Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

It’s been a busy December so far.  We sent William Beckford’s Azemia to press earlier this month and it is now available for order.  It’s an amazing scholarly edition with a great introduction and notes by Robert J. Gemmett, a recognized Beckford expert.  Last month was productive, too, with a new edition of Clara Reeve’s The Old English Baron and the first-ever scholarly edition of Richard Marsh’s A Spoiler of Men (1905), quite possibly the first zombie novel in English.

We’re hoping to get two more books to press by the end of the month: Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s Eugene Aram (1832) in a scholarly edition by Ann-Barbara Graff and featuring the text of the scarce three-volume first edition, and one I’m really enjoying at the moment, John Trevena’s great Furze the Cruel (1908), an amazingly obscure book with little plot to speak of, but which I can’t seem to put down.

As we posted earlier this year, we were greatly disappointed by the California Supreme Court’s decision on Proposition 8, and later disappointed by developments in Maine, New York, and New Jersey, all of which were great setbacks to civil rights.  We promised this summer that we would donate 50% of all profits from our GLBT-related books or books by GLBT authors for the remainder of 2009 to Lambda Legal to help fight for equal rights.  Well, we’re going to do one better: instead of donating half our profits for the second half of 2009, we’re donating half our profits for the entire year.  As such, we’re sending $1,600 to Lambda Legal as our small part towards their efforts to ensure equal rights for all. 

And since it’s the holiday season and we’re in the giving mood, Valancourt Books is contributing to three animal shelters: City of Seattle (where we found Valancourt in 2004), Harmony House for Cats in Chicago (where we rescued Vathek in 2005), and Animal Haven in Kansas City (where we got Baron in 2008).   So if you purchase a Valancourt book for a gift (or for yourself!) this holiday season, know that the proceeds are not only going to pay the mortgage and utility bills on Valancourt Castle, but are also going to help animals in need.

2010 is already shaping up to be a busy year as well — stay tuned for further updates on new releases and exciting new developments from the press in the coming new year!  

Seasons Greetings to all during this holiday season and best wishes for the New Year!

Advertisement