"See, their voyage past,
To their moorings fast,
On the still canals asleep,
These big ships; to bring
You some trifling thing
They have braved the furious deep.
— Now the sun goes down,
Tinting dyke and town,
Field, canal, all things in sight,
Hyacinth and gold;
All that we behold
Slumbers in its ruddy light."
("Invitation to the Voyage" by Charles Baudelaire, translated by Edna St. Vincent Millay)
To their moorings fast,
On the still canals asleep,
These big ships; to bring
You some trifling thing
They have braved the furious deep.
— Now the sun goes down,
Tinting dyke and town,
Field, canal, all things in sight,
Hyacinth and gold;
All that we behold
Slumbers in its ruddy light."
("Invitation to the Voyage" by Charles Baudelaire, translated by Edna St. Vincent Millay)
NEW PRINTING OF A RAPHUS CLASSIC. Only 44 copies, numbered with Roman numbers, with a very special price.
Raphus Press proudly presents Crystal Castles (Invitations to the Voyage), a collection of short stories, a play and some poems regarding an ancient and very peculiar literary genre – the artificial paradises created by synthetical (or natural) substances.
"Les Paradis artificiels" – since the Lotus-eaters, mentioned by Homer in his Odyssey, the narcotic ecstasy was seen and represented in a variety of ways, a sensory flow that led to both hell and paradise. Many authors of considerable importance have plunged into narcosis, leaving astonishing testimonies from this dive: Thomas de Quincey, Theophile Gautier, Charles Baudelaire, Jean Lorrain, Jean Cocteau, Mikhail Bulgakov, Aldous Huxley, Philip K. Dick, William S. Burroughs and so on. And there were also creators who used their own poisons, neurotoxins, to construct their imaginary worlds.
Thus, we present our readers with the collection Crystal Castles, a tribute to all the artificial paradises projected by the narrative imagination in its long history. And also our invitation for a continuous voyage – because there are not only tales here, but also memory fables, plays, poems. Here, the multifaceted worlds created by Ramon Lasalle, Rhys Hughes, Fernando Naporano, Justin Isis, Fábio Waki, Jonathan Wood, Chris Mikul, D. P. Watt, Thomas Phillips, Fernando Klabin and Stephan Friedman.
Crystal Castles (Invitations to the Voyage), the book (4.7 x 8.8 in.), 130 pages, designed by Raphus Press Immanent Headquarters, printed in the Forma Certa. A collection with pieces inspired by the artificial and even natural paradises/hells. Collaborations by Ramon Lasalle, Rhys Hughes, Fernando Naporano, Justin Isis, Fábio Waki, Jonathan Wood, Chris Mikul, D. P. Watt, Thomas Phillips, Fernando Klabin and Stephan Friedman. As usual, this edition will be very scarce: only 77 numbered copies, plus some (very few) private copies. The price includes: the book for US$ 22.50 + a narrative Bookmark by Rhys Hughes (see below) + mail expenses for every corner in the world (including package and sending), US$ 12.50. To purchase a copy, click on the link below or visit our Catalogue.
"Les Paradis artificiels" – since the Lotus-eaters, mentioned by Homer in his Odyssey, the narcotic ecstasy was seen and represented in a variety of ways, a sensory flow that led to both hell and paradise. Many authors of considerable importance have plunged into narcosis, leaving astonishing testimonies from this dive: Thomas de Quincey, Theophile Gautier, Charles Baudelaire, Jean Lorrain, Jean Cocteau, Mikhail Bulgakov, Aldous Huxley, Philip K. Dick, William S. Burroughs and so on. And there were also creators who used their own poisons, neurotoxins, to construct their imaginary worlds.
Thus, we present our readers with the collection Crystal Castles, a tribute to all the artificial paradises projected by the narrative imagination in its long history. And also our invitation for a continuous voyage – because there are not only tales here, but also memory fables, plays, poems. Here, the multifaceted worlds created by Ramon Lasalle, Rhys Hughes, Fernando Naporano, Justin Isis, Fábio Waki, Jonathan Wood, Chris Mikul, D. P. Watt, Thomas Phillips, Fernando Klabin and Stephan Friedman.
Crystal Castles (Invitations to the Voyage), the book (4.7 x 8.8 in.), 130 pages, designed by Raphus Press Immanent Headquarters, printed in the Forma Certa. A collection with pieces inspired by the artificial and even natural paradises/hells. Collaborations by Ramon Lasalle, Rhys Hughes, Fernando Naporano, Justin Isis, Fábio Waki, Jonathan Wood, Chris Mikul, D. P. Watt, Thomas Phillips, Fernando Klabin and Stephan Friedman. As usual, this edition will be very scarce: only 77 numbered copies, plus some (very few) private copies. The price includes: the book for US$ 22.50 + a narrative Bookmark by Rhys Hughes (see below) + mail expenses for every corner in the world (including package and sending), US$ 12.50. To purchase a copy, click on the link below or visit our Catalogue.
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Crystal Castles + Mail expenses: USD 33.00
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The opinion of our readers
Golden Age of Clairvoyance
"Well I have received the books today and I had certain high expectations and I must say such high expectations were well exceeded. The selectivity of the authors as I may have mentioned before (both individually and in combination) and translations are impeccable. The book design is exquisite and enhances the holistic reading experience (by way of comparison, on first seeing the books I had the same sense of elation when I had received my first Sylph Edition Cahiers a few years ago)."
(Andrew Condous)
(Andrew Condous)
"The books look really nice - I'm especially liking the full-color images inside. Very good design."
(Damian Murphy)
(Damian Murphy)
"The chapbooks are beautiful. Well done! Equally engaging for the eye and mind."
(Rachel Kinbar)
(Rachel Kinbar)
"The initial print-run of all three is, of course, low, so any interested readers should make a quick decision; because I do hope Raphus continue on their path of intriguing little translations of the recovered uncanny and esoteric."
(Mark Andresen at Pan Review)
(Mark Andresen at Pan Review)
The great weird and fantastic connoisseur, Des Lewis, made an insightful review of Black Mirror, the second chapbook in the series, available in this link.
Spiritual Meaning of the Massacres
"Many thanks for sending me a copy of The Mendicant. It really looks rather good – a bit like one of the books you read about in short stories that start off ‘Beware if you read these words... too late!"
(Stephen Cashmore)
(Stephen Cashmore)
"It's a marvelous production, and it's great that you have resurrected the remarkable title piece. I also enjoyed the pamphlet (...). Long may Raphus Press reign!"
(Chris Mikul)
(Chris Mikul)
"I am absolutely delighted with them [The Mendicant of the Books and The Sacred Abysmal Perspective]! They are both true examples of true and original creative philosophical ingenuity, originality and also design. They are fantastickal chapbooks and it is an equal delight to have been able to contribute and to assist in other ways. Although I saw the proofed editions when you e-mailed them to me, now that they are in my hands, they veritably glow and crackle and weep with their malign embers.
I shall take myself off on a sacred journey this weekend, like the early priests going to Tibet, and will immerse myself in the deep folds and ravines these chapbooks open up."
(Jonathan Wood)
I shall take myself off on a sacred journey this weekend, like the early priests going to Tibet, and will immerse myself in the deep folds and ravines these chapbooks open up."
(Jonathan Wood)
