ink | The Conium Review

The Volume 4 Collector’s Edition Cover

Nov 30, 2015

Over the past seven days, we’ve showcased the nine different objects contained in this year’s collector’s edition. From the string-and-button closure on Emily Koon’s “Butterbean” to the accordion-style booklet for Ingrid Jendrzejewski’s “Shampoo,” there are some funky chaps and broadsides in this year’s edition. The Conium Review: Vol. 4 paperback edition launches today, and the collector’s edition goes on sale for a December 15th ship-date.

If you purchase a collector’s edition, all nine stories are wrapped in burlap, tied with twine, stuffed inside a decorative wooden book-shaped box. The box is hand-stamped with acid-free archival grade ink on the front cover, spine, and back cover. The box is hinged along the spine, and the front cover contains a small magnetic closure. This year’s 7.5″ x 10″ box is bigger than last year’s 5.5″ x 7.5″ box (see the last slide below for a comparison), but it’s still designed to fit on most standard bookshelves. Later today, we’ll show off some pics of the fully assembled collector’s edition in all its glory, and it’ll be available for purchase in our online storefront this evening.

The Vol. 3 Collector’s Edition Cover

Oct 18, 2014

We’ve completed the next step in creating the collector’s edition. The boxes are finished.

They have been hand-stamped with archival grade, acid-free ink on the front, spine, and back. The box’s exterior has also been lightly conditioned with linseed oil, mineral oil, and orange oil for more luster and a longer shelf-life. We had some fun experiments with darker wood treatments before realizing that simpler was better.

The Collector’s Edition is currently available for pre-sale, along with the standard paperback. We’ll be printing and assembling the contents over the next couple weeks (and posting previews of each piece from within the Collector’s Edition box).