Sarob Pressby Robert Morgan

David Silva asked for a short article on the re-launch of World Fantasy Award winning Sarob Press.

Here goes.

Back in 2007, Sarob Press closed its doors as owner/editor Robert Morgan (me) gave up the rat-race of a 9-5 routine and “retired” to a small farm in northern France.

After three years of major renovation work – the main house was finished and work on the old bread house had just started [this is now nearly finished and hopefully will become a rentable gite in 2013] – Sarob Press was re-launched.

Although publishing proved rather more difficult from here in sunny France, our first title, Seven Ghosts and One Other by C.E. Ward duly appeared late in 2010 and sold out within the first few weeks.

Another two collections of Jamesian ghost stories followed in 2011 (Dark Shadows Fall by Mark Nicholls and A Bracelet of Bright Hair by Jane Jakeman) and they sold out just as fast.

Re-launching the press from France was a good idea after all.

2012 arrived and we published Flame & Other Enigmatic Tales by Maynard Sims – also selling out quickly.

Our most recent Jamesian title, A Certain Slant of Light by Peter Bell, had an increased print run and is already down to the last half-dozen copies.

And, perhaps our most ambitious title so far, is due at the beginning of October 2012.

An anthology, The Ghosts & Scholars Book of Shadows is a truly Jamesian delight.

The twelve stories are the winners in The Ghosts & Scholars M.R. James Newsletter prequel/sequel competition. All are previously unpublished except “Quis est Iste?” which appeared earlier this year in The Ghosts & Scholars M.R. James Newsletter as the overall competition winner.

This volume is an absolute MUST for all Jamesian admirers and collectors.

Stories (and their M.R. James inspirations):

  • “Alberic de Mauléon” by Helen Grant (“Canon Alberic’s Scrap-book”)
  • “Anningley Hall, Early Morning” by Rick Kennett (“The Mezzotint”)
  • “The Mezzotaint” by John Llewellyn Probert (“The Mezzotint”)
  • “Quis est Iste?” by Christopher Harman (“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad”)
  • “The Guardian” by Jacqueline Simpson (“The Treasure of Abbot Thomas”)
  • “Between Four Yews” by Reggie Oliver (“A School Story”)
  • “The Mirror of Don Ferrante” by Louis Marvick (“Casting the Runes”)
  • “Fire Companions” by Mark Valentine (“Two Doctors”)
  • “Of Three Girls and of Their Talk” by Derek John (“Wailing Well”)
  • “The Gift” by C.E. Ward (“The Experiment”)
  • “Malice” by David A. Sutton (“The Malice of Inanimate Objects”)
  • “Glamour of Madness” by Peter Bell (“A Vignette”).

Edited & Introduced by Rosemary Pardoe. Including “Notes on the Authors.”

Full color wrap art (based on “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You My Lad” by M.R. James) by Paul Lowe.

Details at Sarob Press or e-mail me at [email protected] and order a copy.

But don’t hang about if you want a copy – Sarob Press titles tend to sell out pretty quickly these days.

Early next year Sarob Press will publish volume 8 in its popular “mistresses of the macabre” series of ghost story collections by Victorian women writers – all edited & introduced by Richard Dalby. Early volumes are offered at astronomical prices on the internet and the next one, Not to be Taken at Bed-Time & other strange stories by Rosa Mulholland, will be a very worthy addition to the series.

More titles are in our plans for next year and beyond … just e-mail and ask to join the Sarob Press mailing list to be among the first to receive details.

Thanks for asking for this David – and thanks to all Hellnotes readers for getting this far on in the story of the re-birth of Sarob Press.

Cheers everyone.

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