Джефф Вандермеер - The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities

Untitled Booklet—Consists of six bound pages obtained by Dr. Lambshead from a Prague antiquarian bookshop in January 1948, one month before the Czechoslovak coup d’état, donated to him for safekeeping. The booklet appeared to contain a short story in a Central Moravian Czech dialect. Dr. Lambshead, however, was assured the booklet was not what it appeared to be, but an insect able, through mimicry, to imitate any inorganic object placed within a short distance (including its smell). The creature was discovered in one of the “Stránska Skála” Upper Paleolithic caves in the northern outskirts of Brno not long after Professor Svoboda’s archaeological excavations in the summer of 1946. Despite attempting escape many times, the insect was finally secured amongst a collection of obscure short stories by forgotten Czechoslovak writers of early twentieth-century Weird Fiction. The insect (booklet) is presumed dead. (Tony Mileman)

Tartarus Press edition of Jean Lorrain’s Nightmares of an Ether-Drinker . In this instance, the insect documented by Tony Mileman had insinuated itself under the dust jacket and wrapped itself around the pages, replacing the boards and simulating a cloth binding.

Von Slatt Harmonization Device—A system and method for cultural transmission scrambling, patent application number 15/603976. Assignee: Harmonization Incorporated. Summary of the Invention from the patent application: “Very soon, science will confirm that cultural information passes from one entity to another using devices accessed psionically via instructional facilities. It is the object of this device to locate, demodulate, and scramble cultural transmissions passing between hostile social formations. This novel device allows operators to inject false vernacular and traditions into cultural signals as they pass between entities. It can also hijack signals carrying historical intelligence by providing a stronger signal on the same frequency.” (Annalee Newitz)

Wax Phonograph Cylinder, Unlabeled—Object appears to be over a century old, but is still functional. When played, the sound of a percussive instrument, possibly a large tubular drum, can be heard for approximately the first forty seconds of recording time. During this sound, the murmurings of a man’s voice become interpolated with the beat. The syllables are indistinguishable, but as the drumbeat continues, the voice rises until it becomes a series of shouted plosives. At around the four-minute mark, both sounds stop completely and are replaced by a series of high-pitched cries, from which can be gleaned the only coherent word of the entire piece: “Alley-Caster,” or perhaps “Snally-Gaster.” The final sound heard on the recording is an extremely loud screeching whistle, which sounds reptilian in origin. An attached note indicates that Dr. Lambshead acquired the object from a motel-room drawer in Braddock Heights, Maryland. (Michael J. Larson)

An unprecedented panoramic view of the East End of Lambshead’s cabinet, taken surreptitiously by photographer Bruce Ecker in 1999.

Story Contributors

Kelly Barnhillhas had fiction published in Fantasy, Weird Tales, Clockwork Phoenix, and many other publications. Her first novel, The Mostly True Story of Jack —a lyrical fantasy for middle-grade readers—is set for a 2011 release by Little, Brown.

Holly Blackis a best-selling author of contemporary fantasy novels for teens and children, including The Spiderwick Chronicles and the Curse Workers series.

S. J. Chambershas had fiction and nonfiction published by Fantasy, the Baltimore Sun’s Read Street Blog, Yankee Pot Roast, and Tor.com. Her most recent projects include The Steampunk Bible, a coffee-table book coauthored with Jeff VanderMeer.

Stepan Chapmanis the author of The Troika, which won the Philip K. Dick Award. His short fiction can be found in magazines and anthologies such as Analog, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Leviathan, Polyphony, and Album Zutique .

Ted Chiangis a multiple award–winning short story writer. His work has won the Nebula, the Hugo, the Locus Award, and others. His latest book is the novella The Lifecycle of Software Objects, published by Subterranean Press in 2010.

Michael Cisco’s novels include The Divinity Student, The Traitor, and, most recently, The Narrator . His stories have appeared in Leviathan 3, Leviathan 4, Lovecraft Unbound, and many other anthologies.

Gio Clairvalis an Italian-born speculative fiction writer who commutes between Paris and Lake Como. Several of her translations of iconic stories will appear in The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Fictions from Atlantic in 2011.

Amal El-Mohtaris currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Cornwall, England. Her poetry has won the Rhysling Award, and her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Weird Tales, Cabinet des Fées, and Shimmer . She also coedits Goblin Fruit, an online quarterly of fantastical poetry.

Brian Evensonis the author of nine books, most recently the novel Last Days and the short story collection Fugue State . He directs Brown University’s Creative Writing program.

Minister Faustis an Edmontonian writer, high school English teacher, union delegate, broadcaster, community activist, and novelist. His latest book is titled From the Notebooks of Doctor Brain and he is a past finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award.

Jeffrey Fordlives in South Jersey and is a multiple World Fantasy Award winner. His latest novel is The Shadow Year, and his latest collection of stories is The Drowned Life (both from HarperCollins).

Lev Grossmanis a journalist for Time magazine and novelist living in New York City. His latest book is The Magicians, and the sequel is expected in 2011.

Will Hindmarchis a writer and graphic designer, with work published in various books, games, and magazines. Some of his work has appeared in The Escapist, Atlanta magazine , Geek Monthly, and Everywhere .

N. K. Jemisinis a Brooklyn-based author. Her short fiction has been published in Clarkesworld, Baen’s Universe, Strange Horizons, Postscripts, Weird Tales, and many others. Her first two novels, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and its sequel, The Broken Kingdoms, have been published by Orbit Books.

Caitlín R. Kiernanwas born in Ireland, raised in the southeastern United States, and now lives in Providence, Rhode Island. Her short fiction has been collected in several volumes, most recently A Is for Alien, and she’s published eight novels, including Daughter of Hounds and The Red Tree .

Mur Laffertyis a writer, podcaster, and blogger. She has written for various RPGs, Tor.com, Scrybe Press, Murky Depths, and Hub Magazine .

Jay Lakelives in Portand, Oregon, where he writes, edits, and generally misbehaves. His latest novels are Green and Madness of Flowers .