return to before

general information

- Provided here is biographical data, a selected reading list, and samples of writing by authors who wrote during the years 1890 to 1960. Most of these authors are French and many are considered Surrealists.

- Thank you to everyone who has sent letters concering the library. Please do not hesitate to send me any questions or requests for information you may have. I will endeavor to help everyone anyway I can.

new information

- New information as of April 21, 2004

The Air and Nothingness Press is now featuring three books of translations of the poetry of Robert Desnos:
The Circle and the Star (limited edition bi-lingual letterpress edition with woodcut illustrations)
The Secret Book for Youki (bi-lingual hardcover)
Calixto (bi-linugal hardcover)

Please click here for more information on these books.

We also HIGHLY recommend the following new book of criticism on robert desnos - Robert Desnos, Surrealism, and the Marvelous in Everday Life Katharine Conley (University of Nebraska Press, 2004)
Click here to purchase this book


- New information as of April 2, 2000

circle and star postcard
front of postcard


I am now accepting orders for:

The Circle and The Star
by Robert Desnos
18 poems in original French with English translations by Todd Sanders, collected in a 64 page, 100 copy, limited edition, hardcover letterpress book, with four original woodcut illustrations. Publication date - April 15, 2000, Shipping date - April 30, 2000.

Air and Nothingness Press
catalog number - aan00.1
ISBN 0-9679429-0-X
$65.00 + $5.00 postage

please contact me for further information.


- New information as of January 22, 2000

After a long absence, many new things are happening at The Library:

Due to large volumes of email on Andre Gide, I have created a new large site for him. It includes expanded critical text sections, biographical information and a listing of Gidean organizations around the world. I will eventually be doing exhibitions on Gide also. Please look for it at: the Online Center for Gidean Studies


I am pleased to announce that I have all the pieces in place for "The Circle and The Star", a limited edition hardcover book collecting 18 poems of Robert Desnos in a bilingual edition.

I will have the metal plates cast in a few weeks and they and the paper will be shipped off to Iowa to be printed on a Vandercook press a week after that.

The book on track for a mid spring release.

I am posting on the web several things for those who are interested:

the marketing poster and
two of the initial sketches for the woodcut illustrations (these are done in charcoal).
sketch 1
sketch 2


Thank you all for your continued interest. I will be taking pre-orders for the books approximately the first week of March.

The final book spec is:

The Circle and The Star
Air and Nothingness Press
$65.00 + shipping

A letterpress edition on an english mouldmade paper - "somerset". 64 pgs. w/ 4 original woodcut illustrations. Book size is 6 1/2' x 10". Hardcover with blind stamp on the front. Limited edition of 100 copies, a bilingual edition containing 18 poems by Robert Desnos in original French and English translation.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book, please send me email.


- New information as of June 22, 1999

I am extremely pleased to say that this site has been voted "Best American Web Site About French Culture" by the French Embassy. Please visit their site at http://www.info-france-usa.org/culture.

And thank you to everyone who has supported this site all these years and sent such kind words to me.

As a brief update, the planned book of translations of Robert Desnos is still on schedule. I have recently located a supplier of the paper I have been searching for (thanks to the Windover Press in Iowa). Please scroll below to find an email link if you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book and I will send you updates as I have them.

- New information as of April 8, 1999

As many people find themselves lately, I have been extremely busy for some time now and I have not made any updates to The Library for over a year. All this will change shortly. In the coming weeks look for a completely redesigned site that should load much faster. Planned also are listings for some new authors as well as an animated dadaist sound poem section and perhaps some gallery features.

The Andre Gide section has been completely redesigned, making it easier for people to find the information they need. Approximately 200 new photographs of Gide will be placed in the photographic archive in the coming months. Also planned for inclusion this year is a library of essays, thesis projects and papers by Gide scholars and students from around the world.

The Robert Desnos section will gain many new translations of poetry previously only available in french. I have spent many months working on a book of Desnos' poetry in english which I intend to publish next year to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of his birth. If anyone is interested in purchasing a copy of the book, please send me email. It is planned to be a limited edition handbound hardcover book.


- New information as of November 22, 1997

The Andre Gide Photo Archive has been completely revised. Now browsing may be done by viewing the complete archive index of images. Fifteen new photographs have also been uploaded.

The Robert Desnos Gallery of Images has also been completely revamped. Browse by viewing the complete gallery archive in index form.

Nicanor Parra, chilean poet and physicist, now joins The Library.

Due to many requests for information about The Pastoral Symphony by Andre Gide, a new critical texts section has been created. Full bibliographic information is given for research purposes. Please let me know if you have any questions.

The interactive cafe visit with Paul Valery is planned for a mid december release, and will be added to the Library's galleries when finished.

Still to make their arrival:

Meret Oppenheim
Raymond Queneau
Marguerite Yourcenar

awards

- This site has won the following awards and recognitions from the following places:

snap best of the web embassy
Best American Site About French Culture


hachette junior
webivore