Arx
Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 1333
Merchantville NJ 08109, USA
Email: info@arxpub.com
Mission Statement
The Significance of Arx
Arx is a Latin word meaning ‘fortress’ or ‘citadel.’ In antiquity,
the arx occupied the highest location in a city and could be a
place of defiant opposition or a sanctuary of last refuge. Just as
often, it was the mustering point for a
determined sortie, the site of a magnificent temple, or where
a great triumph was celebrated. The citadel of Troy was the setting of
some of the most famous episodes in all of Western literature. In
Greece, the Acropolis of Athens continues to be among the most
awe-inspiring places on earth. The arx of Rome with its
infamous Tarpeian Rock, overlooked the Roman forum and witnessed some
of the most dramatic moments of Roman history.
The arx of an ancient city was a symbol of great strength. A
proper arx was a high-walled bastion, impregnable to even the
most determined foes, well fitted-out to resist siege and famine, and
easily defended by a small garrison. From Brennus the Gaul to Suleiman
the Magnificent, history is replete with tales of would-be conquerors
who swept all before them in the field of battle, only to be humbled by
an arx they could not take.
The Goals of our Publishing Program
As Professor Alan Sokal of New York University so convincingly
demonstrated, the post-modern elite within academia, literature, and
art is intellectually
bankrupt. In his celebrated parody article,
Transforming Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics of
Quantum Gravity, Professor Sokal successfully managed to get a
completely nonsensical paper published in a journal known as Social
Text [Duke University Press]. This journal describes itself as "a
daring and controversial leader in the field of cultural
studies...focus[ing] attention on questions of gender, sexuality, race,
and the environment." As it turns out, the journal is 'daring' only in
that it publishes utter drivel and passes it off as
scholarship. It is 'controversial' only in that occasionally, someone
with
a legitimate scientific or liberal arts education objects to its
patently
erroneous content. As anyone in the business knows, the publishing
industry
is positively littered with similar books and journals that offer
nothing
to advance knowledge or culture, but instead attempt to drown both in a
sea of absurdity.
Arx Publishing, LLC is a bastion for authors and works whose
high literary style, subject matter, and attachment to traditional
values are often at odds with the post-modern literary orthodoxy. Many
have asked, "When post-modernism finally reaches its 'imaginary end
point,' what will follow?" We believe the answer is a hearkening back
to the awesome heritage of the Western literary canon—that endless font
which nourished many previous literary and artistic revivals. For
examples of what we mean, please see our bookstore or visit
our
Continental Congress of Art site.
With this in mind, our publishing program is dedicated to the blending
of modern genres like the fantasy, farce, science-fiction or
action/adventure novel with more ancient forms such as the epic,
allegory, or classical history. The goal is to create a list of unique
and highly original books that is not only a feast for the imagination,
but for the intellect as
well: books that are fascinating, relevant, intense, clever, and
intellectually challenging. It is our hope that these books will appeal
to a wide
audience: from fantasy and sci-fi enthusiasts, to students of classical
and medieval literature, to the general reader seeking a respite from
the usual mass-market offerings.
Our Location
Arx Publishing is located in historic Bristol,
Pennsylvania, in a 19th century building whose stout
walls and buttresses do a passable impression of a classical arx.
Previously just another decaying industrial town on the Delaware,
Bristol is undergoing some fairly amazing renewal of its own and we are
happy to be a part of this effort. If you'd like to be kept informed,
please
sign up for our mailing list.
