San Francisco-based independent publisher MacAdam/Cage, who published Stacey Levine's lovely collection of short stories, The Girl With Brown Fur and recently brought Iain Banks' great novel The Crow Road back into print in the United States, appears to have dropped off the face of the earth. Though their website is still functioning, their blog and Facebook pages haven't been updated since mid-August.

MacAdam/Cage's phones appear to be offline. Calls to every number listed on the website result in disconnection messages. I called Publisher's Group West, which distributes MacAdam/Cage's books, earlier today and the receptionist seemed to be unaware of any problems with the publisher. I just called them again and was informed that MacAdam/Cage's "phones have been shut off" and that PGW is currently trying to locate anyone from MacAdam/Cage.

This is an odd move for a publisher, and if it's a sign that they have quietly (very quietly) gone out of business, then that's a real shame; Levine's book is exceptional, and a number of other MacAdam/Cage titles are notable, too. They're the publisher of The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, for one, and they've also published titles by Michelle Tea, Jack Pendarvis, Will Christopher Baer, and many others. If I hear anything from MacAdam/Cage or PGW, I'll report it here.

UPDATE: I have been informed by Abbey Phalen of Publisher's Group West that "there is some construction taking place in [MacAdam/Cage's] building that has their phones out of service temporarily." The phones have not been functioning since at least Friday. I have an e-mail out to MacAdam/Cage and hope to hear from them soon.

UPDATE 2: Got a call from Pat Walsh, MacAdam/Cage's publisher. Short answer: Phone trouble. The long answer, which includes a little bit more detail on the publisher's most recent money troubles, is here.