Red Dragon: A Bestiary of Modern Britain
Originally published in 1999.
New synopsis by Elsewhen Press:
Elsewhen Press are pleased to be able to produce this facsimile of the 1999 illustrated, limited edition privately published by the author but since unobtainable.
"Dr Seacastle’s... Bestiary was the product of a great deal of solid research and investigation. It is a short volume.. but there is much in the book that is precise. Not only that, she makes several rather inciteful remarks about actions taken by Her Majesty’s Office of the Witchfinder General over the decades."
– Simon Kewin, author and OWG scholar
When we published The Seven Succubi (the second story of Her Majesty’s Office of the Witchfinder General, protecting the public from the unnatural since 1645), the second book in Simon Kewin’s Witchfinder series, it referenced Dr Miriam Seacastle’s modest book Red Dragon, which was privately published by the author herself in 1999 in an illustrated, limited edition. We were keen to obtain a copy but discovered that there were no extant copies available. In his own book, Simon had mentioned that the OWG in Cardiff had a copy, so we sought permission to examine it. After much obfuscation and bureaucracy, we managed to contact the librarian directly. With a little persistence they were persuaded to allow us to peruse their copy in a secure facility. We were able to make a photographic record, which is what we have used as the basis for this facsimile edition.
"A must-have for historians, students, and those interested in the OWG or indeed protecting modern Britain."
– Sally Spender
We subsequently obtained permission to reproduce Red Dragon from Dr Seacastle, who expressed delight that her book would once more see the light of day, but conveyed her concern that all copies would again be seized by the OWG. We assured her that we are firmly of the opinion that this book is an invaluable collector’s item, and we will robustly resist any attempt to suppress its republication.
We also obtained the approval of the illustrator to use the original illustrations in this facsimile.