I just caught a tantalizing glimpse of a photo purported to be of an RAS Press book The Burden of the Suns. My curiosity about RAS is increasing daily. It's very difficult to find any information on Mr Squires and his work. Can anyone out there enlighten me with information on his life, printing methods, or with images of his work? Are his books all letterpress?

I am also trying to find any information on the recent revival of RAS by Terence McVicker and Bieler Press to print The Black Abbot of Puthuum. That looks like a wonderful edition, and I've sent an email to Mr McVicker to see if it is possible to secure a copy, though it is probably way out of my price range at this point. I am however curious to see what it looks like.

Any assistance would be most appreciated. Old school printers/publishers like this are fascinating to learn about, yet there is so little information out there, other than the fine volumes they produce and disseminate into the world. Perhaps that is the point, though I'm still curious...

[www.viatoriumpress.blogspot.com] Dedicated to the Weird.

There's a copy of Burden of the Suns right now on ebay. The price ("Buy it now") is $69.95, FYI.

I had the URL up, but it (the entire URL) prints. Not sure why. So just go to ebay and type in Burden Suns and it will come up.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 3 Aug 10 | 11:36PM by garymorris.

I found this quote, referring to a Squires chapbook of Cats of Ulthar, at Chris Perridas' blog:

This beautiful item from Roy Squires private press is described by Roy as follows: “For no better reason than that for several years I wanted to do it, I have printed H. P. Lovecraft’s bedtime story, The cats of Ulthar. This pamphlet consists of eight pages of printed text from American Uncial types upon Gutenburg Laid paper, sewn into covers of De Wint, a paper hand made by Barcham Green. The edition is 200 numbered copies.” This hand set and tied limited edition is number 174 of 200. Printed in April and May of 1979.
[chrisperridas.blogspot.com]

There are another group of chapbooks, of Lovecraft prose poems, that look like the work of Squires here:
[chrisperridas.blogspot.com]

There's some more Squires work pictured here:
[howardworks.com]

I am interested in the Burden of the Suns, however the printing method is not described. I saw this item on amazon as well. I am assuming it is letterpress, but am not sure. I have to say, the look of these books is quite attractive. The chapbook has a certain appeal, the best of fine press and underground zine all in one.

[www.viatoriumpress.blogspot.com] Dedicated to the Weird.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 4 Aug 10 | 03:17PM by J. F. Uccello.

Roy was a member of First Fandom who first came into contact with CAS during the 1930s. He visited Smith several times during the 1950s and later befriended Carol. He was agent for his estate for a time. Roy teamed up with Groo Beck to print The Hill of Dionysus: A Selection for CAS late in life; unfortunately, it wasn't completed before CAS passed away. Groo Beck was one of the partners (the others being his brother Claire and Clyde) in the Futile Press, which printed Nero and Other Poems in 1937 (Groo also printed George Sterling's collection After Sunset in 1939 for San Francisco bookseller John Howell, which R. H. Barlow edited). I think that Roy's press is the same one that the Becks used to print Nero. Roy printed many pamphlets or chapbooks by CAS, HPL, REH, Ray Bradbury. Fritz Leiber, and others, They are indeed things of beauty. as Roy carefully selected the paper, ink, and typeface for each of his projects, then hand-sewed them into wrappers of another equally fine paper.
Roy was a great guy. He was always very kind in indulging a budding teenage bibliophile who was just learning to appreciate books as aesthetic objects in their own right.