Incunabula, quality small press of Seattle, has announced that their subscription-based project to publish a museum-quality 25th anniversary edition of John Crowley’s award-winning 1981 novel, Little, Big, has reached the minimum financial goal necessary to guarantee publication of the book.
“We’ve been collecting subscriptions to Little, Big for almost three years,” says Incunabula’s publisher, Ron Drummond. “Until now, those funds have been held in escrow. The promise we made to our subscribers is that we would not spend one cent of their money until we had enough collected to guarantee publication. We have now reached that point! Funds have been released, and we are now officially in production. Barring what John Crowley calls ‘unforeseen and non-insurance-covered acts of God or the gods, also human-evil-based things like global-warming-induced sudden rises in the sea level sufficient to swamp the presses, etc.,’ this edition will be published.”
In making the first informal announcement of the news on his Live Journal, Crowley could barely contain his excitement. “I am very pleased to make an Announcement, or maybe even Tidings which shall be of great joy to all men, but especially to me: The 25th anniversary edition of Little, Big is to be produced! All those who have already subscibed are now certain to receive their books.”
Crowley emphasizes that subscriptions to the Numbered and Trade editions of the book are still available — at least for now. “New subscribers have the certainty that the book they buy now will indeed be produced as described. However, the likelihood that the edition MAY SOON BE SOLD OUT now also rises suddenly, as latecomers and sceptics leap on the bandwagon. It’s hard for me to believe that anything of this edition will remain unsold.”
Drummond says the book is firmly slated for publication in Spring 2007. “It took longer than we expected to make the financial goal, so the book will appear six months after the actual 25th anniversary, which is right now, this month, September 2006. And yet what a nice way to celebrate that anniversary, with the news that the edition will in fact be published after all. Everyone involved — author John Crowley, artist Peter Milton, essayist Harold Bloom, book designer John D. Berry, webmaster Vonda N. McIntyre, treasurer John Vik, and myself — we’re all incredibly excited. It’s a monster job, and we’re chomping at the bit to get started. This edition will absolutely have been worth the wait — the book is going to be drop-dead gorgeous!”
Three hardcover editions of the book are to be published: a 26-copy Lettered edition, long since sold out; a 300-copy Numbered edition, priced at $300; and an 1800-copy Trade edition priced at $95; the latter price will rise to $120 after publication. All three versions will be printed on fine archival paper with full cloth covers, sewn bindings, and dustjacket, and will include a hundred or more images from the etchings of Peter Milton and a long critical essay by Harold Bloom. Lettered and Numbered copies will be slipcased and signed by the author and artist, have fancier trimmings, and also include an original piece of writing by John Crowley of an unspecified, indeed mysterious nature, which will not be included in the Trade edition.