Sylvester & Orphanos was a publishing house originally founded in Los Angeles by Ralph Sylvester, Stathis Orphanos and George Fisher in 1972. When Fisher moved to New York City, Sylvester & Orphanos specialized in limited-signed press books.
Origins Christopher Isherwood was the first author published by Sylvester & Orphanos with a deluxe edition of Christopher and His Kind illustrated by original artwork from Isherwood's partner, Don Bachardy.
Through Isherwood, Sylvester & Orphanos met Gore Vidal and they published Vidal’s Sex Is Politics and Vice Versa.
Founders Stathis Orphanos (October 12, 1940 – January 13, 2018) and Ralph Sylvester (January 13, 1934 – January 23, 2018) were partners in life and business. They met in Los Angeles in 1960.
Stathis Orphanos was also a photographer and among his works are portraits of:
Don Bachardy Kaye Ballard Clive Barker Donald Barthelme John Barth Leonard Baskin Robert Bloch Claire Bloom Steve Bond John Malcolm Brinnin Shirley Burden Paul Cadmus Erskine Caldwell Jim Carroll Maxwell Caulfield John Cheever Robert Coover Malcolm Cowley Mart Crowley George Cukor Jules Dassin Elaine de Kooning James Dickey P. David Ebersole Harlan Ellison Odysseus Elytis James Galanos Graham Greene Thom Gunn Julie Harris David Hockney Horst P. Horst Todd Hughes John Irving Christopher Isherwood Thomas Keneally Gavin Lambert Jack Larson and James Bridges Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Naguib Mahfouz Michael Mailer Norman Mailer James Merrill Brian Moore Esai Morales Hermes Pan Reynolds Price José Quintero Rex Reed Edouard Roditi Philip Roth May Sarton John Schlesinger Budd Schulberg Hubert Selby, Jr. Sir Stephen Spender Robert Stone William Styron Edmund Teske John Updike Mamie Van Doren Gore Vidal John A. Williams Colin Wilson
In 2015, Sylvester & Orphanos donated their catalogue and photographs to the Library of Congress.
Exhibitions
Photography exhibition, San Diego County, 1988 Los Angeles, 1989, curated by Shirley Burden, former Chairman of the Department of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art University of California, Los Angeles, 1990, Combined exhibition of Stahis Orphanos photographs and limited-edition books, curated by Dan Luckenbill Beverly Hills Public Library 1995, curated by Stefan Klima Beverly Hills Civic Center, 1996, retrospective of Stathis Orphanos' photographs Honor: Marine Portraits, Oceanside Museum of Art, 2010 My Cavafy, Photo Exhibit by Stathis Orphanos, Affinity, West Hollywood 2014, The Perfect Exposure Gallery, Los Angeles
Catalogue Sylvester & Orphanos published in total 25 limited editions:
1976, Christopher Isherwood, Christopher and His Kind, 130 copies 1978, Joyce Carol Oates, Sentimental Education 1979, Gore Vidal, Sex is Politics and Vice Versa 1979, William Styron, Shadrach 1980, Graham Greene, How Father Quixote Became a Monsignor 1980, John Cheever, The Leaves, the Lion-Fish, and the Bear 1980, Nadine Gordimer, Town and Country Lovers 1980, V. S. Naipaul, A Congo Diary 1980, Margaret Drabble, Hassan's Tower 1980, James Merrill, Samos 1980, Donald Barthelme, The Emerald 1980, J. V. Cunningham, Dickinson: Lyric and Legend 1980, Reynolds Price, A Final Letter 1980, Philip Roth, Novotny's Pain 1981, James Purdy, Scrap of Paper & The Beiry-Picker: Two Plays by James Purdy 1981, Tennessee Williams, It Happened the Day the Sun Rose 1981, Paul Bowles, In the Red Room 1982, Richard Adams, The Legend of Te Tuna 1982, John Cheever, The National Pastime 1983, Graham Greene, A Quick Look Behind: Footnotes to an Autobiography 1985, William Hjortsberg, Tales & Fables 1985, John Updike, Impressions 1988, John Cheever, Expelled 1990, Graham Greene, A Weed Among the Flowers 1990, Yannis Tsarouchis: The Face of Modem Greece (in preparation in 1990, likely not released)
References