Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews are incredibly valuable to us.  The feedback we get from our communications with you help us determine what works you'd like to see as a Pegana Press edition.

It was customer feedback which helped us make the decision to offer case bindings as well as chapbooks.  And customer feedback gives us a sense of community, which keeps us motivated and productive.

Mike has had a lot of great correspondence through email with people since he began Pegana Press, and we have both made many friends along the way.  So we were inspired to post some of the things you're saying about the books here.

Thank you so much for your participation in bringing Pegana Press to life.  

--Mike and Rita

Lost Tales Volume 3 by Lord Dunsany

Another lovely edition for Dunsany enthusiasts and collectors. These short tales spanning 44 years of Dunsany's lyrical prose range from a tongue-in-cheek recounting of the superstitions of his beloved fellow Irishmen to the oft-repeated themes of fickle gods, the wistful lamentation of olden times when Man was closer to and could communicate with Nature, and the contemporary (yet ephemeral) supremacy of Man over Nature, who patently waits our passing. "Fuel", the concluding story, is my favorite in this book. It elegantly encompassies many of these Dunsanian insights in his haunting poetic prose. Thank you Mike and Rita. 

--R. Finegold  USA



Hi Mike and Rita, 

Just unwrapped my Lost Tales — a gorgeous book as usual. I think this one is the best yet — especially loved the Sime painting. 

Thanks very much, and congratulations on another fine production,

--David Sorensen   USA

Poseidonis Cycle 1: The Age Of Malygris by Clark Ashton Smith with Prelude by Donald Sidney-Fryer

A truly beautiful volume.

​This to-be even rarer CAS edition harkens back to the earliest collections of Smith's work, both those printed at the author's expense and those scarce editions compiled by those similarly swept away by the genius (loci) of this master wordsmith. 

In construction, "The Age of of Malygris" is reminiscent of the Book Club of San Francisco's 1943 edition of "Odes and Sonnets" and the Philopolis Press 1912 edition of "The Star Treader and Other Poems." 

The design of "The Age of Malygris" incorporates the Golden Rectangle, a mathematical ratio that has fascinated men of art and science since Pythagorus (6th century BCE), the rectangle considered the most aesthetically pleasing; and this little volume is truly a delight to the eye even before one dips into its exquisite contents.

​Donald Sidney-Fryer, CAS historian/bibliographer ("The Emperor of Dreams", Donald M Grant, 1978) and gifted poet in his own right ("Songs and Sonnets Atlantean", Arkham House, 1971) aptly provides the introduction to Smith as fellow poet and priest of Atlantis.

​The tales and poetry, of course, are still replete with the magic that acolytes of Smith have long-loved and, even after 80 years, still inspire awe and wonder.

--R. Finegold,  ​USA

It's a lovely book. It's been a week or so since I read it. I had to collect it on my way to work and wait until the evening to have a proper look at it (I couldn't resist taking a peek in my lunch break). This was all to the good, as when I read the book it was in the golden glow of a late-afternoon sun slanting in at a low angle and showing the grain in the paper.

CAS's stories - these two, certainly - benefit from being given room to "breathe" with generous margins and a fairly large font. The prose poem and "maledictory" (as opposed to valedictory!) poem framing the two stories were new to me and so were the two CAS illustrations. All-in-all it's a very nice book indeed. Thank you for producing it! 

                         

 ​--Andrew James,  UK

​

We can only consider such a realization as an enthusiastic revival of ancient private press. The project has kept its promises and intentions delight by its consistency. I must say that I could not resist to this book's siren call. I enjoy laid paper. Hahnemühle was the best choice. Optima font suits perfectly on it. The Lokta paper that adorns the limits (I mean inside covers) of the volume intensifies the refinement and offers a vegetal embellishment, something essential in Smith’s mind. The great bottom and right margins enable to hold the book in a pleasant way and give a leisurely reading. It’s also nice for our annoying hands as we usually do not know where to lay them! – especially on this kind of book that we want to handle cautiously. The uncommon size also enchants the reader with a good eye.

An element I find delicate is the violet bookmark you put inside. This color is absent from the body of the book, except on the justification page: copies are numbered with violet ink. It’s a kind of supreme touch that superimposes and crowns the phantastick of the text and the phantastick of the handcraft. Nothing more honorable to emphasize.

I look forward to see Cycle II. Zothique stories would be another exquisite piece. And why not enhance sensation by choosing then a laid, slightly tinted paper that might evoke the color of sand?   

-- Damien Gonnessat,  France

Hello Mike,

 I've been meaning to write to you for a long time. Just wanted to express my thanks for Poseidonis Cycle 1.  This and the Dunsany books are such a joy to read. They bring me great happiness. I wanted to write a letter sooner but when I saw the post that Michael Swanwick put up on the Flogging Babel blog about this new CAS book, he took the words right out of my mouth. Thank you once again.

Best,

David

--David Cruces, USA

Just wanted to let you know that the book arrived safely this afternoon. It is, as anticipated, a treasure of beauty and craftsmanship. Thank you so much for selling it to me and for your dedication to your craft, which I strongly suspect is a labor of great love rather than vast profit. Artisans like you and Rita are an asset to those of us who appreciate that art and literature can be easily entwined, even in the age of Kindle. 

Fond regards,

Joshua