Joseph
Conrad's masterpiece, Heart of Darkness, continues to ignite the
interest of readers and literary scholars alike.
The simple story of a sea-captain hired by Belgian colonial ivory
merchants to search the Congo River for a disaffected company employee
turned pathological demigod becomes as deeply a sympolic and
frightening descent into the maelstrom of moral consequence as Dante's
expedition through Hell.
If there is a moral compass to be discovered within its pages it is to
be found spinning between the cardinal points of avarice, genocide,
values and conscience as Marlow steams deeper into the darkness of the
jungle and the core of the human psyche in his search for the enigmatic
Kurtz.
Published with 36 original drawings by renowned maritine artist Marc Castelli,
this limited edition of Heart of Darkness summons us to listen to
Marlow's story which echoes even today.
112 pages, 9x12
inches, three hand-colored drop cap letters and a four-panel center
throw-out of drawings. Signed by Marc
Castelli.
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Kind words for Heart
of Darkness:
"It
is a splendid presentation and I have enjoyed it greatly. The
presswork is exemplary as is the design. Marc Castelli's drawings are,
frankly, masterful. All in all a mighty fine book. I salute you and
your team on a superior
project."
~ Barry Moser
Parenthesis 19,
review: "What makes the design of the Chester River Press edition such
a successful and superior book is its unpretentiousness and its
typographic willingness to facilitate an uninhibited read of Conrad's
visceral, morally ambiguous tale. The spartan yet subtly flexible
architecture of the 100 meticulously crafted page-spreads offers a
reading experience that is quietly contemplative and sublime yet is
still imbued with a high level of gravitas. ...
"The text blocks provide a structural foundation out of which Mr.
Castelli's sepia-rendered etchings emerge as unflinchingly objective,
visually candid portrayals of this tale's most seminal moments. They
interrupt the flow of the narrative just enough to afford the reader
crucial opportunities to contemplate the themes that Conrad has woven
into this novella."
All book versions contain a center double throw-out folio of 4 of Marc Castelli's
drawings
with a spread of 35 1/2 x 12 inches. Composed in Dante type and printed on
Hahnemuhle Biblio paper. 15 books bound deluxe, 150
books standard, 116 pgs., 9 x 12 inches,
numbered and signed.
Standard Edition:
Quarter bound in
blue Harmatan goat with Cockerell marble over boards in a
slipcase. ~ long gone!
Deluxe Edition:
Full
blue Harmatan binding housed in a drop spine box. ~ long gone!
Presentation Binding:
Full
goatskin binding with calf onlays depicting images from within the
book enclosed in a drop spine box with a extra folio of prints from the book. Don Etherington is the founder of the Etherington Conservation
Center in North Carolina. His fine bindings have won international
acclaim, and with 55 years of experience, he is uniquely qualified as
an extraordinary bookbinder, conservator, and teacher. He has been
involved with the restoration of the Magna Carta, the Constitution, and
the Declaration of Independence. Signed by Don.
I did produce at least 2 presentation bindings of my own for this book and they are still out there in the wilds somewhere.
A presentation copy bound by Don Etherington. 
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Chester
River Press works in tandem with Chad Pastotnik at Deep Wood
Press in Michigan. Jim Dissette and Chad worked together at
DWP to produce both this book and The
Chesapeake Voyages of Capt. John Smith as well as some
private commissions under the Chester River imprint.
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