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Eidolon Books [Adelaide] Eidolon Books [Adelaide] i(A134139 works by) (Organisation) assertion
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BiographyHistory

A vanity publishing operation set up in a north-eastern suburb of Adelaide by literary agent John Bayley, this Eidolon Books is not to be confused with the similarly named book publishing division of Perth-based science fiction press Eidolon Publications (q.v.). The only publication attributed to the Bayley press is Daylight Corroboree: A First-hand Account of the 'Wanda Koolmatrie' Hoax (2004). Initially published from 3/3 Sycamore Terrace, Campbelltown (South Australia), the book has since been made available through Peace Books, Norwood (South Australia).

According to Geoff Muirden, in a 2005 Adelaide Institute Newsletter review, Bayley insists that he named the press 'Eidolon' because it "means a spectre or idealised figure" which is precisely how he sees Wanda Koolmatrie, the bogus author of the My Own Sweet Time (No. 236, February 2005).

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • Bayley's appropriation of the word Eidolon is unusual given that Eidolon Publications had been publishing its well-known journal since 1992 and a line of books (under the Eidolon Books imprint) since 1997. The press, which has also operated it own website since 1995, continues to publish books as of 2010 (see Eidolon.net: Australian SF Online). This suggests that Bayley has not registered Eidolon Books as a trade name or had it recognised through other legal instruments. It also appears that Bayley either did not know about the existence of the science fiction press or believed that all of its operations had ceased in 2000 following the closing down of the Eidolon journal. Geoff Muirden was also under this impression when he referred to the 'now defunct sci fi group' in his 2005 Adelaide Institute Newsletter review.

Last amended 15 May 2013 11:05:51
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