That is the title of the article I wrote for the new issue of Amphora the publication of the Alcuin Society.For those unfamiliar with the Alcuin Society it is a "voluntary association of people who care about the past, present and future of fine books" based in Vancouver, British Columbia whose two main goals "are to promote a wider appreciation of books and reading and to support excellence in book design and production."Hard not to support that.This particular issue is also the inaugural issue in what will be an ongoing series featuring original wood engravings. This issue features artist Jim...
Buy – Dry – Read
This is Paolo Orsacchini's striking design for a limited anniversary edition of the Italian publication of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.The book comes wet. Soaked in sea water then sealed in a nice clear pouch.Luckily, the paper is waterproof so if you want to read it you simply set the book out in the sun. Let it dry then read.I haven't been able to find out much about the book details, like size of the edition and retail price, but the image and the story have been deservedly making the rounds of the design blogs.The concept alone...
Shelf Talk: The Sorted Books Project of Nina Katchadourian
Since 1993 Nina Katchadourian has assembled more than 130 "book clusters" for both private libraries and public collections.She gets there by "culling through a collection of books, pulling particular titles, and eventually grouping the books into clusters so that the titles can be read in sequence, from top to bottom. The final results are shown either as photographs of the book clusters or as the actual stacks themselves."The photo above is from a group of clusters titled BookPace she did for San Antonio collector and art patron Linda Pace.She has also created clusters for the journal of art and poetics...
Biblio-Ceramics: The Work of Steven M. Allen
Allen's medium of choice is recycled newspapers and magazines that are mixed with a slurry of reclaimed clay.He then turns these newly formed newspaper pages into pages of books, globes, mechanical components and human figures. From these four recurring elements his work is born and Allen's exploration of the "impact of information, technology, knowledge and globalization on both individual and universal levels" begins. His goal is to "recontextualize contemporary issues inspired by articles in the same recycled newspapers and magazines."In his work one can see how books form the foundation of Allen's attempt to make sense of the world.New WorldFruits...
Typography of the Flesh
According to a poll done in 2003 by Harris Interactive 16% of all adults have at least one tattoo.The younger you are the greater the chance you will have one:25 to 29 years - 36%30 to 39 years -28%If you live in the West you are 20% more likely to have tattoos andand if you are gay there is a 31% chance you have one.and for the politico's the breakdown is:Democrats 18%Republicans 14%Independents 12%You wonder if the tattooed independents will ever become a crucial swing vote?I would also tend to believe that these numbers have risen in the last 4...