Dispatches from the Republic of Books

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Look what came in the mail today! Two items, very different from each other, but both citizens of the Republic of Books.

To the left is Devil's Ways, an anthology of stories about You-Know-Who, edited by Anna Kashina and  J. M. Sidorova. From Dragonwell Publishing.

Would it surprise you to know that I have a story in here? I do. It's "Of Finest Scarlet Was Her Gown,"and I'm rather proud of it.

Here are the other stories:

Nzembe by Perephone D'Shaun

Death and the Lady by Ben Loory

Fire in His Eyes, Blood on His Teeth by R. S. A. Garcia

A Diorama of the Infernal Regions or the Devil's Ninth Question by Andy Duncan

One of Our Angels is Missing by Curtis C. Chin

The Hag by Darrell Schweitzer

Frayed Tapestry by Imogen Howson

Where is Evil by Edwina Harvey

Unto the Daughters by Nancy Kress

The Fisherman... A Tashlich Legend by Avram Davidson

Escape Goat by J. M. Sidorova

Those stories I've read (most of them) I can recommend wholeheartedly. I'm looking forward to reading this others over the next day or two.

Incidentally, Publishers Weekly reviewed the anthology and said, "Readers are in for a devilish treat. Which is a little cutesy but a great blurb and a warm endorsement.


And . . .

To the right is The Private Life of Books by Henry Wessells, richly illustrated with photographs by Paul Schütze. (I should mention that while my photo of the cover is washed out and bland, the real thing is dark and detailed.)

This is a much smaller re-issue in palm-sized paperback of an earlier hardcover that sells for $150. The Temporary Culture website defines it as "Six poems by Henry Wessells on reading, memory, books, and the second law of thermodynamics."

It really is a lovely thing.

You can get information about this iteration of the book f(or even buy it, or a mere $17.50)  here. Or go to their website here and wander around.

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