Métier Press

Very pleased to introduce a new fine press!

https://www.metierpress.com/

Métier Press has just launched. It's the work of Chris Bright – my neighbor here in Portland – who I've had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with over the past year or two as he's gotten the press set up. Chris is the real deal. He has a strong artistic vision, which I think will bring something new to the fine press community, and he's working with terrific craftspeople!

I'm confident that, before long, Métier will be among the brightest stars in our fine press constellation. Hope everybody will give it a look!

>1 grifgon: thanks for sharing. I tend to gravitate towards the more minimal approach to book design so I'll be watching with interest for images of the interior.

>1 grifgon: Thanks. Always great news when a new press enters the fray! From the little we can see so far, they certainly seem to have their own distinctive vision. In time, I'll be interested to discover more about what this means in practice: Instead of using illustration to depict narrative, we choose visual concepts that elicit the themes and arcs of our titles. I would also suggest they add something on their site about the kinds of titles they'll be pursuing. Based on the one title announced so far, it seems that might be occupying a similar space to Copperhead Press. But then they also talk about the importance of author signatures, so who knows?

Also interesting that this is yet another press opting to do their binding at Ludlow's in the UK. I've noted recently Ludlow's seem to be struggling to keep up, with both Curious King and CTP recently delaying forthcoming titles. This is not a criticism of anyone btw, merely an observation. It's quite astounding to me that there appears to be no real equivalent of Ludlow's in the whole of North America. Plenty of wonderful fine presses who do their binding in-house, of course, but there seems to be no one who can take on large quite large scale, high quality, artisanal hand-binding jobs for other presses and publishers. If I'm wrong about this I'd be interested to know. It seems there could be quite an opportunity for someone there.

>3 Levin40: on Ludlow Bookbinders: They are scaling up their production capabilities and investing in people, training and equipment. It being a complicated craft it takes time. In future they will hopefully have a bigger capacity.

(source: Conversation Tree Press' December gyaff; 05.12.25)

This seems very promising. I’ve subscribed to the mailing list.

The description on the website leans a little heavily into newness for my taste. “ Like any adept artist, author, or chef, we are taking what’s come before and building upon it to create something new.” What about those chefs who see themselves as craftsmen—who cook very traditionally and very well, without desiring to innovate?

Regardless, the proof will be in the books themselves. I’m excited to learn more over time.

Welcome indeed to another fine press! I've signed up for the mailings as well.

Very little to go on at the moment with regards to the aesthetic and direction of the press, but I like what is showing so far. I concur with @Levin40 that there seems to a little bit of overlap with Copperhead on the debut title, though their design style is quite different, almost seems more in the Arion camp at the moment.

Anyway, best of luck to Chris with this endeavour!

Welcome Metier. First impression is they will be a high quality press. Good luck to them.

Looking forward to hearing more!

Also interested to discover what this means, emphasis mine:
Likewise, we feel author signatures can be of real value to the reader, and in our quest to provide the ultimate experience and object, will seek them out where relevant. We also believe there is a limit on the degrees of separation with which signatures are truly additive—we will never participate in specious practices that put sales before substance.

>8 What_What: Yeah, a bit of a "j'accuse" there--but to who? And of what, exactly? Impossible to know.

>9 Shotcaller: One wonders whether this is a reference to the practice (among certain presses) of including "facsimile signatures." It never occurred to me that facsimile signatures drive sales, though, so perhaps I am off the mark.

>10 P.Casimir: That seems possible. And I'd agree: I wouldn't think they'd drive sales, either.

>4 7om: Thanks. Let's see if/when this starts to make a difference.

>11 Shotcaller: Yeah, I don't think facsimile signatures actually drive sales. It's true that some presses includes additional signatures beyond the author and illustrator - maybe the printer, binder, designer etc - but I can't really see anything 'specious' about that. I would have thought that the only cases in which a signature might actually drives sales would be the author's or perhaps a famous introducer who might sign, but again, I can't really see anything wrong with that either.

>12 Levin40: Agreed. The other thing I wondered: did the writer mean non-author signatures, like craftspeople or introducers? Hard to know - statement was vague.

Hemingway... Nothing for me here yet but I will be interested to see their books and price points. I'm always happy to see a new press for readers enter the field. Wonder if they will have anything to show by CODEX? Hopefully next up isn't F. Scott. Something like James Baldwin and I'm IN.

It could also be a jab at FS with their signature-on-sticker approach.

The website seems to be down. What was the announced title?

>16 elladan0891: The Sun Also Rises

Personally, I think they mean some presses are counting on the signature to drive sales. Therefore, they may put less effort into the book itself, driving a higher price for a lesser product simply because the signature will ensure it sells anyway.

>18 AstulTheShepherd: That could be. Why make it so cryptic, though?

>19 Shotcaller: The statement seems cryptic if you're coming from a within-fine-press perspective, but it makes perfect sense if you're coming from an outside-of-fine-press perspective.

Major publishers – Penguin Random House, etc. – regularly create mass-produced low quality 1,000+ copy limited editions, where the entire selling point is that the author signed it. I think Métier is addressing collectors from the wider world of limited editions.

There are thousands of book collectors out there who would indeed say, "$100+ for a book?? But it's not even signed (or covered in gold foil)!"

We are teeny tiny island.

>20 grifgon: Thanks for that insight, Griffin. I'm still confused, I confess; I'm not sure what "degrees of separation" means here, exactly - tipped-in signature pages, maybe?

Not that you wrote this, of course!

Whatever my quibbles are with the text on the website, I'm genuinely excited to learn more about these books.

>21 Shotcaller: Is there a word for the type of language which attempts to make relatively simple concepts longer and more complex than they need to be, in order to make them seem cleverer and more profound, but which usually just results in the reader scratching their heads? I'm sure the Germans have one.

All this talk of the value of signatures puts in me in mind of Firesign Theatre's advert for "Mr. Leonardo's Warehouse of Eternal Art", where every painting is genuine oil on astroturf. The proprietor, Art Snob, guarantees that "Each piece is signed, by somebody."

>22 Levin40: "obfuscate" comes to mind, but that may not be quite what you're looking for.

>22 Levin40: You could use either "verbose" or "bloviate", depending on how kind you wish to sound to the speaker.

>23 Shadekeep: Ha! "By somebody" made me laugh out loud.

>25 Shadekeep: I've always favored "bloviate." It just has a certain feel to it.

>24 Glacierman: >25 Shadekeep: Thanks for the ideas. All good, but none quite capture what I'm after. 'Verbose' and 'bloviate' I usually associate with simply being unable to explain ideas concisely, which is quite common; 'obfuscate' I thought of, but that's generally about trying to make something unintelligible in order to hide its meaning, not to make it seem more profound. Hmmm.

>28 Levin40: Pontificate???

>29 grifgon: Closer!

>29 grifgon: Almost suggested that one as well, it was a term leveled at myself regularly in my teens. It's great for when you want to imply the speaker believes their opinions are adjacent to the divine.

"Verbose" is literally defined as using more words than needed, but yes, casual usage has caused it to more often be applied as simply "well-spoken" these days.

>30 Levin40: Though, to be honest, I don't see it. I think it's a fairly good point put fairly concisely.

What's the value of a signature? It's a form of physical contact – this person has touched this object – and a form of certification – this person approves of this object. In the world of limited editions more broadly, signatures have sort of lost their meaning due to ridiculous degrees of separation. In other words, they no longer mean what a signature should mean, and are pure capitalistic barf.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBJZvU-AjDR/%3Fhl%3Den&ved=2ahUKEwiPjsv4rbGRA...

>31 Shadekeep: In my sophomore English class, I turned in a paper entitled "On Morality".

>33 grifgon: Forthcoming from No Reply Press for the low price of $215, I might add¡

😉🫡

>33 grifgon: Your next book to print!

(I sneakily hope it's 300 pages on the Trolley Problem.)

EDIT: Pipped at the simul-post!

>28 Levin40: Reading through the website, the tone you're describing is in many places.

It's a frustrating exercise - to disentangle meaning from the words - because it's being explained in such a complex, self-aggrandizing way.

>20 grifgon: There probably is not a large overlap between fine press collectors and those who fall for small shiny gold stickers that scream "SIGNED EDITION" from the bookshelf of B&N.

>32 grifgon: How is that video an example of "capitalistic barf"? It's an an established author signing signature sheets for her fans, and having fun doing it. It may not be the kind of book people here collect, but it probably means a lot to the people that do buy them, and is quite the attack on VE Schwab too.

Perhaps “prolix” is the right word? 😊. But whatever the intended meaning a new is always welcome.

>36 What_What: I don't know that anyone, reading the site's text, would take much away except that the press owner a). doesn't like the way others do things and b). would rather go to the stake than join them in their regrettable ways.

>28 Levin40: gobbledygook?

>8 What_What: Also interested to discover what this means, emphasis mine:
Likewise, we feel author signatures can be of real value to the reader, and in our quest to provide the ultimate experience and object, will seek them out where relevant. We also believe there is a limit on the degrees of separation with which signatures are truly additive—we will never participate in specious practices that put sales before substance.

I think when they talk about degrees of separation with regards to signatures they refer to how directly signatures are connected to the book and its creation. For example, it's one thing to have the book's translator to be directly involved in a book's creation and then personally haul the colophon pages across the Atlantic to be signed by the translator, as Griffin did for CP's Sinuhe, and a completely different thing to have an author sign a bunch of generic bookplates to be printed and slapped on books later. I remember Easton releasing an edition of Maya Angelou with a slapped signed bookplate long after she died.

>37 Redshirt: Good choice, that's a fine word for it.

>22 Levin40: Grandiloquence? There’s also “pretentious diction” from Orwell’s essay about political language – possibly wrong context!

>31 Shadekeep: Yes, it is 'verbose'. But verbose is quite a general term; it addresses the what (using too many words) but not the why.

>41 BorisG: I think 'Grandiloquence' is about as close as we'll get in English (or is it French?).

Btw: This discussion over language and presentation is interesting of course, but none of it will impact my assessment of the books themselves - and decision to purchase - once we know more. The only slight concern I would have so far - from the little we've seen - is on the durability of fully hand-painted cloth covered boards. While they look fantastic, I'd imagine one would have to be very careful in handling the book over long periods as they could be prone to rubbing. But maybe I'm wrong about that, I don't know enough about the techniques and durability of the materials in question.

>36 What_What: I watched this clip and, while I'm not sure about 'capitalistic barf', there is something incredibly cringe about it. I think it comes down to the awkwardness of fully formed responses being regurgitated a millisecond after the question is asked. Seems robotic. I guess this is what happens when you do a 'spontaneous' interview, after having seen the questions several days in advance, thought long and hard about your answers and practiced twenty times in the mirror.

One other word to consider in this discussion is "garrulous". In the US it is often applied to the kind of old gent who sits around rambling about everything under the Sun, generally in an opinionated manner and often in a disparaging fashion.

>43 Shadekeep: That seems to fit well.

In the end, the books are what matter. But I suspect the website doesn't send the message the press would want sent.

>44 Shotcaller: Aye, I suspect that's a bit of (perhaps poorly stated) passion showing through. Starting a new private press is a labour of love (or should be), so it's easy to see that one would have strong feelings and opinions in regard to the field as a whole.

>45 Shadekeep: That's a great point. Better an excess of passion than lack of it, when it comes to fine press.

On the production side, I wonder:

1) how much is it gonna cost to get those books back from Ludlow with tariffs?? (They're books, yes, but books for commercial sale I imagine still have duties on them?)
2) On the topic of domestic edition binders, I wonder if Campbell-Logan (of late Bird & Bull binding fame) was considered. A colleague is having her edition bound by them and it's certainly a weird one, so I can't imagine it's a skill/material thing, but I don't discount costs or availability of materials being a factor.

I also submit pleonastic for the word we're looking for (though the description is not as redundant as pleonastic implies, imo).

To be honest, I'm not sure what all the negativity is about. I just glanced at the website. Yes, there is obvious passion there, which is not a bad thing. But apart from the arguable clarity of the "degrees of separation" point on signatures - what is the issue exactly? I definitely don't get this impression:

"I don't know that anyone, reading the site's text, would take much away except that the press owner a). doesn't like the way others do things"

If there is any rejection of mainstream cheap mass-production, I don't see how it's problematic as it's the core and the main selling point of the whole Private Press movement!

I also didn't feel that the vernacular on the website was unusual or off-putting. No doubt the values and concepts expressed on the website seem self evident and obvious to the knowledgeable members of this forum but I suspect that's because the intended audience is wider than the experienced collectors and book makers here.

It's not my place to educate anybody and many of the responses are surely just good-natured joking, and so long as we haven't scared off Chris Bright I suppose it's all good!

Hello all, Chris here from Métier Press. Thanks for the interest in our burgeoning little imprint! Happy to log on and see the conversation. And thank you >1 grifgon: for the lovely introduction!

We'll be launching the full site in a couple weeks, at which point there will be much more information about the books, Métier, and our focus (what to expect in terms of titles e.x.). You've all gotten a bit of a sneak peek.

I can speak to the signatures reference. Nothing behind that aside from a genuine desire and promise that we will always strive to make something special. This is truly a labor of love for us, and first and foremost about our passion for books, as >48 elladan0891: and >49 ns21: gleaned above.

Good to hear from you, and best wishes with the press. Glad the comments above haven't put you off!

>50 metier_chris: Excited for a new press to debut and please do share with us your progress. I expect it will be enlightening for anyone else looking to do likewise!

>14 jveezer: In agreement with all to cheer on a new press. And want to echo jveezer in encouraging new presses--when financially and logistically possible--to go past Hemingway and crew. James Baldwin, great! Cortazar, Barthleme, Keegan, Maylis de Kerangal, ... (I know I am copyright dreaming...)

Or John Barth, Loren Eiseley....

>50 metier_chris: I wish you all the best with Métier Press, Chris! Even though the sneak peek did not strike a chord with several members of this forum, I can clearly see your passion and ambition in this project. I agree with others who favor works beyond the American/Western literary mainstream; however, I believe that The Sun Also Rises is an obvious oversight in fine press output. I look forward to learning more about the details.
Many people may underestimate the significant investment required to secure permissions—not only in terms of finances but also in preparing proposals for estates that often require a detailed understanding of your project.

And let‘s be honest: most people tend to buy authors they know when asked to spend a couple of hundred dollars/pounds/euros, making lesser-known works a financially risky choice for the debut of a press. Perhaps we will see something more off the trodden path in the future.

Thanks much >51 Opinacus:, >52 Shadekeep:, >53 abgreens:, and >55 SebRinelli:.

I don't want to tip our cards too much, but suffice it to say future titles will be a pretty eclectic mix.

We selected The Sun Also Rises for a host of reasons. Chief among them was our belief that it is a seminal work, but also that it seemed appropriate as an inaugural release on several levels. While not his first published work, it was the introduction of Hemingway's signature style; the beginning of something special if you will.

On a personal note it also happened to be the book that served as the bridge between the rare & antiquarian world and the fine press community for me. I began my journey collecting first editions years ago, before finding that the methods, materials, and craft of fine press books resonated in a whole new way. It felt fitting to choose the catalyst for this thing that has brought so much satisfaction and joy to my life.

>56 metier_chris: I think it's both smart and auspicious to start a new press with a title that holds so much significance for yourself. Looking forward to your take on it!

>56 metier_chris: Thanks for taking the time on the forum to give us background on your decision processes. Looking forward to your launches and processes.

>50 metier_chris: Ultimately, the books are what counts. While I aired concerns about the text on the website - sorry - I genuinely hope the books turn out to be wonderful.

And The Sun Also Rises is a great title to start with. Looking forward to learning more.

While I'm likely to have an apoplectic fit next time I see another Fine Press Poe, Sherlock Holmes, or A Christmas Carol being published, I don't think Hemingway has been overdone. If anything, there aren't enough Fine Press Hemingways out there considering his stature. I think this is a good, safe choice for the first title. Best of luck!

Personally, I would love to see a nice edition of A Moveable Feast, but only the 1964 version. Unfortunately, the chances of that happening in the near future are basically in the neighborhood of zero as the estate seems bent on pushing the 2009 revisionist version.

Noticed today pricing is available, Numbered $765 and Lettered $3,750. Public domain, no illustrations, clothbound.

Compared to Suntup's No Country for Old Men with ten illustrations by an award-winning artist, two/three colors/passes on some pages, full leather binding, copyrighted, for $695.

The lettered uses the same text block as the numbered, and cloth binding, but is Bradel bound and includes a leather case, for five times the price.

>61 What_What: I was surprised!

>61 What_What: Hm. Yeah. Not sure the value's there.

I don't understand where the price from the lettered is coming from at all. Bradel can't cost much more to produce. And surely the solander box doesn't cost almost three thousand to produce.

Could be they've just taken "market price" for lettered editions?

>64 AstulTheShepherd: I would guess he's paying through the nose to have just 25 copies done by a specialty binder. Bit of an odd choice since the difference in affect is quite limited but could easily be adding $1000+ / book just in labor costs.

I was planning to buy a copy but the pricing just doesn't add up.

Hi everyone, glad to have the opportunity to dig into this topic. It gets to the heart of our approach to making books—considering absolutely every detail, and striving for the utmost in every way we know possible.

I must admit I'm a bit surprised to see our books (and others) being boiled down in such a way from this group. The very thing that makes all fine press books special, and what makes them different from mass produced books, is their details—how well they are made (which cannot be separated from who makes them), and the materials that are used. And of course scarcity is also a factor in the value and appreciation we place on them. If there's anyone who has the capacity to appreciate this, it should be this cohort.

I won’t get into specific numbers, but do want to address some of the misconceptions about cost here. It shouldn’t need to be said, but not all materials, craftsmanship and methods are created equal. Take endbands for instance. There is a vast difference between a multi-color endband vs a single color endband construction. The endbands on our Lettered edition are a complex ombre technique with multiple colors that add hours of labor alone to each book. Or endsheets perhaps. The pastedowns on the Lettered books have been individually filled in by hand in order to create a smooth transition from the turn ins to the interior cover. A minute detail that also happens to be an extremely time consuming process.

A couple of examples from the Numbered edition. The window and debossed pattern on the slipcase have an enormous impact on the production process. A typical slipcase with simple text blocking costs a fraction relative to that design. The hand-painted covers on both editions are not only unique, they require an absurd amount of time and expertise to create. Not only does this make every book a one of one, the cost is exponentially higher than the cost of a leather binding. This is not an exhaustive list, but suffice it to say the comparisons being made here are far from apples to apples.

For us beauty and execution is what truly matters, but if you’re solely looking at production costs I can say that our front end investment is larger and our margins are substantially smaller than the standard. That said, we won't be for everyone. Some make less delineation between the qualitative and quantitative, and that's ok. Our books specifically target those who do, those that value differences in design, materials, and craftsmanship. This is the whole purpose as far as I'm concerned.

Let me know if you have any questions about design or details, would love to discuss.

>67 metier_chris: We apologise for the tone, I certainly didn't mean my comment in a negative way it was simply academic. The books are without a doubt gorgeous!

Thank you for taking the time to respond, I wasn't aware for example that debossing the case would take extra time, I would have thought it was just stamping it much like text.

And I do love that the endbands match the fading spine, very neat.

I intend to opt for the numbered version. I like the look of this and for me the numbers add up when I see what is being offered.

However, I fail to see the value in the lettered when compared with the numbered. I like the clamshell case and would be willing to pay extra for this, but am confused as to where the additional money goes. Scarcity is never something that really comes in to my thinking (unless it is a one of one).

>67 metier_chris: “That said, we won't be for everyone. Some make less delineation between the qualitative and quantitative, and that's ok. Our books specifically target those who do, those that value differences in design, materials, and craftsmanship.”

An elegant rhetorical move marred only by the use of “that” when “who” was called for.

“If there's anyone who has the capacity to appreciate this, it should be this cohort.” Somehow my withers are unwrung.

It may be that I don’t “value differences in design, materials, and craftsmanship,” but I’m still not convinced—and certainly not by the implication that my (our) failure to be convinced rests on my (our) lack of capacity or values.

My only (very personal) qualm with either edition at this point is that they look fairly thick. Given my typical reading posture, thinner volumes are easier for me to manage. But that's a minority concern and needn't impact the wider market for the title.

I love seeing new presses launch. Not all launches will find favour with everyone but the more active presses the better in my opinion. Copperhead, Corvedale, Fablelistik, Kings Langley, Perfect Player and now Metier come to mind as having launched in the 2+ years I have taken an interest in fine press/quality books. Hopefully more will follow. I have acquired from several of these presses and have been happy with what I have received. As for Metier, I like the design of their first books. I don't think any of the titles I have bought so far have hand painted covers as these do. The slipcases look attractive and although some illustrations add meaningfully to the reading experience not all do and I am quite happy to read a book without illustrations. The lettered is priced beyond my interest but the numbered is tempting.

>67 metier_chris: Thank you for the full explanation; I like knowing what's behind a publisher's choices, irrespective of how much common ground we may share.

>73 St._Troy: Seconding this sentiment--thanks!

>67 metier_chris: Thank you for sharing, it helps some. My feelings are aligned with Shotcaller - this group isn't averse to paying thousands of dollars for books, where the value is tangible.

The hand-painted cloth looks nice enough, but I wouldn't look at it and think "this gradient cloth must have required an absurd amount of time and expertise." Same for the ombre headbands, it's more akin to "oh neat" as opposed to "holy moly that definitely took many more hours than a single color!"

It sounds like the price is justifiable based on what goes in, the risk is it may not be easily justifiable based on what comes out.

>75 What_What: "It sounds like the price is justifiable based on what goes in, the risk is it may not be easily justifiable based on what comes out."

That's a good way to put it. Just because something's difficult to do well doesn't mean it'll be valued. You don't get an A for effort.

We've apparently proven that no book appeals to every book buyer - Whitehead and Russell would be proud.

Of course we all care about craft and materials. The implication that we don't just because we are unsure about the value proposition here is a bit insulting.

>78 edkennedy: Les grands esprits se rencontrent.

As someone who was planning to buy the numbered but will pass because of the price, here's my thinking. Like it or not, your book will be compared to offers from other fine presses in the similar price range. In this case, I'm comparing it to Flowers for Algernon from CTP that cost me similar to what the numbered here costs. I got letterpress printing on a good quality paper, though maybe the paper is slightly less luxurious than the Fabriani used here. There are original full-color illustrations, the book is beautifully bound in leather and there's a cloth-bound slipcase. Top-edge gilt and a headband as well.

Here I'm getting an out of copyright book, no illustrations, a binding that's ok but not leather. The advantages seem to be hand-painted covers and a nicer slipcase, which I don't really care about that much. The slipcase I anyway see rarely as the book is stored next to other books so any debossing on the slipcase is not visible. The fact that the binding has hand painting also doesn't really factor into the equation that much -- I'd rather have a nice leather binding for the same price, or ever better, have $200 off the price of the book and have it bound in cloth. Honestly not trying to be negative, this is just my thought process.

I'm still very excited to see what books Metier comes up with next.

>80 filox: "The slipcase I anyway see rarely as the book is stored next to other books so any debossing on the slipcase is not visible"

The text in the book I rarely see as it is closed and stored on the shelf most of the time so should I go for blank pages to keep the costs down?

You simply turn the book front facing if it has a beautiful design on the front.

>81 LT79-1: i see the text for the whole duration of when I'm reading the book, that's the whole experience that I'm paying a premium for. I'm not staring at the slipcase for hours.

>82 filox: I pay as much attention to the covers, endpapers and slipcase (if it has one) as I do each page in the book. I pay a premium for the form of the book otherwise I'd just buy an ebook.

>83 LT79-1: different priorities I guess. I was trying to explain my perspective, I'm sure other folks are happy paying a premium for hand painted covers.

>83 LT79-1: Super interesting to see your posts throughout this forum on being new to fine press, learning, great to hear from those with experience, and then pow, super condescending to someone who doesn't share your aesthetic tastes. This entire thread is interesting TBH.

>85 LBShoreBook: Nothing I say is ever intended to be condescending. I'm not here for that. I was just trying to draw out the underlying logic of collecting behaviours, for discussion. It interests me. I appreciate there are no right answers. My aesthetic tastes are not fixed and I share some of filox's views. I don't particularly care for intricate slipcases. I've not actually passed any judgement on the Métier book yet as I'd like to see the interiors first and see how it looks as a whole.

>80 filox: Different views from different people, but I prefer the look of this (The Sun Also Rises) to the numbered Flowers from Algernon, I also appreciate a nice slipcase (or even better a solander case) and do wish to pay for these. I'm surprised I am so much in the minority here as for me the numbered version stacks up nicely when compared with what else is available on the market

>87 DMulvee: I think most agree on the value of the numbered. It's the essentially three grand extra for a solander box that seems to be what we're questioning.

Appreciate the interest and conversation all, and a special thanks for all of the direct messages.

>68 AstulTheShepherd: Likewise thanks for the questions, always happy to dig into any details or background.

>69 DMulvee: Happy to hear it! Things are ramping up on our end, more info on dates and details being released imminently.

>71 Shadekeep: The paper we chose certainly did change what is normally a pretty slim volume into a more substantial one. I think it still feels very natural in hand, but will let you be the judge. Dims are roughly 16w x 22h x 4.5d cm.

>72 Pendrainllwyn: Appreciate this sentiment, being additive to the landscape and giving back to the community is very much our goal. As a collector I share this perspective. Glad you are considering our Numbered edition!

>73 St._Troy: >74 abgreens: I enjoy the dialogue. What's better than talking books? Thanks for taking the time to engage.

>75 What_What: Fully respect your perspective. And you're absolutely right about the risk—we knew some of the decisions wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Per the above, the aim has been to try and enrich the landscape for collectors with some novelty while remaining true to tradition.

>80 filox: Understand where you are coming from, maybe our next release will pique your interest. Appreciate the consideration nonetheless.

>83 LT79-1: Glad some of our choices resonated, thank you for the kind words.

>10 P.Casimir: My interpretation is that it refers to the common practice of tipping in signed cards or pasting in signed bookplates. A very artificial way to have a book signed, so much that I wouldn't even consider it signed. Perhaps it just refers to mass signing 1000+ books in general.

Folio society is a big culprit of tipping in signatures. I will never consider a tipped in signature to be a signed copy, and would definitely not pay the ludicrous DLE prices for such low effort.

>90 Zoopa: You’re probably right, but why does this guy make us interpret at all? Irritating.

Am I the only one who is amazed that this conversation is still ongoing?? Lmao
It seemed quite obvious that the message of that paragraph was simply that some thought will go into whether something adds value rather than just doing something for the sake of it. Surely no need for such irritation and consternation!

I can’t remember the last time I saw a fine press product this expensive that featured zero illustrations

>93 ns21: Your threshold for amazement could be higher.

>94 Izdubar: Agreed, but life would be dull if everyone followed the crowd! One hopes Metier has invested the illustration savings in other production upgrades.

>97 Pendrainllwyn: I understand that a lack of illustrations is a purposeful stylistic choice, I can respect that. I also share your hopes, because I’m trying to wrap my head around where $3,000 went, considering the text block between the numbered and lettered editions are the same. This lands the lettered edition in the same ballpark as Arion Press deluxe editions. Lofty company and lofty expectations.

I’m actually happy to see a new fine press publication without illustrations! So many recent illustrated books strike me as garish and overly literal. It’s refreshing to see something focused more on materials and typography.

>99 kermaier: I broadly agree. Unless a book is illustrated by relief methods (wood-engraving, linocut etc.) I would much prefer it to be unillustrated entirely; or with simple display elements and typographic embellishments (think early Allen Press). Glossy colour plates (irrespective of the quality of the artwork) and letterpress is not a marriage made in heaven, though it can sometimes succeed.

>99 kermaier: I agree and the materials here do seem wonderful but the typography seems very standard to me, almost what one might expect to see in any old trade publication. In fairness many press books are this way lately. My question for this new press is what makes it different than TOC Berlin, whose books seem fairly similar but at a fraction of the cost?

>99 kermaier: While I agree with what the others said about the lack of illustrations despite the cost, I share your sentiment in not caring too much about a book having illustrations. The artist can be good, but their illustrations only add to the book if their vision of the world is the same as mine. If their depiction is different than how I imagine the world, it takes away from the book.

The main reason that I am a big fan of the modern Dune movies is because the environments they have created in them are EXACTLY how I imagined them in the book, along with the overall look and feel of different places.

>102 Zoopa: What a strange notion that art should just reinforce what you already imagine. Do you also go to museums only when they are filled with your own things?

>103 edkennedy: I try to imagine what the author has created, and sometimes I don't see how the illustrator's interpretation could have been taken from the words on the page. Most of the art I have seen in books has made reasonable sense at the least, or has even made my understanding of the setting clearer. But if there are no illustrations in the book, I'm fine with imagining my own picture.

>103 edkennedy: I also thought it was strange. How likely is it that an illustrator’s work exactly captures how any other individual imagines a scene described on a page. To prefer no art at all rather than another’s interpretation.

>105 What_What: I think maybe what’s being expressed here (at least the aspect that resonates for me) is that when the illustrations are realistic, full-color, literal depictions of scenes from the story, there can be a jarring dissonance with the reader’s internal experience of the story. This is less likely with the more traditional illustration media, such as wood engraving, linocut, black and white photography, etc. — where the art stands more fully on its own, and is more interpretive than descriptive.

>102 Zoopa: I happen to agree with you regarding the (recent) Dune movies, by the way — they absolutely nailed the technology and aesthetic that I feel the books were trying to describe.
Similarly, a couple of other movies that, once having seen them, I cannot possibly imagine the books’ visual milieu any other way: Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” and Scott’s “Blade Runner”.

>106 kermaier: After reading my original message again, I realize that I had poorly worded my thoughts. I have no issues with varying art styles and interpretations of the ambiguous, but if the details of the setting in an illustration or the mood of the scene clearly contrasts with what the author has written, then it detracts from the book. Or, as you said, when the depictions of what happens are overly literal, which is an issue I have encountered in quite a few cheap illustrated classics I have read.

I guess it depends on the nature of the story. I've never read The Sun Also Rises, though, so I can't say whether this particular edition would benefit or not from having illustrations added.

>108 Zoopa: Well, what you say mirrors my thoughts. While I do appreciate fine art in a book (or elsewhere) and have often purchased books because I like the art contained therein, still, the best illustrator is one's own mind. When someone else's art mirrors what one's mind has conjured up, it increases one's enjoyment of the book. This is especially true with horror where one's own mind will do a better job of scaring the crap out of you than the product of someone else's mind. Let the writer's words paint the pictures in your mind.

But, if the writing style is terse with little descriptive guidance, then you might want someone else's visual interpretation to go by. Then again, maybe not.

Zach Harney, of Collectible Book Vault, has interviewed the press's founder here:

https://www.collectiblebookvault.com/post/new-press-feature-m%C3%A9tier-press

Did anybody end up buying from this new press, and if so how does the book look?

>111 edkennedy: I ordered the numbered but don’t have my copy (I only ordered a day or two ago!)

>111 edkennedy: I got a shipping notification! I will try to share when it arrives.

My numbered copy just arrived. I am shocked at the packaging. Within the parcel there is a beautiful blue solander box with the name Metier on the front and inside it houses the product. It seems so nice that I can only assume I am meant to keep the book in this but I wasn’t expecting it

>114 DMulvee: Great to hear!

Would love to see some photos if possible!

I apologize that these aren't the best photos but I hope the are ok enough!

More

>117 maynardewm: These are great, thanks for taking them. How do you like the book overall?

>119 Shotcaller: It's very nice. I suppose I do wish it had some illustrations, and I think I would have preferred if the text was a bit smaller, and the line height a bit taller because it simultaneously feels like the text is a bit cramped, and also there's not that many words per page which means lots of page turning. But overall it seems very well produced! The gradient cover is quite stunning in person.

>120 maynardewm: Thanks for this insight. Your description of how well-produced it is, and how great the cover is, makes me consider purchasing a numbered copy.

>117 maynardewm: These photos are nicer than the official photos I've seen from some presses! Thanks for sharing.

>120 maynardewm: I also like my copy. I don’t mind the volume not having any illustrations, but would prefer either the first word of each chapter or the chapter titles to be in a different colour font (if I am being really picky in a colour that changes shades from a darker red to a light orange like the cover), but that is my only suggestion

>123 DMulvee: yeah I think maybe one more small differentiator like that would have been nice.

>122 zorg2099: Agreed and it's a theme with this board. The presses should reach out to their fans for some marketing material.

>118 maynardewm: Are these the first photos of the inside of the book? There are many photos of the book being shown off but I can’t recall seeing interior shots. The text does seem a little on the larger side, and a bit cramped. But probably something a reader could get used to quickly.

>124 maynardewm: >126 What_What: Frankly the interior shots are the first thing to really peak my interest into his edition. The large print, just typography focused on a nice reading experience is a good differentiator in itself.

>126 What_What: They had some photos on the website, which did give me a slight pause before purchasing because I personally wasn't the biggest fan of the text layout. It looks nicer in person than it does in photos, but yes the text does look a little big and cramped in my opinion. But I'm also extremely picky about these things as a designer lol!

Something you can't see in the photos: I really like the paper they used. Nice texture to it, fairly thick pages. Good amount of impression.

The large type stretched it out to ~300 pages? It’s a pretty short novel - my old paperback is only about 180 pages!