Sylvester & Orphanos
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 and Ralph Sylvester 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
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' photographsHonor: Marine Portraits, Oceanside Museum of Art, 2010My 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''