Thornwillow Press: Edgar Allan Poe Tales, Mysteries, and Contrivances

Thornwillow Press started raising funds for their next project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thornwillow/edgar-allan-poe-tales-mysteries...

Excerpt from the campaign details:
“We did not choose Poe with this moment in mind. We did not imagine this book as an allegory for what the world is currently experiencing. But, as with Poe’s infamous ‘Red Death’, you often don’t see what is coming at you until it is too late, and now, these visceral writings of Edgar Allan Poe are speaking to us and to our world as we are living it today.

Now, more than ever, is the time—the time to unite, the time to support one another, to support artists, and to read. In our darkest hours, we turn to art to ignite our imagination, to feed us with ideas and inspirations, to distract and entertain us, to bring us together around shared stories that give us hope and make us human.”

>1 const-char-star:

Timely idea and a nice selection. For myself, I already have more private press editions of Poe than I need, with no desire to add another edition.

>1 const-char-star: Skipping this one, there is certainly plenty of fine press editions of Poe extant. I've got 11 books, mostly fine press, myself with one more on the way (No Reply Press).

I love this: "AND at several of the highest tier subscriptions, you can opt to visit his studio where he will tattoo YOU." :) :)

No, thank you! :)

I do also have several nice editions of Poe, and, like kdweber, I am waiting for another one now by No Reply Press.
So I am going to pass. It looks like Thornwillow Press is doing just fine, as they have already raised $45 K + at the time of this message.

Same as everybody here. I already am well supplied with fine press editions of Poe and have collected all stories I want. I also consider much of his oeuvre rather second rate and would love to see some other stuff published.

Oh, and I was rather disappointed with the craftsmanship going into previous editions

I backed it for the half leather. The binding and the illustrations looked too good to pass up, and I didn’t otherwise have a fine press copy. I’ve never spent anywhere near this much money on a book before, so I hope it’s worth it. I justified it to myself by saying I’m supporting bookmarking jobs in a difficult time.

I'd quite like this, but with the pandemic and crashing economy hitting my industry particularly hard I'm not in a position to splurge the way I normally would. So, reluctantly, pass.

For those looking for alternatives to the Thornwillow Press offering:

1. Tales of Mystery and Imagination, George G. Harrap & Co., 1935. This is the famous limited edition with vellum and gilt binding with illustrations by Arthur Rackham. It is the ultimate private press edition of Poe and it is priced accordingly. However, if this is a "must have" and you want the finest edition available, one that is heirloom quality, this is the one.

2. Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Tudor Publishing Co. (New York), 1936. A stunning edition with 32 illustrations by Harry Clarke with an Aubrey Beardsley-eque appearance. Eight of the illustrations are in color and several are tipped in. A NF or fine copy will cost about $350 to $400 and is well worth it. Copies with a few compromises (VG+) will cost $200-$250, money well spent. Binding is a classy fine black cloth with large paper label in B&W and gilt with stylized lettering and illustration on the front cover.

Other Poe private press books containing either 1 or 2 tales or his poetry include:

1. The Fall of the House of Usher, LEC, 1985. An early Sidney Schiff LEC book and a taste of what would come later. Beautiful.

2. Murders in the Rue Morgue, Allen Press, 1958.

3. The Masque of the Red Death and Other Tales, Halcyon Press, 1932. Superb typography and letterpress printing from Jan van Krimpen in the Netherlands, with wood engraved initial letters in vermillion, printed on Barcham Green handmade paper. Wood engraved illustrations by J. Buckland Wright. Very classy edition.

4. Poems. 3/4 leather and marbled paper, Roycrofters, 1901. Although not one of the editions printed on Japan vellum paper with limitation of 100 copies, this is clearly a deluxe Roycrofters edition with identical styled binding from the Louis Kinder workshop. Matching marbled endpapers and free end plates. Printed letterpress on a fine handmade paper. Although not as well known as his macabre tales, Poe was a superior poet.

I opted for the half-cloth. I really like the artwork selected for this edition, plus its hard to beat $195 for letterpress.

Half cloth as well for me. I really like the pattern of the paper, and it will look smart next to my Thornwillow half cloth Frankenstein.

I would also venture to say that the Calla Editions version of the Tudor Publishing version of Tales of Mystery and Imagination mentioned in >8 dlphcoracl: above is a very nice facsimile that you can probably pick up for under $30. Not fine press or anything, but pretty nice quality for the price.

Hmmmm...My initial thought was NOPE. Don't really need any Poe. But I have a hard time passing up letterpress for $100 when I don't have a fine/private press edition. I do have the Clarke and Dulac editions by the Easton Press but this is much better than those facsimiles. And I do like the tattoo art. I'm gonna ponder it for 22 days...

>8 dlphcoracl:
The Folio Society "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" looks a lot like the Tudor edition, sans letterpress printing and tipped-in illustrations, of course.

I would love to get my hands on the Halcyon Press edition of "Masque of the Red Death", but don't see any available online at the moment.

Another very nice letterpress Poe edition is "The Pit and the Pendulum" from the South Street Seaport Museum, with wood engravings by John DePol. Prices have been rising for this slim octavo, but apparently $200-$300 for a single Poe story is the going rate, these days. ;-)

I can recommend Poems by Edgar Allan Poe published by Imprimerie Ara Neenne (Paris, France) for Charles Breyner Art Publications (1950) with engravings and ornaments by J. G. Daragnes, 3/4 leather with matching hand marbled boards and end papers, in English, 1000 copies. I picked up a nice copy for $75.

Also Tales of Edgar Allan Poe from The Lakeside Press (1930). Designed and illustrated by W. A. Dwiggins, part of the 1926 RR Donnelley (The Lakeside Press) famous Four American Books promotional campaign, 1000 copies. Again, around $75 for a nice copy.

>8 dlphcoracl: I once had the opportunity to obtain the Harrap limited edition with Rackham's illustrations in very good condition for $1K (maybe a bit less), but I passed. I've regretted it ever since.

There is a curious omission from your list. You put the 1935 facsimile Tudor Publishing edition with the Clarke illustrations as #2. Where do you rank the original? The 1919 Harrap limited edition of 170 copies in vellum and gilt binding?

Can one ever have enough Poe? In my opinion not only the greatest "horror" writer that ever lived, but one of the greatest American authors. Nay, a "world author". He truly changed the landscape. It's too bad that during his day, and even today, some people look upon his work as merely "children's literature" or something that's "not serious" when in my opinion his work is no less important than War and Peace - and might I add, far less boring (my opinion of course :)
I think getting a tattoo artist for this was rather a stroke of inspiration. Although a wonderful list, they are missing two of my favorite Poe stories, one of my which is sometimes omitted, and the other which should be in every single Poe collection. Care to guess what they are?

>16 ultrarightist:

The original LE of 'Tales' with Harry Clarke illustrations published by Harrap in 1919 is easily Numero Uno for two reasons:

1. The Clarke illustrations have a malevolence and creepiness that is perfect for Poe. Even though this is some of Rackham's best work in book illustration, his watercolors are still a bit too pretty.

2. The limitation size of the Harrap/Clarke edition is much smaller than the Rackham LE and has greater "exclusivity" and "caché", if this matters to an individual collector. Not coincidentally, this book is ungodly expensive in NF or fine condition, costing 2-3 times more than the Rackham LE from fine & rare booksellers.

>17 astropi:

Frankly, Luke Pontifell has hit nearly all of the Poe high points in his new Thornwillow collection. The three stories that are personal favorites not included in this edition are:

1. A Descent into the Maelstrom.

2. The Mystery of Marie Rogét.

3. The Gold Bug.

>17 astropi:
I hope one of them is “Descent Into the Maelstrom.” I have not yet forgiven Easton Press for leaving it out of their DLE.

>18 dlphcoracl:
Although I don’t pretend to have seen all the Poe illustrations out there, I cannot imagine that any could be better than Harry Clarke’s. They have been reproduced numerous times in both cheap and expensive editions for good reason.

>20 jroger1:

What I said :-) .

The Harry Clarke illustrations for Tales of Mystery and Imagination reign supreme. That is why I believe the Tudor Publishing Co. 1936 edition is an excellent value. The color illustrations have been reproduced with exceptional care and the B&W illustrations are moody and atmospheric, perfect for Poe.

>18 dlphcoracl: I agree. I've seen the Rackham LE in person a few times. I have never seen the Clarke LE.

>21 dlphcoracl: The Tudor edition has several printings, from 1933 to 1939 -- is there anything particular about the 1936 edition?

>23 kermaier:

The 1936 edition is the one I own but the editions from 1933 and 1939 appear identical. Apparently, the first trade edition in 1933 also came with a pictorial box and dust wrapper which, if present, always adds to the cost.

>23 kermaier:
>24 dlphcoracl:

I own the 1933 edition, so if anyone needs to compare edition details, let me know.

>18 dlphcoracl: well pardon me if I don't have $4000 lying around to purchase the beautiful Clarke LE :P
Yeah, I'm jealous, and yeah Clarke was the perfect choice and to this day my favorite Poe illustrator (although a few others like Rackham are close). Still, I have to say for $95 you can get a signed and numbered limited edition Thornwillow book, which is 40 times cheaper than the Clarke LE.

>19 dlphcoracl: you got one of them! "The Gold Bug" is one of my favorite. However, I'm surprised none of you noticed the omission in the Thornwillow list which I consider to be unconscionable - The Black Cat. Honestly, I can understand leaving out The Gold Bug and A Descent into the Maelstrom, but leaving out The Black Cat?? That's like... like... well it's so insane I'm not even sure what to say! I'm tempted to email them and ask them if the omission was in error.

>26 astropi: RE: The Black Cat. I wondered about that, too. Rather odd, what?

>27 Glacierman: It's universally regarded as one of his best works. I don't understand how they could leave it off?

>28 astropi: Wish I owned the Cheloniidae Press edition of it. A gaping hole which someday I may be able to fill.

>29 Glacierman: oh yes, indeed! By the way, I heard from Thornwillow

In answer to your question about “The Black Cat”: it is perhaps an unfortunate omission, but was not without cause. With Poe, there are simply too many excellent (and horrifying, and beloved) stories to include them all. We worked with Professor Lepore to create a cross-section of his work, including some of his best——and best known——tales, mysteries, and “contrivances” (which straddle the line between fiction and fact). In her writing, Professor Lepore examines his work both in terms of its literary merit and, bringing her historical expertise to bear, its significance in the life of the author and the ‘life’ and history of the country. We felt, given space constraints and a desire to balance both fame and import, that the collection as gathered presented the best possible case-study of the author and his place in history.

I, simply have to disagree. Omitting "The Black Cat" is like having a collection of Poe's stories without including "The Raven". I wonder if the omission of The Black Cat is due to this Professor Lepore? One of the stories they included was "The Man That Was Used Up". How many of you that have read that story and consider it one of his best? None of you? Right, it's not. But, I guess it's popular among academic circles for it's "deconstruction of the male military figure". Fine, that's fine to argue with your academic friends. However, a shame that it replaced a much better and more powerful story.

>30 astropi: That is likely. As I have heard from elsewhere, it was originally to have been included in the collection. And don't ask.

Brethren please advise.

Do I take the plunge? I gave away all of my EA Poe books once I bought CP's Poe Omnibus.

But I hear the half-leather calling my name, the letterpress wooing me...not completely sold on the illustrations, though. Too cartoonish.

>32 RATBAG.:

Take a pass on the Thornwillow and look for the Halcyon Press edition from 1932.

Alternatively - back the project at a lower priced tier and try to win the mystery contest with a unique full leather edition as the prize... though maybe I shouldn't be encouraging competition... :)

>32 RATBAG.: Well, as you know, I'm miffed that The Black Cat is not included. That said, you might want to consider pledging in the lower tier. Their half-leather is usually exquisite, but it's very pricey and NO BLACK CAT :)

>32 RATBAG.: If you’re not sold on the illustrations don’t spend the money on the half leather. That kind of money should be reserved for things you're sold on.

>33 dlphcoracl: Absolutely beautiful and haunting. Finally some atmospheric illustrations! Alas, no copies online for sale. There are a couple from the same publisher, but I think they include Fall of the House of Usher only.

>35 astropi: No Black Cat is definite shame and turnoff for me, crazy how they thought not including it was a good idea. *Sigh*

>36 Sorion: You are absolutely right.

And on a final note, I am GLAD to have you guys around. You stop me from taking dangerous decisions. :)

>37 RATBAG.:

Re: the Halcyon Press edition of Poe with J. Buckland Wright wood engravings......

"The world belongs to the patient."

>38 dlphcoracl: Indeed :)

>32 RATBAG.: I hear the half-leather calling my name too...
Oh, what to do...? Guess I’ll wait a few more days to make up my mind...

No love for the LEC Tales of Mystery and Imagination?

>41 SDB2012:

"No love for the LEC Tales of Mystery and Imagination?"

None whatsoever. It is one of the less inspired, generic George Macy titles and the William Sharp illustrations are similarly uninspired. The only thing that can be said in its favor is that it is cheap, rightfully so I might add. There are better options available.

Anyone have the Tartarus Press edition of Poe's stories, with the Harry Clarke illustrations?

>43 kermaier: I have it. The color artwork is tipped in which is nice, but it's a bit big to read comfortably.

>43 kermaier: I have it too. It's so large and heavy that the text block has started sagging away from the spine. It has to be kept horizontally. I don't know why they made it so big, the rest of their books seem to be reasonably sized.

>44 SolerSystem: >45 Auberon:
Thanks for the info. I tend to prefer smaller, handier volumes myself, so that edition is probably not a good choice for me.

Regarding size, what’s the expectation for the Thornwillow edition? I’ve yet to see a reference for that. That is certainly a factor for me.

>47 scratchpad:

The Thornwillow books have consistently been quarto size. Only Dante’s Inferno was larger.

>48 dlphcoracl: That’s good to know, thank you. I suspected that might be the case. Having no experience of Thornwillow I’m curious to find out. And although Poe is a bit overdone it’s always good to see another publisher take a bite at the apple and the illustrations for this edition held my attention for more than 3 seconds so that was it. However, the price of leather is too much for my purse so I’ll probably opt for the half cloth version.

>42 dlphcoracl:

"None whatsoever. It is one of the less inspired, generic George Macy titles and the William Sharp illustrations are similarly uninspired. The only thing that can be said in its favor is that it is cheap, rightfully so I might add. There are better options available."

This is why I love your posts. The opinion is based on the work, not the brand/publisher. I don't often comment but always appreciate reading the thoughts on these posts.

>50 SDB2012:

One caveat in this regard: "Opinions are like a**holes - everyone has one."

It is merely my opinion and others may disagree, and probably do. That said, many options for Poe's 'Tales' have been introduced on this board and one can easily find one that is a good fit.

>48 dlphcoracl:
>49 scratchpad:
At roughly 17cm x 24cm for the three Thornwillow books I have (Shakespeare's Sonnets, Sherlock Holmes Hexalogy, The Waste Land), I'd call that octavo, rather than quarto.

>52 kermaier:

You're correct. I was staring at the oversized solander boxes, not the books. Only Dante's Inferno (28.8 x 24 cm) is quarto-sized and none of the Thornwillow books printed in Newburgh, NY are oversized and uncomfortable to read.

>53 dlphcoracl:
Ahh, that makes sense -- I've only the half-cloth bindings, so no boxes.

I normally back the Thornwillow offerings at the half-cloth level, with the exception of "Death on the Nile," which I backed at the half-leather level. I think it is exquisite, so I decided to back the Poe at the half-leather level. I am a huge Poe fan and don't have a fine press version of his work. And I like the look of the cover of the half leather, looks like blood splatter to me, which I find appropriate for Poe.

I had a very weird dream last night where I was successfully able to solve Thornwillow's puzzle, and I saw myself holding a green book (not sure if there's a green one on the Kickstarter) that was intricately tattooed and smooth to the touch.

Apparently - and I kid you not - the solution to the puzzle was revealing a part of Thornwillow's founder's past that had something to do with him getting abducted on board an Ottoman pirate ship where he eventually became a cartographer and helped his captors retrieve sunken treasure.

It's days (or dreams?) like these that really make me hate Freud, lol.

I remain adamant in my decision to not buy it. Especially after a second gander at the illustrations. :)

I’m interested in this book, but have my doubts about the quality of the books, particularly after reading some negative comments on the Fine Press forum.

>57 RRCBS: I have a few of their books and have to say that the quality *exceeded* my expectations. Look, there will always be people complaining. For the price, you're easily getting what you pay for - arguably more. I suspect they keep some of the cost down by using high quality paper, but NOT handmade paper, and the size of their books is standard - while many fine press publish in large format. If I had to guess, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the quality, I'm certainly not.

>57 RRCBS: >58 astropi: I have some real problems with the quality of this Press. First, I do like the Thornwillow Press, I own 6 half leather, 1 cloth, and 1 paper editions with 3 more editions on order. However, their binding is amateur hour. Every half leather has slightly bowed boards. Many half leather spines are poorly/unevenly finished at the head and/or tail. Spines are often slightly off center. Only the one book in paper wraps is bound cleanly. The tray cases that come with the half leather books are perfect! No other fine press that I own, and I own examples from many) are bound this poorly. In fact, no other fine press volume that I own has any discernible binding issues.

>59 kdweber: >58 astropi: >57 RRCBS: I would largely agree with >59 kdweber: . I find the best value from Thornwillow comes from the cloth editions and have yet to find a cloth that was bound poorly. The leather, only the Dante turned out well for me with bowed boards.

As >59 kdweber: I really like Thornwillow and will continue to support them, though not in this particular edition.

I was looking over the Thornwillow kickstarter, and they note
We have grouped our collection of Poe’s most iconic writings into three categories, containing his infamous tales, groundbreaking mysteries, and contemptuous contrivances.

I decided to create my own list of truly "must have" Poe short stories


The Black Cat
The Cask of Amontillado
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Masque of the Red Death
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Tell-Tale Heart


Two of my favorites that I did not include in the list are "The Gold-Bug" and "Hop-Frog". They are amazing stories, but I feel the seven stories on my list are truly World Literature that everyone should read. Thornwillow can choose what they want... but yes, I'm still shocked by the omission of The Black Cat - they did include all the others!

>59 kdweber: I own the half-leather Beauty is the Beginning of Terror and I can say there is no bowing to the boards. Mind you it's not a huge nor particularly thick book, so that might play a role. Nonetheless, it came out perfect. That's a real shame with the others. Did you contact them? What did they say?

>59 kdweber: Unfortunately my one half cloth edition has the spine mounted ever so slightly off kilter but the effect is noticeable both on the shelf and while reading the book.
>61 astropi: Beauty is the Beginning of Terror is one title I don't own. I don't think the problems I have are unique to my copies. All the boards on my half leather bow out slightly. I think the boards are too thin. The problem is not huge, just slightly annoying. I have tried putting the books under a large weight for a month - to no effect. Each defect (bowed boards, off-center spine, poor leather work) is relatively minor but these types of binding problems don't occur on my other fine editions. It has gotten to the point that I dread opening up my Thornwillow new arrivals.

>63 kdweber: "It has gotten to the point that I dread opening up my Thornwillow new arrivals."

Then why do you continue to order from them?

>64 ultrarightist: Good point, actually I have two orders not three outstanding and both of them were ordered before I received the last three books. I think the continuation of the types of defects I saw on the earlier books and the fact that there were more and more varied defects in the later books are what turned me off on this press. In fact, I really have stopped ordering from them. The earliest works I received only had the bowing issue and the leather work was fair while the later books saw a marked decrease in the quality of the leather work plus the offset spine. I guess I was hoping that the quality would improve rather than decline.

>65 kdweber: Understood. Hope can certainly lag behind reality and serial disappointments. I have ordered the half-cloth edition of Genesis. After reading about all of the quality issues, I must say that my expectations are rather low. I think the only reason I have not cancelled my order is the multi-color typography employed for the text, something which is unique, as far as I'm aware.

I have to agree with >65 kdweber:. At least printing got much better with time.

>63 kdweber: well, perhaps you're more picky than I. At least as far as I am concerned the Thornwillow books look great, and exceeded my expectation. However, I do think you should contact them about the boards. If they are indeed too thin, Thornwillow should know about it. They're very responsive, I'm very curious what they will say.

Simple solution(s) to the Thornwillow Press binding problem:

1. Be more selective with your Thornwillow purchases. Buy only the books that truly speak to you and are "must haves" or are unique to Thornwillow.

2. Avoid the expensive bindings, e.g., half-leather/paste paper and limit yourselves to the cloth bindings. These remain excellent values and if the binding you receive is less than perfect it becomes an inexpensive problem you can live with.

For my part, I seem to have fared better than most. I have one cloth binding and six half-leather/paste paper bindings and none of them have bowed or curved boards. The cloth binding and two of the half leather bindings do have the same flaw - either the head or tail of the book spine is not square (perpendicular) to the boards and there is 5 to 10 degree angulation or offset, a bit annoying but nothing that seriously compromises my reading. However, the half leather bindings are pricey and there are other private press books I prefer in that price range, e.g., Barbarian Press, Salvage Press, Whittington, Nomad Press.

Caveat emptor.

I only go in for the paper-wrapper bindings, mostly due to book budget, so I am delighted to be able to get a letterpress printed and illustrated title for less than $100. While I do note some printing flaws, I don't have binding issues in this state. So I'm basically getting a text block in readable form, which I could rebind in the future if I chose too.

I order Thornwillow simply because I get titles that I am interested in, in letterpress, at a price I can afford. No one else is doing this right now. AND, I am hoping their quality goes up over time, as with all artists and craftsmen who are hopefully aspiring to improve. So I have letterpress Inferno, Pride & Predjudice, Great Gatsby, and Portrait of a Free Man I might not otherwise have...And maybe a Poe. I have another 16 days to mull that one.

>70 jveezer: What is your assessment of they typography and pressman ship of their edition of Great Gatsby?

Their half-leather is gorgeous! Mind you, I don't have many Thornwillow books, but when I look through their catalog the most beautiful editions in my mind are the half-leather. Stunning.

>69 dlphcoracl: the half leather bindings are pricey and there are other private press books I prefer in that price range, e.g., Barbarian Press, Salvage Press, Whittington, Nomad Press.
It would certainly be nice if those presses were in the same price range as the Thornwillow half-leathers but they are not! I distinctly remember the amazing Barbarian Pericles being $2000 when it was published in 2011. That's $2300 today. About 4 times the cost of the Thornwillow half-leather. The thing is, when other presses publish beautiful works, they are not only usually much more expensive, they are also smaller works as well. Very few presses today tackle larger works such as Frankenstein, The Great Gatsby, etc. Arion Press does. If you want the "standard" Arion Frankenstein that's $1200 - two half-leather, and the "deluxe" is $2500 - over 4 half-leathers.

My bottom lines is that Thornwillow as I see it is trying to find a balance between beautiful letterpress books and actually making them affordable. I think it's important to support them. If you have complaints, you should address it to Thornwillow. I'm being serious, they are very responsive.

>57 RRCBS: I don't think you should be dissuaded by some of the negative comments on here. Purchase it and make you own judgement. Quite honestly, I've noticed that between comic book nerds and book nerds, it's hard to tell which is more captious... at times :)

I have had so much work lately that it is very difficult for me to keep up with all discussions on library thing, but I have finally caught up with all comments in this discussion that I missed since the last week...

My opinion is that the quality of their letterpress work is not consistent. I have had disappointments.

Most of their books, when I buy them, I get in paper wrappers, and they are the easiest to read of all binding variants. I have had quality issues with other (way more expensive) bindings and had to exchange my copies for better ones, though the better copies were still not perfect.

I purchase books from them if I am interested in having works that they produce in letterpress version; however, I do not feel any pressure to support them for support sake - currently they already have more than 10 times funds of their initial $10,000 campaign goal; I think that they will be just fine without my support. I already own some letterpress editions of Poe, and a nice Franklin Library leather-bound edition, and a very cheap complete Poe edition, and I feel like this is enough for me.

>73 booksforreading: people shouldn't be pressured to support them. However, if we didn't support them then they would go out of business, and what a loss that would be! Let's face it, how many letterpress publishers today still print full novels on a regular basis? I only know of Arion Press and Thornwillow. I'm glad their Poe is a success. I'm hoping they'll publish Moby Dick one day soon :)

Greetings from Thornwillow Press

A friend and collector of our books encouraged me to add a comment to this thread to open a discussion about some concerns being raised and to open a line of communication. I was reluctant to intrude on the conversation, but feel it is necessary to chime in so that everyone knows how to reach me and express their concerns, enthusiasms, or disappointments about our work directly.

I started Thornwillow when I was 16 after taking a course in letterpress printing at the Center for Book Arts in New York City. This has been my life’s work for more than thirty years. 15 years ago I endeavored to bring all of the operations of the press together in one place… in a complex of 19th century brick factory buildings in Newburgh, NY. We do all of the editorial, design, letterpress printing, decorative paper making, binding, and box making here at the press.

When we moved to Newburgh (bringing together operations that were scattered between the Czech Republic, England, and Florida) we were told we could never do this work in America… that we would never be able to find the craftspeople. The caution was well founded. We were in fact not able simply to place an advertisement in the paper and hire experienced printers and binders. So it became clear that we needed also to make it our business to teach and perpetuate the related arts and crafts of the written word in order to do the work that we are committed to doing.

To this end we established the Thornwillow Institute (a 501(c)3 public charity) with the mission of teaching these skills and also with the goal of collecting the historic equipment needed for the work. Through the Institute and the work of the Press we are endeavoring to advance a modern day arts and crafts movement. In this age of intangible communications and virtual relationships, we believe that now, a beautifully designed and well crafted book matters more than ever before.

It takes years of experience to become a great binder or a great printer. This is not learned overnight. Like playing the piano, it takes thousands of hours. As the press grows and evolves we are fortunate to be able to ignite a passion for this work with young people who go through an apprenticeship process and learn how to work with their hands. Some move on after and others stay. But we are always training and teaching and practicing with the goal of improving.

Through the work of the press we endeavor to unite a local community of writers and artists, book makers and book readers who together celebrate the written word. We cannot do what we do without our collectors—without people like you. You are co-conspirators in the dream. You are effectively investors in each project that you support. For all that we are a business and for all that we have run some successful book launches… This work is a labor of love. Every penny that is raised for a project goes back into the endeavor. We intentionally set lower goals for a project on Kickstarter than what the project really costs because we don’t need to raise all of the money for the project on Kickstarter. We have been working on the Poe project for more than two years. I hope people understand that the cost for making it a reality is more than $10,000. Clearly not every project does as well as Poe. But when Poe does well, it makes it possible to do other things that would otherwise not be possible. And in this particularly fragile time, it will help us keep the lights on and our team employed when other sources of income have evaporated.

When you subscribe to a Thornwillow book, you are not just adding a book to your shelf, you are supporting people who have dedicated themselves to these crafts, to making books that will be here long after we are gone.

We therefore want to hear from you. If you don’t like something, PLEASE tell us. If you have an issue with quality, or editorial decisions, let us know. We will always do our best to rectify a problem and we are committed every day to be better at what we do than we were yesterday.
If you have a binding that is bowing, please email me. Send a photograph. We will do our very best to fix it. There are ways to address this… so, please let me know. My email is luke_pontifell@thornwillow.com and the telephone number at the press is (845) 569-8883.

In closing, let me chime in on “The Black Cat”. I too love “The Black Cat”. Jill Lepore who wrote the accompanying text selected the stories that are included. That said, in response to popular demand we will make it the next title in the Thornwillow Dispatch, our monthly chapbook subscription that each month features a short publication and also some finely printed goods for the study. The artist, John Reardon has agreed to make some additional artwork for the story and as subscribers to our books and the Dispatch know, if you are a Dispatch subscriber and a book subscriber on Kickstarter you will receive special bonus rewards for free. In the case of Poe, if you subscribe to the Dispatch, you will receive the Edgar Allan Poetry Broadside Portfolio and the Pendulum Notebook for free when you back any version of the Poe edition on Kickstarter. We will announce "The Black Cat" in May and deliver it June.

I am sorry for intruding on the conversation, but couldn’t keep silent having people feel we would not stand behind the quality of our work… and given our shared enthusiasm for “The Black Cat” it seemed like something some of you would like us to do.

Highest regards from the press,

Luke Pontifell
Thornwillow Press

>75 LukePontifell:
Luke, it is great to hear from a fine press publisher directly. I appreciate your comments and the insight into how your press works.

I have several of the half leather books you have produced, but do not subscribe to all, as I choose only titles that interest me - unfortunately as an Australian, Poe does not. I have no concerns about the quality of any of the books I have received.

Please keep up the good work.

Two comments:

1. One of the major contributions the Thornwillow Press makes to the world of modern private press book collecting is to bring books printed using letterpress technique to the market at astonishing prices. The editions in the stiff paper wrapper and cloth and paper bindings are exceptional bargains, making letterpress books affordable to the beginning collector and collectors with limited budgets.

2. Thornwillow and Luke Ives Pontifell have consistently been on the mark with regard to their choices of literature and subject matter for new editions and innovative book designs. Several of the titles are unique, i.e., Beauty is the Beginning of Terror, or are editions of classics which are presented with interesting and important features, e.g., the original and commentaries by Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., in the upcoming Frederick Douglass 'Portrait of a Free Man', the handwritten letters in Pride and Prejudice, etc.

>74 astropi:
My point was/is exactly that Thornwillow Press is being supported nicely right now for their Poe project (and I am very happy for them). If they haven't been, I would be one of the first people to support the fundraising for the highest level I can currently afford, though I do not need another Poe book, precisely for the reason that I would like for them to exist and continue publishing classics and other important works in letterpress versions. As the situation stands now, I do not feel pressured to do so in the same way as I feel morally responsible for supporting several other people and businesses that are desperate and suffering in the current situation.

Otherwise, I actually share many of your opinions on this matter and on the current project.

>75 LukePontifell:

Luke,many thanks for contributing to this thread.

I think the full vision you have for the Press,the art of bookmaking and the community of Newburgh,NY is inspiring. I was particularly pleased to be able to support your ‘Thornwillow Makers Village’ project.

I’m sure the skills of your craftsmen,particularly bookbinding skills,will continue to improve.

Keep up the good work.

Gary

Greetings from the press. Thank you for your kind words and support... and apologies if my earlier comment was too long... I just wanted to make sure it was clear where we are coming from.

Also, in response to the many comments about The Black Cat, I wanted to give a quick update. It is now officially going to be the title for next month's Thornwillow Dispatch (which means that the subscription deadline is the end of May and it will ship in June). It features two new drawings by John Reardon. The Classic Edition has letterpress printed paper wrappers. The Patrons Edition has handmade paste paper wrappers (like the paste paper used on the cover of the Half Leather edition of Tales, Mysteries & Contrivances). Subscribers of either version on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thornwillow) who are also subscribers to the larger publication on Kickstarter will also receive the Edgar Allan Poetry Broadside Portfolio, The Haunted Palace broadside, and the Pendulum Notebook with compliments.

We are also thinking of making a very few in half leather (to match the binding of the half leather edition of Tales, Mysteries & Contrivances). If anyone likes this idea, please let me know. We don't usually do this... but it seems like something nice to do for this title and welcome your thoughts.

On another front... please join us next Wednesday May 13 at 2pm for a virtual tour of Thornwillow and to see our new edition of Genesis which is currently on press. The tour is hosted by the Arts Initiative of the Church of the Heavenly Rest in NYC and is being moderated by McKelden Smith—historian, bibliophile, and former President of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.

The armchair tour will zoom you from your living room to the press in Newburgh, where you will get a first look at the book in production. We will be virtually joined by The Rev. Matt Heyd, the rector of Heavenly Rest, who will talk a bit about the Biblical relevance of the publication, which is the first fine press edition to integrate current scholarship about the authorial voices of the text, each of which is letterpress printed in a different color.

Registration information below:

Armchair Tour: Genesis on press at Thornwillow Press

Hosted by: The Art Initiative at The Church of Heavenly Rest

When: May 13, 2020 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

You must register in advance for this webinar:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_H-p8QiABSsmKF8nYwGd0Kg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Please consider visiting us virtually... and one day in person

Received my paper-wrapped copy yesterday and am so very pleased for this affordable letterpress edition. I love the tattoo inspired illustrations. Presswork seems to be improving with each book I see from them. Already read The Cask of Amontillado, my favorite Poe story. Pretty sweet for $100.

Feel guilty that I haven't posted, much less written, my review of their previous book. I'll get on that right after I brine my turkey. Or maybe after I digest it. Hope everyone has a safe and pleasant Thanksgiving even if you don't get to gather in your usual way.

I received my half-cloth copy a few days ago; this being my first book from the press. Although I really like the overall look and feel of the book - the binding, the endpapers, the illustrations, the quality of presswork, the paper - all very well done, I am very disappointed with the font size. To call it small would be an understatement. It is minuscule and very difficult to read. This is a real shame as I was looking forward to reading this book. I haven't seen any of their other books firsthand and curious to know if this is a recurring issue.

>83 vadim_ca: I have five Thornwillow books and the size of the type changes with each one. This Poe edition is definitely on the small side, but I don't have any trouble with it. I actually prefer smaller type often because it usually means better word spacing. To each their own!

My first impression, too, was that the type was needlessly small, and that I’d have sacrificed a bit of the empty space on the page for a slightly more readable font. In practice, though, it’s really not bad.

A quibble: I’m about halfway through the book, and I’ve encountered a few pages with uneven/faint inking.
Also, the way the text block flexes makes me suspect that it was printed with the paper grain going the wrong way — but I could be wrong.

Some praise: The story selection is excellent, and I love the tattoo illustrations — very distinctive and refreshing.

The paper is definitely printed with the correct grain direction and I don't see any of the inking problems. I generally like larger type too... but Much prefer having a proper margin and good letter spacing which this book has. Larger type would also have made the book longer and consequently thicker... and this book feels good in the hand. It's one of my favorite editions of Poe and I have many.

It does feel good in the hand — and I’m enjoying the feel of the paper’s weight and texture.

A few spelling errors and other typos here and there, but not too bad.

>38 dlphcoracl:
Wow, the Oracle is never wrong: 2.5 years later, patience is rewarded!
The Halcyon Press edition of Masque, etc. is indeed a very fine production.
Love the very dark Buckland Wright engravings — they leave a similar impression, somehow, to some others I’ve seen from Hughes-Stanton and Eric Ravilious, of a similar vintage.
Beautiful, clear printing and initial caps.
And the paper is great: Barcham Green handmade laid, with a special “EA Poe” watermark.
I almost wish my copy hadn’t come with the dust jacket, which is far less attractive than the buckram covers. I never know what to about that….

>89 kermaier: Pictures or it never happened ;)

>89 kermaier:

Truth be told, wasn't the Halcyon Press edition of Poe's tales worth waiting for??

The dark, atmospheric Buckland-Wright wood engravings hit the perfect note, the letterpress printing is flawless, the vermillion wood engraved initial letters add an elegant touch and, as always, the Barcham Green paper is to die for.

LOVELY !! LOVELY!! LOVELY!!

P.S. Do not, REPEAT - do not throw away the dust wrapper. It is an integral part of this book.

>91 dlphcoracl: Absolutely worth the wait!
Oh, I wouldn’t throw away the dust wrapper, and it’s in a Mylar protector — but it’s a bit spotted, and it’s quite dull, visually, so not as much fun to look at on the shelf.
I often briefly consider storing the dust wrapper separately, but then think better of it. Like the Officina Athelstane edition of A Modest Proposal — can’t discard the dust jacket, but it hides a really lovely binding.

>90 astropi: OK, pictures it is, then!
(My apologies for the mediocre image quality -- my phone snaps really don't do the book anything approaching justice.)

>93 kermaier: Now that looks like a book worth waiting for.

Gorgeous!

>94 ultrarightist:
>95 kdweber:

Trust the dlphcoracl (>8 dlphcoracl:).

>91 dlphcoracl:
Interesting story selection, as well: I don’t think I’ve ever read Island of the Fay or Conversation of Eiros and Charmion. I wonder whether the table of contents drove the illustrations exclusively, or perhaps Wright’s interests influenced the story selection?

Yes ! Nice book

Splendid!

>93 kermaier: that's glorious. Love the centred raised caps.

>93 kermaier: Fabulous! Now the question most of us are asking... how much will this cost??

>101 astropi: Well, this is the first copy I’ve seen for sale at any price in 2.5 years of looking, so I couldn't say what the “going rate” might be. (Maybe someone here can offer more data.) I feel like I got a good deal, though, at somewhat more than the current price of a half-cloth copy of Thornwillow’s Poe. At any rate, worth it to me, and I couldn’t have afforded to pay much more. :-)