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De onschuldige monnik en kluizenaar Ondeeds ontvangt in zijn grot diep in het groene woud een louteringsvlammetje van de heilige Agnese-een martelares die voor haar geloof ooit de rattendood stierf. Hij heeft er weken voor gebeden en gevast. Met dit vlammetje kan hij arme boeren met kleine problemen helpen, om zo in zijn simpele onderhoud te voorzien. Maar het loopt anders. Door honger en ellende gekweld maakt hij een begrijpelijke fout. De heilige accepteert dit niet en het vlammetje dooft. Goede raad is duur. Hij besluit tot een bedevaart naar de sterfplaats van de heilige. Maar nu, zonder vlammetje is het woud een duivelse en vijandige wereld. Dan lijkt er redding mogelijk, maar die komt van een demon uit de groene magie, die absoluut niet kerkelijk is goedgekeurd. Met overtuigende argumenten weet de demon Ondeeds voor zijn doelen te strikken, in ruil voor een twijfelachtige bescherming en het doorgeven van een belangrijk bericht aan het kerkelijke bewind. Ondeeds zwicht voor de verleiding en neemt het voorstel aan. Maar zodra hij het woud verlaat vormen de machinaties van de demon een enorm probleem. Spoedig kruist hij de weg van de duivel. En nog erger: de inquisitie is op zijn vernietiging uit. Zal Ondeeds leven en zielenheil kunnen bewaren? Of is hij voorgoed verloren? De klassieker Ondeeds de Loutere was de eerste fantasyroman die Peter Schaap ooit schreef, maar hij kwam uit na De schrijvenaar van Thyll, die de volgende was.

The Vance Integral Edition made extensive use of the personal papers of Jack Vance, in particular his final manuscripts, as these contained Vance's last word regarding the work as he intended it.However, in the years since the VIE concluded in 2006, initial and intermediate drafts have also been studied, to shed light on Vance's creative style and process. Vance was an unsentimental editor of his own work, and for the dedicated fan or scholar it is fascinating to see what he himself cut and altered exercising his craft as storyteller and wordsmith.Nightlamp: an Outline is one revision short of being a finished work in its own right. In its present form, it is not free of blemishes, naming inconsistencies, occasional repetitions, and ideas not fully fleshed out, but is unmistakably the work of the Grandmaster - full of mordant observations on human nature and society, in characteristically graceful and ironic style.Spatterlight is proud to present the first fruit from the Jack Vance archive. Nightlamp: an Outline is a behind-the-scenes snapshot of Vance's draft work, intended for the student, archivist, completist, or serious enthusiast.

Jack Vance mastered his craft over more than sixty years, garnering awards including the Nebula, Edgar, two Hugos, and the 1997 SFWA Grandmaster. The stories in this collection were written through the early-mid period of his career, spanning twenty years from the early 50's on. Vance would dismiss his early work as juvenile, "gadget"-oriented, lacking subtlety and polish. Even so, these stories are hearty and entertaining. Vance's perception, imagination and eventful personal experience are all visible, staking the way for significant things to come. Extraterrestrials are difficult to portray, but Vance takes a swing with Phalid's Fate (1951), Nopalgarth (1966), and The Narrow Land (1967). Shape-Up and Crusade to Maxus are classic SF. The Augmented Agent and Milton Hack from Zodiac are intrigues, with recognizable prototypes of Magnus Ridolph and Miro Hetzel.The conflict between conservers and exploiters is a theme Vance would return to with Maske: Thaery and The Cadwal Chronicles. The Gift of Gab (1955) throws in a twist: the challenge to communicate with a non-human race having no language.Chateau d'If (1950) highlights the collection. Critics were divided on the merits of the story (originally published as New Bodies for Old) but agreed the atmosphere was the creation of a major talent. In a future city all needs are met, and the greatest threat is ennui. Seeking novelty, Roland Mario gets more than he bargained for when his mind is placed in the flaccid body of an unhealthy man, having an unhappy family and messy professional life. Inhabiting every uncomfortable aspect of the man's life, Mario determines to win back his own body. This won't be easy or quick, but he rolls up his sleeves, and the venture ultimately provides what Roland sought in the first place. In the end, he faces an unexpected choice.Chateau d'If and Other Stories is Volume 13 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series.Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

This collection of early work contains thirteen stories written during Jack Vance's apprenticeship in the pulp magazine era of the late 40s and early 50s, including: The Potters of Firsk (1950), where wondrous artifacts are crafted using lime from the bones of the dead-and occasionally, the living.Parapsyche (1958), reminiscent of one of Vance's California-based mysteries, deals with the paranormal. Don Berwick studies mediums who communicate with the dead, but has an enemy in his fanatical evangelist brother-in-law, Hugh Bronny.Sail 25 (1962) introduces Henry Belt, who trains cadets for work in space. In a light-sail driven craft, cadets are expected to demonstrate their abilities by navigating to Mars and back. If things go wrong, Belt is locked in his cabin drinking whisky, and won't help-because he expects to die in space!These stories demonstrate the range of Vance's imagination, and the stylistic gifts which would bring him the SFWA Grandmaster award in 1997, and a place in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.Sail 25 and Other Stories is Volume 6 of the Spatterlight Press Signature Series.Released in the centenary of the author's birth, this handsome new collectionis based upon the prestigious Vance Integral Edition. Select volumes enjoyup-to-date maps, and many are graced with freshly-written forewords contributedby a distinguished group of authors. Each book bears a facsimile of theauthor's signature and a previously-unpublished photograph, chosen from family archives for the period the book was written. These uniquefeatures will be appreciated by all, from seasoned Vance collector to new reader sampling the spectrum of this author's influential work forthe first time. - John Vance II

Originally published: New York: St. Martin's Press, 1991.