Friday, March 24, 2023

'The Peacock Escritoire' with 'At Dusk'

Tartarus Press have just announced a new edition of my short story collection The Peacock Escritoire, which has been out of print for twelve years. This adds three previously uncollected stories from the same period.

The collection includes the long story ‘The Return to Trebizond’, about the lost heir of a Caucasus principality and the last echoes of the Byzantine Empire.

Other stories depict a Victorian dream museum, a tontine society, a rare book that really takes hold of the reader, a silver cigarette case, an ancient coin from Antioch, an Assyrian printer, a coterie of fortune-tellers in Prague, a futurist King of the World, a lost book design by Sidney Sime, and more.

Over half of the stories are only available in this new edition.

Also included is At Dusk, a volume of prose vignettes evoking interwar European poets and visionaries, previously only available in a highly limited edition.

. . . 

Meanwhile, at Briefly Write, Issue 10, edited by Daniel Clark and Elinor Clark, 'Street Ghosts', which you can also hear me read. 

. . .

(Mark Valentine)

8 comments:

  1. Mark, I ordered this book from Tartarus Press a couple days ago, so you don't have to convince me.
    It sounds great and I'm eagerly waiting for my copy to arrive from the UK.

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    1. Thank you, Walker. I hope you enjoy it! Mark

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  2. The poem was lovely, Mark, especially your reading. I've wanted to read AT DUSK for a long time, thank you.
    Fraser

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    1. Thank you, Fraser. Yes, I'm glad 'At Dusk' is now available again.

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  3. Mine is on order as well. Ex Occidente did beautiful work but I'm always glad when they are "rescued" to actually be read.

    -Jeff Matthews

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  4. Thank you, Jeff - yes, I'm grateful to Tartarus for offering these stories to more readers. Mark

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  5. Now that I've made my way through the Valentine book essay offerings I'm clambering for more. This announcement couldn't have come at a better time. Ordered!

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  6. Thank you, fogus. I hope you enjoy it! Mark

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