Gill Avila Wrote:
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> You're saying HPL had a say in this product?
>
> ...it is a decision between writer and
> publisher...

'Twould make an interesting situation, no?

No, obviously with that last comment, I am referring to modern writers and their books being published, rather than the deceased. But I see no problem with either being published in such editions, as long as the work is also more widely available. Of course, with a book which is first published in such a format, the publisher will (quite sensibly) want to wait until the books sell out before releasing a more affordable edition, in most instances, but even there this is not always the case.

In the case of the CAS prose poems... I have no idea, having been out of touch concerning such news for a while now. However, given the availability of most (if not all) this material elsewhere (are there pieces which have not seen publication elsewhere? my memory fails me on that one), even that is at most a bit of a hassle, likely not even that, as they are likely to be published in a more affordable format a little further down the line. As concerns the popular release of such... save for those of us who are such fans of CAS to begin with, the number of people who would go for the prose poems is likely to be rather small, so a large following for that is not to be looked for (though possible); therefore it would seem destined to be a "niche" volume to begin with; and we have had a proliferation of publishers of such. The main problem there, I think, is likely to be getting advance news of a more affordable edition, and that is likely to be supplied here....

My understanding is that, whatever new edition of the prose poems appears, it is supposed to include a few things that were not published in the Arkham House edition.

As for the niche aspect, I figure that, if Necronomicon Press could do a cheap (in every sense of the word) edition, then, ideally, so can someone other than the likes of Centipede (perhaps the company chose that name because none of their books would cost less than a dollar per centipede leg?) can? Anyway, as you say, we'll see.

And none of this excuses the inexcusable omission of the prose poems from the "complete" poetry of CAS volumes by Hippocampus. If they'd done the right thing from the start, then this particular facet of the discussion wouldn't even be necessary.

Absquatch Wrote:
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> The only complaint I have with such books is when
> they are the only edition made available of a
> particular writer or work.
>
> Is Centipede the publisher who is supposed to be
> releasing the complete poems in prose of CAS? If
> so, then does that mean we'll have the choice of
> either dropping three figures on that book, or
> completely forgoing it?

Not necessarily. They will be doing an omnibus of Donald Wandreis two novels any day now, and the pre-order price is supposed to be in the mid-two figures.

That's good to know, Martinus; thanks. I'll be looking forward to more news of the prose-poems later, as well as news of "your" edition (I seriously almost consider it to be such!) edition of Lovecraft via Barnes & Noble. I'll leave the Centipede Lovecraft to those who have deeper pockets.

Sometimes Centipede puts out paperback versions of their books. They tend to cost $60 or so though...

Thanks, Martin. I had heard about the Wandrei, but (a) I had not heard the price; and (b) the entire thing had slipped my mind at the moment. It's been a while since I visited the Centipede website but, yes, as I recall, there are lower-priced editions there as well. The Masters of Horror series are among the higher-end of their spectrum, if I recall correctly.

I also read either in a chair or on my back (in bed at night).
I have no patience for over-stuffed sofas or squeaky divans.
Large and heavy HC's are perfect for the chair as long as the
spine is supple enough to stay open without wrestling with it.
In fact, my favorite dictionary for years was an old Webster's
Collegiate of my mothers' whose cover had fallen off - No matter
how you put it on one knee or thigh it would stay softly,securely
enscounched and ready at a moment's notice while reading CAS or
anything with archane language. When we moved my dear Wifey
chucked it out, "It was all beat up!" <sigh>

Paperbacks are for the bed, not because they are lighter but because
they're small enough to be held splayed open with the thumb and fingers
of one hand. The other hand is needed for a bedtime snack of course.
From this I have decided that crumbs in the bed are the price paid for
learning and culture.

-Cathexis

A quick perusal of the Centipede site shows the least expensive titles to be around fifty dollars.

I will once again state my loathing for these limited edition, over-priced rip-off houses. And yes, I know that I don't have to patronize them, that if I don't like capitalism I can move to Cuba, etc., etc. Believe me, I patronize such places only as a dead last resort.

Absquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's good to know, Martinus; thanks. I'll be
> looking forward to more news of the prose-poems
> later, as well as news of "your" edition (I
> seriously almost consider it to be such!) edition
> of Lovecraft via Barnes & Noble. I'll leave the
> Centipede Lovecraft to those who have deeper
> pockets.

Heheh... thanks! :) The latest I heard is that the corrected printing will be in B&N warehouses this week. However, there are no guarantees that there aren't old copies floating around.

K_A_Opperman Wrote:
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> I personally prefer to read while lying down, with
> my chosen tome supported on my chest...I suspect
> that if I attempted to read the above-mentioned
> volume in this way, I would end up like a certain
> gentleman who was executed during the Salem witch
> trials..."more...weight"... Not only would I be
> broke, I'd be dead, too!


That is funny! And in fact Amazon lists the shipping weight as 9.4 lbs! (BTW Amazon's is $346.50, it's cheaper than from the publisher.)

A large heavy hard back book does not make a comfortable reading experience for me either. The other thing that can make it even worse is if they use a small font and/or a hard to read font style. It's hard to tell from the blurry page pictures on the centipede site, but that may be the case here also.

You can't give me poorly designed books like that. Let alone paying a few hundred dollars for it. They would just sit on my shelf never read. Those books are just for show not for reading. YMMV



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 5 Sep 11 | 12:50PM by Tantalus.

Martinus,

If you're willing I would like to know about this "Martinus version"
as well as just what is being corrected. I have the current complete
works from B&N as advertised here:

HPL/B&N

Thanks in advance,

- Cathexis

Quote:

Ken K.
I am thankful for publishers such as Wordsworth Editions, who put out paperback collections of supernatural fiction at a very affordable price.

Yes, Ken is right. For those of you who don't know, the Wordsworth Mystery and the Supernatural books are definitely worth looking into. They cover a wide range of supernatural fiction, and I believe many of them are first time complete collections of some authors' work--and all extremely affordable.

Those Wordsworth books are definitely worth their words... (an incredibly corny thing to say--but I couldn't help it! I've been waiting to say that forever!)

Quote:

Cathexis
Paperbacks are for the bed, not because they are lighter but because
they're small enough to be held splayed open with the thumb and fingers
of one hand. The other hand is needed for a bedtime snack of course.
From this I have decided that crumbs in the bed are the price paid for
learning and culture.

So very true. I have paid this price heavily.

Concerning Centipede Press: While I only own one of their books (W. H. Pugmire's The Tangled Muse) I have seen a few others. The concerns about typeface, poor design, etc., certainly don't fit. A great deal of care goes into these, not to mention the artwork, which is usually specially commissioned for them -- these are not simply about the text, but are intended as art books as well, and such things tend to always run rather high due to the cost both of the original art and the level of reproduction. They are very sturdy books, solid, and very, very attractive, and reflect the care and craftmanship which goes into them from initial conception on.

As noted, these are not intended as books simply to read, but to enjoy as fine examples of the bookmaker's art as well, and that they are. Which leads to my response to Absquatch's comments. You've said this sort of thing several times in various places, and no one can argue with a point of personal distaste. I will simply say that I disagree with you, and feel that, though I myself am unlikely to be able to afford such things, or at least afford them very often, I see absolutely nothing to complain about because there are such things for those who want and can afford them. The creation of a beautiful book, whatever the price, doesn't bother me, any more than the creation of any other piece of good or fine craftmanship would. If anything, I'm glad such things are out there, and I take pleasure in them when I have the opportunity. To my mind, there is plenty of room for all varieties of book publishing, from the shoddily-manufactured pieces which fall apart within a few weeks or months, to those which are in themselves pieces of art which may last for centuries. Having the good fortune to own a tiny number of these latter, I'm very glad that someone is still doing such things today. I am by no means a collector in the usual sense -- far from it -- but I do appreciate such things for what they are, and for the things they offer which the others do not and, by definition, simply cannot; but each has its place, and is worthy (to my mind) of respect.

Hear, hear! The only part of your reply with which I do not agree is your inclusion of "the shoddily-manufactured pieces which fall apart within a few weeks or months" - I see absolutely no reason for such things to exist. Unfortunately, there are a lot of these books on the market, nor does their price always reflect the sloppiness of their production value. Some POD hardcovers are utter rubbish their publishers (and authors) should be ashamed to sell.

I agree with you about the quality of the Centipede deluxe editions - they are extremely well made. Jerad Walters lavishes considerable care on his books and clearly loves the works he is printing/reprinting. To cite two titles I have on my shelves, aside from the fine production values, let alone the fine production values, the Michael Shea and Reggie Oliver volumes are well worth the asking price merely in terms of the amount of fiction included.

What is frustrating is that many of Centipede's titles are not available from any publisher in any other format.

Jim