Tartarus Press has announced publication of a new book of essays, Borderlands and Otherworlds. The title derives from a contemporary publishing term for stories by E.F. Benson, May Sinclair and others that explored the uncanny, mystical and visionary.
The essays discuss in particular supernatural fiction of the Nineteen Twenties, occult thrillers of the Thirties, and the English Fantastic in the Forties and Fifties.
Authors surveyed include Mary Butts, Dion Fortune, Claude Houghton, David Lindsay, Charles Williams, Arthur Machen and Algernon Blackwood, as well as less well-known writers.
Other subjects include the Black Horse inn sign, wanderings on England’s waterways, the pleasures of ephemera, the Tarot in England, the bookseller W. M. Voynich (the discoverer of ‘The Voynich Manuscript’) and bygone booksellers.
There are over a dozen substantial new essays, as well as work newly collected for the first time here. Some pieces have featured on this blog in earlier versions, but this is their first book publication.
Each piece is accompanied by book photography by Jo Valentine, and the cover design is by R B Russell.
Borderlands and Otherworlds is in a limited edition of 350 signed hardback copies.
(Mark Valentine)
Congratulations on another published collection of essays Mark. I’ve ordered my copy and am intrigued by many of the subjects, as well as the accompanying photos provided by Jo. Dion Fortune was my introduction to occult stories many years ago, so I’m especially looking forward to your insightful commentary about her and Mary Butts.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gary. I hope you enjoy the book. Mark
DeleteI look forward to your Charles Williams essay as I’m currently working my way through Taliessin Through Logres and always enjoy a bit of serendipity.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Fogus. I have to confess that the Charles Williams piece is based on blog posts here, and is more about his followers, but I hope it will be of interest. Mark
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