"The Other" Thomas Tryon Centipede Press

[jeffingoff]

Oh sure, there are a lot of expensive antiquarian genre books out there...I was referring in my post to contemporary small-press genre works, of which lettered Centipedes would almost certainly be among the top in value and desirability, if not *the* top (as opposed to CD, Sub Press, Dark Regions, Thunderstorm, et al).

Oh yeah, of course. I just take things to their absurd extremes. At the top is certainly Centipede and Lonely Road and at the bottom is probably Dark Regions. Though I've never heard of Thunderstorm, so thank you for that. I now have a new place to stalk.

[Martin]

Oh yeah, of course. I just take things to their absurd extremes. At the top is certainly Centipede and Lonely Road and at the bottom is probably Dark Regions. Though I've never heard of Thunderstorm, so thank you for that. I now have a new place to stalk.

Be careful stalking Thunderstorm. Paul makes some nice books and it could get very costly!

[jeffingoff]

Be careful stalking Thunderstorm. Paul makes some nice books and it could get very costly!

I just subscribed to the newsletter. God help me. I really don't need to buy more stuff. I just bought Chadbourne dust jackets for The Stand and It. Every time I open my laptop, money flies out of my hand.

[slayn666]

The thing about TSB is that on a per-book basis, it's really not THAT expensive to pick up any titles - even the very early Black Voltage titles, like House of Blood or Mother, don't get too absurd (on the other hand, they rarely come up for sale). However, Paul publishes a LOT of books, so the sheer volume you may end up wanting to acquire is overwhelming.

[Daninsky]

I was looking for a copy of "The Other" published by Centipede Press. I've seen the limited edition floating around, but if anyone knows where I can purchase a copy of the traycased edition, please let me know! I think there were only 15 copies of this edition produced.

Thanks!

I have a decent number of traycased Centipede editions, though THE OTHER is not one of them. It's a worthy goal to seek after, but as others have mentioned here, not an easy one. I did want to mention, though, that Jerad basically produced two 'levels' of traycased works. THE OTHER (like THE NIGHTWALKER, and most others in that era) is basically the exact same as the limited edition, but bound in leather and with a very small, tight traycase. He also did extremely opulent 'full deluxe' traycased editions of a smaller number of books that were massively oversized with very special binding, portfolios of art prints, etc. Both types are worth owning, but I felt you should know that THE OTHER is going to be the smaller, less opulent style of 'deluxe.'

I have photos posted of all of my traycased Centipedes in my thread in the Members' Collections sub-forum if you want to look at them and get an idea. Good luck!

[jeffingoff]

The thing about TSB is that on a per-book basis, it's really not THAT expensive to pick up any titles - even the very early Black Voltage titles, like House of Blood or Mother, don't get too absurd (on the other hand, they rarely come up for sale). However, Paul publishes a LOT of books, so the sheer volume you may end up wanting to acquire is overwhelming.

Yeah, the volume was the first thing I noticed. Then I did a little digging and I'm not sure their stuff fits my taste. I don't bend to the extreme end of horror. Though I did preorder the lettered edition of Off Season, I don't normally like work that critics can label torture porn. It's not that I won't read something grisly, it just has to have a point, some development. It's tough because I'm sure I'd like some of these works. I'm afraid of spending limited edition money on gore for gore's sake.

[Theli]

I'm sort of the same. Though I don't think all of Thunderstorm's books fall into that category. For example I wouldn't call Ronald Kelly, or at least the novel of his I read, "torture porn" or even overtly graphic. That said they don't tend to have a lot of authors I really follow. But man... they do now how to make a great book for a fair price.

[jeffingoff]

I'm sort of the same. Though I don't think all of Thunderstorm's books fall into that category. For example I wouldn't call Ronald Kelly, or at least the novel of his I read, "torture porn" or even overtly graphic. That said they don't tend to have a lot of authors I really follow. But man... they do now how to make a great book for a fair price.

That's good to know. There was one book grabbed my attention--called "The Unhinged"by David Bernstein and I thought the premise was interesting. Then I read reviews on Amazon and one review in particular turned me off. But other reviews mentioned other books that fit the same category and a lot of those authors are also on Thunderstorm as well. Like Ryan C. Thomas. So I fell down a rabbit hole. I still have an open mind so it's not out of consideration. I just don't want to fill my open mind with a pitcher of brain poison.

[Sock Monkey]

That's good to know. There was one book grabbed my attention--called "The Unhinged"by David Bernstein and I thought the premise was interesting. Then I read reviews on Amazon and one review in particular turned me off. But other reviews mentioned other books that fit the same category and a lot of those authors are also on Thunderstorm as well. Like Ryan C. Thomas. So I fell down a rabbit hole. I still have an open mind so it's not out of consideration. I just don't want to fill my open mind with a pitcher of brain poison.

Though I have a decent amount of their books in my collection, Thunderstorm can be a little hit-or-miss for me. Sometimes I'm really excited about books coming out and others not so much. They don't shy away from extreme horror, but, like Theli said, not everything they publish falls in that category. Kealan Patrick Burke's The Novellas (or Stage Whispers as well as I've heard good things about his Timmy Quinn series) is a good place to start if you can track it down. A lot of read in their now-defunct Elemental line was not what I would call extreme. I enjoyed Michael McBride's The Event, which is more of a police procedural thriller and his collaboration with Norman Prentiss, The Narrator was also a fun read. I'd suggest doing what I do with their books (and what you've already done with The Unhinged--I think I know what review you are talking about and I wish I had read that before picking up a copy so we'll see how that goes--) and read reviews to make sure that it lines up with your taste. They are also going be putting out a new line of more cost-friendly books so that might be a place to start as well.

They do produce a great looking book. For the most part, Paul really likes uniformity within each line of books, creating a consistency that makes them look sharp on the shelf. Also, their customer service is top-notch and they really take care of their collectors. Case in point, I reached out to Paul about if the upcoming books were close to selling out and I wouldn't be able to put in an order for a few weeks and he offered to put copies aside until the end of the month so I could get them. With those tiny print runs, he definitely didn't have to do that, but his offer really impressed me.

[Sock Monkey]

Yeah, the volume was the first thing I noticed. Then I did a little digging and I'm not sure their stuff fits my taste. I don't bend to the extreme end of horror. Though I did preorder the lettered edition of Off Season, I don't normally like work that critics can label torture porn. It's not that I won't read something grisly, it just has to have a point, some development. It's tough because I'm sure I'd like some of these works. I'm afraid of spending limited edition money on gore for gore's sake.

Jack Ketchum's work is interesting in that he definitely has no problem delving into the extreme end of horror, but I feel that there is a moral center to his work that elevates it from just being "torture porn". The Girl Next Door is a prime example of a book that, in lesser hands, could have devolved into "gore for gore's sake", but while graphic and unflinching, it also speaks so much about morality and culpability that, while it's not everybody's taste, it definitely can't be dismissed as merely exploitative horror.

[jeffingoff]

I think I know what review you are talking about and I wish I had read that before picking up a copy so we'll see how that goes--) and read reviews to make sure that it lines up with your taste.

Yeah, I usually avoid spoilers. But I wanted to make as much of an informed decision as possible. Because I'm sure people have said the same thing about Ketchum and I'd disagree. So much of this is subjective.

I read an interesting take on what might define the line over which something becomes torture porn. And you hit on it with your other comment. The story has to have a moral center to it. When the reader is encouraged to root for the bad guy, to see what cruelly inventive thing he will do next, then the story has lost its balance. It's just a series of scenes of carnage strung together with no structure beyond chronology.

I read Offspring by Ketchum first. And I thought that book did an incredible job of asking the reader "what does it mean to be civilized?" It was an indictment on cultural supremacy in the most brutal way. There was less of that in Off Season, but it was there. That's what redeemed it for me. And why I'll pay for a lettered edition of it.

[Sock Monkey]

Agreed on all of that. I also find that the reliance on gore for gore's sake wears thin a lot quicker in novel form than film. What can be sustained by sheer momentum for 90 minutes can't do the same when spread over the length of time it takes to get through a novel.

I am still so on the fence about picking up the new edition of Off Season. I love the book and a lettered edition would be great to own, but I just can't pull that trigger yet. They only have a few copies left so I better make a decision soon...

[RonClinton]

I am still so on the fence about picking up the new edition of Off Season. I love the book and a lettered edition would be great to own, but I just can't pull that trigger yet. They only have a few copies left so I better make a decision soon...

I'm a huge Ketchum fan, but I'm avoiding all these new Anniversary editions with new bells and whistles (though I don't know how many of that kind of stuff this edition has...I've seen the promotion for it, but haven't read up on it). I figure I've already read the book, I have a nice signed/limited edition of it already, and I have finite shelf space and book budget. That formula doesn't really encourage snatching up all these latest and bestest Anniversary editions.

[jeffingoff]

Agreed on all of that. I also find that the reliance on gore for gore's sake wears thin a lot quicker in novel form than film. What can be sustained by sheer momentum for 90 minutes can't do the same when spread over the length of time it takes to get through a novel.

So true. Actually Nightmare on Elm Street was the example given in the article I referenced above. The author mentioned that the series became torture porn when the audience began to root for Freddy and buy tickets just to see what insanity he would unleash. Movies can get away with it because, like you said, the momentum pulls the viewer along and often doesn't leave enough time to actually connect with the humanity of the characters the way a book can. There are films that do, of course. I'm just generalizing.

There are only 5 copies of Off Season left!!! Of just 26 copies worldwide! With bonus content! And $275 is relatively inexpensive for a lettered! And I've used up my daily allowance for exclamation points.

[jeffingoff]

I'm a huge Ketchum fan, but I'm avoiding all these new Anniversary editions with new bells and whistles.

I thought the same thing about IT. I actually felt the "anniversary edition" designation on the cover and slipcase cheapened it. But I bought it anyway. Mostly because I have a soft spot for that book like no other. And the first edition trade hc I had was falling apart from so many reads. But I'm so glad I bought it. It's a beautiful book and the aftermarket seems to agree.

I also have the unsigned Overlook Connection Unexpurgated edition of Off Season. And so I wasn't going to buy the DRP edition. But the lure of a lettered at an affordable price point of a book that was something of a milestone in horror as well as one of my favorites--that all added up to becoming a factor in my looming bankruptcy.