Limited edition chapbooks of 100, signed and numbered by the author.
Vagabond Press started with the Rare Object Series in July 1999, publishing two small chapbooks of poetry by David Brooks and Nick Riemer and ran until 2014 with the last chapbook presenting work by the great J.S.Harry. The series remains iconic in Australian poetry publishing, bringing together key emerging and established Australian poets at the turn into the twenty-first century, and being remarkable for the quality of the work published and the design and production values. Originally based on a combination of the design values of French press Fata Morgana and Neil Astley's beautiful Poetical Histories series, the Rare Objects is remarkable for the cover art produced by Kay Orchison, exquisitely conceived and designed in response to each poet's work. This was publishing with the focus first and foremost on the work and the reader, creating beautiful handmade objects that are made to disperse and disappear quickly within a community of readers. This initial experiment in independent publishing was a catalyst in the resurgence of independent Australian poetry publishing over the first decade of the twenty-first century, and remains the groundwork and foundation of the press. A labour of love, commitment to new writing and community.
In July 2021, we released our archive of press copies, which we've kept safe over two decades, in an effort to raise funds to support the survival of the press.
