R. B. Russell Explained

Ray B. Russell is an English publisher,^[1] editor, author,^[2] illustrator,^[3] songwriter,^[4] and film maker.^[5]

Biography

Russell runs the award-winning Tartarus Press with Rosalie Parker, and for many years compiled the Guide to First Edition Prices.^[6] As an author he has had four collections of short stories, three novellas and three novels published. His story "Loup-garou" was chosen for Ellen Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year. "In Hiding" was nominated for the 2010 World Fantasy Award,^[7] and "The Beautiful Room" for the 2011 British Fantasy Award.^[8] Michael Dirda has described Russell as "...among the leading practitioners of classic supernatural fiction".^[9]

His novella, Bloody Baudelaire, has been filmed by 3:1 Cinema with the new title Backgammon and was released 2016.^[10]

He contributes artwork to Tartarus Press titles, and a selection of his art was on display at the Link Gallery, Dean Clough, Halifax, 2010/11.

Russell is also a songwriter, having previously composed songs released by The Bollweevils.^[11] His first solo CD, Ghosts,^[12] was released by Klanggalerie in February 2012. The accompanying video presentation was premiered in Vienna in March 2012,^[13] and was subsequently shown at Dean Clough Galleries October 2012.^[14] Dean Clough Galleries presented The Romance of Shortwave Radio Numbers Stations as a video installation in 2018.^[15]

Russell was the co-creator of C.W. Blubberhouse with Mark Valentine.

Writing

Guide to First Edition Prices

• Eight editions, Tartarus Press, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 & 2010.

Short stories

• Putting the Pieces in Place, Ex Occidente Press (Bucharest, Romania), 2009.^[16]
• Literary Remains, PS Publishing (Hornsea, East Yorkshire), 2010.^[17]
• Leave Your Sleep, PS Publishing (Hornsea, East Yorkshire), 2012.
• Death Makes Strangers of Us All, Swan River Press (Dublin, Ireland), 2018.

Novellas

• Bloody Baudelaire, Ex Occidente Press (Bucharest, Romania), 2009.^[18]
• The Dark Return of Time, Swan River Press (Dublin, Ireland), 2014.
• The Stones are Singing, PS Publishing (Hornsea, East Yorkshire), 2016.

Novels

• She Sleeps, PS Publishing (Hornsea, East Yorkshire), 2017.
• Waiting for the End of the World, PS Publishing (Hornsea, East Yorkshire), 2020.
• Heaven's Hill, Zagava (Germany), 2021.
• The Woman Who Fell to Earth, Tartarus Press (Yorkshire), 2024.

Collected Edition

• Ghosts, Swan River Press (Dublin, Ireland), 2012. (Contains Putting the Pieces in Place and Bloody Baudelaire. Available with Ghosts CD in a limited edition.)

Non-fiction

• Occult Territory: An Arthur Machen Gazetteer, Tartarus Press (Yorkshire), 2019.^[19]
• Past Lives of Old Books and Other Essays, Tartarus Press (Yorkshire), 2020.
• Sylvia Townsend Warner: A Bibliography, Tartarus Press (Yorkshire), 2020.
• Robert Aickman: An Attempted Biography, Tartarus Press (Yorkshire), 2022.
• Fifty Forgotten Books, And Other Stories (Sheffield), 2022.

Translation

• Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier, Tartarus Press (Horam, Sussex), 1999.^[20]

Music

• Ghosts, Klanggalerie (Austria), 2012.
• Bloody Baudelaire: A Soundtrack, Klanggalerie (Austria), 2014.^[21]
• The Romance of Shortwave Radio Numbers Stations, Persepolis, 2016.^[22]
• Copsford, (self released) 2020.^[23] Reissued Bladud Flies! 2021^[24] Reissued Warm Noise 2022^[25]
• Phantom Cities by The Sodality of the Shadows, Persepolis, 2020.^[26]
• Heaven's Hill, 7" single, Zagava, 2012.

Film/video

• Backgammon, 2016 (co-scriptwriter)^[27]
• Coverdale: A Year in the Life, 2016 (co-director/producer)^{[28] [29]}
• Robert Aickman: Author of Strange Tales, 2015 (co-director/producer)^[30]
• Current 93: Live at Halifax Minster, 2014 (co-director/producer)^[31]
• Collecting Vinyl Records: A Personal History, 2012 (director/producer)^[32]
• A Mild Case of Bibliomania, 2011 (director/producer)^[33]

Further reading

• "An Interview with R. B. Russell", by John Kenny, Swan River Press Interviews May 2012.
• "An Interview with R. B. Russell", by Jason Rolfe, Bibliomancy Tuesday, 7 February 2012.
• "An Interview with Ray Russell", by Everett Bleiler, Fantasy Commentator, Winter 2001–2002, pps.97-100.
• "Uncollected Characters of the Book World: 5", by Victoria Hyde-Greene, Antiquarian Book Monthly, May 1999, pps8-9.

External links

• R. B. Russell
• R.B. Russell interviewed (with Rosalie Parker) by Rick Kleffel at the Agony Column Podcast

Notes and References

1. http://tartaruspress.com/index.htm Tartarus Press website
2. Web site: Summary Bibliography: R. B. Russell. www.isfdb.org.
3. http://tartaruspress.com//ray/drawing.html Illustrations by Russell
4. Web site: R. B. Russell. Discogs.
5. Web site: R. B. Russell. IMDb.
6. "Review" by Robert McCrum, Literary Editor, The Observer, 14/11/99
7. Web site: Awards | World Fantasy Convention. https://web.archive.org/web/20121027005155/http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/. dead. 27 October 2012.
8. Web site: British Fantasy Awards 2010.
9. Web site: Book-related videos you should watch. www.washingtonpost.com.
10. Web site: Backgammon. 11 March 2016. www.imdb.com.
11. Web site: The Bollweevils (2) - Talk To Me. Discogs. 1990 .
12. Web site: R. B. Russell - Ghosts. Discogs. 23 January 2012 .
13. Web site: Ghosts CD and videos launch.
14. Web site: What's On at Dean Clough.
15. Web site: Raymond Russell: The Romance of Short Wave Radio Numbers Stations.
16. Ellen Datlow, The Best Horror of the Year, Night Shade Books, 2010, p.21.
17. Peter Bell, Supernatural Tales 18, Autumn 2010, pp3 82-83.
18. Publishers Weekly, 25 August 2009.
19. https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/from-the-books-of-wandering/ From the books of wandering
20. "A Bird Was Learning Its Song," by Adrian Tahourdin, Times Literary Supplement, 21 May 1999.
21. Web site: R. B. Russell - Bloody Baudelaire - A Soundtrack. Discogs. 23 May 2014 .
22. Web site: R. B. Russell - The Romance Of Shortwave Radio Numbers Stations. Discogs. 12 August 2016 .
23. Web site: Copsford by R.B. Russell. Bandcamp.
24. Web site: Copsford by R. B. Russell. Bladud Flies.
25. Web site: Copsford by R. B. Russell. Warm Noise.
26. Web site: Phantom Cities by The Sodality of the Shadows. Discogs. 2020 .
27. [Backgammon (film)|Wikipedia entry]
28. Web site: Secret film of a hidden dale draws the crowds. The Northern Echo. 10 February 2016 .
29. Web site: Coverdale: A Year in the Life . tartaruspress.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304165013/http://tartaruspress.com//ray/coverdale-a-year-in-the-life.html . 2016-03-04.
30. http://tartaruspress.com//ray/robert-aickman-author-of-strange-tales.html Film maker's webpage for Robert Aickman: Author of Strange Tales
31. http://tartaruspress.com//ray/current-93-live-in-halifax.html Film maker's webpage for Current 93: Live at Halifax Minster
32. http://tartaruspress.com//ray/collecting-vinyl-records.html Film maker's webpage for Collecting Vinyl Records: A Personal History
33. http://tartaruspress.com//ray/a-mild-case-of-bibliomania.html Film maker's webpage for A Mild Case of Bibliomania