It’s been decades since I actually owned and used an old school manual typewriter. When I did work on the old Smith Corona, I never turned out anything that vaguely resembled art. But British artist James Cook has revived the underappreciated 20th century artform of typewriter art. I can’t imagine where he finds all of the ribbons that he must burn through on his 50 year-old machines.
Take a look at these amazing short videos of Cook at work en plein air.
The Mask by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr,, one of the leading letterpress printers, book artists, and papermakers working in the United States today, was printed at Bloomington, Indiana, in 2000. Nearly all of his work has an Afrocentric focus. Mask features the use of wood and metal type, various definitions for the word “mask,” African mask imagery, multiple fold-out pages, and Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poem “We Wear the Mask.”
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
There are a few memorable books that I read during my childhood that had profound influence on my social and political consciousness. Sinclair Lewis’ novel It Can’t Happen Here was one that I’ve never forgotten. The book was published during the rise of fascism in Europe and chronicles corporate-Fascist take over of the United States following the election of Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip, a demagogue who promotes discord and division, but who promises dramatic economic and social reforms while promoting a return to patriotism and “traditional” values. After his election, Windrip takes complete control of the government and imposes totalitarian rule with the help of a ruthless paramilitary force called the Minute Men. The book’s plot centers on journalist Doremus Jessup’s opposition to the new regime and his subsequent struggle against it as part of a liberal rebellion.
This 85 year-old novel seems all too timely in the era of Trump and his neo-Fascist minions. It’s comforting to know that the book community has stepped-up to our Il Duce wannabe by publishing both novels and non-fiction aiming to raise political consciousness. The printing and bookbinding community has also been active in combating the rise of Fascism. One of the best examples has been the creation of dramatic new editions of Lewis’ prescient novel by eminent bookbinder Richard Minsky.
Minsky used some of his own blood, which is spattered on the spine and cover, and matched the color of the fresh blood with acrylic paint for most of the panel. The blood has turned brownish over time, so the acrylic maintains the illusion of immediacy.
You can learn more about the project on Minsky’s website.
Denial is a Cliff We Are Driven Over
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The engaging short film below offers a quick tour of the Smith –Settle printing and bookbinding company in Leeds, England, where books are still made the old-fashioned way. The film’s director Glen Milner covers each step in the process as bookbinders piece together a new hardbound edition of the memoir Mango and Mimosa (1974) by the British writer and painter Suzanne St Albans. From folding pages to sewing and gluing paper to the leather spine, skilled human are front and center throughout. Milner documents this melding of mechanics and craft with an almost musical rhythm, conveying skills and methods born of centuries of refinements.
Just in case you needed another reason to wash your hands these days…
The bright emerald green cloth on the books (above & below) gets its intense color from copper acetoarsenite, more commonly known as arsenic. The inorganic pigment was used extensively during the 19th century before the full extent of poisoning risks were known. Over the years, as both a book collector and bookseller, I have been handling books in this colorful bindings like any other. But apparently I have been exposing myself to an unsafe level of arsenic. One of the possible major offenders was the very popular Black’s travel guide series.
The bindings seen in the image at the top of the post were tested by Melissa Tedone, Conservator at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, in December 2019 as part of the Poison Book Project. The sample is comprised largely of green cloth case bindings, but some green paper (upper left) also tested positive. You can read more about the Poison Book Project here.
“What differentiates this research project from others centered around arsenic-based pigments in library collections is threefold: first, the toxic pigment permeates the outer covering of Victorian-era, cloth-case publisher’s bindings; second, the large quantity of arsenic-based pigment present in bookcloth; and third, such mass-produced bindings may be commonly found in both special and circulating library collections across the United States and the United Kingdom.”
If you are a collector of 19th century books, a librarian,or a seller of antiquarian titles, I highly recommend reading the referenced article on the Poison Book project, paying close attention to the suggestions on handling and storage.
I don’t think that I’ve ever actually read O, the Oprah Magazine, but I recently heard about an issue that featured “17 Black-owned bookstores in America that amplify the best in literature.” It also recommended the favorite bookshops of renowned authors like Tayari Jones, Deshawn Winslow, Jacqueline Woodson, Nicole Dennis-Benn and Kiley Reid.
“While institutionalized racism and police brutality have long been a part of America’s history, millions across the country are now reconciling with and addressing generations of racial inequality,” The article’s author McKenzie Jean-Philippe wrote. “For some, that means taking to the streets in protest. For others, it’s uplifting the cause by supporting Black owned businesses, or seeking education through anti-racist literature. Because of the latter, one industry that’s seen an influx in support and attention are Black-owned bookstores. Many shops across the country are overwhelmed with customers due to the collective push to both ‘buy Black’ and read books written by Black authors.”
I was happy to find that the article featured some of my favorite local Philadelphia bookshops too:
Tomorrow more than 630 bookstores across North America are planning to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day . Booksellers are promoting a variety of virtual and in person events this year.
Kids’ and YA events:
Adult events:
In celebration of IBD, between August 28 and August 31, Europa Editions is offering indie bookstore customers a free ebook of Elena Ferrante’s Frantumaglia when they pre-order The Lying Life of Adults. Europa will provide the ebook directly to customers who fill out an online form.
Visit the Independent Bookstore Day website to learn more about the annual event.
Travel Between The Pages 