Terrascopædia Magazine
The Terrascopaedia is an English illustrated occasional letterpress music magazine which was first printed in 2012. Issues are published approximately seven months apart. The magazine specialises in covering underground music of a rock, folk and "psychedelic" nature. As far as we know, it is the only magazine of its kind in the world, which is hardly surprising given that each page takes around 7 hours to typeset and a further hour to print. The editor and publisher is Phil McMullen, a member of the British Printing Society, who previously edited the Ptolemaic Terrascope Magazine ( a commercially printed offset litho publication ) between 1989 and 2004.
Albeit half the size and much less ambitious in scope, the Terrascopædia carries on from where the Ptolemaic Terrascope found itself in around 1992, before the CD became ubiquitous and the World Wide Web changed everything for good. The music discussed is released on vinyl or on cassette; most of the bands organise their own tours and release records on independent labels. We have nothing against the internet or digital music as such; we do however believe that there is still a place for the printed page, the smell of fresh ink, and the touch and feel of good quality paper.
The Terrascopaedia is an English illustrated occasional letterpress music magazine which was first printed in 2012. Issues are published approximately seven months apart. The magazine specialises in covering underground music of a rock, folk and "psychedelic" nature. As far as we know, it is the only magazine of its kind in the world, which is hardly surprising given that each page takes around 7 hours to typeset and a further hour to print. The editor and publisher is Phil McMullen, a member of the British Printing Society, who previously edited the Ptolemaic Terrascope Magazine ( a commercially printed offset litho publication ) between 1989 and 2004.
Albeit half the size and much less ambitious in scope, the Terrascopædia carries on from where the Ptolemaic Terrascope found itself in around 1992, before the CD became ubiquitous and the World Wide Web changed everything for good. The music discussed is released on vinyl or on cassette; most of the bands organise their own tours and release records on independent labels. We have nothing against the internet or digital music as such; we do however believe that there is still a place for the printed page, the smell of fresh ink, and the touch and feel of good quality paper.
Terrascopædia Issue 10
Published July 2018, our 10th issue features interviews with Trappist Afterland from Australia, Lords of Thyme from UK and Lee Riders from the USA plus reviews, opinions and an editorial. 105 copies produced. Each copy entirely hand made from cover to cover, typeset in 12pt Caslon Old Style and lovingly printed on unbleached, hand cut acid-free paper on a circa. 1900 vintage "Peerless" treadle jobbing press manufactured by Cropper, Charlton & Co. of Nottingham, England. Please be aware that due to the hand-made nature of this publication, small mistakes are bound to occur and no two copies can ever be exactly the same. Stitched. Illustrated. Full colour. 16 pages plus cover. Acid free cotton rag deckle edged paper. Measures approx. 5 inches by 7 inches (a paper size formerly known as "Duke"). Cost: £8.00 a copy, postage included (UK), £9.00 (EU), £10.00 (RoW) Please note that this edition is SOLD OUT Terrascopædia Issue 8
Published August 2017, issue 8 features interviews with British bands Piano Magic and Stereocilia and Sweden's The Greek Theatre.
100 copies produced. Each copy entirely hand made from cover to cover, typeset in 12pt Caslon Old Style and lovingly printed on unbleached, hand cut acid-free paper on a circa. 1900 vintage "Peerless" treadle jobbing press manufactured by Cropper, Charlton & Co. of Nottingham, England. Please be aware that due to the hand-made nature of this publication, small mistakes are bound to occur and no two copies can ever be exactly the same. Stitched. Illustrated. Full colour. 16 pages plus cover. Acid free cotton rag deckle edged paper. Measures approx. 5 inches by 7 inches (a paper size formerly known as "Duke"). Cost: £8.00 a copy, postage included (UK), £9.00 (EU), £10.00 (RoW) Please note that this edition is SOLD OUT Terrascopædia Issue 6
Terrascopaedia issue 6 was published in August 2016. Once again, this was an extremely limited edition letterpress publications, containing an editorial, graphics, a selection of LP reviews and interviews - this time with Rusalnaia's Sharron Kraus, PSP's Jens Unosson and Constantine's, uh, Constantine.
100 copies were produced. Each copy was entirely hand made from cover to cover, typeset in Caslon Old Style and lovingly printed on unbleached, hand cut paper on a vintage "Peerless" treadle jobbing press manufactured by Cropper, Charlton & Co. of Nottingham, England. Please be aware that due to the hand-made nature of this publication, small mistakes are bound to occur and no two copies can ever be exactly the same. Stitched. Lavishly illustrated. Ten different colours. 16 pages plus cover. Acid free cotton rag deckle edged paper. Measures approx. 5 inches by 7 inches. Please note that this edition is SOLD OUT Terrascopædia Issue 4
Terrascopaedia issue 4 (December 2015) contained a selection of LP reviews (no CDs or downloads, obviously) and interviews - this time with Thought Forms and Wolf People - all unique to this publication.
100 copies produced. Each copy entirely hand made from cover to cover, typeset in a specially commissioned fount and lovingly printed on a hand-cranked, fully restored 1950s vintage Adana Letterpress machine. Hand Stitched. Fully illustrated. Four colours. 14 pages plus cover. Acid free cotton rag deckle edged paper. Measures approx. 5 inches by 7 inches. Please note that this edition is SOLD OUT |
Terrascopædia Issue 9
Published February 2018, issue 9 featured interviews with American bands Heron Oblivion and the Mountain Movers, plus the usual assortment of reviews and opinions.
85 copies produced. Each copy entirely hand made from cover to cover, typeset in 12pt Caslon Old Style and lovingly printed on unbleached, hand cut acid-free paper on a circa. 1900 vintage "Peerless" treadle jobbing press manufactured by Cropper, Charlton & Co. of Nottingham, England. Please be aware that due to the hand-made nature of this publication, small mistakes are bound to occur and no two copies can ever be exactly the same. Stitched. Illustrated. Full colour. 20 pages plus cover. Acid free cotton rag deckle edged paper. Measures approx. 5 inches by 7 inches (a paper size formerly known as "Duke"). Cost: £8.00 a copy, postage included (UK), £9.00 (EU), £10.00 (RoW). Please note that this edition is SOLD OUT Terrascopædia Issue 7
Published January 2017, this is the latest in an ongoing series of extremely limited edition letterpress publications, containing an editorial, graphics, a selection of LP reviews and interviews - this time with The Amazing, Maida Vale and Tangle Edge (all artists who hail from Scandinavia)
85 copies produced. Each copy was entirely hand made from cover to cover, typeset in Caslon Old Style and lovingly printed on unbleached, hand cut acid-free paper on a vintage "Peerless" treadle jobbing press manufactured by Cropper, Charlton & Co. of Nottingham, England. Stitched. Lavishly illustrated. Ten different colours. 16 pages plus cover. Acid free cotton rag deckle edged paper. Measures approx. 5 inches by 7 inches. Please note that this edition is SOLD OUT Terrascopædia issue 5
Terrascopaedia issue 5 (January 2016) featured an editorial, graphics, a selection of LP reviews and interviews - this time with Dead Sea Apes and the Man band's Deke Leonard.
100 copies were produced. Each copy is entirely hand made from cover to cover, typeset in a specially commissioned fount and lovingly printed on unbleached, hand cut paper on a fully restored 1940s vintage Adana Letterpress machine. Please be aware that due to the hand-made nature of this publication, small mistakes are bound to occur and no two issues can ever be exactly the same. Stitched. Illustrated. Four colours. 16 pages plus cover. Acid free cotton rag deckle edged paper. Measures approx. 5 inches by 7 inches. Please note that this edition is SOLD OUT Terrascopædia issue 3
Terrascopeaedia issue 3 was the third in an ongoing a series of extremely limited edition letterpress editions, containing a selection of LP reviews (nothing digital, obviously), a feature on Plague Lounge and specially comissioned interviews with the Bevis Frond and Green Pajamas, all unique to this publication.
100 copies produced. Each copy entirely hand made from cover to cover, typeset and lovingly printed on a hand-cranked, fully restored 1950s vintage Adana Letterpress machine. Please note that this edition is SOLD OUT |
