David Barker - Death at the Flea Circus from BoSP

Yeah! Both editions look great, Bill. And that is a fine photograph.

I like the photo of Claude Pelieu's Kali Yug Express w/ dust jacket on yr site! http://www.bospress.net/assets/images/kaliyug2.jpg

Yeah, but wait until I have that shot by my friends. That fucker will POP!

Bill

"Palimpsests" is the word you were groping for, Rekrab. My, my! Bill does biblio-porn like no other... Remember, the police can only trace you if you use a credit card.

Right you are, Mr. Kafka. Palimpsests is the word for it. I remember reading that many ancient Roman Catholic manuscripts were trashed during the Reformation in England and scraps of them ended up being used in book bindings. Now some of those fragments are the only known surviving pieces of those old texts.

The pope must have been rolling in his coffers to learn about that.

Very nice work, Bill!

Bill sent me a stack of the broadside flyers (a chapter from Death At The Flea Circus), and they are beautiful. One is on vellum, with old legal writing in pen and ink on the back. It is cool beyond belief. He's a wizard.

Release of Death At The Flea Circus is days away. To whet your appetite, here's my mock up ticket to the Flea Circus. I don't know yet if Bill plans to use this concept or not in the Bureau edition. If he does, it would likely be a typeset letterpressed version, not my funky handwritten version.

That's the polite way to say it.

The paperbacks (with letterpress printed dustjackets) are ready to ship and will go out on Monday. The hardcovers will ship later in the week. I have very few hardcovers left, so if you are on the fence, now is the time to let me know. Paperbacks are also selling well, but there are 200 of those (there are only 50 hardcovers.)

It really is an amazing novel.

Bill

Waiting an extra week is punishment for ordering both, I suppose!

It really is pretty good, in a 1960s tripped out naive college kid kind of way. Or I am delusional and Bill is infected with my madness.

OK. All the paperbacks shipped out the other day, except for those that bought hardcovers with their paperbacks (sorry PS.)

The good news is that the first 25 hardcovers, which covers everyone who has ordered and paid, will ship out on Friday, so you should see those on Monday if you are in the US, or later next week if you are outside the us (or in Albuquerque.)

Here is a look at how it stands now.



The hardcovers are to the right with spines on. The text blocks are to the left. The roll leaning up against the text blocks is the mull. You can also see the sig sheets, unglued spines, etc...

Bill

Oh snap! You hear that Albuquerque! FACE! <claw-shaped had slowly raking down my face>

I don't know about you folks, but I'm really looking forward to this one...

The mailman delivered the package and I am published! I keep remembering that wonderful, humble letter Bukowski wrote when he first saw copies of Flower, Fist and Bestial Wail, and I feel the same way. You've brought me the miracle, Bill. I think I owe you a kidney at least.

My kidneys are still good, but I need a couple extra discs in my spine, if anyone has any extras.

And the book is an amazing read.

My spine is good most days. I'll send a few disks Priority Mail.

Oh
My
God

Look what arrived in the mail today....

ANNOUNCEMENT!

OK, I was a couple days later than expected, but all hardcovers went out today. They should start arriving later in the week. Paperback copies went out early last week.

I still have 15 hardcovers and about 100 paperbacks left (plus 2 "bureau edition" copies).

Bill

I got my hardcovers today. Extremely nice, Bill. I don't know how you do so much fine work so quickly. You must be hitting the energy drinks pretty hard.

The oil paintings for the bureau edition are coming along well. I should be able to start sending you completed paintings soon, a few at a time. I'm trying not to rush them, and at the same time not to overwork them. Sometimes the best thing I can do with a painting is to recognize that I can't make it any better than it is and to leave it alone.

This book is fantastic. My wife is reading the softcover and should be done tomorrow, so I'll have it for the weekend. Very interesting subject matter and approach and the production is great.

Thanks, ps. I've been anxiously awaiting feedback, and nervous as hell, wondering will people hate the book, like it, think it's just okay? I know all three are possible. Tell your wife not to judge me harshly. I was young and mindless, and the air was filled with strange smoke. I'm all grown up now and a decent citizen. I wouldn't harm a fly. The serial killer personae was pure fiction. Really...

Got mine today. Beautiful work Bill! Love the vellum.

And I just noticed the chapter 51 broadside. Awesome!

The broadside chapter being an actual tipped in letterpressed broadside was Bill's idea.

I sure hope it's as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside
Those are big shoes to fill.

Bill brings it.