Delighted that the latest James Lee Burke, HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN by the small UK publisher Scorpion Press will have an insightful tribute by his daughter and noted thriller writer Alafair. The edition is only 55 numbered and signed copies, in a tan leather and specially made marbled papers over boards with a yellow page edge. Although the novel has already been widely reviewed as his best and a masterpiece of American literature, it also marks a landmark for its publisher.
The book actually marks 25 years of Scorpion Press special editions. And even before I published the first cache of books in 1991 I had asked Mr Burke for permission to issue a signed limited edition when I was in Chicago for a book fair. Unfortunately, he then had contractual obligations with others; but over the last decade persistence paid off and more eleven of his books have been issued. If you collect America’s colossus of crime fiction you will most likely have a few Scorpion Press editions on your shelf.
