G A R G O Y L E
Literary Lights!

A limited series of four "flash fictions" printed inside the covers of handsomely designed matchbooks. Joseph Faria ("Hands"); Mary Kelly ("Seduction"); Bob Thurber ("Good Advice"); and Andrew L. Wilson ("The Further Adventures of the Incredible Shrinking Man"). This series is limited to 4,000 matchbooks and will not be re-printed.

"Literary Lights" are available for the embarrassingly low price of twenty-five cents per book, plus the cost of a padded mailer and postage.  The cost is a dollar fifty (for a set of 4), or a two dollars seventy-five (for 2 sets of 4), &c. 

Gargoyle is not a for-profit organization. In fact, it is not even an organization.  After the printing/design costs have been covered -- or, perhaps we should say, in the unlikely event that the printing/design costs ever get covered --  the writers published in "Literary Lights" will evenly divide up profits. 

"Literary Lights" are actual matchbooks of matchbook-sized fiction. Published by Gargoyle Daily, these unique flamers feature four short-short stories (printed in a limited edition of 4000 matchbooks (1K per tale)). They're sure to "strike up" conversation the next time someone asks, "Got a light?" Just hand them one of these artistic objects and you'll literally enlighten them.

The conceit is brilliant. The stories -- all under 100 words -- are printed on the inside of the matchbook, which is functional yet parodic. (You are told by the underleaf to "Open Cover Before Reading"). On the outside is a thoughtful image of a gargoyle and a label that promotes the publisher's website, "Gargoyle Arts & Letters."

The four teensy tales themselves are genuinely high quality literature and definitely worth the cost (at a quarter a pop, it's not like you're setting your wallet on fire). In Joseph Faria's touchingly subtle "Hands," a family dysfunction is revealed in a memory of a father's big hard hands. Good kitchen candle reading. In Bob Thurber's piece, "Good Advice," a father's words of wisdom are spelled out in ten hilariously apt snippets worth musing over while the logs in the fireplace ignite. Andrew L. Wilson presents a great tale of the fantastic in "The Further Adventures of the Incredible Shrinking Man" with hilariously ironic results. Perfect for the camper who wants a little night reading. And Mary Kelly's "Seduction" is an erotic exploration of food -- perfect, I suppose, for reading during an after dinner smoke.

Although works of literary mainstream, the tales seem to represent a range of genres, from the science fiction comedy of "Shrinking Man" to the romantic promise of "Seduction."

The matches work well. The striker is sure. The stories are so good, I doubt anyone will burn them. And I am certain matchbook collectors will cherish these little gems.

Gargoyle Daily mails one set of four matchbooks for a buck-fifty ($1.50 US) which includes postage. Discounts for bulk.