Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake - Lettered Edition

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A masterpiece of fantasy, the Gormenghast novels by Mervyn Peake stand as one of the twentieth century’s most distinctive and imaginative achievements in fantasy literature.

Within the sprawling halls and serpentine corridors of the dilapidated Gormenghast Castle, the members of the Groan dynasty and their master, Lord Sepulchrave, grow increasingly out of touch with a changing world, as they pass their days in unending devotion to arcane rituals and traditions. As heir to the Earldom of Gormenghast, Titus is expected to one day rule the kingdom and its wayward subjects, but with the arrival of an ambitious kitchen boy, Steerpike, the established order is thrown into disarray. Over the course of three novels―Titus Groan, Gormenghast and Titus Alone―Titus must contend with a kingdom about to implode beneath the weight of centuries of intrigue, treachery, manipulation and murder. 

Titus Groan was first published in 1946 to ecstatic reviews. The publication of Gormenghast in 1950 and Titus Alone in 1959 cemented the series as a true classic of twentieth century British literature. Critics continue to praise the series for its iconic imagery and characters, and it is often cited as one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time. In their review, Punch called it “the finest imaginary feat in the English novel since Ulysses,” while editor Langdon Jones hailed it as “the sort of novel one remembers for the rest of their lives.” The New Yorker called the novels “a gorgeous, volcanic eruption… a work of extraordinary imagination,” while San Francisco Chronicle gave high praise to Mervyn Peake, claiming “his inventiveness, his ingenuity and his humor are astonishing.” 

The Gormenghast novels have had a profound influence on countless contemporary authors who have cited the books and Mervyn Peake amongst their greatest inspirations. The novels have been included in Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels and 100 Must Read Fantasy Novels. In 1950, Gormenghast received the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, and in 1951 the Heinemann Award. The novels are #6 on Locus’s 1988 All-Time Best Fantasy Novels list.

Our edition of the Gormenghast novels by Mervyn Peake is presented in two states: Lettered and Numbered editions.

LETTERED EDITION

• 6" x 9" trim size.
• 1312 Pages.
• Limited to 26 copies.
• Published in three volumes.
• First letterpress printed edition of the novels to be published.
• Signed by Clare Peake, Tad Williams, China Miéville, Brian Sibley, Michael Moorcock and Jay Johnstone.
• New exclusive introductions by Clare Peake and Brian Sibley.
• Previously published essays by Anthony Burgess, China Miéville, Michael Moorcock and Tad Williams.
• Includes Mervyn Peake’s 1956 novella, Boy in Darkness with foreword by Maeve Gilmore.
  
• Handbound Bradel style binding with vellum boards and a goatskin spine.
• Vellum is sourced from William Cowley in the United Kingdom, makers of the finest quality parchment and vellum since 1870. William Cowley produces genuine hand-crafted parchment and vellum of the finest quality using time-honored methods that are largely unchanged for centuries.
• Illustration by Jay Johnstone stamped in gold to the front board.
• Endsheets are hand marbled for this edition by renowned marbler Iris Nevins, and the head & tail bands are handmade using this marbled paper.
• Twenty color illustrations by Jay Johnstone were painted on vellum and scanned, maintaining the vellum textured background on both the front and back of the illustrations. 
  
• Printed letterpress on Somerset Book mouldmade paper by Elias Routsom on a Heidelberg Cylinder in Middleborough, Massachusetts. 
  
• Interior design & typography by award-winning designer Mark Argetsinger.
• Text pages are set in Monotype Van Dijck with display type set in Flamande.
• Included in each volume are the following fold-outs: Volume I – Gormenghast Map, Volume II – Family Tree, and Volume III – all three Numbered edition cover illustrations.
• Housed in a unique cloth-covered enclosure with slide-out trays which are lined with velour.
• Included with the Lettered edition is a vellum print with art and embossed details by Jay Johnstone, silkscreen printed in walnut ink on the finest calfskin vellum by world-renowned parchment makers, William Cowley which has been in existence since 1870, for over four generations.
• Bookmark with all pre-orders.
  

Published editions may differ slightly from mockups and prototype designs.
Illustrations © 2022 by Jay Johnstone.