Tag: Castalia Library

The Books Must Flow

First thing: the new Castalia Library book for March-April 2025 has been announced.

Second thing: DRACULA is being bound. SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON and ASOS 1 and ASOS 2 are being printed. We’ll keep you posted on when they’ve a) been approved and b) are ready to ship.

Third thing: We’ve finally completed the move from the second bindery space to the third one. This was absolutely necessary because the 50-ton foil stamper did not fit in the building. We are now testing our third and fourth glues, and we are optimistic that one of them will be the right one.

Fourth thing: We know we’ve built up a backlog, but we’re not quite as behind schedule as it seems because most of the interiors and the designs are done. We’ve delayed getting them made because we want to know what the full range of our bindery options are, as there were benefits and problems to each of them, even before the new tariffs became a potential issue. The point is, don’t worry, we will catch up fast once all of the necessary details are nailed down.

Fifth thing: The fancy-dancy HYPERGAMOUSE cover proof will arrive on Friday. Once it’s approved, the paperback, hardcover, variants, and book blocks will be printed.

Sixth thing: We’re close enough that we’ve started putting together the interior of THE ILIAD. It’s going to be an original layout with illustrations leading every chapter. It promises to be spectacular. More about it later this week on the Library substack.

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Ebooks at NDM Express

A few months ago, I did some groundwork with a large European distribution company to see if it was possible to set up an alternative to Amazon. Despite some initial intermediate-level interest, the project foundered for two reasons: a) the high-level decision makers weren’t willing to get sufficiently aggressive on the pricing and b) virtually none of the very authors the project was intended to save were interested in being saved.

Since I don’t believe in attempt to save people from themselves, and I’m perfectly content to permit every author and publisher who is dumb enough to rely upon Amazon see their revenues continue to decline, I abandoned my efforts. However, now that Amazon has turned ebooks into a walled-garden service by eliminating the ability to move books that one has purchased outside of Kindle, it’s necessary for Castalia to give people a means of actually purchasing our ebooks as a product.

Which is precisely what we have done courtesy of NDM Express. All of Castalia’s books, including the Library, History, and Cathedra books for which we control the digital rights, will be available via NDM Express. The books are in EPUB format, DRM-free, and will have a minimum price of $4.99. Other authors and publishers are welcome to sell their books there; at 25 percent, NDM will take a smaller percentage of the revenue than Amazon or Apple do.

Library, History, and Cathedra ebooks will sell for $9.99, but will be free to the appropriate subscribers. A code will be provided in the next few weeks, so don’t expect to download them today. Currently, there are two sections being set up, one with JDA’s ebooks, the other with the Castalia Library books. This is a brand new project, so although it is functional, please give it a few weeks to become fully operational. Eventually, we’ll get the digital Arkhaven books up there as well.

Authors and publishers who would like to make their books available there should contact NDM, not me. Below is an example of the standard cover we’ve developed for the Library books.

UPDATE: The first Castalia Library books are now up at NDM Express.

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Cathedra – One More Day

Tomorrow is the last day you can subscribe to CASTALIA CATHEDRA without a catchup payment being required for your subscription. Since we’re doing just two books per year for this line, it’s only $20 per month to pick up a #1 first edition of the first volume in the series, THE EVERLASTING MAN by G.K. Chesterton. We’re well ahead on the production, so it will be expected to ship soon after the subscription period ends in July.

And thanks to NDM, you can even sport the Cathedra logo in four different colors, black, blue, green, and maroon. The shirts also have the “open book” logo on the back. A Ladies t-shirt is also available.

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The January Books

Castalia Cathedra #1: THE EVERLASTING MAN by G.K. Chesterton (Jan-Jul)

Castalia History #8: COMMENTARII DE BELLO GALLICO by G. Julius Caesar (Jan-Mar)

Castalia Library #32: THE OLD NORSE EDDA by Tamburn Bindery (Jan-Feb)

For more information about the newly announced Castalia Library and Castalia History books, please visit the Castalia Library substack. This is a very good time to start a subscription, as no catchup payments are necessary.

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Introducing Castalia Cathedra

G.K. Chesterton was the best writer of the 20th century. He said something about everything and he said it better than anybody else. But he was no mere wordsmith. He was very good at expressing himself, but more importantly, he had something very good to express. The reason he was the greatest writer of the 20th century was because he was also the greatest thinker of the 20th century… this was the man who wrote a book called The Everlasting Man, which led a young atheist named C.S. Lewis to become a Christian.

After more than three years of requests, Castalia Library will be publishing a G.K. Chesterton book. However, we’re doing more than that, we’re using it to launch a new line of leatherbound Christian literature, beginning with The Everlasting Man. You can read more details about what we’re calling Castalia Cathedra at the Castalia Library substack, or you can dive right in and make sure that you receive the first edition of what we anticipate to be a very long and significant series.

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Thanksgiving Sale Last Day

SATURDAY UPDATE: Today is the final day of the sale. Since three more titles have sold out since Thursday, and since there are only 8 3 copies of the Library edition of A THRONE OF BONES I and A THRONE OF BONES II left, we’ve added three more Libraria titles to the sale.

At a 60 percent discount, you can pick up all three for just $100 more than the retail price of a single volume. Today only. For more details and updates, visit the Castalia Library substack.

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Thanksgiving Sale: Libraria Edition

The Thanksgiving Sale 2024 has gone incredibly well, so much so that four of the Library books we put on sale this week are now completely sold out. So, we’ve decided to put all seven of the LIBRARIA editions of those same seven books on sale, for subscribers and non-subscribers alike, for $200, which is 60 percent off the retail price. This is an excellent opportunity for Library subscribers to pick up a copy or two if they’re curious about the various differences between the two editions, and, of course, there are few finer gifts available in that price range than a Libraria book with its Italian goatskin and 22k gold cover stampings.

The Thanksgiving Sale will end tomorrow, November 30th, at midnight. Limited stocks are available, especially for the following Library titles:

UPDATE: NDM Express is also having a Thanksgiving sale, including three Landmark Thucydides with minor issues.

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Thanksgiving Sale 2024

Castalia Library is pleased to announce this year’s Thanksgiving Sale. Since last year’s sale was so successful, we decided to expand it this year to include more of our books that we still have in the warehouse in an attempt to whittle down our stock. Due to a series of issues ranging from a printer printing a double-run of interiors to losing 20 percent of our subscribers during the no-shipping debacle that inspired the creation of the bindery, we still have excess stock of six books that we’d like to address:

The following 7 books are available to everyone at a price of $64.99 for the duration of the sale. No discount code is needed.

Please note that no discount code will work on books on sale; subscribers should note that you may not even be able to use a discount code at the time of purchase if you also have a book on sale in your cart. Two separate purchases may be necessary.

Since we’re at it, the following 7 books are also available to everyone, albeit at a price of $79.99 for the duration. No discount code is needed.

The sale ends midnight on November 30. First come, first serve; we just concluded a two-day secret sale that was only available to subscribers that has resulted in six more books going out of stock, including three that we had already thought were out of stock, but managed to dig up a few more copies when we consolidated the warehouses. When we’re out, we’re out.

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The Endpapers of Empire

As Castalia Shipping reminds us that WAR AND PEACE is starting to ship out from the warehouse and flexes its new pallet jack, Castalia Library has both revealed the unique endpapers for THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORY OF BYZANTIUM Volume One as well as shown off the newly bound-and-warehouse-bound STUDIES IN THE NAPOLEONIC WARS.

The HYPERGAMOUSE campaign is within sight of its third stretch goal and John C. Wright has published the first book in his 12-book Star Quest series, Space Pirates of Andromeda. You can also watch the recent Arkhaven Nights in which we discussed his new book.

Space Opera must be Great! Gallant! Gigantic! Grandiose!
This tale told by a Grandmaster vows to return the glory that was lost!
Remember the days gone by, when science fiction was fun?
Now new hope is here!
If you are weary of weak, wan, woke and wasted works, your wait is ended!
Here is an epic, as grand as any tale of old — here you will hear wonders told!

Of course there is a Space Princess, and Space Pirates galore, and an Evil Galactic Empire.

Of course there is a super-weapon known only as the Great Eye of Darkness!
Here meet Athos Lone, Ace of Star Patrol, in his one-man mission of vengeance!
The Ancient Mariner, like an iron ghost, when slain, seems to rise again!
The mysterious spymaster called Nightshadow walks in dark worlds but serves the light!
An Imperial Deathtrooper must reverse his loyalties, and fight his own clone-brothers!

Fate has set these unlikely heroes against the Four Dark Overlords
An utmost evil the unwary galaxy thinks long dead!
Can Darkness fail and Light prevail?
Read On! For All True Tales are but Part of a Greater!

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The Question of a Christian Library

Over on the Castalia Library substack, we’re taking a poll about the possibility of launching a new Christian-themed subscription in 2025. We’re well aware of the various pros and cons; the details concerning what we’re contemplating are spelled out over there. So, if you’d be kind enough to let us know if it’s potentially of interest to you, and if so, what books you’d like to see us produce, please share your metaphorical two cents with us.

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