I have always loved books produced by small or private presses. Aside from the content, which is always carefully chosen and edited, it is the exquisite books themselves that I am drawn to.
Everything is done with the aim of producing beautiful books, in relatively small numbers. The typeface is selected. The paper is always high quality and heavy. The hardback boards are suitably stout, as befits a book expected to last a long time. The dust wrappers do their job. The books are properly bound, often with colourful stitching.
Tartarus Press is a small, independent publisher based in the Yorkshire Dales. Established 35 years ago, they publish a small number of titles each year, usually in both hardback and paperback. Their website includes numerous details about the printing of the books. Current books are usually printed on 120gsm paper. The runs are short, typically between 300 and 500 copies, and they quickly become collectors’ items.
In small presses the content often reflects the interests of the publisher and Tartarus is no exception. Hence a large proportion of their books are of the ghost story or horror genres. So whilst I admire the books as beautiful objects, they are not really for me.
Until now. Lindsey spotted a book which she knew would appeal to me. Fifty Forgotten Records, written by R B Russell, half of the husband and wife team who run Tartarus, is a description of various records in the author’s collection which have been long forgotten by the wider public. For each of the 50 records he talks about when and where he was when he first heard them, what they mean to him now.
My personal interest is increased because the author grew up in Sussex and would sometimes go to concerts in Brighton, my home town, and known across the south-east as a music town.
So now I am the owner of a Tartarus book which, as well as admiring, I have actually read!