A Puppet Show For No One by Jeffrey Thomas

Project Details

Original Marketing Description

Jeffrey Thomas has just turned in what Delirium thinks is one of the most original short stories created in a long time. It’s called “A Puppet Show for No One or, The Story of Tristan and Isolde” and features characters which are personified puppets (Tristan and Isolde, among others). This dark fantastic piece of fiction is now offered exclusively through Delirium Books as a unique collector’s piece.

Each book will contain the following: a mini deluxe-bound hardcover of the story “A Puppet Show for No One” packaged in an oversized buckram hinged box. In addition to the story, Jeffrey Thomas has agreed to write one original story. This additional story will contain the names of all 26 buyers, as they will be written in as puppets, as the story will be tied in with the main story (“A Puppet Show For No One”).

The title of the book will be different for every buyer. If a John Doe purchases one of the twelve, the title of his book will become A PUPPET SHOW FOR JOHN DOE. So each customer will get their name on the actual book title as well as in the personal story written by Jeffrey.

So, why the oversized hinged box? Delirium Books has contracted a puppet maker from New York, Jesse Wroblewski of Puppet Terrors fame, to design and hand craft actual puppets of the character Tristan. Each book will be sold with a 12-inch marionette, based on the character of Tristan, fitted inside the hinged box. Each puppet will be hand-made, so each is one-of-a-kind.

The Tristan puppet will be 12-inches tall and comes already strung. He will have a custom, sculpted jester head. His face will be that of a chiseled, old, wooden jester doll and a sculpted, ratty, flattened jester hat. The back of the head will be hollowed out and filled with bits of cotton stuffing and will also feature a removable spiked brain (based on the actual character’s). His body will consist of a spiked, tattered, satin collar, a custom checkered-satin jester’s shirt which will be tattered and torn at the bottom, with bits of sticks and leaves protruding from random tears. His pants will be tattered, black fabric. Sticks and twigs held together by twine will make up his hands and feet.

Jeffrey Thomas has also agreed to create an original foil stamp design for this book as well as to create original artwork that will be mounted to the inside of each hinged box. The artwork will resemble a background, like a stage, when the hinged box is fully opened.

Each book will be dedicated to the buyer and feature a signature sheet, signed by both Jeffrey and Jesse Wroblewski. Signature sheets may be inscribed by Jeffrey if the buyer wishes.

The value of this book can’t be measured in a cover price. Jeffrey Thomas (author of such critically-acclaimed books as Punktown and Letters From Hades) is quickly becoming one of the masters of the genre. This one-of-a-kind collector’s edition could quite possibly be one of the most valuable books to be created in some time. Based on the author’s rising talent and recognition in the fields of horror and science fiction, the value of this rare edition is sure to increase dramatically with time.