Oakland, CA: The Prototype Press, 2015. Hardcover. Number 23 of 75 copies signed by the author and artist. Kirk Lombard is self-described as a small fish enthusiast, writer, tour guide, teacher, musician, actor, inveterate blogger, raconteur, commercial fisherman, puppet master, tenor, baseball historian, and…champion eel fisherman. He is the author of The Sea Forager's Guide to the Northern California Coast. His blog was called The Monkeyface News.

From the press website: "From the dank holes and fetid shores of Kirk Lombard's mind comes a deeply strange book, part memoir, part how-to, and part poetry, all teaching of his dealings with learning how to catch -- and use to its full potential -- the storied Monkeyface Eel from in and around the shores of the San Francisco Bay." This was the first publication issued by The Prototype Press. The author describes how to fish for the monkeyface eel, how to tan an eel skin, and offers recipes for cooking eel.

The book is printed in three colors on Somerset Book Paper from Monotype Hess Old Style and hand-set Libra types. The title page and Parts I & II are foil-stamped; the illustrations are printed relief from linoleum carvings done by Leighton Kelly. The cover is orange cow leather and green handmade paper from Twinrocker. Title in gilt to spine. The paper bears the watermark of Shotwell, as well a fishing hook, added specially for the project.There is a separate booklet of appendices of poems by Lombard. It was printed on paper handmade by the publishers with the help of Shotwell Paper Mill in San Francisco. The book and appendices booklet are in a red sleeve printed in black with "The First Edition of Notorious Eelman Kirk Lombard's Me, Myself, and the Monkeyface Eel." In fine condition. Measures 6.5 x 9 inches. 52 pages in length including text, foreword, introduction, and afterword. Fine.

Item #36565

Price: $500.00