FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why Is It So Difficult To Make These Books?

These books are produced in limited editions but are made in small batches of about five or ten at a time. They are hand-bound using a number of exotic materials; various types of snakeskins, Egyptian papyrus, leather. It is because expensive materials are used in the bookbinding process and because the process of hand bookbinding takes a great deal of time, up to three hours per book, is why the retail price of library bindings seem to be quite expensive. This is also the reason why bound copies of the books are not always instantly available. There are 25-30 steps in the manufacturing of each book and it isn't feasible to create one book at a time - doing so can quadruple the time spent producing a single copy. When I make books to fill orders I attempt to create extra copies in excess to those currently in demand, when the materials for doing so are on hand. Often, almost usually, materials used can become unavailable (this was the case with the burgundy snakeskin used in the first run of 100 copies of Treasure of the Old Man of the Pyramids) and it can become necessary to spend some time banging my head against the wall, trying to locate a new source or to change binding materials.

Why Does It Take So Long To Release New Titles?

Trident Books cannot set the schedule for some of the tasks involved in developing new titles. Often, works are translated by people who might love the material but don't have the time to devote more than a few hours a week to translating a work; one fine example of this is a six page Latin manuscript which has been in the works for nearly two years. Another reason why it can seem to take aeons for Trident Books to release a title is the amount of research involved with each title. Many of the works published by Trident Books exist in a number of antique editions available in a number of languages. Acquiring each of these versions and determining which one best merits publication can take years. Finally, it's important to note that Trident Books is owned & operated by one man and project development is only one facet of running the business; bookbinding, managing the business, coordinating relationships with strategic partners, suppliers and existing associates is time consuming but necessary.

How Are Trident Books Made?

Trident Books are manufactured using time-honored methods of hand binding; both cloth and library editions are hand-sewn using a traditional sewing frame, employing unbleached linen thread that is hand-waxed using bee's wax. The books are sewn onto cloth tapes (unlike smyth-sewn books) and gauze mull is used to attach the book block to the case; this is central to the durability of each book. These steps, if properly executed, will give each book the durability to last hundreds of years. Most modern machine-sewn books generally don't use mull or sewing tapes, and the only thing holding the book block to the case is the end-sheets, mere pieces of paper, which will fall apart in a matter of decades.

Does Trident Books Accept Manuscripts From Authors?

The short answer is Yes. Trident Books accepts manuscript works of scholarship related to Medieval or Renaissance magic. Especially encouraged are bibliographic and philological studies, comparative studies of magical manuscripts, biographical works concerning important magicians and perhaps most pointedly, new translations of interesting works of magic. Submissions must comply with the rules established by The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press). Submissions should include your name, address, phone number and email address and should be sent electronically to Trident Books at tridentbooks AT gmail DOT com in Rich Text Format email attachments, including your name and brief title in the file name (for example "Sloane4561.rtf" rather than "Document.rtf"). If you are unable to send by email please use regular mail: Trident Books % James Banner, Post Office Box 85811, Seattle, WA 98145-1811 USA. Please enclose an SASE or IRC (EU) if you require postal acknowledgement of receipt and if sending by regular mail please include one copy of your article on floppy disk (PC formatted only, and virus-checked) or Joliet-compliant ISO-9660 CD-R (again, virus-checked) and one printed copy of your work, with a cover letter. Works that have been previously published (in book format, or on the web) will be considered but will be given less consideration, in deference to unpublished works. Most works may be subject to peer-review before publication.

Why Don't You Keep All Your Books In Print?

This is a matter of simple logistics; because each of the books produced by Trident are hand-bound, there isn't enough labor available to manage more than a few titles at any one time. This could change. I am considering relegating titles that would normally go out of print to the domain of paperback or mass-produced hardback editions.

Why Don't You Just Make Paperbacks Instead Of Fancy Books?

This isn’t feasible to do unless the books are mass-produced. Hand producing paperbacks presents a couple serious problems; first, paperbacks tend to sell almost exclusively to the trade market, like Amazon.com. The cost of printing and assembling short runs of paperbacks approaches three or four dollars each and because resellers like Amazon take nearly 65% of the retail, that leaves less than a dollar in profit. The alternative is either to mass produce the paperbacks or to raise their price. Having them mass produced isn't out of the question, in fact, it's the only viable alternative. For Trident Books, going this route is only a matter of finding a good supplier and adopting the practice as a routine.

Are You Getting Rich Doing This?

Hell no. I’m lucky to pay the rent of my one bedroom apartment. I can’t afford to own a car.

Why Do You Publish Grimoires And Not More Popular Books?

When I began publishing nearly twenty years ago I spoke to Mr. Elbee Wright, the legendary publisher of catch-penny books. He told me "if you want to get rich in publishing, make cook books or how-to books." I laughed, but he was right. This isn't what I wanted to do though. My motive for operating Trident Books was to make a genuine and substantial contribution to the literature of magic by way of publishing Medieval or Renaissance grimoires. This is as true today as it was when I began publishing. In short, publishing grimoires is what I love to do.