In an age of consolidation and
corporatization, Lethe Press remains an independent publisher in the
old style: we curate our booklist and put out books we love. Below are
our books of general interest (with some GLBT titles that fit the
subgenres). For more books of gay/lesbian interest,
please click here. Be sure to look at the "Occult & Supernatural" and the "Forgotten Works" below; some every interesting
titles that you won't likely find elsewhere.
Steven Reigns
Steven Reigns poetry offers a gay life lived with pleasure and
bitterness and companionability. As National Book Award winning
American poet and memoirist Mark Doty so eloquently states: "To read
this book is to meet a man alert to his times and the textures of the
lives around him, a community observed with tenderness, wit and
pleasure."
In four extended sequences, The
First Risk confronts the murder of Matthew Shepard and the myth
of Venus and Adonis through the eyes of Italian Renaissance painter
Luca Cambiaso; the eccentric women of Pedro Almodóvar’s All
About My Mother and their search for authenticity; the nature of love
and obsession in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and the pain and confusion
of loss; and “The Strange Case of Maribel Dixon,” the compelling
novella-in-verse of a physicist in search of his lost wife, haunted by
a phantom voice that may or may not be hers...
Lethe
Press
80 pages
8.5 x 8.5 oversized paperback
Ragan Fox offers poetry that demands and provokes readers, as well as
entertains them. Fox bares not only his sexuality but his
childhood fears and foes, his desires met and never satisfied, in these
imaginative poems. These pieces deserve being read by anyone moved by the plight of today’s gay culture wars.
“Ragan Fox’s searing chronicle of growing up gay is
an anguished autobiography composed of poems unerring in their ferocity
and their truths. These stanzas, which seem to be scraped directly from
the surface of the poet’s skin, are both gut-twisting and impossible to
turn away from. No edges are blurred, nothing is held back. Sharpening
a creative signature that already sported a razor edge, Fox grants us
witness to the crafting of an unapologetic life.”
—Patricia Smith, four-time individual National
Poetry Slam
champion &
National Book Award finalist for Blood Dazzler
This
wonderful first collection of performance poetry is sure to make
readers laugh and smirk. Discover why Books to Watch Out For writes:
"Fox comes out of the world of performance poetry, where
heÍs something
of a star. Could be why the poems -- as punchy as prose -- in this
first
collection sizzle with the heat and ripple with the wit of good stories
-- short on plot, of course, and character development, but packed with
passionate introspection about and investigation of queer life, queer
sex, and queer essence."
"Jay Michaelson knows too well that our
life is a wedding and a funeral, at the same time, in any given moment.
The erotic on these pages comes hand in hand with the devotional."
- Ilya Kaminsky, author of Dancing in Odessa
" If you are comfortable in your pew, these may not be the poems for
you. But if you want fully embodied poems of outrage and love -- and if
you want to "make a religion of flaw," read Another Word for Sky.
You wonÍt regret it."
- Richard Chess, author of Third Temple
ALL: A James
Broughton
Reader Edited by Jack Foley
In a life that stretched from 1913 to 1999 James
Broughton
witnessed
and commented on the twentieth century from the point of view of an
outsider. In a time aghast at its own horrors, Broughton championed
laughter. He was a poet, not of the ivory tower but of the innovative
street, a playful, urban voice with the notion that a poet could change
the world. In a rational century, he asserted mystery. All: A James
Broughton Reader collects the range of this acclaimed poet and
filmmaker.
White Crane Books Paperback,
272 pages
ISBN 1590210212
A new collection drawing from the many
areas of Mary Anne Mohanraj's work, Silence and the Word
includes
everything from enticing erotica to Sri Lankan-American immigrant
tales, from romantic poetry to provocative essays. Mohanraj boldly
explores sexuality, ethnicity, and their interactions with the human
heart. If you're a long-time fan, you'll be thrilled to have so much of
her work finally collected in one place; if you're a new reader,
prepare to be emotionally engaged, possibly aroused, and certainly
fascinated by what you're about to read.
You can download to iTunes & transfer the pdf to an iPad or other ebook reader
Lethe Press Paperback,
300 pages
ISBN 159021014X
978-1-59021-014-7
A Taste of Serendib
a Sri Lankan Cookbook
Mary Anne Mohanraj
Serendib: one of the many names for Sri Lanka, Ceylon,
Taprobane -- an
island nation south of India, rich in tea and spices, vegetables, fruit
and fish, possessing a complex multicultural cuisine. A Taste of Serendib is a collection
of unexpected, delightful, fortunate flavors, forty-five recipes to
tantalize your tastebuds and satisfy your stomach.
One desperate night, a rent boy hot enough to scorch the motel sheets, meets a man doomed to burn for love.
Christian Ryder is a lonely man because of his strange abilities;
pyromancy, a curse that causes the temperature to dangerously rise
whenever Christian grows excited. He has accidentally hurt lovers in
the past and has sworn off personal attachments. Tanner O'Bannon is
broke and desperate. The recent loss of his father has thrown Tanner
into a tailspin of debt he can't afford to pay. Working as a rent boy
allows him to pay the mortgage and his college tuition, but it's
burning away his soul in the process. Through the machinations of an
escort agency these men are thrown together. Smoldering embers of
desire fan the flames of love, but will it be enough to make Christian
overcome his fear of love, or to save Tanner from the fire?
by Tanith Lee, writing as Judas Garber & Esther Garber
Disturbed By Her Song
collects the work of Esther Garber and her half-brother Judas Garbah,
the mysterious family of writers that Tanith Lee has been channeling
for the past few years. Possibly autobiographical, frequently erotic
and darkly surreal, their fiction takes place in a variety of eras and
places, from Egypt in the 1940s, to England in the grip of the
Pre-Raphaelites, to gaslit Paris and to the shadowy landscapes carved
by the mind and memory. The themes of youth and age stream through
these tales of homosexual love and desire. These stories recall, at
times, the work of Lawrence Durrell, Colette, and Angela Carter.
For as long as there’s been such a thing as sex, alternate sexual
identities have been a fact of life. So why have we been so nearly
invisible in recorded history and historical fiction? Now editor Connie
Wilkins, a Lambda Literary Award finalist, has assembled fourteen
stories that span the centuries—from ancient times to the Renaissance
to the modern era—and explore alternate versions of our past. Their
queer protagonists, who bend history in ways dramatic enough to change
the world and subtle enough to touch hearts and minds, rescue our past
from invisibility, and affirm our place and importance throughout all
of history, past, present, and future.
Stories by:
Rita Oakes, Steven Adamson, Sandra Barret, Dale Chase,
Steve Berman, M P Ericson, Barry Lowe, Erin Mackay,
Catherine Lundoff, Simon Sheppard, Lisabet Sarai,
Emily Salter, Connie Wilkins, C.A. Gardner
In the far future, human culture has developed five distinctive
genders due to the effects of a drug easing sickness
from faster-than-light travel. But on the planet Hara, where
society is increasingly instability, caught
between hard-liner traditions and the realities of life, only male
and female genders are legal, and the
"odd-bodied" population are forced to pass as one or the
other. Warreven Stiller, a lawyer and an intersexed person, is an
advocate for those who have violated Haran taboos. When Hara
regains contact with the Concorde worlds, Warreven finds a larger role
in breaking the long-standing role society has forced on "him,"
but the search for personal identity becomes a battleground of
political intrigue and cultural clash.
Winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Gay/Lesbian Science Fiction, Shadow Man remains one of the more
important modern, speculative novels ever published in the field
of gender- and sexual identity.
Fairy tales have long intrigued readers. They’re the first stories we
remember, and they resonate within us as adults.
In Sleeping Beauty, Indeed, editor JoSelle Vanderhooft
offers us a new take on an ancient theme: fairy tales from a lesbian
perspective. From Cinderella to Sleeping Beauty, from original myths by
talented authors to classics retold with a deft hand, these tales are
by turn erotic and sensuous, loving and wicked. Take a bite of the
magic apple and make this anthology your bedtime story tonight.
Colm McKenna has led a guarded life. Gifted with a wintry soul and a
photographer’s eye, he can stop time as easily as he freezes water, or
call down cold north winds. He thinks he is alone and unique in
the world. Then, seemingly by accident, he meets writer Aidan
Gallagher, his opposite, a young man who quickens Colm’s heart as
magically as heats the air.
In this lighthearted, gay romantic fantasy, can two male witches whose
passion reincarnates century after century, find a way to express their
love for each other again? Can this enchanting pair finally
succeed after so many lifetimes?
The legends of Fairyland tell that one should never taste the food or
sip the drink, or else risk being caught there forever. But the
tempting morsels in So Fey are irresistible! Lambda Award-nominated
editor Steve Berman brings together acclaimed fantasy writers with some
of the brightest names in speculative and LGBT fiction to create tales
that are moving and magical. These stories of romance and grief,
adolescence and identity, struggle and hope will enchant readers who
long for a fantastic escape—and a wonderful twist! One sample of this
bewitching treat is sure to trap you in its pages!
From the pains of loss in Holly Black’s “The Coat of Stars” to dealing
with issues of identity in Richard Bowes’s “The Wand’s Boy” to Melissa
Scott’s look at the dangers of love in “Mister Seeley,” So Fey: Queer
Fairy Fiction takes you into worlds that are at once amazing and
familiar. With tales that tear and tug at the heart but never cease to
enchant, this exciting and unique collection will long last in the
minds of readers.
The Ice fell upon the world nearly a hundred years ago, and if
civilization didn’t rightly collapse, it surely staggered and fell ill
a while. In the small town of Moline, Virginia, folks struggle to
survive, relying on hybrid seed sent by the faraway Dept. of
Reintroduction and Agriculture and their own faith in God and hard
work. But when a mated pair of dragons starts hunting the countryside,
stealing sheep, and attacking children, the townsfolk quickly learn
that they don’t have the weapons or the skills to fight off such
predators.
David Anderson is a farmer’s son who has explored the world through
books. When he meets the new healer in town, Callan Landers, he doesn’t
quite know what to make of the strange warmth stealing over him. It’s
not until he surprises Callan with another man—and both men are
promptly arrested for sodomy—that David finally realizes the truth
about his own feelings.
When David and Callan stumble over a secret in a nearby abandoned town,
their personal problems fade before government politics and corruption
that threaten lives. It seems the dragons aren’t the worst dangers
facing Moline.
In author Steve Berman's second collection of stories and essays, he
once more leads readers through the dark paths of his imagination:
stories of the scent of loneliness entices children to start eating
away at a caretaker's historic house; a young lover is tempted by a
nursery rhyme; and Victorian-era burglars need to be wiley as well as
quick to survive together. Berman follows each tale with an author note
that dares to question what is fact and what might be fiction, while
laying bare his own life and dreams.
Steve Berman has been a finalist for many awards, including the Andre
Norton (his yougn adult novel Vintage), the Gaylactic Spectrum, the
Golden Crown Literary, and the Lambda Literary Awards. He resides in
southern New Jersey.
Spicy Slipstream Stories Edited by Jay Lake and Nick
Mamatas
Spicy stories that defy genre! Alluring tales that
will astound readers!
Slipstream stories are
that weird combination of eloquent fancy and conventional literary
form. Intended to make the reader feel out of sorts within the confines
of their imagination, such fiction became the darling of small press
venues. And so, maybe, found its way into the hands of a few
readers. But add a dash of the risque and the result is Spicy
Slipstream Stories. Here the adventure and bosoms of the old pulps are
blended with the stylistic innovations and reader affect of that
non-genre genre, slipstream. Embrace the way a sweat, the bruises, the
upper thighs of these stories collected by editors Jay Lake and Nick
Mamatas.
Lethe Press paperback
284 pages
ISBN 1-59021-025-5
Peace Talk By Suzette Haden Elgin
The story of an ordinary man, who is so
disgusted with the state of the world, so depressed at what he sees as
a universal absence of hope for humankind, that he sees no way out
except the most desperate of measures. But then things that are not at
all ordinary start happening to him, as a stranger shows him, one small
mysterious step at a time, that he has another choice. This novella in
the form of a parable, leads the reader on an amazing journey from
despair to joy.
The winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Men's
Science
Fiction
and bestselling novel, Secret Matter
returns to print in a revised
edition for the 21st century. With an afterword by gay theologian,
social commentator Mark Jordan.
Kevin Anderson is moving along through his life,
finishing up
college, and getting ready to leave New York for an internship
rebuilding San Francisco after an immense earthquake. Then the Visitors
arrive; a race of human-like aliens touch down in several cities around
the globe, including SF, and nothing will ever be the same. When
Kevin's company is given a contract to build a facility for the
Visitors, he forms a friendship with 'Bel, one of their number.
But is
'Bel so alien after all? They seem so human, but they possess some odd
characteristics and seem to be hiding something. What secrets do they
carry, and where, exactly, are they from?
A
wonderful review by Arthur Breur on rainbow-reviews. Here an excerpt:
"...the book resolves in a very enjoyable and satisfying way, and the
author's many-layered revelations about the Visitors is both intriguing
and pleasantly startling. (I shouted out loud at the most critical
revelation, and was very relieved when the author powerfully backed it
up with science and reason.)
Recommended!" read the whole review
Cthulhu Fhtagn,
Baby!
and Other Cosmic Insolence By Will Ludwigsen
Oscar Wilde wrote that "the real
tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner that they hurt us
by their entire lack of style." Not satisfied with that, Will Ludwigsen
chooses instead to add humor and flair to the horrors that surround us.
Why settle for the lesser of evils in your newspaper when you can read
an entire book of stories about zombie-exploiting, plesiosaur-chopping,
alien-dissecting, robotically-enhanced, lunatics instead? This premiere
collection by Will Ludwigsen brings together thirteen of his best
horror, mystery, and science fiction stories from magazines such as
Weird Tales, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and Cemetery Dance,
plus three originals. Though the work of a single deranged author,
these varied tales share a flippant disdain for common decency,
courtesy, and sense. Witty and irreverent, they remind us that we have
more hope than we think--if only because we have wit and irreverence.
In a small town, a lonely teen walking along a highway one autumn
evening meets the boy of his dreams, a boy who happens to have died
decades ago and haunts the road. Awkward crushes, both bitter and
sweet, lead him to face not only the ghost but youthful dreams and
childish fears. With its cast of offbeat friends, antiques and Ouija
boards, Vintage offers readers a memorable blend of dark humor, chills
and love that is not your typical teen romance.
Queer
Hauntings:
True Tales of Gay and Lesbian Ghosts
Complied By Ken Summers
Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay and Lesbian Ghosts is a
collection of eerie locales worldwide with a queer
bent, combining historical fact and unearthly encounters from
across the United States, as well as around the globe. From
haunted bars in New Orleans to a haunted theater in London, this guide
encompasses the other side of the supernatural. The stories range from
the serious, from brutal murders in rural Georgia, to the
light-hearted, including the male spirit who enjoys unzipping men's
trousers at a British pub. Ghosts of legendary celebrities intermingle
with ordinary individuals.
Along with these queer spirits are many businesses, either gay-owned or
catering to a gay/lesbian clientele, experiencing hauntings. Clubs and
bars hide more than shy young lovers in their darkened corners.
Countless bed and breakfasts have otherworldly guests staying the
night. Behind the shadows and doors of societal homophobia hide
find pink phantoms and lavender apparitions in cities and towns spread
across the globe.
A collection of grisly and gruesome legends from the colonial era of
Mexico City. Doomed lovers, insane misers, the Inquisition, all found
in the pages of this forgotten book. Six gruesome panels by Walter
Appleton Clark accompany the stories. At the end of the book is a
section that provides some insight into the truth and history behind
these legends.
Lethe Press Paperback,
ISBN 1590210980
South
Mountain Magic: TALES OF OLD MARYLAND
A title in the America Obscura
series!
The story behind this book begins in 1876, when, the author, a widow
from Washington society, purchased the old South Mountain Inn in
Maryland and transformed it into a private summer residence. Madeleine
Dahlgren fell in love with South Mountain House and the fascinating
local legends and lore of the surrounding townsfolk. This book is the
first title in the new series, America Obscura, which offers readers
some of the more interesting supernatural legends of the States.
Lethe Press Paperback,
ISBN 1590210034
Stranger
Than Fiction: Welsh Ghosts and Folklore
A title in the Classics of
Preternatural History series!
The canwyll corph or corpse-candle once warned of imminent death in the
Welsh countryside. But such spirits were not alone. Stranger Than
Fiction, first published in 1911, explores the folklore and
superstitions of Wales. Inside these pages are accounts of ghosts and
hauntings, as well as the local fey folk and witches. This book remains
a treasured resource on Celtic beliefs. Stranger Than Fiction is part
of The Classics of Preternatural History series, which explores areas
of the occult, pseudoscience, and the supernatural that have had a
lasting impact upon the history and psyche of civilization.
Lethe Press Paperback,
248 pages
ISBN 1590210964
Irish
Witchcraft & Demonology
A title in the Classics of
Preternatural History series!
Irish Witchcraft and Demonology is St. John Seymour's classic study of
Ireland's infernal history. In it he traces and describes the most
famous witches and witchcraft of Ireland: from Dame Alice Kyteler in
the Middle Ages to a trial for witchcraft in a 1911 murder court.
Seymour analyzes the accounts of the accused men and women, their
familiars, and associated demons and devils. This book will be a
welcome read to lovers of occult history.
Lethe Press Paperback,
ISBN 1590210085
Vampires
& Vampirism
A title in the Classics of
Preternatural History series!
Fiends that rise from their graves to prey upon the living have long
haunted man. The most notorious of these creatures is the vampire, but
the image of the suave, blood-drinking fiend held by contemporary
culture is vastly different from the early legends of vampirism found
throughout the globe.
Vampires and Vampirism
is part of the canon of works on the folklore of vampires. Inside these
pages are many accounts of the presence of nocturnal creatures with an
unnatural hunger. Readers will discover that tales of vampires are
whispered not only in the sleepy villages of eastern and central Europe
but also in the Middle East, the Asian sub-continent, and the isles of
Great Britain.
Lethe Press Paperback
ISBN 1590210026
The
Supernatural in
Modern English Fiction By Dorothy Scarborough
The supernatural is a traditional element in literature. Since the epic
of Beowulf, there has been a continuing presence of the unearthly and
weird in poetry, drama, and fiction. The Supernatural in Modern English
Fiction, first published in 1917 during a period of renewed social and
literary interest in the occult and spiritualism, offers readers an
overview of some of the greatest known, as well as some forgotten yet
eerily important, works of English literature.
Lethe Press
Paperback,
340 pages
ISBN 1590210018
The
Book of Ceremonial
Magic By Arthur Edward Waite
The Book of Ceremonial
Magic,
written by the distinguished occult scholar Arthur Edward Waite, offers
readers an analytical and critical account of the major magical rituals
known in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. With
chapters on the preparation of rituals, the hierarchy of spirits and
demons, and the art of conjuration, this book is a necessary component
of any occultist's bookshelf.
Lethe Press Paperback
372 pages
ISBN 1590210123
immerse yourself in
forgotten works
Old-Time Makers of Medicine
James J Walsh
First published in 1911, Dr. Walsh's Old-Time Makers of Medicine
remains a valued book for readers interested in the history of medicine
and surgery. The stream of medical thought, from the fall of the Roman
Empire under Augustulus until the discovery of America more than
a thousand years later, is explored in chapters on the students and
teachers of the sciences related to medicine during the Middle Ages.
Lethe Press
ISBN 1-59021-095-6
978-1-59021-095-6
Trade paperback, 6x9, 312 pages
The
Story of Oriental
Philosophy By Lily Adam Beck
Inside these pages can be found the teachings and lore of such notable
figures as Buddha, Shankara, Confucius, Lao-Tsu, Mencius and many
others. The Story of Oriental Philosophy offers readers insight into
such Eastern scriptures as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the teachings
of Zen, and Indian sacred writing. The ancient wisdom of Asia awaits
those seeking value in thought and knowledge. Lily Adam Beck was one of
the more well-known and popular novelists and biographers in the 1920s.
Beck's fascination with Asian culture and philosophy influenced her to
write not only this book but several "oriental fantasies" of her era.
Lethe Press Paperback,
440 pages,
ISBN 1590210891
The Soul of China
By Richard Wilhelm
The Soul of China offers readers a tour of Chinese tradition
and character lost to the modern era. Richard Wilhelm
arrived in China before the Boxer Rebellion and stayed
for a quarter of a century. He became intimate with retired
princes and Taoist priests; he steeped himself in Chinese
philosophy and occultism; he emerged with a profound
respect for the Chinese culture. With chapters on the
Revolution, Chinese country life, royalty and soundrels,
and occultism and religious movements, this book is
one man’s fascinating travelogue and exploration of an
important age in Chinese history.
Lethe Press paperback
384 pages
ISBN 1-59021-056-5
Pagan and Christian
Creeds By Edward Carpenter
A collection of essays by the English socialist
poet,
anthologist and early homosexual activist. The book is an attempt to
make an objective comparison between the origins and practices of pagan
religions and Christianity.
At the Sign of the Barber's Pole:
Studies in Hirsute History By William Andrews
Hirsute history may not be the most sought-after field
at institutes of higher learning, but the long-storied saga of the
barber and the beard deserve study. In At the Sign of the Barber's
Pole, the late academic William Andrews has poured over countless
historical records and works of literature to offer readers the
definitive story of society's fondness for bygone beards, mustaches,
and wigs.
Lethe Press
Paperback
108 pages
ISBN 978-1-59021-081-9
Purchase and download 
