CFZ Press
CFZ Press is a publishing company run in conjunction with the Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ). It specialises in publishing non-fiction books and magazines about cryptozoology and allied disciplines.
Unlike most mainstream publishers, CFZ Press has a non-commercial remit, and their mission statement claims that "we publish books because they deserve to be published, not because we think that we can make money out of them". Their motto is the Latin Tag "Pro bona causa facimus" (we do it for good reason), a slogan taken from a children's book `The Case of the Silver Egg` by the late Desmond Skirrow.
History
CFZ Press has its genesis in `STP Communications`, a small press publishing house producing books and magazines about rock music. It was started in 1987 by CFZ Director Jonathan Downes and his then wife Alison. When they founded the CFZ in 1992, the remit of the publishers broadened to include fortean subjects.
When Downes and his wife divorced in 1996, the publishing house was renamed `CFZ Communications`, and it was shortened to CFZ Press in 2004.
Magazines
The first three magazines were all music related:
- Spanish Train (Edited by Alison Downes, 1987–90) was a quarterly fan magazine about the singer Chris de Burgh. It lasted for ten issues and three Christmas specials. Jonathan Downes writes in his autobiography that this was his ex-wife's project, and although it was where he learned the basics of magazine production, the subject was of no interest to him.
- My Only Vice (Edited by Jonathan Downes, 1989-1994. The magazine of the Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel Appreciation Society. This was their first attempt at working in an `authorised` position, and was generally successful. They published 13 issues and three books.
- ISMO (Edited by Jonathan Downes, 1988–1992, and again 1999-2001). An anarchist music magazine which failed only because it was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It filled much the same niche in the market as Mojo does now, but it was ten years too early, and failed because of poor production values.
- Animals & Men (Edited by Jonathan Downes, 1994–present). The journal of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, published issue number 40 in April 2007. The only cryptozoology magazine in the world.
- The Goblin Universe (Edited by Jonathan Downes 1995-8, Mark Norman 1999) Their first attempt at a fortean magazine lasted for nine issues before being quietly retired.
- Wyrd (Edited by Bob Mann, 2002) The second attempt at a fortean magazine was much more impressive, but financial and personal problems forced it to cease publishing after four issues.
All these magazines were A5, and quarterly. Since 1992 all the magazines have had glossy covers, and since 2000, they have all had full colour covers.
- Exotic Pets (Edited by Jonathan Downes). A new venture for 2007, promoting the ideal of responsible pet ownership. It claims to be the `magazine for the amateur naturalist`, and intends to work alongside established organisations such as the CFZ, to promote the often forgotten hobby of natural history.
Books
The first book published was in 1988. `Take this Brother may it Serve you Well` was a guide to Beatles bootlegs by Jonathan Downes. It sold quite well, but was hampered by very poor production values, being photocopied, and held together by a plastic clip binder. In 1988 A5 clip binders were hard to get hold of, so the publishers took A4 binders and cut them in half with a hacksaw. It now reaches surprisingly high prices second hand.
The production quality improved slightly over the years, and after 1999 all the books produced were ringbound with laminated colour covers. In 2004, however, they signed an agreement with LightningSource, and all books are now produced perfect bound, with full colour covers.
Current Catalogue
- Dark Dorset Mark North and Robert Newland
- Big Cats loose in Britain Marcus Matthews
- Monster! The A-Z of Zooform Phenomena Neil Arnold
- The Centre for Fortean Zoology 2004 Yearbook Edited by Jonathan Downes and Richard Freeman
- The Centre for Fortean Zoology 2007 Yearbook Edited by Jonathan Downes
- The Centre for Fortean Zoology 2008 Yearbook Edited by Jonathan Downes and Corinna Downes
- Cat Flaps! Northern Mystery Cats Andy Roberts
- Big Cats in Britain Yearbook 2007 Mark Fraser
- Big Bird - Modern sightings of flying monsters Ken Gerhard
- Animals & Men - Issues 6 - 10 - The number of the beast Jonathan Downes
- Strength through Koi - They saved Hitler's Koi and other stories Jonathan Downes
- The Smaller Mystery Carnivores of the Westcountry Jonathan Downes
- CFZ Expedition Report: Gambia 2006 The Centre for Fortean Zoology
- The Owkman and Others Jonathan Downes
- Animals & Men - Issues 1 - 5 - In the beginning Jonathan Downes
- The Blackdown Mystery Jonathan Downes
- Big Cats in Britain Yearbook 2006 Mark Fraser
- Fragrant Harbours, Distant Rivers John Tweddell Downes
- Only Fools and Goatsuckers Jonathan Downes
- Monster of the Mere Jonathan Downes
- While the Cat's Away - An Exmoor Escapade Chris M Moiser
- Dragons:More than a Myth Richard Allen Freeman
- Granfer's Bible Stories John Tweddell Downes
- Monster Hunter Jonathan Downes
- In the Wake of Bernard Heuvelmans: An Introduction to the History and Future of Sea-Serpent Classification Michael A. Woodley
- The Great Yokai Encyclopedia: An A to Z of Japanese Monsters Richard Allen Freeman
Series
- Expedition Reports: From now on, reports on all CFZ expeditions will be published in book form, as part of the CFZ's commitment to sharing their research findings.
- CFZ Yearbooks: Since 1995 the CFZ has published yearbooks containing longer research papers than those which appear in Animals & Men. This was meant as an annual event, but the books for the years 2000 and 2001 were combined, and no books were produced in 2005 or 2006. Up until 2004 the books were ringbound and photocopied. However, the 2007 Yearbook was perfect bound, and CFZ Press recently announced a commitment to reissuing the early volumes in this format as the stocks of the original format run out.
- Big Cats in Britain Yearbooks: These are produced annually in conjunction with the Big Cats in Britain [BCIB] research group. It is the most comprehensive survey of mystery cat sightings in Britain over a twelve month period.
- Animals & Men Collected Editions: The original magazines, reproduced in fascimile, five at a time, together with essays from those responsible for the original magazines, placing the books in historical context.
Future plans
In 2007, CFZ Press announced an impressive publishing schedule for the rest of the year. The next twelve months will see books by established writers such as Dr Karl Shuker, Nick Redfern and Jonathan Downes, alongside major new works from less well known authors such as Neil Arnold and Mike Hallowell. CFZ Press are particularly pleased to announce that `Big Cats Loose in Britain` by Marcus J de G Matthews, a book which has achieved legendary status, since he first wrote it as a teenager nearly two decades ago, will finally be published in the summer of 2007.
Sources