Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
Illustrations by Jay Johnstone
Introductions by Clare Peake, Tad Williams & Brian Sibley
Afterwords by Anthony Burgess, China Miéville & Michael Moorcock
A masterpiece of fantasy, the Gormenghast novels by Mervyn Peake stand as one of the twentieth century’s most distinctive and imaginative achievements in fantasy literature.
Within the sprawling halls and serpentine corridors of the dilapidated Gormenghast Castle, the members of the Groan dynasty and their master, Lord Sepulchrave, grow increasingly out of touch with a changing world, as they pass their days in unending devotion to arcane rituals and traditions. As heir to the Earldom of Gormenghast, Titus is expected to one day rule the kingdom and its wayward subjects, but with the arrival of an ambitious kitchen boy, Steerpike, the established order is thrown into disarray. Over the course of three novels―Titus Groan, Gormenghast and Titus Alone―Titus must contend with a kingdom about to implode beneath the weight of centuries of intrigue, treachery, manipulation and murder.
Titus Groan was first published in 1946 to ecstatic reviews. The publication of Gormenghast in 1950 and Titus Alone in 1959 cemented the series as a true classic of twentieth century British literature. Critics continue to praise the series for its iconic imagery and characters, and it is often cited as one of the greatest fantasy novels of all time. In their review, Punch called it “the finest imaginary feat in the English novel since Ulysses,” while editor Langdon Jones hailed it as “the sort of novel one remembers for the rest of their lives.” The New Yorker called the novels “a gorgeous, volcanic eruption… a work of extraordinary imagination,” while San Francisco Chronicle gave high praise to Mervyn Peake, claiming “his inventiveness, his ingenuity and his humor are astonishing.”
The Gormenghast novels have had a profound influence on countless contemporary authors who have cited the books and Mervyn Peake amongst their greatest inspirations. The novels have been included in Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, Modern Fantasy: The 100 Best Novels and 100 Must Read Fantasy Novels. In 1950, Gormenghast received the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, and in 1951 the Heinemann Award. The novels are #6 on Locus’s 1988 All-Time Best Fantasy Novels list.
About The Edition
Our edition of the Gormenghast novels by Mervyn Peake is the first letterpress printed edition of the novels to be published, and is presented in two states: Numbered and Lettered. The edition measures 6” x 9” and features twenty color illustrations by Jay Johnstone, as well as new exclusive introductions by Clare Peake & Brian Sibley; and previously published essays by Anthony Burgess, China Miéville, Michael Moorcock and Tad Williams. Also included is Mervyn Peake’s 1956 novella, Boy in Darkness―which takes place during the time of the second novel, Gormenghast―along with an accompanying foreword by Maeve Gilmore. All illustrations were painted on vellum and scanned, maintaining the vellum textured background on both the front and back of the illustration.
Interior design and typography is by award-winning designer Mark Argetsinger. The text is set in Monotype Van Dijck with display type set in Flamande. The edition is presented in three volumes and is printed letterpress on Mohawk Superfine and mouldmade Somerset Book by Elias Roustom on his Heidelberg Cylinder in Middleborough, Massachusetts.
A Note on the Typography
Monotype Van Dijck, with its origins in 17th-century Dutch type, brings a sense of classical refinement and quiet elegance to the text, echoing the timeless, labyrinthine world of Gormenghast. Its fine detailing and readability allow the narrative’s complexity to unfold gracefully. Flamande, by type designer Matthew Carter is based on Textura types by the 16th-century Flemish punchcutter Hendrik van den Keere. The strong, angular forms of Textura evoke a medieval, gothic aesthetic that aligns perfectly with the dark, towering architecture and intricate, archaic atmosphere of the Gormenghast Castle.
Numbered Edition
The Numbered edition of 250 copies is a Millimeter style binding covered in Hahnemühle Bugra paper sides which are printed with an illustration by Jay Johnstone. Imperial cloth, a finely woven fabric covers the spine and caps the fore-edge. The spine and cover include letterpress printed Bugra labels. Head & tail bands are handmade with cloth. Included in each volume are the following fold-outs: Volume I – Gormenghast Map, Volume II – Family Tree, and Volume III – all three Numbered edition cover illustrations.
Each copy is bound by hand and housed in a clamshell enclosure covered in Halflinnen with Imperial cloth walls and velour lined trays. The spine of the enclosure includes a letterpress printed Bugra label. This state is printed letterpress on Mohawk Superfine and is signed by Clare Peake, Tad Williams, China Miéville, Brian Sibley, Michael Moorcock, and Jay Johnstone.
Lettered Edition
The Lettered edition is limited to 26 copies and is Bradel bound with vellum boards and a goatskin spine. The vellum is sourced from William Cowley in the United Kingdom, makers of the finest quality parchment and vellum since 1870. William Cowley produces genuine hand-crafted parchment and vellum of the finest quality using time-honored methods that are largely unchanged for centuries.
An illustration by Jay Johnstone is stamped in gold to the front board. Endsheets are hand marbled for this edition by renowned marbler Iris Nevins, and the head & tail bands are handmade using this marbled paper. The edition is housed in a unique cloth-covered enclosure with slide-out trays which are lined with velour. Included in each volume are the following fold-outs: Volume I – Gormenghast Map, Volume II – Family Tree, and Volume III – all three Numbered edition cover illustrations.
This state is printed letterpress on 115 gsm Somerset Book mouldmade paper and is signed by Clare Peake, Tad Williams, China Miéville, Brian Sibley, Michael Moorcock, and Jay Johnstone.
Limited Vellum Print
Included with the Lettered edition is this vellum print with art and embossed details by Jay Johnstone. The image shows Titus in his youth dressed in ceremonial armour afront an arch decorated with the head of a cat and raven. In the raven’s mouth is held a snake representing Steerspike, a foreshadowing of his fate. Crowning the scene is the city of Gormenghast with the gold sun waning on the Groan dynasty. In the hand of Titus is the snail shell rejected at his infancy and on his shield the ever watchful owl. The image is scripted with a warrant and signed by the Author Presbyter Spinemote dated 684.
The illustration is silkscreen printed in walnut ink on the finest calfskin vellum by world-renowned parchment makers, William Cowley which has been in existence since 1870; for over four generations.
The embossed detailing was added by hand to the prints by the artist using Bole which is then shaped with a dog tooth agate burnisher. Once the Bole has been left to cure it is sanded and then polished. George M. Whiley gold leaf is applied and the final result is again polished to a high sheen.
About the Author
About the Collaborators
Clare Peake
Clare Peake is the daughter of the celebrated writer and artist Mervyn Peake, and author of the memoir, Under a Canvas Sky: Living Outside Gormenghast, wherein she tells the story of her parents’ romance and her own happy and bohemian childhood. Clare was born on Sark, but has lived in London all her life. She has had a variety of jobs from flower-seller to nursery-school teacher. She has three children, including singer-songwriter Jack Peñate, and one grandchild. She reads, goes to the cinema, listens to music and makes patchwork quilts.
China Miéville
China Miéville is a New York Times bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction. His novels include The City & The City, Embassytown, and Perdido Street Station. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Fiction, he has won the World Fantasy, the Hugo, and the Arthur C. Clarke Awards, among others. His nonfiction includes a study of international law and a history of the Russian Revolution.
Michel Moorcock
Michael Moorcock is one of the most important and influential figures in speculative fiction and fantasy literature. Listed recently by The Times (London) as among the fifty greatest British writers since 1945, he is the author of 100 books and more than 150 shorter stories in practically every genre. He has been the recipient of several lifetime achievement awards, including the Prix Utopiales, the SFWA Grand Master, the Stoker, and the World Fantasy, and has been inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He has been awarded the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the John W. Campbell Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Guardian Fiction Prize, and has been shortlisted for the Whitbread Award.
Brian Sibley
Brian Sibley has serialized and broadcast numerous radio and TV programs for the BBC, including: J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, and Gormenghast, for which he won a coveted Sony Radio Award. Sibley’s film books include the best-selling The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy and Peter Jackson: A Film-Maker’s Journey, as well as The Disney Studio Story, Mickey Mouse: His Life and Times, and The Land of Narnia. He lives in London, England.
Tad Williams
Tad Williams is a California-based fantasy superstar. His genre-creating (and genre-busting) books have sold tens of millions worldwide. His considerable output of epic fantasy, science fiction, urban fantasy, comics, and more have strongly influenced a generation of writers. Tad and his family live in the Santa Cruz mountains in a suitably strange and beautiful house.
Jay Johnstone
Jay Johnstone is a British illustrator who works with traditional methods and techniques employed by medieval artists and artisans. The results are a stunning collection of paintings, manuscripts and icons that could have been created in the monasteries and workshops of the Middle Ages. He exhibits his art and lectures on the original concepts and ideas that have come from creating his work. His paintings have been acclaimed by The Tolkien Society and adorn the covers of many fictional and academic publications.
Read Jay’s essay on creating the artwork for the Gormenghast novels.
Matching Numbers & Letters
A Matching Pre-Order email is sent to owners of our previous publication, Outlander with a designation of 1-250 at 9:00 A.M. PT on the day of announcement. If you did not receive the email, contact us here. If your order is not received before the deadline, your designated number or letter will be assigned to the new owner.
Order Limits
Please be aware of the order limits for our editions. You can read more about this in the Order Limits article on our support site.
Sixteen of twenty illustrations by Jay Johnstone
Published editions may differ slightly from mockups and prototype designs.
Illustrations © 2022 by Jay Johnstone