Ancient history
Atlantis, the Amazons, and the Birth of Athene
Nicholas Costa
An in-depth study of Plato’s Atlantis that connects the narrative with second-millennium BC records.
Press & media
Resources for the press.
D'Aleman Publishing brings together Nicholas Costa's books on coin-operated machines, ancient history and art, with critical response from historians, archaeologists and specialist publications.
The author
About Nicholas Costa.
Nicholas Costa is a British author, historian and artist recognised for research into the history of coin-operated machines and ancient history. A graduate of the Royal College of Art in London, his work connects academic research with artistic practice.
His published work ranges from definitive accounts of coin machines to studies of ancient civilisations and medieval Cyprus, and his research continues in archives, publications and the institutions that preserve it.
Read the full biographyCatalogue for coverage
The published books.
Science & eschatology
Adam to Apophis
Nicholas Costa
A revised investigation into asteroids, climate change and the ancient records of world-changing events.
Technology history
Penny in the Slot: Conceiving the Internet
Nicholas Costa
The untold story of coin-operated devices and the unlikely invention trail that led to today’s internet.
Cultural history
Automatic Pleasures
Nicholas Costa
The definitive history of the coin machine, from ancient invention to the foundations of the automated age.
Cultural history
More Automatic Pleasures
Nicholas Costa
A collection of acclaimed articles on the rise and cultural impact of the slot machine industry in the USA and UK.
Medieval history
Searching for Joanna
Nicholas Costa
A history of Joanna L’Aleman, Pierre I de Lusignan and a fourteenth-century Cypriot court.
Art & illustration
Divine Mother Hubbard’s (Existential) Nursery Rhyme Picture Book
E Zapotek & Divine Mother Hubbard
Thirty-six enigmatic paintings, each inspired by a nursery rhyme and created in blue-brown, the colours of truth.
Artist’s book
The Yellow Philosophy Book
E Zapotek
An illustrated, found work from the early 1970s, preserved with its flaws, mysteries and singular spirit intact.
Selected critical response
What reviewers have said.
“I have read the book with great interest and I congratulate you for your sharp eye! You have really observed things specialists have overlooked.”
Dr Angel Nicolaou-Konnari, Associate Professor in Medieval History, University of Cyprus
“In this book Costa cuts through the fog… He illuminates a way through the gloom, showing a way further back into the past than has been done before… I applaud this book!”
Professor Dr Alan Meades Ph.D, Principal Lecturer, School of Creative Arts, Canterbury Christ Church University, U.K.
“An original, thought-provoking, and well researched piece of work.”
Grapevine review
“Nic Costa’s classic Automatic Pleasures: The History of the Coin Op Machine is once again in print and as relevant as ever.”
Tricia, Amusing the Zillion
Press enquiries
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