, Francis Stevens, Anne Carson). There is a massive amount of such writing still to be uncovered and given its due, so if you're looking to resurrect some obscure women's writing, there are rich fields of it to explore.

.

>109 Pendrainllwyn: Thank you, yes all too long, and probably in copyright - but thank you for your good wishes.

>110 SuttonHooPress: Hoorah! I am glad to know it, and to be introduced to the description of 'gynocentric themes', though my mind boggles. Thank you for the suggestions, I shall research!

>111 Shadekeep: Wonderful, and I am glad to know it. Copyright though! Its very difficult and very expensive!

>112 LBShoreBook: I have an excellent fine press edition of Carr's classic, published by the Cornucopia Press. No bells or whistles, just superbly printed at the September Press: it's an elegant piece of work. There are several available on ABE with photos to demonstrate this.

.

>112 LBShoreBook: Right, "virtue-signaling". As opposed to finding actual merit in these authors' writings. I agree on your suggested book, funnily enough, but it probably would have landed better without the condescension.

>115 hcm68: Didn't mean you had to go for anything in copyright, there's a wealth of out-of-copyright stuff that's waiting to be found and revived too!

>115 hcm68: You might be surprised. Most contemporary authors I have approached often have new work and are thrilled to be asked. You offer them a royalty of a percentage of the press run. Easy.

>115 hcm68: @SuttonHooPress makes a good point about reaching out to current writers whose work you enjoy. Given your interests in nature and literature, are you familiar with Orion Magazine? It offers an intersection of the two and features not just articles and essays, but fiction and poetry. It's conceivably possible that if you find something you like here (or in another such publication), you could arrange to produce a stand-alone fine press edition of it.

>110 SuttonHooPress: Is it just me, or is Sarah Orne Jewett coming back into the spotlight lately? Smith & Taylor Classics recently put out a paperback edition of The Country of Pointed Firs and will soon release A Marsh Island. And she got her own stamp last year, too.

I'm thrilled you'll be doing something of hers--and thrilled to hear of the Edna St. Vincent Millay, too.

>101 jveezer: Fingers crossed that you find the details, I’d love to track down copy

Another female writer I've read recently who would lend well to really beautiful stripped down typography is Fleur Jaeggy.

>123 LT79-1: I'll have to check her out, any starting works you'd recommend?

And Fleur Jaeggy is one of the two coolest names I've learned today. The other is the Director of the Rijksmuseum, Taco Dibbits.

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>124 Shadekeep: it is a cool name! I've read 'Sweet Days of Discipline' and 'I am the Brother of XX' and enjoyed both of those.

>127 SuttonHooPress: It's up to you but I wouldn't waste your breath. He's taken numerous pot shots at me calling me 'condescending' a few weeks back. I won't be engaging in the future.

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>112 LBShoreBook:
The Folio Society did a delightful edition of A Month in the Country. Not fine press, but still very nice. See https://www.librarything.com/topic/349775

>94 Cardboard_killer: I understand your point about the craft, but I don't know that title doesn't matter much. In an extreme example, I don't think a fine press edition of the prescribing information for a statin would be interesting. Maybe for Viagra. That might be funny. Anyway, I like to collect nice books crafted well, but I was led to this by liking books first and I started liking books because of what was written in them. So, accepting the fine points of printing, binding, etc., I would be hard pressed to shell out a lot of money for a book that I was not interested in.

I would add that many books chosen for fine press treatment are not always ones I have heard of before, but it is my experience that the proprietors of fine presses are well read, interesting people and they choose interesting things to publish. I may not agree with every title, but I do find myself reading a work sometimes because I know it's going to be released as a fine press and I have been pretty impressed by previous title choices by the fine press of the title in questions such that I find it an interesting title to check out. I would check it out because if I were to spend $300+ on a story, I would need a reason more than letterpress, leather binding, etc.

I find that illustrations are value-added in many instances and I particularly like Suntup Press's inclination to include additional supplementary material along with certain additions. However, I was inclined to buy Born of Man and Woman's Numbered, but I didn't see the point in having the supplementary information included with that edition as worth inclusion in the Numbered edition. As a separate supplemental, sure. On the other hand, the supplemental material for his initial Wells trilogy was awesome. He did include the supplemental for War of the Worlds as a separate booklet, but I wouldn't have minded much of it included. Perhaps the 1938 broadcast script would have been a bit much and so the booklet made sense. It is a supreme regret that I discovered Suntup after these volumes were published. I think they are still some of the finest, most well done publications he's ever done.

>129 SuttonHooPress: I'm jazzed about both of your Jewett and Millay projects, Chad. Will be looking forward to hearing and seeing more about them.

>128 LT79-1: Thanks kindly for the Jaeggy recommendations, I'll check them out!

There are some books I already have in first edition hardcovers, yet I think are deserving of a lovingly prepared fine press edition to live alongside them e.g.

John Brunner - Stand on Zanzibar

My other wishes include
James Blish - Cities in Flight omnibus
Karel Capek - War with the Newts
Jonathan Coe - What a Carve Up

84, Charing Cross Road would be nice to see in a fine press edition, and it’s quite short so it wouldn’t be a huge undertaking.

>134 Another_Bibliomane: This is a great choice!

>133 memeweaver: Centipede did Stand on Zanzibar, though I'm sure most won't count it as true fine press

>110 SuttonHooPress: Edna St. Vincent Millay would be nice! There are some very good Welty editions from Midnight Paper Sales.

>137 jveezer: A terrific Millay selection is forthcoming later this year! Watch this space!

An Ambrose Bierce short story: The Damned Thing (1893).

I really wish there were a fine edition of Between the World and Me. It is an amazing book about the modern African-American experience and inter-generational connection.

Has anyone read Charles Brockden Brown novels? He seems an important figure in the history of American literature but I don't see him mentioned on this forum?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Brockden_Brown

Never read his books. Would be interested to hear more from those who have.

>141 LT79-1: Unfamiliar to me, even though touted as "father of the American novel". Delphi Classics did put out his complete works, so obviously enough folks have heard of him.

>142 Shadekeep: I know it's bizarre. Reading the full wiki entry he sounds a very interesting character, a writer's writer.

>143 LT79-1: One summary says "Brown’s writings exploit horror and terror, while reflecting a thoughtful liberalism." Sounds like I'll have to give him a read!

>144 Shadekeep: would love to hear your opinion if you do. Some critics regard him as being the first important American writer. The titles of his books sound interesting too. I'll order a book of his and see how I get on.

And just to add a bit more a critic described him as "the grandfather of weird literature, even before Lovecraft's name" lol, definitely worth a try.

>145 LT79-1: Picked up the Delphi edition since that will let me get right into them, and also permit me to dip into various novels until I find one that grabs me. Will be happy to share impressions, please do of yours as well.

>146 Shadekeep: I picked up the OUP version of Wieland; or The Transformation, and Memoirs of Carwin, The Biloquist. I love long titles.

Brown has a Library of America volume. I read Edgar Huntley ages ago, recall it as weird Van Winkle.

Currently reading The Bridge on the Drina by Nobel-laureate Ivo Andric, and wow that could be a fantastic fine press book with a frontispiece of the bridge. Fantastic book.

>136 filox: Interesting. It had an extra essay by the author included. It did look pretty nice and the last edition signed by the author. I'm usually more interested in seeing an aesthetically pleasing content-enhanced edition than being a purist about the printing methodology.

https://www.centipedepress.com/sf/standonzanzibar.html
https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/227263083539

I see Easton did one too with a forward by David Brin.
https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Stand-Zanzibar-John-Brunner-David-Brin/314586627...

>83 hcm68: The Waves by Virginia Woolf would seem to fit all of your terms and I am unaware of any existing fine press editions... I'd buy it!

>151 diveteamzissou: She'd need to devote a whole year or more to the project, hand-setting and hand-printing a novel of this size, so wouldn't meet her length criterion. Nice choice for someone else though.

>1 Glacierman: There may be one already, I’m new to the forum but I’d like to see “You Dreamed of Empires” by Álvaro Enrigue with translation by Natasha Wimmer