Zagava is a publishing imprint based in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, focusing on works in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

within the genres of

weird fiction Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction originating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Weird fiction either eschews or radically reinterprets traditional antagonists of supernatural horror fiction, such as ghosts, vampires, ...

, supernatural, and

horror literature Horror is a genre of speculative fiction that is intended to disturb, frighten, or scare an audience. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror. Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defi ...

, often produced in limited editions. Most of Zagava's books are issued in numbered hardbound versions and frequently in additional special limited lettered sub-editions with special bindings or additional extras. The books are as much about their contents as about the art of fine book-production. Jonas Ploeger is the proprietor of this press. The name of Zagava comes from a story by

Edward Gorey Edward St. John Gorey (February 22, 1925 – April 15, 2000) was an Americans, American writer, Tony Awards, Tony Award-winning costume designer, and artist, noted for his own illustrated books as well as cover art and illustration for book ...

, ''The Osbick Bird''.

Brief history

The press began in 2013 with its first publication, ''Virtue in Danger'' by Reggie Oliver, marking the start of its publishing journey as a collaborative venture. Jonas Ploeger’s involvement in the book trade began in 2002 with the launch of an

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

online bookstore - ''Antiquariat Bücherwelten''. However, his primary profession at the time, and currently, was as camera operator and photographer.

Publishing philosophy of Zagava

Zagava emphasizes high-quality book production, blending literary content with craftsmanship and exploring themes such as the weird, supernatural, the decadent, and the mystical. Zagava aims to offer readers unique, thought-provoking experiences and surprise them with its creativity.

Zagava editions

Zagava offers its works in various formats, including limited-edition hardcovers and chapbooks, featuring artisanal materials and bindings. Paperbacks also make part of Zagava's publishing. Lettered edition
Lettered editions are special lettered sub-editions that come along with special bindings or additional extras. These vary on a wide range and often feature creative cover styles, such as hardcover out of copper. Zagava's lettered editions usually are issued with 24 examplars. Numbered edition
Zagava's numbered editions usually come as an edition of 199 copies where as in the past it may have varied up to 222 copies. Paperback edition
Paperback editions by Zagava are often unlimited and in A4 size. Furthermore, the paperback are published on high-quality paper with illustrated boards. Chapbook edition
Infra-Noir
In 2018, a new type of edition series, named "Infra-Noir" was introduced. The Infra-Noirs are printed on finest Amalfi hand-made cotton rag paper with deckled edges and are hand-sewn.
Postcards
Many illustrations in Zagava's books were issued as sets of postcards as well.

Authors

Zagava has published works of a total number of 114 authors and artists as of 2024. The following shows an overview in alphabetical order:

Bibliography

External links

Video portrait of Zagava

Minds of the Press, Vol. 6 - Interview with founder Jonas Plöger

Interview - Zagava Press med Jonas Plöger by Henrik Möller (Swedish/English)

Unboxing "The Egotist" by Philip Fracassi

References

{{Authority control German speculative fiction publishers Small press publishing companies Horror book publishing companies Publishing companies established in 2002