"The best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our very best." — Wallace Stegner on our National Parks While our government puts the final touches on a budget all of our National Parks remain closed. As the Huffington Post points out in this handy infographic, "The shutdown of the federal government has had a devastating impact on some of the most beautiful places in the country." Well, here's one way to stay connected while we wait out the madness: A pop-up book! Illustrated by Dave Ember and executed by paper engineer Bruce Foster America's National Parks might...
Sabrina Zbasnik’s All Hallows Read Posters
It started in 2011 when Sabrina Zbasnik got "a crazy idea" to design some posters for Halloween in the "Get Kids to Read" vein using the stars of the classic monster films. Then in 2012 Zbasnik was at it again, this time featuring the creepy denizens of the animal world. and now her 2013 set of posters are available featuring Edgar Allen Poe and company All images are available for download and public use.
Book Fair with Grunge and more…
This weekend the annual Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair takes center stage. Nearly 100 booksellers from far and wide converge on the Seattle Center to showcase their stuff. Don't let the name antiquarian fool you - the fair will be packed with all sorts of printed goodies at all sorts of price points. The fair is a must for any book enthusiast so don't let the terminology scare you away. Here's some highlights. Division Leap from Portland is bringing an archive of Seattle fanzines that documents essentially the history of the Seattle punk scene which also includes possibly the very first...
‘Marvels & Monsters’: Unmasking Asian Images in U.S. Comics
“Yellow Claw” #1, Atlas Comics, October 1956. (Marjean Magazine Corp.) The Japanese American National Museum, in collaboration with NYU's Asian/Pacific/American Institute and the Fales Library & Special Collections, present “Marvels & Monsters: Unmasking Asian Images in U.S. Comics, 1942-1986.” The exhibit highlights racial and cultural images of Asians that appeared in comic books from WWII through the mid-1980's. The very same images that defined and still fuel America’s perceptions and stereotypes of Asians. Unknown Soldier #221 (November 1978), DC Comics, Inc. [DC].The exhibition is curated by “Asian Pop” columnist Jeff Yang and is culled from the collection of William F. Wu, a noted science fiction...
Drive this Book
[youtube]http://youtu.be/2vwLB1a8QTA[/youtube] In 2011 graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister teamed up with the folks at BMW to produce CULTURE, a book showcasing BMW’s 40 years of cultural partnerships. The book was published in an edition of 1488 signed copies and none were for sale. Oh, and the book has one other special feature - you can drive it! For it comes equipped with an integrated, remote-controlled car!! Also, if you arranged all the copies in numerical order it "would make a square measuring 7 x 7 metres depicting a graphically abstracted image of the legendary BMW "four cylinder" building - the company headquarters in Munich built...