Gibson, Jim

The Bygones, with: Ephemera

London, England: Tangerine Press, 2022. Limited, Numbered First Edition. Hardcover. Signed by Jim Gibson. Here’s something delightful—if your idea of delightful is torturously good short stories, that is. Preceding the inaugural piece (“The Devil”) in Jim Gibson’s debut short story collection, “The Bygones” is the following lengthy epigraph, integral enough to the totality of the work to merit its lengthy quotation here. “In the midlands,” it begins, “there is a distinct architecture of folklore that is probably more grand than elsewhere in these lands. It is a vibrant cacophony of intertwining deities, mythical men and women, ghosts, demons, and bygone friends of the forests. It is my prediction that we are still to see all of the evidence and will never fully understand to what extent the realms are passed between in this area….It has been noted in texts that this part of England refused to kill its witches and has long since been seen as a threat, many links can therefore be drawn to the underfunding and lack of industry and development within the region, due to the level of magic still left there after the Christian invasion and the ‘purification’ of the British isles. Here, however, the magic is not under any form of control…” The quotation is from ‘The Lost History of the East Midlands,’ a work published in 1868 and authored by one Graham Sterne. It was, as Gibson tellingly notes, “banned a week after its release…[and] only a few isolated copies remain.” It could well be said of this work that it continues in the tradition established by Sterne of “occult acceptance,” — something Gibson is right to find fascinating, and a tradition he seems to ‘proceed in’ and ‘make use of’ for his own literary mythologizing. This tendency-affinity is evident in the collection’s oft-quoted, gripping first story (“The Devil,” as enumerated above), which incorporates reportage of this very sort. Gibson is not limited to historic fables and easy gimmicks, however, as is evident in the 20 stories which succeed it. Michael Curran of the great, London-based Tangerine Press may well have hit upon something special in adding Gibson to his roster of neo-Titans, and—if the strength of this collection is any indication—we could have a Legend-in-Waiting, here, indeed. Your Devoted Managing Curator, for one, remains convinced of Gibson’s potential. At any rate, you can’t go wrong with this one. A few pieces of tipped-in ephemera are included in this lot. The first of these is a small, letterpress promotional sheet with blurb endorsements by authors DBC Pierre & Arianna Reiche. The second piece of ephemera is a printed review [folded at center] of “The Bygones” by Lizzy O’Riordan, a journalist and reviewer who has written for many of the UK’s premier publications. Limited Edition hardcover “handbound in boards by Tangerine Press, London” per colophon; No. 4/100 numbered copies signed by Gibson at the (aforementioned) colophon page. Limitation, in thin red pen ink, reads “4”; Gibson signature, in black fountain pen ink, reads: “J. Gibson.” In very fine condition, fundamentally pristine. Very Fine. [Item #5190]

Price: $80.00