Biblioasis Hand-bound

When I first started Biblioasis six years, four months and five days ago (yes: at this point and time I am aware of the passing of every bloody second) I started it with the idea of it being a boutique-style press. The idea to start publishing actually came, at least in part, because I had taken a few bookbinding courses and was tired of making blank notebooks. When I started out, I intended that every trade book and every chapbook would have a hand-bound component. And, for a while, at least, I kept it up. Our first four trade books and nine chapbooks had hand-bound editions. And I have text blocks ready for binding for quite a few of the next dozen or so titles that followed. I even have a small binding room built in the garage, which proves that as little as three years ago I thought there was a chance I'd catch up. But I never did. Something I've become used to, as a publisher: my ambition being beat down by the tripartite realities of (1) not enough hours in a day; (2) not enough gas in the tank; and (3) not enough cash in the till. I was a Fool (Destined to be the working title of a future autobiography.) to believe it would be otherwise.


But I've always regretted abandoning this part of our publishing program, and I've always intended to get back to it. As a bookseller, book collector, bibliophile (or, when manic, mane), luddite, it's important to me. And in a digital age, when the twitter-verse is alive with chatter (ceaseless, ceaseless chatter) about the end of the physical book, perhaps it's even more important to get back to it. So, in fact, I have.

I'd hoped to have these ready well before the new year, to take advantage of the Christmas conasumerist frenzy, but it wasn't to be. We've produced two hand-bound editions of Fall 10 titles, a run of 50 copies of the first printing of Alexander MacLeod's Light Lifting, numbered and bound into hand-marbled papers; and a further run of 30 copies of A.J. Somerset's excellent Combat Camera. Both produced for the press by the wonderful Kate Murdoch (I seem to have even less hours in a day, and far less gas in the tank; but thanks to a better than average Fall 11, a few more dollars in the till.) Priced at 60.00 each, they can be purchased through the website -- just click on the hand-bound/hardcover link on the right side of the given book's page (For MacLeod, here; here for Somerset) -- or email me direct. If I can blow off the dust and put on my bookseller hat for a second, these are cheap at the price, and won't (or at least shouldn't) last long. Both will go for far more in as little as a few year's time. Especially if the Twitterverse is indeed correct, and the physical book is dead.

We'll be producing one or two such limited hand-bounds a season going forward, for as long as we can afford to do so. Clark Blaise's The Meagre Tarmac will follow this Spring. If any out there are interested in placing a standing order for these titles, let me know and we will get you off all new hand-bound titles as soon they are ready.

Attention Christmas Shoppers

Have you been feeling shut out of CanLit for the last twenty years? Have you given up hope in the contemporary CannedLit novel? In a particularly combative mood? Well, according to Mark Sampson, the man behind Free Range Reading, A.J. Somerset's Combat Camera might just be the book for you and the anti-sentimentalist, disgruntled (likely male) reader in your life. And with Christmas coming....

Probably a good idea to let Mark take it from here:

Attention holiday shoppers: if you’re looking for a great gift this year for the man on your list who may have given up hope on the contemporary novel, a man who has felt a little shut out of the Canadian literary conversation over the last few decades, a man who has been looking for a book that explores the surprisingly complex inner world of one of his tortured and taciturn brethren, then A.J. Somerset may have the perfect gift idea for you.

Somerset’s novel Combat Camera, winner of this past year’s Metcalf-Rooke Award, is as raw and rugged as Canadian books come. It tells the story of Lucas Zane, a former combat photojournalist burnt out after 20 years of covering some of the world’s most violent wars, who has been reduced to taking pictures for low-budget porn in Toronto. Despite the trauma and hopelessness that permeates his current situation, Zane soon finds himself roped into rescuing one of the set’s young starlets (who goes by the name Melissa) after a sex scene turns violent. The two flee on a road trip to Vancouver – a journey that forces them to confront the violence and failures of their respective lives as well as the complex relationship they have with each other.

Make no mistake – Combat Camera is not for the lighthearted, despite the infusions of pink on its cover. This novel is relentlessly masculine and offers an unflinching look at violence, sex and the inglorious torment of a traumatized person. I cannot think of a single character from Canadian literature quite like Lucas Zane – a man whose inner tumults are at such odds with the reserved, aloof persona he presents to the exterior world.

For the full review, and it is a good one, please go here.

Lapidary: A Combat Camera Book Trailer

In an age when prize-winners -- and Jonathan Franzen -- seem to have sucked up all of the literary glory, a talented new author and his somewhat distracted small press publisher attempt to spread the word about Combat Camera (...one of the finest Canadian novels I have ever read. - John Metcalf) only to be defeated by Jonathan Friggin' Franzen.

Bright Lights, Big Reading

A GUEST POST BY A.J. SOMERSET, CURRENTLY ON TOUR.

The next leg of the triumphant Biblioasis fall tour begins with a whimper emitted by a writer forced to rise before the sun to make his train. There is a certain amount of groggy stumbling about, and the packing of last minute supplies: two bottles of whisky, a large bottle of Tylenol, a number four Phillips screwdriver, a small flashlight, and a large Band-Aid. Not all of these things will prove necessary, but it is best to be prepared. You never know.

The countryside is sodden. Somewhere beyond Kingston, a driver decides to race a westbound train, and loses. All trains sit stopped until the investigation is complete, although there seems to be little left of the car to investigate. The train arrives in Montreal an hour late.

The hotel is perhaps insalubrious. The room features a non-functional Jacuzzi and, surprisingly, mirrors on the ceiling. All attempts to relax are futile; staring up at your reflection in the mirror induces immediate and uncontrolled giggle fits. You examine this throwback to a forgotten era of tastelessness while sipping The Famous Grouse from a plastic cup. Whether the mirror or the whisky is more alarming is an open question. It is just possible that this is rock bottom.`

You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the evening, but here you are, and you can`t say the terrain is entirely unfamiliar. Drawn & Quarterly is packed, and discreet inquiries confirm that the crowd is here for the reading, not merely for the chance to get in out of the rain. People shake your hand and congratulate you. You thank them. Gnawing at the back of your mind is the question of what you`re going to read.

Harold Hoefle reads first, having lost the coin toss. Alexander MacLeod introduces you with the weight and gravitas proper to a Giller finalist: "This book is about war. It's about pornography. And it doesn't suck!"

You read. People question, You answer. There is a certain amount of signing things, chiefly books.

It is now necessary to brace yourself against the considerable strain of the reading experience. You stumble out into the street and into the nearest bar. You haven't eaten since lunch, and lunch itself is debatable, provided as it was by Via Rail. The word at the bar is to avoid the quiche. Also, the hot wings, french fries, onion rings and nachos. Rumour has it that the pizza is safe. It is difficult to identify the toppings in the poor light. You engage in a preventive disingection of the alimentary canal using alcohol, a highly effective disinfectant.

Someone begins dancing on a table. You could swear it. The rest is a blur. You recall laughing at your reflection on the ceiling just before losing consciousness.

The next leg of the triumphant Biblioasis fall tour begins with a whimper emitted by a writer forced to rise before the sun to make his train....

A.J. Somerset / Alexander MacLeod London Launch

A.J. Somerset/Alexander MacLeod Launch: London, Ontario from Biblioasis Press on Vimeo.

This launch occurred the day after the Eden Mills Writers Festival, and the day of the Giller Longlist announcement. MacLeod and Somerset read to 35-40 people at the at the London Public Library, what served as the first reading A.J. Somerset gave in support of Combat Camera. Writing in the London Free Press the next morning, Arts columnist James Reaney wrote that 353,000 missed literary excellence. Thank goodness we captured it for posterity. (Though these two should find a more professional film and sound guy: this recording does not do either justice. Apologies.)

Imprisoned behind the camera's lens

Though it does not seem to be up yet at the Toronto Star's website, there is an excellent review of A.J. Somerset's Combat Camera in today's paper. Finding the Toronto Star anywhere around Emeryville Ontario is next to an impossible task, but due to my carefully cultivated network of informers -- including the author of Combat Camera himself -- I've managed to get my hands on the review, and will give you a quick tase of it here. Should the Star eventually post the whole thing online I'll make sure I post a link to that as well.

Ryan Bigge, the author of the review, writes:

Throughout the novel, Somerset alternates between the immediate and blunt trauma inflicted upon civilians in war zones and the slower-acting but no less injurious actions of a culture lacking in modesty. ... Somerset is a confident, gifted writer .... able to seamlessly switch between dialogue and Zane's internal monologue as he darts between grim horror and grim comedy. He also avoids the arid claustrophobia endemic to novels where much of the action takes place within the main character's mind.
But the most satisfying aspects of this novel involve Somerset's refusal to make obvious the numerous parallels between photography and fiction ... Such observations offer an ongoing argument between the camera lens and keyboard, with the novel eventually revealing the strengths and limitations of both.

Somerset on the Radio, Podcast and In Print.

A.J. Somerset has been busy this week. On Saturday he authored an editorial on the new Canada Reads format over at the National Post titled Bound for Dullsville, which takes the CBC to task for its crowd-sourcing, populist gambit. I'm hoping you thousands of Thirsty Readers will go to the CBC Canada Reads voter booth and recommend A.J. Somerset's Combat Camera: I'm not at all a fan of the new CBC approach (not that the old one was particularly effective either), but at least it opens the door to letting books like A.J.'s (or Ray Robertson's Moody Food; or Grant Buday's Dragonflies; or K.D. Miller's Brown Dwarf; or Terry Griggs's Thought You Were Dead: go on, vote for your favourite!) some sliver of cahnce of getting added to the list of top 40. They all could easily be there.

On Tuesday A.J. Somerset appeared on the Enthusiasticast podcast to talk about Combat Camera, pornography, war photography and Thomas McGuane. And yesterday, Christine McNair at CKCU in Ottawa interviewed A.J. Somerset about his novel, which can be heard here.

Unabashedly Canadian

But this time it is a good thing. Mainly because of the other half of the equation: Beautifully Written.

Justin Scherer writes:

Though constantly sought by avid readers, it seldom happens: complete immersion into a novel, getting lost in the pages. It’s the benchmark for good writing. And after a long dry spell of books which, though good, didn’t seduce me into complete suspension of disbelief, I picked up Combat Camera by A.J. Somerset. His beautifully written novel, full of dark humour and utterly compelling characters, took me to that place most readers long for.

At the center of the plot stands Lucas Zane, a once-famous combat photographer who, scarred by most of the major conflicts of the latter twentieth century, returns to Toronto and hides from his hallucinations in his dank apartment. To pay the bills, he takes photos for a low-budget porn company. “After awhile, skin is just skin.” There he meets Melissa, a disillusioned young porn actress who gets beaten to a pulp by her male co-star. In a sudden burst of empathy, Zane takes her under his wing and takes her away from all of it, to Vancouver, where she wants to start over. The plot unfolds during their car trip across the country as the characters confront both each other and the stories they’ve constructed to shield themselves from the past.

The novel is unabashedly Canadian. The most obvious example of this is the well-used plot device of the cathartic trans-Canada journey. But the road trip isn’t forced. It grows organically from the first part of the novel. Toronto’s seedier neighbourhoods, bleak truck stops, and the Vancouver rains also feature prominently in the novel and give a particularly Canadian flavour to the book’s brooding tone. Despite this, the novel avoids the preoccupation with “the land” and the long, indulgent passages of description that burden many other Canadian novels. Although the story takes place in Canada, it’s not just about Canada, and thereby avoids the Canadiana pitfall, where well intentioned musings about national identity degenerate into kitsch.

For the entire review please go here.

Over at the Rover,

Reminder: Combat Camera Toronto Launch September 28th at the Garrison, 7:30 pm

Just a quick reminder to all Toronto-area Biblioasis-o-philes that the Toronto launch of A.J. Somerset's excellent Metcalf-Rooke Award winning novel Combat Camera will be at the Garrison tomorrow evening. Details below.

Time
Tuesday, September 28 · 7:30pm - 10:00pm
Location The Garrison
1197 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON

Best-selling author Russell Smith will discuss Combat Camera with its Metcalf-Rooke Award-winning author, A.J. Somerset, followed by literary critic James Grainger in conversation with John Metcalf and Leon Rooke.

A.J.'s Week in Review

Over at his blog Banjaxed A.J. Somerset writes about his first tour of duty in support of Combat Camera.

Monday: Launched Combat Camera at the London Public Library to an appreciative crowd. Alexander MacLeod also read from Light Lifting, fresh off his Giller nomination. By a strange coincidence, both of our selections referred to acres of Canada Goose droppings. Must be something in the zeitgeist. In the general post-reading excitement, I forgot to pick up a box of books I needed from Biblioasis publisher Dan Wells, with devastating results….

Tuesday: Drove downtown at 2 am to pick up said box of books from Dan, who was still hard at work. Slept one hour, then got up to pack, drive to the airport, and catch a flight to Winnipeg via Toronto for the Winnipeg International Writers Festival. Snoozed briefly on flight.

Spoke to a classroom full of creative writing students at the University of Winnipeg, who to my surprise actually took notes and stuff. I felt like saying, “No, don’t write that down. These are the ramblings of a sleep-deprived hack—do I look like I know anything?” The students asked lots of good questions, questions to which (writing being writing) there is often no single answer.

Stumbled back to hotel room and worked feverishly to find a good excerpt to read on the main stage. After two hours, returned to my original plan, wishing I had slept. Folded my carefully prepared notes into the book and went on down to face the music. Got to the podium and found my carefully prepared notes had somehow changed places with my to-do list. Lesson: plan to wing it, remarks-wise.

For the rest of his week, including information regarding a near death experience, please go here.

Fall Events: An Incomplete List

Despite the fact that by the time tomorrow ends this will likely be a 100 hour week (another sure sign fall is now here), I've not found time to update Thirsty much this week. There's been event promo and practicalities, editing and digging up photos for our history of the Windsor Spitfires (which led me to the basement of a NHL Hall of Fame defencemen with seven Stanley Cups (including 4 with Detroit and one with the Leafs the last time they won: but more on that later)), Eden Mills prep, grant-related prep, and a range of odds and sods to keep us busy.


But the next week is quite busy with events and launches, and though I've been posting these on the new website (sadly already out of date, and will be until next week), Facebook, Twitter and all the other online water cooler spaces, I've neglected to do so here. Until now.

Sunday, September 19th. Alexander MacLeod, Mauricio Segura and Leon Rooke read at Eden Mills

Sunday, September 19th: K.D. Miller reads at the Words ALive Festival

Monday, September 20th: A.J. Somerset & Alexander MacLeod read at the London Public Library 7 pm

Monday September 20th: Rebecca Rosenblum reads at Vagabond Trust in Toronto

Tuesday, September 21st: Alexander MacLeod reads at TINARS/Gladstone Hotel. Music by the MacLeod clan, in support of Lewis MacLeod's new album, For Sale As Is. $5 cover

Tuesday, Septemeber 21st: A.J. Somerset reads as part of Winnipeg's Thin Air Festival

Tuesday, September 21st: Marius Koceijowski reads at Drawn and Quartely in Montreal as part of the Maisonneuve 37th issue launch. Also reading Kathleen Winter.
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Wednesday, September 22nd: Alexander MacLEod reads at Trent University, Peterborough. Music by Lewis MacLeod and siblings

Thursday September 23rd: Marius Kociejowski will be reading at the Dora Keogh in Toronto 6:30-8:30

Friday, September 24th: Alexander MacLeod, Marius Kociejowksi, Norm Sibum and A.J. Somerset will be reading at Phog Lounge in Windsor. Music by the MacLeods.

Sunday, September 26th: Alexander MacLeod will be reading at the Inverness Centre for the Arts in Inverness Cape Breton, 2-4 pm.

Tuesday, September 28th: A.J. Somerset will be interviewed by Russell Smith as part of Tinars at the Garrison in Toronto.

If you can make it to any of these events, please come on down. And apologies if I've left something out: going by memory here, in a Guelph hotel room, as I wait to prep for Eden Mills. I'll post October events later in the week.

Prize Juries & Street Cred

In this morning's Toronto Star, this short note to the GG & Giller Juries:

The Giller and G-G juries could do worse to establish some street cred than nominating a decidedly edgy small press debut by a photographer, ex-soldier and outdoor mag writer named A. J. Somerset. His Combat Camera (Biblioasis, 255 pages, $19.95) is a mean city tale of a burnt-out war photographer who tries to rescue a damsel, and maybe himself too, from the cheap porno world he’s working in.

Here's hoping both juries are listening.

The full Q&Q: Combat Camera

The full review of Combat Camera in September's Quill & Quire is up at the website and can be found here.