But by far the most frequent use of ivory is for manufacture of men for chess and nard… When the Indians play at chess or nard, they wager stuff or precious stones. But it sometimes happens that a player, after losing all his possessions, will wager one of his limbs. […] If the luck is against him he sacrifices another finger, and sometimes a man who continues to lose will cut off in succession all his fingers, his hand, his fore-arm, his elbow, and other parts of his body.
(al-Mas'udi, Arabic Historian)
(al-Mas'udi, Arabic Historian)
It's time to tread a new path, to seek new possibilities. It's time to discover new narratives, new forms to tell stories. New experiences, in short. It's time for expansion – time for Raphus Novellas, our new series of books. Now, our focus is the individual author, someone whose existence happens in our unpredictable contemporaneity, and in its most extreme experiences.
Celebrating the beginning of our new series, a unique work of the great Karim Ghahwagi: THE SECRETARIAT OF TENEBROUS ANATOMIES. A strange, weird, bizarre blend of game and novelette, set in a kafkaesque and mysterious city. The game proposed by Karim is metaphysical, like the secret rites of a religion, the peculiar evocations of an exorcism. Maybe Karim wants to start a new creed and this is his Gospel. Does not matter; it is a fictional experience that deserves to be known, and played.
THE SECRETARIAT OF TENEBROUS ANATOMIES will be printed at Sol Negro Press workshop and the pre-sales campaign begins today, April 12, 2018. The package (one novel + one rulebook + an A3 poster) will be shipped from June, 05. The two books, in physical terms: paperback with colored endpapers, some internal illustrations plus a poster (A3 format) with a stylized board for the game described in the books. There will be some surprises in the final edition, of course. More informations, see our Catalogue.
Update for the year of 2022: And four years after the original release of this precious and weird gem, in 2018, we are proud to announce a new edition of the original package. Limited to only 44 copies (and few private copies).
Celebrating the beginning of our new series, a unique work of the great Karim Ghahwagi: THE SECRETARIAT OF TENEBROUS ANATOMIES. A strange, weird, bizarre blend of game and novelette, set in a kafkaesque and mysterious city. The game proposed by Karim is metaphysical, like the secret rites of a religion, the peculiar evocations of an exorcism. Maybe Karim wants to start a new creed and this is his Gospel. Does not matter; it is a fictional experience that deserves to be known, and played.
THE SECRETARIAT OF TENEBROUS ANATOMIES will be printed at Sol Negro Press workshop and the pre-sales campaign begins today, April 12, 2018. The package (one novel + one rulebook + an A3 poster) will be shipped from June, 05. The two books, in physical terms: paperback with colored endpapers, some internal illustrations plus a poster (A3 format) with a stylized board for the game described in the books. There will be some surprises in the final edition, of course. More informations, see our Catalogue.
Update for the year of 2022: And four years after the original release of this precious and weird gem, in 2018, we are proud to announce a new edition of the original package. Limited to only 44 copies (and few private copies).
The two books will be accompanied by a poster with the interpretative reproduction of the game board made by Bethany White. Some illustration created by this very talented artist follows bellow.
Secretariat (novella + game's guide) + Poster (created by Bethany White) + Card for the game: USD 70.00 (including mail shipment for all the world)
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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)