Next big project: Centenary Book on William Hope Hodgson

The next big project for Parallel Universe Publications will be a centenary volume commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of William Hope Hodgson in April 1918 in the First World War. The book will be 11.5 x 8.5 inches in size, and be a mixture of artricles, stories and artwork, put together by Jim Pitts, Nick Caffrey and David A. Riley. 

In the early years of the twentieth century Hodgson lived in Blackburn, Lancashire where both Jim and Nick now live and only three miles from where David lives. During his time in Blackburn Hodgson ran a body-building gym and had a newsworthy encounter with Houdini at the town's Palace Theatre. It was also where he wrote his first published stories: The Terror of the Water-Tank and The Goddess of Death, which were inspired by the water-tank on Revidge Road in Blackburn and by a statue of Flora in the town's Corporation Park. The book will include photos of the places associated to Hodgson's years spent in Blackburn. More details later. 

Sledge-Lit Derby 25th November - we'll be there!

Parallel Universe Publications will have a stand at Sledge-Lit in Derby on the 25th November, where all of our books will be available, plus signed prints of artwork by Jim Pitts.

For the first time we will also be able to accept credit/debit card payments.

Below is a copy of the advert we have booked for the event programme book. 

Three great titles from Parallel Universe Publications for Halloween

Parallel Universe Publications has three great titles for anyone who wants to pep up Halloween with some vintage ghost stories and weird tales:
Things That Go Bump in the Night; Classic Weird; and Classic Weird 2.

Check out their contents:
Things That Go Bump in the Night:

The Ghoul Sir Hugh Clifford
The House of the Nightmare Edward Lucas White
The Voice in the Night William Hope Hodgson
The Thing from Outside George Allan England
For the Blood is the Life F. Marion Crawford
The White Wolf of the Hartz Mountains Frederick Marryat
The Room in the Tower E. F. Benson
His Unconquered Enemy W. C. Morrow
The Late Mrs. Fowke Amyas Northcote
Xélucha M. P. Shiel
A Narrow Escape Lord Dunsany
Thurnley Abbey Perceval Landon
The Black Stone Robert E, Howard
Werewolf of the Sahara G. G. Pendarves
The Devil of the Marsh Henry Brereton Marriott Watson
Fishhead Irvin S. Cobb
The Black Statue Huan Mee
The Pool of the Stone God Abraham Merritt
The Sea-Witch Nictzin Dyalhis
The Lady’s Maid’s Bell Edith Wharton

Classic Weird:

The Monster-Maker by W. C. Morrow  
The Man Who Went Too Far by E. F. Benson  
The Interval by Vincent O'Sullivan
The Doll's Ghost by F. Marion Crawford
The Dead Smile by F. Marion Crawford  
The Ghost-Ship by Richard Middleton  
The New Catacomb by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle  
The Lost Stradivarius by John Meade Falkner  
The House of the Dead Hand by Edith Wharton  
A Wicked Voice by Vernon Lee  
Phantas by Oliver Onions

ClassicWeird 2: 

J. Sheridan Le Fanu (An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street)

E. F. Benson (The Judgement Books) 

Vernon Lee (Oke of Okehurst)

Vincent O'Sullivan (When I was Dead)

Edith Wharton (The Eyes)

W. C. Morrow (A Story Told by the Sea)

Irvin S. Cobb (The Unbroken Chain)

Edith Nesbit (From the Dead)

Robert Murray Gilchrist (Witch In-Grain)

Amyas Northcote (The Downs)

J. H. Riddell (The Uninhabited House)

Buy Classic Weird and Classic Weird 2 and we will send you a copy of Things That Go Bump in the Night free.

Things That Go Bump In The Night

UK £11.40 GBP USA £11.40 GBP Europe £15.60 GBP Rest of the World £19.15 GBP

Classic Weird

UK £10.50 GBP USA £10.50 GBP Europe £14.20 GBP Rest of the World £16.45 GBP

Classic Weird 2

UK £10.50 GBP USA £10.50 GBP Europe £14.20 GBP Rest of the World £16.45 GBP

The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts - some interior photos

The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts contains hundreds of black and white and full-colour illustrations, covering more than forty years of work in the fantasy/horror/SF genres by the artist, winner of two British Fantasy Awards.

Inside are articles by Brian Lumley, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones, Adrian Cole, Peter Coleborn, Jon M. Harvey, Nick Caffrey, and David A. Sutton.

This is a limited, numbered edition of 250 harcover copies, each of which is signed by the artist.

Here are some photos inside this great book:

The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts

UK £38.90 GBP Europe £48.60 GBP Rest of the World £53.60 GBP

Mythic issue 4 - with my story A Grim God's Revenge

The good news is that the fourth issue of Mythic magazine will be out shortly, containing my dark fantasy story A Grim God's Revenge.

With Jim Pitts at our stand at Fantasycon in Peterborough

Another picture of Jim Pitts and me at Fantasycon in Peterborough at the end of September.

My Miskatonic University t-shirt was a gift from Ezeiyoke Chukwunonso - saved only for special occasions!

Fifty Years of Horror - an evening with Ramsey Campbell at Birkenhead Central Library

I went to Birkenhead last night with Jim Pitts for an event held in honour of Ramsey Campbell (50 Years of Horror) at Birkenhead Central Library. A brilliant event, with Ramsey on top form as he opened the session with a lively reading of a brand new story, The Devil in the Detail, if I remember the title correctly. Afterwards, he signed my first edition copies of two Arkham House books of his earliest stories, The Inhabitant of the Lake (1964) and Demons by Daylight (1973), both of which I have had for over 40 years but somehow or other never got round to having signed by Ramsey till now! Luckily, having forgotten to bring my own, Jim Pitts brought his camera with him so we got lasting reminders of the event.
Thank you, Ramsey, for a great evening!

David A. Riley and Ramsey Campbell

Ramsey Campbell and Jim Pitts

 

 

 

Some photos of our group signing of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts at Fantasycon

Some photos of our group signing of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts at Fantasycon by most of the contributors: Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones-Editor, Jon M. Harvey, Peter Coleborn, Jim Pitts and David A. Riley.

From left to right: Jon M. Harbey, Peter Coleborn, David A. Riley, Jim Pitts

From left to right: Jon M. Harvey, Peter Coleborn, David A. Riley

From left to right: David A. Riley, Jim Pitts, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones

From left to right: Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones

Small Press Panel at Fantasycon

I was pleased to be invited to be one of the participants alongside Ian Whates, Francesca Barbini, Donna Scott, Steven Poore, and Peter Mark May. on the Small Press Panel at Fantasycon this Sunday. It was a well attended event, with some lively and, in my view at least, very useful discussions. One result, at least, was for one writer to approach me afterwards with a view to taking a look at her collection of stories to see if I would be interested in publishing it. More information on this later.

I also had lengthy discussions at the convention which might result in Parallel Universe Publications taking an important and potentially very productive move in publishing a new line of publications, different to anything we have brought out so far, partly as a result of the work we did in publishing The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts, a book that has impressed a lot of people!

Mass signing of The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts at Fantasycon

We had a great, very lively book signing session for The Fantastical Art of Jim Pitts at Fantasycon in Peterborough this weekend, with Jim Pitts, Ramsey Campbell, Jon Harvey, Peter Coleborn, Stephen Jones, and David A. Riley.

To order your own copy of this book follow this link. We have a limited number of copies that were signed by all the contributors below. First come, first served!

Left to right: Jon M. Harvey. Peter Coleborn, David A. Riley, Jim Pitts, Ramsey Campbell, Stephen Jones