A scifi ‘zine is an expensive money-losing business, so we decided to print on clay tablets. Printing costs are killing us. Clay is plentiful. Power to the people!

So, to recap: We printed a special edition of Issue 9 of Space Squid on clay, using a cuneiform stylus in the manner of the ancient Sumerians (Iraqis to you). The regular edition is also out, and at its core are images of the same two clay tablets, surrounded by pages of extra PDF goodness. Check it out at the Free Scifi page.

We’re flattered that this project’s been getting some great press at WIRED, on Bruce Sterling’s blog, and at various webby spots. And we’re not selfish either; we’re happy to show you how to make your own clay tablet publication. And there’s the YouTube clay tablet tutorial. And the Space Squid collection at Texas A&M University’s Cushing Memorial Library.

If you want your own scifi clay tablet to confuse future archaeologists with, contact us and we can see if we can track down one for you. Most are now in the hands of private collectors. Who knew?