…to love this book.
Author: Black Scat Books
Publishers of Sublime Art & Literature Since 2012
A Bishop is Reassured . . .
A Bishop is Reassured Regarding his Loose Teeth
An old bishop, whom I knew, complained that he had already lost a number of his teeth, and that others were shaking so badly that he feared to lose these also.
At this a man of his district said: “Have no fear that you will lose your teeth.”
“Why not?” the bishop asked curiously.
“Well, my testicles have been hanging loose for the last forty years seeming always on the point of falling off, yet I have never lost them.”
from
The Facetiae Erotica of Poggio
by Poggio Bracciolini
Illustrations by Jana Vukovic
Coming in July in a Black Scat Classic Interim Edition
Neglected Works
“Delightfully engaging feast for the eyes as well as the funny bone. A must for all those who are fans of the surreal, the impertinent and the painful truth about art and politics today. Richly illustrated with dynamic collages and eye watering graphics – each page could quite easily be framed and hung in a gallery.” —Kollage Kid (UK)
“Norman Conquest is neglected, as a majority of difficult-to-niche artists are neglected. It is unjust. Conquest is nonpareil here and everywhere. Conquest is richly prolific.” —Harold Jaffe
$15
Illustrated. Full color. Trade Paperback. 6″ x 9″. 68 pp.
ISBN-13: 978-0615703428
Art / Satire
In the wings, some special things (second edition)…
Nearly 100 posts ago—on August 18th, 2012 to be precise—we published a roundup of forthcoming books called “In the wings, some special things…” There were only a few titles on our list back then, yet we were ambitious, eager, and inspired. Today, this little house has a bookshelf all its own. Moreover, we’re still putting our money on the printed word, despite the world’s panicky flight to digital.
There is (and must be) room for both eBooks and print.
Indeed, a few of our titles—as well as our magazine Black Scat Review—are available for Kindle and other digital platforms. But the emphasis remains on paperback editions to be held, squeezed, sniffed, licked, displayed and read.
Here are a few treats coming your way this summer.
The Facetiae Erotica of Poggio by Poggio Bracciolini.
Facetiae is a collection of humorous and indecent tales by Renaissance humanist Poggio Bracciolini (1380–1459), which was originally published in 1470. It features such stories as “Of a Fool, Who Thought His Wife Had Two Openings” and “Visio Francisci Philelphi,” the earliest recorded version of Carvel’s ring. This special Black Scat Classic edition includes a cover and illustrations by artist Jana Vukovic. Based in Belgrade, Serbia, Jana is well known for her unique, hand-lettered designs and book covers. Limited to just 69 copies, this edition is a must-have for one’s private library.
***
Be prepared to sail away with two more volumes in our Captain Cap series by Alphonse Allais. Translated and illustrated by the great Doug Skinner, these amusing pun-filled tales featuring Allais’s legendary, hard-drinking captain have never before appeared in English. Leonardo Reviews in the UK called Volume I “…a little gem.”
So head to the shore and keep your eyes peeled for Captain Cap (Vol. III): The Antifilter & Other Inventions, and Captain Cap (Vol. IV): The Sanatorium of the Future.
***
Our world is drowning in a deluge of iPhone snapshots—billions of mirrors reflecting the detritus of daily life… evidence of the fast food we consume, the parade of strangers and passersby, the microscopic gestures pointing to the enshrinement of Self.
QUESTION: what happens when an artist arms herself with an iPhone?
ANSWER: Blink: Visual Antiphonies by Farewell Debut
photograph by farewell debut
***
Happy Summer Reading!
Insane Writers at Work
How to Write the Suicide Note
The following is an excerpt from Doktor Bey’s Suicide Guidebook, just published in a Black Scat Classic Interim Edition, part of the Absurdist Texts & Documents series. Limited to 85 copies.
THE SUICIDE NOTE
Here are ten tips to aid you in writing your suicide note, a particular often overlooked.
- Use of the first person is generally preferred.
- For maximum impact and credibility, always write in the past tense. (Example:: I was a failure in business.)
- If you are without family, friends, or even enemies, address the note “To Whom It May Concern.”
- When possible, use a typewriter. Far too many notes are indecipherable.
- Keep a carbon copy in your pocket, in case the original is misplaced.
- Do not concern yourself with the “beginning-middle-end” rule. Just concentrate on the end.
- Keep in mind that these are your last words. They should be commensurate with your social position. They should reverberate in the reader’s mind! Avoid such clichés as “Goodbye cruel world” and “To be or not to be . . .” Strive for the poetic.
- Self-pity, slang, and obscenity are acceptable.
- If artistically inclined, attach a self-portrait.
- Be brief. Nothing is more boring than a long goodbye.
* * * *
New Issue!
IN THIS ISSUE: Alphonse Allais and François Caradec get high; Doug Skinner translates and reports; Carla Wilson interviews a faux Warhol; David Macpherson’s detective reveals the clues; Jim McMenamin turns on some screen gems; Nile Southern travels back to the future; Tom Whalen serves up a love story; Opal Nations strips the flesh off Embryo World; Erik Belgum offers up some poisons; Farewell Debut blinks visual antiphonies; Larry Fondation explores Harold Jaffe’s Revolutionary Brain. Plus a portfolio of drawings by the late Peter Hanssen.
The Original How-To to End All is Back!
Long before Dr. Kevorkian was turning off the lights and the Hemlock Society was stocking up on helium—before jihadis were blowing themselves to smithereens—there was DOKTOR BEY’S SUICIDE GUIDEBOOK—the inspiration behind the worldwide assisted suicide movement. Indeed, the SUICIDE GUIDEBOOK (originally published by Dodd, Mead & Co. in 1977) is the world’s first, lavishly illustrated how-to to end all. Written by the notorious Doktor Bey, it has everything you need to know—including tips on composing the suicide note.
Black Scat Books is pleased to make this long out of print classic available to a new generation of the chronically depressed. With the world in chaos, DOKTOR BEY’S SUICIDE GUIDEBOOK is a welcome alternative to waiting around for Armageddon.
It’s a foolproof shortcut to god knows what.
Some Are Reading . . .
Just in time for the madhouse summer reading list: Bacon’s classic text in a lovely illustrated edition.
Number 16 in our Absurdist Texts & Documents series. Limited edition: 60 copies. $10.
NOIR is Born!
Better not answer it, you never know who’s calling. Wait until the shadows pass. It’s safer in the light. John Nickle is a master of shadows. With colored pencils and acrylic paint he has created moody crime scenes for novels by the likes of Ross MacDonald, James Swain, Sjöwall and Wahlöö, and many others. He’s well known for his distinctive, cinematic style—creepy and comic. A dark sense of humor lies just beneath the surface like a hastily buried corpse. 
Even the artist’s popular children’s illustrations posses sinister overtones. Then again, it’s a dangerous world out there. 
Black Scat Books proudly announces a limited edition collection of John Nickle’s best cover art and illustrations produced over the past 25 years—Nickle Noir: The Art of John Nickle—featuring a revealing introduction by the artist and full color reproductions. 144 pages to die for.
“Nickle is a conjurer of dread and remembrance. His works quickly bypass conscious examination and lodge themselves in the space between sleep and wakefulness. This is a book of dark joy. Welcome and beware.”
—p.g. sturges, author of Shortcut Man and Angel’s Gate
