In the wings, some special things (second edition)…

June 9, 2013June 13, 2013Leave a comment

hattip

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.

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aal-sil

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.

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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

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photograph by farewell debut

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Happy Summer Reading!

Moo-na Lisa, mon amour

April 10, 2013April 10, 2013Leave a comment

moo na lisa

From Austria with love comes this collage by Monika Mori (a.k.a. MOO). Here Ms. Mori reveals her lighter side in a Munch-like self-portrait. Everyone loves a good Ménage à trois, and we think this collaboration between three fine artists is particularly noteworthy. (What do you say, Marcel?)

Sly smiles aside… consider Mori’s provocative abstracts in her collection Shattered Rainbow, published last year by Black Scat Books.

Take a peek. Then support your ~~local~~ artist.

X-ray Visions

November 29, 2012November 24, 2021Leave a comment

acrylics on x-ray by Monika Mori

When we first discovered the paintings of Austrian artist Monika Mori (known internationally as “Moo”) we were mesmerized by her abstract forms and bold colors. Her powerful imagery on x-rays using a palette knife opened a door to a world of fresh visions.

Black Scat is proud to announce the publication of Mori’s Shattered Rainbow—a highly personal series which includes both paintings on x-rays and works on stretched canvasses in mixed media. This is the first book publication of the artist’s work in the U.S. The unique Black Scat edition is limited to 150 copies. SOLD OUT

Scattered Rainbow is a stage where emotions collide, splinter and re-animate. It reflects the artist’s belief that art is a mediator of the unspeakable.

Black Scat News from London, Paris, Montreal & Austria

November 1, 2012November 8, 2012Leave a comment

Exciting new books are on the way and you won’t want to miss them. We’ve just published Samantha Memi’s first collection of short fiction: Kate Moss & Other Heroines—#7 in our Absurdist Texts & Documents series. Memi is a gifted young British writer with a unique, offbeat voice. And if we didn’t know better we’d swear she’s a relation to the great French absurdist, Alphonse Allais. Also, the forthcoming first issue of Black Scat Review features an interview with the London-based writer.

The French humorist Pierre Henri Cami (1884–1958) is virtually unknown in America and Black Scat Books is proud to be the first to publish a collection of his writings & drawings in the States. A Cami Sampler
(Absurdist Texts & Documents #9) is translated by John Crombie whose Kiickshaws Press in Paris published several exquisite letterpress editions of works by Cami. Charlie Chaplin hailed Cami as “the greatest humorist in the world,” and if that’s hyperbole… well he’s certainly right up there alongside several Black Scat authors.

Another literary event coming your way—also in the AT&D series—is a text by the Romanian-born French poet and artist, Isidore Isou, founder of the art movement Lettrism. Translated by Doug Skinner, Considerations on the Death and Burial of Tristan Tzara has never before appeared in English. Isou recounts his bizarre and humorous behavior at Tristan Tzara’s funeral. It’s a rare tidbit of renegade art history.

In December, Black Scat will publish Shattered Rainbow by the Austrian artist Monika Mori. The book features a series of stunning abstract works created on x-rays with acrylics using a palette knife.

Florence Bocherel is an experimental comic artist/writer. She was born in London, but currently lives in Montreal, Canada. Black Scat will publish her graphic novel, Post-asphyx in 2013.