Deluxe copy: Ulrich Daubeny, Two Tales of the Supernormal and the Inexplicable
Little is known of Ulric Daubeny (1888-1922) who published his single slim volume of ghost stories in 1919, The Elemental: Tales of the Supernatural and the Inexplicable (George Routledge & Sons). The stories are of especial interest to those who follow the development of the traditional English ghost story from the Victorian and Edwardian eras through the present day. Daubeny’s stories are well-wrought pieces that are interesting to read for their portrayal of period morays and architectural environments. The first edition barely exists anymore in physical form; there are only 4 institutional holdings worldwide and only 1 known copy, which is rebound, in a private collection. I saw one once in the regular stacks at a university library. If it is still there, it might be the only copy with the original illustrated wrappers intact. A friend and I tried to convince the director of that library to deaccession the book to us, so that we could insure its preservation, but he would not do so. Our pleas to have the book moved to their Special Collections department were also rebuffed. I enjoyed the book while I had the chance, but to read its brittle pages was to further destroy it. “The Sumach” is the only one of Daubeny’s stories to gain a significant readership, having been reprinted several times, most notably in Richard Dalby’s Dracula’s Brood (Crucible, 1987) and Cemetery Dance’s The Century’s Best Horror Fiction (2012). A full-volume reprint of the collection done in 2006 by the now defunct Ash-Tree Press has somehow come to be almost unattainable as well. The fictional work of Daubeny is difficult for readers to find.
These five copies are printed on Iyo Glazed, a Japanese handmade paper, and bound into Bridget O’Mally’s Walnut Krinkle handmade flax paper case wrappers. Each of the five are conatined in a drop spine box made by Chad Oness using Walnut Krinkle and marbled paper from G. Wineman.
Purchase of one of these books includes a buyer’s choice of one of the following Sutton Hoo Press offerings. Each can be viewed under the Sutton Hoo Press meu on this website. Please include your selection in a note or email during purchase: chad@thelastpress.com
—The Decorations by Ramsey Campbell
—Breviary by Kevin Young
—Naming by Philip Levine
—Rhumb Lines by Anthony Deaton
—Speaking of Accidents by Peter Everwine
Little is known of Ulric Daubeny (1888-1922) who published his single slim volume of ghost stories in 1919, The Elemental: Tales of the Supernatural and the Inexplicable (George Routledge & Sons). The stories are of especial interest to those who follow the development of the traditional English ghost story from the Victorian and Edwardian eras through the present day. Daubeny’s stories are well-wrought pieces that are interesting to read for their portrayal of period morays and architectural environments. The first edition barely exists anymore in physical form; there are only 4 institutional holdings worldwide and only 1 known copy, which is rebound, in a private collection. I saw one once in the regular stacks at a university library. If it is still there, it might be the only copy with the original illustrated wrappers intact. A friend and I tried to convince the director of that library to deaccession the book to us, so that we could insure its preservation, but he would not do so. Our pleas to have the book moved to their Special Collections department were also rebuffed. I enjoyed the book while I had the chance, but to read its brittle pages was to further destroy it. “The Sumach” is the only one of Daubeny’s stories to gain a significant readership, having been reprinted several times, most notably in Richard Dalby’s Dracula’s Brood (Crucible, 1987) and Cemetery Dance’s The Century’s Best Horror Fiction (2012). A full-volume reprint of the collection done in 2006 by the now defunct Ash-Tree Press has somehow come to be almost unattainable as well. The fictional work of Daubeny is difficult for readers to find.
These five copies are printed on Iyo Glazed, a Japanese handmade paper, and bound into Bridget O’Mally’s Walnut Krinkle handmade flax paper case wrappers. Each of the five are conatined in a drop spine box made by Chad Oness using Walnut Krinkle and marbled paper from G. Wineman.
Purchase of one of these books includes a buyer’s choice of one of the following Sutton Hoo Press offerings. Each can be viewed under the Sutton Hoo Press meu on this website. Please include your selection in a note or email during purchase: chad@thelastpress.com
—The Decorations by Ramsey Campbell
—Breviary by Kevin Young
—Naming by Philip Levine
—Rhumb Lines by Anthony Deaton
—Speaking of Accidents by Peter Everwine
Little is known of Ulric Daubeny (1888-1922) who published his single slim volume of ghost stories in 1919, The Elemental: Tales of the Supernatural and the Inexplicable (George Routledge & Sons). The stories are of especial interest to those who follow the development of the traditional English ghost story from the Victorian and Edwardian eras through the present day. Daubeny’s stories are well-wrought pieces that are interesting to read for their portrayal of period morays and architectural environments. The first edition barely exists anymore in physical form; there are only 4 institutional holdings worldwide and only 1 known copy, which is rebound, in a private collection. I saw one once in the regular stacks at a university library. If it is still there, it might be the only copy with the original illustrated wrappers intact. A friend and I tried to convince the director of that library to deaccession the book to us, so that we could insure its preservation, but he would not do so. Our pleas to have the book moved to their Special Collections department were also rebuffed. I enjoyed the book while I had the chance, but to read its brittle pages was to further destroy it. “The Sumach” is the only one of Daubeny’s stories to gain a significant readership, having been reprinted several times, most notably in Richard Dalby’s Dracula’s Brood (Crucible, 1987) and Cemetery Dance’s The Century’s Best Horror Fiction (2012). A full-volume reprint of the collection done in 2006 by the now defunct Ash-Tree Press has somehow come to be almost unattainable as well. The fictional work of Daubeny is difficult for readers to find.
These five copies are printed on Iyo Glazed, a Japanese handmade paper, and bound into Bridget O’Mally’s Walnut Krinkle handmade flax paper case wrappers. Each of the five are conatined in a drop spine box made by Chad Oness using Walnut Krinkle and marbled paper from G. Wineman.
Purchase of one of these books includes a buyer’s choice of one of the following Sutton Hoo Press offerings. Each can be viewed under the Sutton Hoo Press meu on this website. Please include your selection in a note or email during purchase: chad@thelastpress.com
—The Decorations by Ramsey Campbell
—Breviary by Kevin Young
—Naming by Philip Levine
—Rhumb Lines by Anthony Deaton
—Speaking of Accidents by Peter Everwine