Saturday, May 14, 2016

The Chemical Wedding–Book Collectors Delight

chemical wedding
Chemical Wedding cover image from Small Beer Press

I know, I know, I’m still waiting for the publication of John Crowley’s 25th Anniversary Edition (I wish she would wake up!) of his best loved work, Little, Big, but I couldn’t resist pledging to the Kickstarter for The Chemical Wedding, a four hundred year old romance by Christian Rosencruetz (Johann Valentin Andreae), re-imagined by  John Crowley, who dubs it the first Science Fiction novel ever written.

To mark the 400th Anniversary of the work, first published in 1616, Small Beer Press will be publishing this new version in November 2016 in diverse editions, paperback and eBook, and have launched a Kickstarter to fund the more exotic limited editions – an exclusive Hard Cover Edition, a Numbered Edition and a Lettered Edition.

Small Beer Press is an American independent publishing company founded and run by husband and wife team, Gavin J Grant and Kelly Link. They publish a range of fine speculative fiction and non fiction. They also established Weightless Books, a DRM free source of eBooks from independent publishers. 

Anyway, The Chemical Wedding looks as if it will be a splendid edition and a real collectable, destined to become a rare book classic. Illustrated throughout with whimsical woodcuts by Theo Fadel, John Crowley’s artist of choice for the book, makes it extra special.

The Kickstarter offers many reward levels, and there are some tempting goodies, such as (limited) signed and inscribed first editions of John Crowley novels, if you pledge for the Hard Cover. Every level from $10.00 upwards receives a DRM free eBook of The Chemical Wedding in the eBook format of your choice.

If you are a serious bibliophile and love fine editions, the Kickstarter for The Chemical Wedding gives you the opportunity to acquire an exceptionally beautiful first edition at a good price.

Fortunately we will not have to wait 11+ years for it to be published, as Small Beer Press expect the books to be available in October or November 2016.

It will be interesting for me to see which book will arrive first in my mailbox – Little, Big 25 or The Chemical Wedding. Let’s say, I’m not holding my breath for Little, Big as there has been no news on its publication since December last year.

2 comments:

Ann ODyne said...

oh I am impressed by your reading standards. my personal taste has failed to rise above Raymond Chandler and Elmore Leonard [sigh] and Reginald Hill [Dalziel; & Pascoe stories] who has frequent references to classical poetry so maybe I get a point for that [or he does anyhow].
on a distant topic, Mr Dawson's obit for the lovely Guy Clark came into my inbox yesterday. too soon after Steve Young another nice man gone too soon. RIP x 2

on another distant topic, today here in Merino/Tahara I anguish about going to a marquee invite at the Casterton Cup. of course I would arrive after the jumps, but should I patronise anywhere where 'the screens' might be brought out?. sigh.

Anne S said...

I can understand your anguish re the big screen & reluctance to watch the jumps. I avoid jumps racing as too excruciating to watch.

Perhaps I've been fortunate not to witness the big screen, but in all the times I have attended the races I have not personally seen it, and have not seen any accidents that might occasion it.

I had the pleasure yesterday afternoon at Flemington of patting the great Might and Power, Living Legends representative for the afternoon. He's a lovely big boy and dead keen on carrots. He's now approaching 23 years of age and looks very well.