ARCs

 In publishing, an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) is a pre-publication version of a book, typically in digital or print format. These early editions are often lower in quality and may contain errors, as they are intended for review prior to the book’s official release.  ARCs are generally provided to a limited group for preliminary feedback ahead of the public release and are not designed for permanent collection.  

In this case, however, the process is intentionally reversed. Here, the ARC represents the highest-quality edition of the book.  These editions presented in a format more akin to a collector's edition and contain original art recognizable from the novel. All subsequent public releases remain fully faithful to the content, but are produced in more widely available formats, making the ARCs uniquely collectible.   Each novel in the Wordless Novels Series is limited to exactly 300 ARC copies.   

Copies 1-10: Artist's collection
Copies 11-50: Religious and spiritual institutions
Copies 51-90: Publishers
Copies 91-130: Public and private collections
Copies 131-170: Individuals
Copies 171-210: University libraries
Copies 211-250: Media
Copies 251-290: Charitable organizations
Copies 291-300: Reserved for public auction (2050, upon series completion)

Binding: Red faux leatherette hardcover with gold foil embossed seal and front endpaper embossed with release year (2025). No dust jacket.

Copy Number: Stamped inside back cover near spine in red geranium acid-free archival ink. Matches stamped number on enclosed original artwork.

Original Art Insert: Each ARC contains one signed piece of original artwork corresponding to its copy number (e.g., Copy #300 contains original Page 300). As the series progresses toward AI-generated content, these original pages become the sole physical record for verifying which images were created by human hand. Materials: Fabriano Artistico extra white hot-pressed cotton paper, Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer watercolor pencil, holy water, Pigma Micron archival ink.

Note on Holy Water: Holy water is applied by hand after color layering, both as devotional practice and material choice. Its mineral content differs from distilled water and may affect archival properties over time. As the series progresses, this technique will evolve, with holy water becoming increasingly integral to image formation itself.

Presentation: Original art is intentionally folded and placed image-inward within the book for protection during storage.