Description
7.44 x 9.68 | 348 pages | Perfect-bound softcover
Coated interior
Photo-illustrated
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JUNE 8 UPDATE: Despite rumors to the contrary, I have not mailed out any advance or gratis copies of Instead Indices. North American orders in receipt are on track to go out in a single bulk mailing on Monday, June 15, as initially announced. Reports of “early arrivals” almost certainly trace to international orders that were allocated to Amphetamine Sulphate and shipped at their discretion. My intention with this release has been to ensure that all advance orders handled through 9BB are received at approximately the same time.
When the bulk transaction is scanned at the post office on Monday, purchasers will — or should — receive notification and tracking information through an automated email service. I’m using Pirate Ship for address management and verification, and I have flagged notes from customers indicating address errors to be corrected.
For those who have asked, the books are securely packed — first in a bubble mailer, then in a durable cardboard 10 1⁄4 x 8 1⁄4 x 1″ Kraft Easy-Fold Mailer, then in a USPS Priority Mail cardstock mailer. I also have a certain number of copies on reserve to cover for loss or damage in transit.
I regret that I have not been as responsive as I should with reference to email queries and correspondence. I will try to respond to everyone next week, following the big mail day.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
MAY 17 UPDATE: I’m dropping the passive voice to give you a straightforward first-person account of where things stand with this release.
First, a number of people have written to ask if Instead Indices is indeed “sold out.” While I assumed that was the case, now that I have returned to my PC and looked under the hood, I see that I had initially set the sales limit too low. With apologies for the confusion, then, orders are again open, with ~50 more books available for purchase.
Are there more? Will there be more? The accurate answer is that there are a few; but these copies are presently reserved for such contingencies that might require books lost or damaged in transit to be replaced. If any of these “insurance” copies remain after the smoke settles, I may dispatch them to Amphetamine Sulphate to sell at their discretion. This is speculative.
Lest there be any confusion, I should clarify that my firm intention is to mail ALL of the orders in receipt on the date of release, which is June 15, 2026. I am enlisting a third-party service to see that this bulk dispatch is executed efficiently. International orders processed through Amphetamine Sulphate are being dispatched at their discretion.
My below-referenced publisher’s note (“Logic and Lemmata”) will be made available here as a free download following the book’s June 15 release. It may also be noted that Philip Best, having disclosed and expended his modest interest in this venture, has posted a pithily obliquitous commentary on something called a Substack. Look it up. I suspect a cipher.
Finally, I should confirm that the allotment dedicated for overseas customers has been sold out. I have disabled the link.
Thanks for your patience. Boxin’ ’em up, boss.
MAY 12 UPDATE: If you placed an order for this title using Venmo or PayPal and you did not receive an automated email confirmation, please rest assured that your order is in receipt. Also, if you recently contacted 9BB with a correction to a processed order or for another reason relevant to this release (other than to complain about the price), I will be getting back with you as soon as practicable. The initial spate of orders has ebbed as anticipated, but there are still copies available. I do expect this one to sell out, however, probably prior to the release date. Thanks for your patience, folks.
UPDATE: We are now accepting advance orders for Instead Indices. The shipping fee for US orders is $15. For orders placed from Mexico or Canada, the fee is $40. Orders placed from outside of North America are being handled by Amphetamine Sulphate, with shipping and handling fees determined at their discretion.
If you are placing an order from a continent other than North America, please click HERE [link removed] to be redirected to the Amphetamine Sulphate checkout page.
Books will be shipped on or shortly after the June 15 release date.
Please refer to the revised announcement below for additional information. Changes from the original text are charmingly indicated with strikethroughs and boldfacing.
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Announcement
After a regrettably long hiatus, Nine-Banded Books is pleased to announce the upcoming publication of Instead Indices, a major new book by Peter Sotos. We will begin accepting advance orders for this title during the second week of May, 2026. The book will be officially released on June 15, 2026.
Instead Indices is being published in a limited edition of roughly three hundred (unnumbered) copies. Domestic orders North American orders will be fulfilled exclusively by the publisher, while international orders placed from outside the United States not originating from Canada or Mexico will be directed to a trusted distributor. In response to prior customer feedback, purchases will be strictly limited to one copy per transaction.
The book is $95. While this is a high mark for a premium softcover, the price fairly reflects the investment of time and resources entailed in the development, production, and efficient dispatch of the present volume. Short-run printings are invariably costly, especially for books of substantial heft and durable quality. It is worth noting that Instead Indices will not be available through traditional online retailers upon release, and subsequent printings are not contemplated.
For reasons more mundane than suggestive insinuative, Nine-Banded Books has opted not to ornament the present announcement with “ad copy,” or such descriptive verbiage that conventionally functions to tease or promote a book’s content. Following the date-certain release of Instead Indices, however, this listing will be supplemented with an external link to a formatted text tentatively entitled “Logic and Lemmata” that may be of marginal interest to some readers. This document will consist of candid remarks by the publisher, primarily, if expansively, bearing on the book’s structural design and layout.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Memento mori.
