I’m going to keep this brief . . .

(Yeah, right!) because there are just too many things to do and we’re still trying to claw back some time after last weekend’s British Science Fiction Convention in Manchester. So I’ll kick off with that and follow the old adage that one picture is worth a thousand words. But, first, by way of Introduction, I’ll say this . . .

It was fab to be back in Manchester

Back when I was a mod (yeah, I’ll try find a photo someplace) I used to go most weekends to a club called The Twisted Wheel where soul acts of HUGE merit performed live at the Saturday/Sunday all-nighters—we’re talking of the likes of Alvin Cash and the Crawlers, Junior Walker, Edwin Star, Mary Wells, Georgie Fame, Ben E. King, Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, The Drifters and umpteen more. In fact, I’ll tell you a little tale about one Ben E. King gig which I arrived at late because I was D-J’ing in Leeds and so couldn’t get in. So I and a couple of others went around to another club (The Jigsaw) which also had a band playing.

When we got downstairs to the tiny dancefloor (dressed to the nines in the top fashion of the day—just like I am now, of course) we discovered that the band wasn’t really playing music to dance to (at least, not the dancing we had in mind). But, wow, they were good, and that set me off on a sideways route into a completely new vintage, and I swapped my suede-head look for big sideburns and, eventually, a pony tail. The band in question? The Paul Butterfield Blues Band featuring Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop and so on. Wonderful.

Alas, this time there was to be no such musical milestone . . .

. . . and the dancing in the Convention was a far cry from soul music. But we still had a ball, launching new books from Eric Brown, Ian Watson, Ian McDonald, Matt Hughes and Stephen Baxter (who sadly couldn’t be there) and we were fortunate to be placed in the bookroom next to our chums Helen Sansum and Ian Whates and their Newcon imprint.

We sampled some marvelous eateries nearby and discussed potential new projects with artists Chris Baker (‘Fangorn’) and Jim Burns, plus a possible new novella from Ian Whates and lots more.

It all passed too quickly, of course, and now we’re just left picking up the pieces and trying to find where they all fit. The photographs on this week’s Newsletter are from Nicky, Mike and Sheryl plus Ian Whates and Helen Sansum, and Jenny and Ramsey Campbell. My thanks to them all.

Our good and prolific friend (more than 15 PS titles to date) and my true comrade in arms, Ramsey Campbell captures me (and Ian McDonald) where I tend to spend much of my time at Conventions: totally immersed in a wineglass. Sadly, there does look rather less than I would ideally expect on this occasion but perhaps it has been in front of me for a little while!

LEFT IMAGE: Eric Brown. MIDDLE IMAGE: Ian McDonald. RIGHT IMAGE: Ian Watson signing under the watchful eye of minder Christopher Priest.

LEFT IMAGE: (left to right) Sheryl Smith, Ian Whates, Ramsey & Jenny Campbell, Nicky & Pete Crowther, Mike Smith.  MIDDLE IMAGE: Ian, Mike & Sheryl, Pete & Nicky, Jenny, Enid, Ramsey and Ian McDonald. RIGHT IMAGE: Ramsey and Jenny with Pete.

TOP LEFT: Nicky and Pete manning the PS table. TOP RIGHT cristina Macia and Ian Watson.

BOTTOM LEFT IMAGE: Sheryl & Nicky in the bookroom. MIDDLE IMAGE: Helen Sansum. RIGHT IMAGE: Ian Whates and Pete. at the Newcon table

And finally, isn’t it great to get letters? Here’s this:

Nicky/Pete

Since you recently asked customers to feel free to contact you with any thoughts on a wish list it has got me thinking. I would love to see some of the classic Philip K Dick novels get the PS treatment particularly a couple of my favourites, MARTIAN TIMESLIP and NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR. Truth be told there are too many classics to list. While I have all of his published works they are mostly paperbacks as old second hand copies in hardback tend to be very expensive. Would much rather purchase nice new illustrated editions from yourselves. Just a thought.
 Devoured the Ellison Wonderland which I recently purchased from you guys. Well done on producing such a lovely edition. Great to reread it again along with the extra volume of uncollected early material.
Regards and Happy Easter
, Leo Wallace

Leo, you made my day.

I’m going to look into this and see what’s available—but Dick is a law unto himself as far as rights go so it may not be possible. We’ll see. And while I’m at it, I’ll make enquiries about my favourite three (out of nine) non-SF novels, PUTTERING ABOUT IN A SMALL LAND, HUMPTY DUMPTY IN OAKLAND and the truly superb IN MILTON LUMKY TERRITORY. I’ll keep you posted, If we do ‘em, you get ‘em for free, Leo. We’ve got some other notes, too, two of them phone calls from people keen to see the PS treatment given to favourite volumes . . . so much so that we’re starting a special imprint (another one? Jeez Louise!) that we’re aiming to call PS Readers’ Choice. And what might they be, Unca Pete? Well, Kurt Vonnegut for starters (spoilt for choice there, of course) and Tom Tryon’s HARVEST HOME. So a big thank-you to Ben Warrington in New York (Vonnegut) and someone called Jeffrey (Jeffery? Geoffrey?) who left a message on the answerphone and spent so long raving about Tom Tryon’s novel (didja see the TV movie version with Bette Davis?) that the phone timed out. Call us again, chum—lovely to hear from you.

So far, as Readers' Choice titles we’ve got THE CEREMONIES by T.E.D. Klein, BLIND VOICES by Tom Reamy and CHASM by Stephen Laws. More to come.

Just space to finish off . . .

. . . with this link (click on picture above) provided by David Hambling explaining “Why Easter Island was Lovecraft’s Heart of Darkness.” Fantastic!

Okay, that’s it. Lots of stuff coming up and lots to tell you about.

Meanwhile, we just heard from Darrell Schweitzer that he’s completed his MISKATONIC LIBRARY anthology which will be delivered tomorrow; we’ve just completed the proofing of the triple-decker edition of our ‘SALEM’S LOT; and the artwork for Joe Hill’s THE FIREMAN is coming through at a steady rate of knots. Here’s this:

Have a great weekend wherever you are and whomever you’re with—tell ‘em Pete said to say Hi. Look after each other and, hey . . . why don’cha read a few books? Makes sense to me, Jethro! Have fun!

Pete

PS Publishing

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Website www.pspublishing.co.uk

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