Ghosted by Mount Abraxas/Exoccidente

L

Ligrotesque

Mystic
After corresponding with Dan last January about the availability of a single copy of a non-boxed edition of Mark Valentine's THE PEACOCK ESCRITOIRE. He said that it was still available and I sent him the funds. I did this rather stupidly after having some issues receiving a copy of another book but assumed that the problems that he stated about the delivery of that volume were tru(ish).


I followed through a few times when the item did not arrive. In Feb. he wrote that he was having health issues but that the package was ready and that he was going to send an alternate cover to the earlier volume that I purchased to make up for the late delivery.


Then in March he wrote that he would send me the tracking number, "tomorrow afternoon, as soon as was back at home, in Bucharest."


That is the last that I heard from him. I have sent numerous emails with no response. I am not plugged into the field like some. Did he pass away? Is this typical? What can I do? This is only a little over 100 USD but I would really like the volume primarily, or the money if that is not possible. I am guessing that I am screwed but thought that as a last resort I would mention my story here.





 
Ligrotesque said:
After corresponding with Dan last January about the availability of a single copy of a non-boxed edition of Mark Valentine's THE PEACOCK ESCRITOIRE. He said that it was still available and I sent him the funds. I did this rather stupidly after having some issues receiving a copy of another book but assumed that the problems that he stated about the delivery of that volume were tru(ish).


I followed through a few times when the item did not arrive. In Feb. he wrote that he was having health issues but that the package was ready and that he was going to send an alternate cover to the earlier volume that I purchased to make up for the late delivery.


Then in March he wrote that he would send me the tracking number, "tomorrow afternoon, as soon as was back at home, in Bucharest."


That is the last that I heard from him. I have sent numerous emails with no response. I am not plugged into the field like some. Did he pass away? Is this typical? What can I do? This is only a little over 100 USD but I would really like the volume primarily, or the money if that is not possible. I am guessing that I am screwed but thought that as a last resort I would mention my story here.
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I received an email from Dan this morning telling me that he would ship the volume out tomorrow. This may be resolved. I will post here when and if I receive the book.
 
Ghosted by Mount Abraxas / Ex Occidente

Ligrotesque said:
I am not plugged into the field like some. Did he pass away? Is this typical?
Click to expand...

Dan's press was revolutionary, the authors he published extraordinary.
That said, he can be frustrating to deal with.
Owing to postage, Europeans are more likely to receive their books, buyers in the Americas, Asia and Australia, I dunno.
Jon closed the Ex Occidente thread 3-4 years ago (ironically, at my suggestion).
The thread is deep and is a remarkable read.
https://www.ligotti.net/showthread.php?t=2535
 
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I purchased "All is Full of Hell" from Dan earlier this year. It took awhile to get to me but I 100% got it. I don't think he was dealing with health problems at that time or was not dealing with it to the level he is now. He came through in the end, no problems at all. Good interaction on my part with him. Don't know if this helps or not.
 
I pulled a couple of older Ex-Occidente volumes from my bookshelf recently when I was looking for short stories for the "30 Stories in 30 Days" thread. Before reading them, I looked up their prices on Abebooks. Then I carefully placed them back on the shelf. Some of these are worth a fortune. I had no idea there was such a small print run of less than 150 copies for some of these books.
This Hermetic Legislature: A Homage to Bruno Schulz is priced around a thousand dollars. The Master in the Cafe Morphine (Bulgavok Tribute) you can't even find.

I found The Hermetic Legislature on the internet, and then lost the link and can no longer find it. I also found out that they did a tribute volume for Pessoa, which I wasn't aware of. That book is nowhere to be seen either. Would have loved to have gotten that one. No chance now.
 
I had very similar experience about six years ago. Never received a package, then was told a replacement was sent and never received that as well. Lost over $100+. I suggest buying from dealers like Ziesings rather than direct.
 
This is a topic with some personal bitterness.

Supported Dan for years but had to stay both patient and persistent, and ultimately received about 60% of what I'd paid for. (He still owes me hundreds of Euros for books that were "just about to be released" but never came out.) Kept buying in as some books were sent while others were "delayed."

Many times he said "something was about to be mailed" but it never came. On some occasions books that I'd paid for were released but never sent to me. It's such a horrible shame, because the physical books are such incredible works, almost talismanic, while the authors are usually superlative.

I have both This Hermetic Legislature: A Homage to Bruno Schulz and the Pessoa by the way; send me a message if interested.

Also worth noting that the original thread on this site (under "Ex Occidente Press") has many similar horror stories; worth checking out.
 
These may be very rare books, and hard to get. I am not familiar with this publisher myself. But I have experienced the risks of sending cash directly to a small vendor, and I generally avoid it. It should also be remembered that Romania is a country economically strained, with infamous statewide corruption. I have travelled through this beautiful country, but everywhere along the roads are building projects that have been started and then simply are abandoned midway through the rearing of the framework, and remain standing to decay.
 
Oh, yes, the return of old griefs and sorrows.

Being still alive, for the time being at least, I will be very happy and very thankfully indeed to tie up any loose ends.

If old books are what you have been waiting for / missing / etc, I might not be able to help (although many old hardcovers are available again), but solutions are available.

Anyone who is still waiting for his books, please get into contact with me. The sooner the better.

Either via email at: exoccidente@gmail.com or via a private mail on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mountabraxaspress/

A whatsapp address has also been available for some time now.

As for the press, it has never been dead. Some photos of the latest books are attached.

Thank you all.

 
Gnosticangel said:
This is a topic with some personal bitterness.

Supported Dan for years but had to stay both patient and persistent, and ultimately received about 60% of what I'd paid for. (He still owes me hundreds of Euros for books that were "just about to be released" but never came out.) Kept buying in as some books were sent while others were "delayed."

Many times he said "something was about to be mailed" but it never came. On some occasions books that I'd paid for were released but never sent to me. It's such a horrible shame, because the physical books are such incredible works, almost talismanic, while the authors are usually superlative.

I have both This Hermetic Legislature: A Homage to Bruno Schulz and the Pessoa by the way; send me a message if interested.

Also worth noting that the original thread on this site (under "Ex Occidente Press") has many similar horror stories; worth checking out.
Click to expand...

I have the Schulz, Bulgakov, and Meyrink tributes. If you are looking to sell the Pessoa book, I would suggest eBay with a substantial reserve price, or a Make An Offer option. I couldn't offer you near what it's worth.

As to the other topic, I have heard mixed opinions over the years. I was shorted a book once, but when I brought it to Dan's attention, he sent me the book promptly with an extra bonus book. And all dealings with him in recent years have been good. I have nothing negative to say personally. And, like everyone else, I think these books are wonderful.
 
bendk said:
I pulled a couple of older Ex-Occidente volumes from my bookshelf recently when I was looking for short stories for the "30 Stories in 30 Days" thread. Before reading them, I looked up their prices on Abebooks. Then I carefully placed them back on the shelf. Some of these are worth a fortune. I had no idea there was such a small print run of less than 150 copies for some of these books.
This Hermetic Legislature: A Homage to Bruno Schulz is priced around a thousand dollars. The Master in the Cafe Morphine (Bulgavok Tribute) you can't even find.

I found The Hermetic Legislature on the internet, and then lost the link and can no longer find it. I also found out that they did a tribute volume for Pessoa, which I wasn't aware of. That book is nowhere to be seen either. Would have loved to have gotten that one. No chance now.
Click to expand...

The Pessoa volume was a collaboration with Zagava, whom they have a reissue up for pre-order. It is in a different format, but it has an additional bonus story by R.Ostermeier. Edition details follow :

"It has already been 9 years since Dreams of Ourselves – an appreciation of Pessoa was published, and I thought it is high time to make this conceptually extraordinary collection available again in an improved extended edition.

PESSOA ON OUR MIND

The contributions by Mark Valentine, D.P. Watt, Colin Insole, Quentin S. Crisp, Damian Murphy, Andrew Condous, John Howard, Rhys Hughes and last but definitely not least Jonathan Wood will be heteronymically accompanied by a brand-new text by R. Ostermeier!

This collection comes in two editions:

A numbered box contains the respective texts in envelopes, where the pseudonym and the title are printed on the addressee side and the author’s real name on the reverse.
The lettered edition contains a signed typewritten version, but here the title will be handwritten on the outside of the envelope by the respective author. The box will be adorned by a real Azulejo tile with an image of Pessoa. "

The book can be found here :

Pessoa on our Mind - ZAGAVA
 
Charon said:
The Pessoa volume was a collaboration with Zagava, whom they have a reissue up for pre-order. It is in a different format, but it has an additional bonus story by R.Ostermeier. Edition details follow :

"It has already been 9 years since Dreams of Ourselves – an appreciation of Pessoa was published, and I thought it is high time to make this conceptually extraordinary collection available again in an improved extended edition.

PESSOA ON OUR MIND

The contributions by Mark Valentine, D.P. Watt, Colin Insole, Quentin S. Crisp, Damian Murphy, Andrew Condous, John Howard, Rhys Hughes and last but definitely not least Jonathan Wood will be heteronymically accompanied by a brand-new text by R. Ostermeier!

This collection comes in two editions:

A numbered box contains the respective texts in envelopes, where the pseudonym and the title are printed on the addressee side and the author’s real name on the reverse.
The lettered edition contains a signed typewritten version, but here the title will be handwritten on the outside of the envelope by the respective author. The box will be adorned by a real Azulejo tile with an image of Pessoa. "

The book can be found here :

Pessoa on our Mind - ZAGAVA
Click to expand...


Thanks for the heads up on this one. I just ordered a copy.
 
I own a number of Ex Occidente and Mount Abraxas press books and they are some of the most beautiful books that I own. I did have an issue with a Lettered Reggie Oliver book which I pre ordered. They sent the regular version instead. I brought the Lettered version elsewhere and Dan gave me a partial refund. Since then I found ExOxidente to be alot more efficient and books would arrive on schedule... even received a couple of free books. This was until I pre ordered Frostsigils and a DP Watt chap book. They were due to be shipped in Feb (can't remember which year) and when I sent a gentle reminder I was promised they'd be shipped within a few weeks. I eventually waited 6 months before losing confidence that they'd be shipped. I requested a refund through Paypal which was duly issued. I brought the DP Watt chapbook elsewhere, although I never looked for Frostsigils. At the time I just wish Dan would have given an honest/ realistic shipping date rather than promising to ship them within a few weeks as I would have waited, but the broken promises on delivery dates just made me lose confidence. Anyway I'm probably black listed from making future purchases, but that doesn't take away the fact that the physical books are just beautifully produced.
 
OP here with an update. Dan contacted me almost immediately after I posted here. I seems like my messages were not making to him via email but he saw my post here. He sent me two different additional copies with tracking but both appeared to be consumed by either the Romanian or UD post offices. I could see the problems via the tracking. When this was clear that this was happening again Dan contacted me writing that he would refund me the money in the next 24 hours. The paypal funds arrive in well under that time frame.
 
I too was ghosted by Dan. I paid for three Paysage d'Hiver books over a year ago (or is it two years already?). I ordered from him before, so I had no reasons to mistrust him. I received only 'A Vigil of Black Stars', though I suspect it's not the new expanded edition that I was promised. Still, it's better than nothing.

Since then, communication with Dan was... difficult. Once he emailed me to confirm my address and said the second book would be posted soon. No such thing happened and he stopped responding to my emails. I tried my luck with his Instagram, but he did not responded to my PM and even deleted my comment under his post, where I simply asked about the books.

I know I'm not the only one when it comes to Paysage books. Other disappointed customer reported a similar story. I know Dan reportedly had health issues and this is understandable (though I learnt about this from other people, not from him directly), but ghosting and deleting comments is unacceptable. What I find outrageous is that he still posts about new books on his Instagram, though I have no idea if anyone actually receives them.
 
As Dan has posted before, these are old grievances.
Lengthy thread = https://www.ligotti.net/showthread.php?t=2535
Aside from those who got in at the beginning, most buyers nowadays should know their orders might go amiss. There is simply too much history.
I was never able to decide if the press was simply disorganized - or something else.
Down three, I quit and chalked my losses as the cost of education.
The press is not alone. You buy long enough, you will be burned.
An east coast press owes me several, another in South America, one in ... yes, way of the world, friends.
Some buyers rely on professional dealers, who, to offset their losses, bump prices accordingly.
I equate my experience with whatever the press names itself to my youth, when I dated a beautiful junkie.
Didn't work out so well for me.
 
Zaharoff said:
As Dan has posted before, these are old grievances.
Lengthy thread = https://www.ligotti.net/showthread.php?t=2535
Aside from those who got in at the beginning, most buyers nowadays should know their orders might go amiss. There is simply too much history.
I was never able to decide if the press was simply disorganized - or something else.
Down three, I quit and chalked my losses as the cost of education.
The press is not alone. You buy long enough, you will be burned.
An east coast press owes me several, another in South America, one in ... yes, way of the world, friends.
Some buyers rely on professional dealers, who, to offset their losses, bump prices accordingly.
I equate my experience with whatever the press names itself to my youth, when I dated a beautiful junkie.
Didn't work out so well for me.
Click to expand...

Well put.

Although I too have had my own variable set of experiences dealing with Dan, I won't go into them here. Isn't it an interesting (i.e. frustrating) paradox though? The MA/ExOx books are stunning, in terms of materials, graphics, and workmanship... yet they are SO difficult and costly to acquire. In a sense, this only adds to their mystique, I suppose.
 
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