Phantasia Press

George Barr cover illustration for Phantasia's first publication, L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt's Wall of Serpents (Phantasia, 1978).

Phantasia Press Inc. was a small publisher formed by Sidney Altus and Alex Berman publishing short-run, hardcover limited editions of science fiction and fantasy books. It was active from 1978-1989. The company was based in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The publisher specialized in limited quality first hardcover editions of authors prominent in the field, particularly Philip José Farmer, C. J. Cherryh, L. Sprague de Camp and Alan Dean Foster. Some of its offerings were true first editions; others, the first hardcover editions of works previously published in paperback. In a few instances there had been previous hardcover editions.

The press started publication with a reprint of Wall of Serpents (L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt) and then The Reign of Wizardry (Jack Williamson).

Authors published by Phantasia were Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov (2 books), Steven Barnes, David Brin (2 books), Fredric Brown, Orson Scott Card, C. J. Cherryh (7 books), Arthur C. Clarke, Catherine Crook de Camp (2 books), L. Sprague de Camp (5 books), Harlan Ellison (2 books), Philip José Farmer (9 books), Alan Dean Foster (5 books), William Gibson, Stephen King, Larry Niven (3 books), Jerry Pournelle, Fletcher Pratt, Mike Resnick (2 books), Spider Robinson, William Shatner, Robert Silverberg, Jack Williamson (2 books), and Roger Zelazny.

Artists contributing cover art to Phantasia editions included Randall Asplund, Wayne D. Barlowe, George Barr (3 covers), Doug Beekman, David A. Cherry (7 covers), Alex Ebel (3 covers), Stephen Fabian, Frank Kelly Freas (2 covers), Kevin Eugene Johnson (6 covers), Eric Ladd, Paul Lehr (4 covers), Carl Lundgren, Jane Mackenzie, Chris Miller, Rowena Morrill (2 covers), Phil Parks, John Pound, Victoria Poyser (3 covers), Kirk Reinert, Romas, Alex Schomburg, Barclay Shaw (2 covers), Darrell K. Sweet, Vaclav Vaca, Ed Valigursky, and Michael Whelan.

Bibliography of works published

• Wall of Serpents (1978) (L. Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt)
• The Reign of Wizardry (1979) (Jack Williamson)
• The Purple Pterodactyls (Dec 1979) (L. Sprague de Camp)
• The Ringworld Engineers (Dec 1979) (Larry Niven)
• The Magic Labyrinth (May 1980) (Philip José Farmer)
• Firestarter (Jul 1980) (Stephen King)
• The Humanoid Touch (Sep 1980) (Jack Williamson)
• The Maker of Universes (1980) (Philip José Farmer)
• The Gates of Creation (1981) (Philip José Farmer)
• Dream Park (Mar 1981) (Larry Niven, Steven Barnes)
• A Private Cosmos (Jul 1981) (Philip José Farmer)
• Madwand (Jul 1981) (Roger Zelazny)
• Oath of Fealty (1981) (Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle)
• Behind the Walls of Terra (1982) (Philip José Farmer)
• The Prisoner of Zhamanak (1982) (L. Sprague de Camp)
• Stalking the Nightmare (Sep 1982) (Harlan Ellison)
• A Barnstormer in Oz or a Rationalization and Extrapolation of the Split-Level Continuum (Aug 1982) (Philip José Farmer)
• 2010: Odyssey Two (Oct 1982) (Arthur C. Clarke)
• Orion Shall Rise (1983) (Poul Anderson)
• The Lavalite World (1983) (Philip José Farmer)
• Spellsinger at the Gate (1983) (Alan Dean Foster)
• Homefaring (1983) (Robert Silverberg)
• Gods of Riverworld (Aug 1983) (Philip José Farmer)
• The Robots of Dawn (1983) (Isaac Asimov)
• Forty Thousand in Gehenna (Oct 1983) (C. J. Cherryh)
• The Bones of Zora (1983) (L. Sprague de Camp, Catherine Crook de Camp)
• River of Eternity (Nov. 1983) (Philip José Farmer)
• Eros Ascending (1984) (Mike Resnick)
• The Day of the Dissonance (Jun 1984) (Alan Dean Foster)
• Chanur's Venture (Oct 1984) (C. J. Cherryh)
• Eros at Zenith (1984) (Mike Resnick)
• The Moment of the Magician (Oct 1984) (Alan Dean Foster)
• Cuckoo's Egg (May 1985) (C. J. Cherryh)
• The Kif Strike Back (May 1985) (C. J. Cherryh)
• Medea: Harlan's World (Jun 1985) (Harlan Ellison)
• Robots and Empire (Sep 1985) (Isaac Asimov)
• Startide Rising (Nov 1985) (David Brin)
• The Paths of the Perambulator (Nov 1985) (Alan Dean Foster)
• Visible Light (Jan 1986) (C. J. Cherryh)
• Neuromancer (May 1986) (William Gibson)
• Chanur's Homecoming (Aug 1986) (C. J. Cherryh)
• The Time of the Transference (Aug 1986) (Alan Dean Foster)
• The Uplift War (Apr 1987) (David Brin)
• The Pride of Chanur (Mar 1987) (C. J. Cherryh)
• The Incorporated Knight (Aug 1987) (L. Sprague de Camp, Catherine Crook de Camp)
• And the Gods Laughed (Oct 1987) (Fredric Brown)
• Callahan and Company (1987) (Spider Robinson)
• The Folk of the Fringe (Apr 1989) (Orson Scott Card)
• TekWar (Oct 1989) (William Shatner)

External links

• official Web site