Welcome to Rufus Books
Rufus Books Publishing is an independent small press based in Toronto specialising in the creation of quality publications by poets primarily from Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Using the best papers and techniques that adhere to traditions of old as well as a view to the modern, transcendence of the word in its best possible expression into tangible book form is the focus and celebration of all our publications. As such, the artwork, graphic design, and printing are vital in the production of the unique books, chapbooks, and broadsides created by Rufus Books Publishing.
Recent & Forthcoming Titles
Molly, Etc.
SCOTT ELDER
"Scott Elder's small, seemingly slight poem, 'Your Neighbour Will Catch You', packs quite a punch. It is the matter-of-fact statement like the opening line 'The way is not clear' that pulls the reader into a sophisticated litany of imagery and rhetorical questions that juxtaposes against each other like pieces of a broken puzzle. It is once elegiac and fluid, each re-reading rendering another layer."
— Malika Booker
Uncertain Densities
IAIN BRITTON
"Uncertain Densities is a call to bring intimacy back into the act of observation, to touch the world — as Britton says — with our eyes. His exploration of touch doesn’t stop at the poems: the physical book itself is a delight to hold. The slight indent of the letterpress-printed title on the thick, textured handmade paper gives the impression that words are meant to be felt as well as read."
— Keziah Cho, The Indiependent
Stone Hours
JEREMY CLARKE
"Reading Jeremy Clarke's poems is like watching something emerge out of the consciousness of the street. The language too feels its way along: precise, tenderly inventive. The place is littered with stray voices and brief psalms — beautiful, tiny adjustments to the progress of the book. It is, in effect, a religious process, with its prayers and psalms and hymns, a kind of liturgy for the permanent in the fleeting." — George Szirtes
News & Notes
Offering a snapshot of most recent happenings, visit the News & Notes webpage for archived posts, or our social media for more.
Grendel makes an exit in support of Palestine-Israel Standing Together
21 June 2026
When something is so blatantly and obviously wrong in the world, it's time to give Grendel the boot. In this case, by way of a broadside by Ágnes Cserháti, limited to 10 copies. All proceeds will be donated in support of Standing Together, a grassroots movement whose mission is to achieve peace, equality, and social justice in Israel-Palestine. Forthcoming 7 October. Enquiries welcome.
Jeremy Clarke's DEVON HYMNS materials in Eton College Library holdings
3 June 2026
The materials for Jeremy Clarke's Devon Hymns are now held in Eton College Library's Modern Collections, including original cover artwork by John Berger, original drawings by his son Yves Berger, and a copy of the poems gathered by Jeremy with hand-pressed flowers. In a letter to Jeremy, John Berger exclaims, "You sent me a meadow!" This and other letters are also part of Eton's holdings.
Iain Britton reads at Unity Books 17 May amidst a spellbound lunch crowd
18 May 2026
Iain Britton read from his new chapbook, Uncertain Densities, enlightening the Unity Books lunchtime crowd on Diane Arbus's photography and what exactly the poetic form of Haptik is — an emphasis on imagery and symbolism rather than meaning — he's devised for his next collection. No wonder the book browsers suddenly stopped browsing, standing "like statues" as Iain read on.
Readings & Other Happenings
19 NOVEMBER 2026
Waterstones
27 Great Darkgate St
Aberystwyth SY23 1DE
@ 7 to 9 PM
BOOK LAUNCH
Merlin's Cave
Join us in Aberystwyth to celebrate the launch of Merlin's Cave, a chapbook of a canto rendered in Matthew Francis's own inimitable way from the Italian epic poem Orlando furioso (1506–1532) by Ludovico Ariosto, with commissioned illustrations by Clive Hicks-Jenkins letterpress printed by Deborah Barnett.
"I am only interested in poetry, which occurs more often in verse than in prose."
— John McGahern
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