Cheap Street
Encyclopedia
Cheap Street Press was a small publishing company started up and operated by the husband-wife duo, George and Jan O'Nale, in their rural home near New Castle, Virginia
. Cheap Street concentrated on publishing limited edition books
, signed and numbered, of science fiction
and fantasy
works. Their books were renowned as excellent examples of the book-making arts, having been hand-printed letterpress by George on fine (often hand-made) paper and hand-bound in fine cloth and leather with matching drop-back boxes.
Their books were typically issued in editions of 50 to 200 copies, and sold for up to $250 each. They approached primarily only authors who they identified for excellence in writing quality.
George and Jan O'Nale were hermitic in their habits, living in a fairly unpopulated area in the Virginian countryside. They were eccentric and irascible, and were known to suddenly and arbitrarily fall into contention with individuals with which they came in contact.
In 2002, the O'Nales donated their collection of books and press materials to Tulane University
, and then committed suicide in the spring of 2003, citing increasing health problems.
A sampling of books published by Cheap Street Press:
Other items published by Cheap Street Press:
New Castle, Virginia
New Castle is the only town in Craig County, Virginia, United States. The population was 153 at the 2010 census...
. Cheap Street concentrated on publishing limited edition books
Limited edition books
A limited edition book is a description of a book which is released in a limited print run quantity, usually much smaller than publishing industry standards, and connotes a level of scarcity or exclusivity...
, signed and numbered, of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
works. Their books were renowned as excellent examples of the book-making arts, having been hand-printed letterpress by George on fine (often hand-made) paper and hand-bound in fine cloth and leather with matching drop-back boxes.
Their books were typically issued in editions of 50 to 200 copies, and sold for up to $250 each. They approached primarily only authors who they identified for excellence in writing quality.
George and Jan O'Nale were hermitic in their habits, living in a fairly unpopulated area in the Virginian countryside. They were eccentric and irascible, and were known to suddenly and arbitrarily fall into contention with individuals with which they came in contact.
In 2002, the O'Nales donated their collection of books and press materials to Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, and then committed suicide in the spring of 2003, citing increasing health problems.
A sampling of books published by Cheap Street Press:
- At the Double Solstice by Gregory BenfordGregory BenfordGregory Benford is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is on the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine...
- Paperjack by Charles de LintCharles de LintCharles de Lint is a Canadian fantasy author and folk musician. He is also the chief book critic for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction....
- Torturing Mr. Amberwell by Thomas M. DischThomas M. DischThomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W...
- The Adventures of Cobble's Rune by Ursula K. Le GuinUrsula K. Le GuinUrsula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
- Ervool by Fritz LeiberFritz LeiberFritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a champion fencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.. With...
- The Girl Who Heard DragonsThe Girl Who Heard DragonsThe Girl Who Heard Dragons is a 1994 collection of short fantasy and science fiction by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey.It opens with an essay on her celebrity, or lack thereof, and includes 23 drawings by the cover artist Michael Whelan....
by Anne McCaffreyAnne McCaffreyAnne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award... - Red Noise by John SladekJohn SladekJohn Thomas Sladek was an American science fiction author, known for his satirical and surreal novels.- Life and work :...
- Flying Saucer Rock and Roll by Howard WaldropHoward WaldropHoward Waldrop is a science fiction author who works primarily in short fiction.Waldrop's stories combine elements such as alternate history, American popular culture, the American South, old movies , classical mythology, and rock 'n' roll music. His style is sometimes obscure or elliptical...
- The Arimaspian Legacy by Gene WolfeGene WolfeGene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...
- On Saint Hubert's Thing by Chelsea Quinn YarbroChelsea Quinn Yarbro-Biography:She was born in Berkeley, California. She attended Berkeley schools through high school followed by three years at San Francisco State College .In November 1969 she married Donald Simpson and divorced in February 1982...
- A Rhapsody in Amber by Roger ZelaznyRoger ZelaznyRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
Other items published by Cheap Street Press:
- Pamphlet: The Complete Twelve Hours of the Night by "William AshblessWilliam AshblessWilliam Ashbless is a fictional poet, invented by fantasy writers James Blaylock and Tim Powers.Ashbless was invented by Powers and Blaylock when they were students at Cal State Fullerton in the early 1970s, originally as a reaction to the low quality of the poetry being published in the school...
" (William Ashbless is actually a penname for James P. Blaylock & Tim PowersTim PowersTimothy Thomas "Tim" Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare...
.)
External links
- Obituary article on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of AmericaScience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of AmericaScience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. and it retains the acronym SFWA after a very brief use of the SFFWA...
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