09/29/2024
When Avram Davidson died, he left behind notes for a Dr. Esterhazy novel. These notes were expanded and formatted by Grania Davis, his one-time wife and several-times collaborator. Unfortunately, the novel did not sell and so was never written.
Recently, Grania's son, Seth Davis, shared the proposal with people he thought would find it interesting. Dragonstairs Press pounced.
The Avram Davidson estate has kindly allowed the one time use of this material.
A Goat for Az**el is essentially a reproduction of the novel proposal, formatting and idiosyncratic spellings preserved, and is offered as a tribute to Avram Davidson, one of the foremost short fiction writers of the 20th century, and to Grania Davis, his collaborator and passionate supporter. Michael Swanwick, a huge fan and appreciator of Avram, has added a brief, signed afterword to the work. It is produced in an edition of 80, roughly 6” x 7”, numbered and hand-stitched, with wrappers made of Mexican amate bark paper, chosen to commemorate Avram's and Grania's years in Mexico.
It will be offered for sale on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at noon, Philadelphia time (Eastern Daylight Savings) at www.dragonstairs.com. $15 domestic, $18 international.
