First, some important news that we have been eager to share for many months, nay many years. Finally, we may inform our readers that Hieratikon: Office Book for Priest and Deacon has been sent to print and is expected to arrive by the first of September. Hundreds of hours have been spent on this volume, tweaking, editing, and correcting its contents and we are excited to present the fruit of our labors to you.
Second, we are happy to share that we are on the cusp of being able to send several other titles to print very soon:
Service Book for the Faithful
Great Book of Needs, volume 1
The Festal Menaion
Orthodox Christian Canons and Prayers
After vacillating between simply reprinting and completely overhauling The Great Book of Needs and The Festal Menaion, we reached a compromise. The texts for these volumes have largely remained the same, we have only fixed a typo here and there. But, they have been newly typeset and re-sized. The Great Book of Needs is now in a handy 5" x 7.75" size, with generous margins, and black and red lettering. The Festal Menaion, together with the forthcoming Lenten Triodion, has likewise been re-sized and is now 10" x 12" with double columns, a size much more convenient for laying flat on a reading desk or analogion. Red and black lettering and a fresh typeface will greatly improve this volumes's readability.
Progress on long term projects, while not being quite ready to send to print, is nonetheless being made. These include:
The Horologion (The Book of Hours)
The Holy Gospel
The Holy Apostol
Services of Holy Week
The pocket edition of The Holy Psalter has been typeset, but the illustrations that will make this book truly unique are still in the process of being drawn. We hope to have this book on the shelves by Christmas.
Since our last update in March, we have been thrilled with the arrival and overwhelming positive response for The North American Thebaid. So great was the response that we had to request a second printing within a few weeks of this book's release. This comes as no wonder; this book is truly beautiful and incredibly unique. I could also not be more satisfied with the quality of the presentation provided by Gomer Press (in Wales, UK). As Abbot Tryphon said in his review, the price seems steep only until you hold one of these volumes in your hand. They are truly priceless.
Also from Gomer Press, we received a small shipment of Orthodox Christian Prayers. These were printed primarily for our UK and EU markets, by way of White Horse Wares. Gomer Press was unable to copy several of the specifications from our printer in China—they lacked the equipment for the soft leather with rounded edges, nor could they gild the page edges. Thus, this edition features a square, hardback leather cover and red page edging (there are no changes to the interior texts). We prepared ourselves for disappointment, but when we actually received the books, it was hard to complain. They are beautiful and have the look and feel of a exceptionally high quality book. We have received nothing but positive feedback so far and thus we intend to make further printings of this edition, while still maintaining stock of the original edition from our printer in China.
On a more personal note, I travelled to the UK (once again) this past March, spending a week in the utter wildness and breathtaking beauty of the Shetland Isles.
Lighthouse on Bressay. Shetland Isles. March 2025.
Then, taking a harrowing ferry ride over a very rough North Sea to Aberdeen, I traveled to the more tranquil waters of south Devon, where spring was already in full bloom.
Exeter Cathedral, where I enjoyed a unexpected performance of Bach's St. John's Passion
These trips, while personal, bring so much inspiration for my work at the Press. One example is this lovely sign that I saw while alighting from my train in Okehampton, along the edge of Dartmoor.
The color scheme and typeface became the basis for what I consider to be one of the most beautiful things ever put out by STM Press: our Book Advisor and accompanying bookmark, with the stunning foil work made possible by our friends at Spencer Printing.
If you are at the All American Council, stop by our booth in the Vendor Area, talk to our staff, and pick up a free copy of the Book Advisor and a bookmark.
To all my fellow pilgrims,
Best of wishes,
—Priest Mikel Hill, managing editor