Aleator Press is a publisher, archive, and rare book dealer specializing in computer-generated literature and other experiments at the intersection of print and procedure.
WORKS OLD & NEW
As a publisher, we create three kinds of print artifacts. Facsimile editions are loving reproductions of out-of-print works that are difficult to obtain. Speculative editions are physical imaginings of historical works that never existed, but should have. New editions are experimental works by contemporary practitioners who are creating interesting work today. We strictly publish in small runs, with attention to craft and detail.
rolling dice
Aleator rhymes with ‘aviator.’ It’s a Latinate word meaning one who plays at dice, which we treat as a poetic descriptor for creative practitioners who employ chance methods, especially on computers. In Roman times, the term had a negative connotation, and practitioners of computer poetry and related forms have likewise encountered vitriol — but we celebrate them. As a numbering convention, each copy of each Aleator Press release is hand-stamped with a unique dice roll. Under this scheme, we are limited to unusual edition limitations corresponding to the combinatorics of dice rolling.
made in mpls.
We are based in Minneapolis, and we aim to contribute to the vibrant book arts community here in the City of Lakes. Our current projects center on handmade books that we make ourselves, with printing by letterpress or other craft methods.
curatorial mission
Aleator Press aims to carry out curatorial work related to the bibliography of computer-generated literature. On this website, we will gradually exhibit our growing archive of printed matter in this area. At several hundred unique items, this may be the largest such collection in the world. Additionally, we view our bookselling efforts as a form of curation. We distribute works by contemporary practitioners and deal in obscure historical titles that we discover through tireless research. We are particularly interested in working with individuals and cultural institutions who wish to build their own collections along these lines. Our mission is to establish computer-generated literature as a new specialization in book collecting. Please reach out!
james ryan, prop.
Our proprietor is a bibliophile who cultivated an interest in computer-generated literature while earning the first PhD in Computational Media, from UC Santa Cruz. In addition to maintaining his own creative AI practice, he’s a scholar who specializes in the obscure history of this area. Aleator Press dovetails with this research in its mission to celebrate both pioneering and contemporary work in computational media.