Books for Posing August 17, 2012

Prior to the emergence and popularity of image libraries and stock photo agencies, The Fairburn System of Visual References was considered the holy grail of visual reference material for artists of the day. Produced in 3 volume sets of human figures, faces and heads, figures and hands, they were an indispensible resource for the art director and commercial artist who relied on the photo references to hand render people—usually with Magic Markers—for conceptual storyboards and ad campaigns.…

Looking at Books and Things with Kim Jong-il August 9, 2012

Kim Jong-il, the former supreme leader of North Korea liked looking at things. Here he is seen looking at books under the watchful eyes of his military staff and entourage. Kim Jong-il looks at food in an undisclosed location. See Kim look at many more things at Kim Jong-il Looking at Things. Most definitely worth looking!

The Golden Rules of Typography July 19, 2012

The Golden Alphabet; or Parent’s Guide and Child’s Instructor, published by Robert Taylor. This extremely rare miniature alphabet book from 1846 contains some beautiful decorated initials, followed by several pages of rhymes and moral platitudes for parenting and instruction of children. Based on these three images, I can only presume that Taylor was a far better evangelist than he was a printer or typesetter. Damn the wordspacing and to hell with letterspacing! The word kern must have…

Australian Library’s Exhibit Is Unbearably Cute April 28, 2010

Blinky Bill Made His Debut In 1933, And Has Been The Best Pal Of Australian Kids Ever Since. Wall, Dorothy, 1894-1942. Blinky Bill : the quaint little Australian / story and decorations by Dorothy Wall. (Sydney : Angus & Robertson, 1940). (Image Courtesy Of Monash University Library.) For American kids, it’s Curious George or The Cat In The Hat. For English kids it’s Peter Rabbit. But for Australian kids the most beloved mischief-maker in children’s…

Treasure Discovered at Rare Book Round-Up April 26, 2010

The L.A. Times Festival of Books yielded a bonanza for the woman who came to the Southern California Chapter of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America’s Rare Book Round-Up booth for a free appraisal. A book the woman bought for a dollar at a garage sale was worth $6,000. Suffice it to say, she plotzed when informed. A metaphysical ambulance is routinely parked nearby to handle such situations. Treated for acute swoon, she recovered fully…

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