On July 29 I found a little packet in the mailbox, with the completely unexpected second addenda to John D. Haefele’s working bibliography of August Derleth enclosed.
The bibliography appeared in 2006 as the third entry in The Cimmerian Library’s series of chapbooks. Limited to 100 copies.
Cleverly channeling Derleth and his legion of Arkham House ephemera items, in 2008 Haefele added Addenda 1 under the Cimmerian Press imprint and helmeted skull logo. As I’ve said elsewhere, no copy complete without one.
But when I glanced at the back of Addenda 2 I was surprised to see a new logo in place.
Funny as hell.
The only thought that could crawl to the surface in my stunned brain was Cat Butt!
On its own, a quiet riot. (And an excellent logo, as such.)
Signifying that Addenda 2 sees release under Haefele’s old Esoteric Order of Dagon imprint of The Hesperia Press, I asked Haefele if he’d just come up with it. I have seen a few but by no means all issues of Haefele’s EOD zine and didn’t remember a logo, much less this logo.
“I created the Hesperia Press cat butt in 2001,” Haefele tells me, “when celebrating in the EOD the achievement award won that year by Marc Michaud of Necronomicon Press. If you look at the NP logo, you will see that they have a black cat in a circle, facing forward, and sitting against a white background.
“My cat in a circle is white, facing backward, and walking away against a black background.
“I began using the logo with Lest We Forget: August Derleth on the Subject of H. P. Lovecraft (Hesperia Special Issue No. 6), published by Battered Silicon Dispatch Box in 2009.
“Only, I laid down the grease pencil when I began my association with The Cimmerian Press.”
Out of all the obscure limited editions Haefele has done (and that have been reported to date), Lest We Forget is the only one I don’t have — or I’d have made the acquaintance of the insouciant logo long ago.
My copy of Addenda 2 is hand-numbered as number 5 of 10 printed. Translation: you’ll never see a copy.
Collectors can take comfort in the changeover of imprints, because you might have a chance to get the original booklet and Addenda 1 which are both Cimmerian Library. Stop there, and be happy. But — some wise advice — don’t hold your breath while you’re tracking those down.
Of his saucy logo parading boldly around Esoteric Order of Dagon country, Haefele says, “I don’t think any of the big brains fully got the joke.”
