In March 2008, it was announced that Necropolitan Press would be resuming a publication schedule, beginning with Paul G. Tremblay's The Harlequin & The Train novella.[1][2]
History
Jeffrey Thomas founded Necropolitan Press in 1993 in reaction to his discovery of the then-flourishing small press, causing him to become so enthused with the idea that he "developed the desire to produce some publication or other" of his own.[1][3] Thomas chose the name for his publishing imprint due to the sound of it—fond of the similarity to the word Metropolitan but with a horrific bent.[4] At the time, Thomas worked as a paste up artist in a print shop, allowing him to create the Necropolitan Press releases during his breaks by using a "light table to paste up the pages the old fashioned way, with an exacto knife and wax."[1]
The initial publication from Necropolitan Press was The Endmagazine, which ran for four issues under the imprint with a fifth issue being released as a co-production with artist Jon C. Gernon's Zero Publishing. Throughout its run, this fictionanthology zine received newsstanddistribution in addition to catalogsales, the internet—at the time—not being a viable distribution alternative. In 1995, Thomas would begin releasing single author and anthologychapbooks, starting with his own collection The Bones of the Old Ones and Other Lovecraftian Tales and averaging one non-magazine release per year.[1] Necropolitan Press releases maintained low print runs; Jeff VanderMeer's The Hoegbotton Guide to the Early History of Ambergris, by Duncan Shriek, for instance, was produced in a 300-copy edition.[5]
Necropolitan Press ceased producing new releases in 2001, the reasons being the press's financial drain on Thomas and the desire of Thomas to focus on his own work.[3][6] Thomas would later lament this decision, stating that he "always had a great enthusiasm for publishing, [and that he] found it extremely rewarding to bring the work of other authors to the hands of readers eager for something a little out of the ordinary."[1]
In December 2007, Thomas mentioned in an interview that Necropolitan Press may be resurrected with the help of Nick Curtis, whose involvement would alleviate the previous financial and time-related strains the venture placed on Thomas.[6] Curtis was an enthusiast of Thomas's work who had created and maintained an official website for Thomas (including a blog and forum), all of which had revealed to Thomas "his [Curtis's] innovative approach to graphic design." According to Thomas, Curtis proposed the resurrection of Necropolitan Press. Officially, Thomas holds the position of "Publisher/Editorial Director" while Curtis is termed the "Assistant Publisher/Design Director".[1]
Leading up to the resurrection, Thomas had "been talking to some very talented authors in regard to potential new projects."[6] In March 2008, prior to the official announcement of the publishing imprint's return, Paul G. Tremblay mentioned that his forthcoming novella The Harlequin & The Train would be released on Necropolitan Press.[2] In April 2008, Thomas made the official announcement of the press's return and of the forthcoming novella.[1]
Magazines published
The first project published by Necropolitan Press was The Endmagazine, which ran five issues at the rate of one a year starting in 1993. The fifth and final issue was produced in cooperation with New York–based artist Jon C. Gernon's Zero Publishing imprint, the Necropolitan Press designation used to denote editorJeffrey Thomas's work on the title.[1][7][8]
Works published
2008+
The following is a list of all the Necropolitan Press anthology and single author collection titles announced/printed since the relaunch of the imprint in 2008.
Limited to 400 trade paperback copies. An expanded edition of the short story bearing the same name.
1995–2001
The following is a list of all the Necropolitan Press anthology and single author collection titles printed during the initial years of the company. One additional title was announced, The Terrible Woman and Other Erotic Horrors by Scott Thomas, but this was withdrawn from the publishing schedule on May 5, 2001—the intended contents were later released in Nether: Improper Bedtime Stories as well as Shadows Of Flesh, both released by Delirium Books in 2004.[8][9]
Title
Author
Year
Length
The Hoegbotton Guide to the Early History of Ambergris, by Duncan Shriek
A tour guide through the dream city of Ambergris, presented as an actual "artifact" from Ambergris, builds upon the world introduced in Dradin, In Love: A Tale of Elsewhen & Otherwhere (Buzzcity Press, 1996). This chapbook was listed as one of the Books of the Year by acclaimed BritishauthorBrian Stableford in Vector, the critical journal of the British Science Fiction Association.
A collection of horror and dark fantasy short fiction and poetry. Included the following authors: Deidrea Cox, James Doig, Todd H.C. Fischer, Valerie Hardin, Rod Heather, Jason Kuhl, Kurt Newton, David Rogers, Norman Rudnick, Robert Sagirs, Douglas M. Stokes, Mary Winters, MB. Wolf, and Thomas Zimmerman. Featuring artwork by: Jon C. Gernon, Jeffrey Thomas, Robert Thomas, and Curtis Wilcox. One of Kurt Newton's contributions received an Honorable Mention in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror.
A collection of the dark fantasy and Lovecraftian horror by the widely-respected weird story-teller W. H. Pugmire. A second printing of the book was made, the sole difference being the cover stock: the first printing had a glossy white cover while the second printing had grainy gray cardstock cover.
A volume of seven unique and unexpected takes on the vampire tale... from the erotic to the gothic, from science-fiction to the Lovecraftian (Nyarlathotep as vampire). Included the following authors: James Ambuehl, Jeff Dennis, Joanne S. Kanarkiewicz, J. M. Rozanski, W. H. Pugmire, Margaret Smith, and Scott Thomas. Featuring artwork by: Lynn Aude, Doug Ferrin, Jon C. Gernon, Jeffrey Thomas, Scott Thomas, and Curtis Wilcox. Scott Thomas contribution received a recommendation from the Bram Stoker Awards.
The Bones of the Old Ones and Other Lovecraftian Tales
A collection of Lovecraft-inspired fiction and poetry. In January 1999, a second printing was offered that included four additional pages of artwork. The first printing had a glossy white cover while the second printing had a green cardstock cover. Three stories and one poem from this collection received Honorable Mentions in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Ninth Annual Collection.
