Sunday, February 28, 2010

Box Books: Click here
Mission Creek Press: Altered Books : Click here.



Friday, February 26, 2010

Mapping Project

Art and Mapping (read pages 1-6)
On Right Map Making by Steven Holloway

Steven Holloway (Tomake Studios) Click on the various images and other galleries (west coast, other places).


Two great PODCASTS

Unusual Books



Click here to go to the website.




Codex Seraphinianus
In 1978 a mysterious package arrived at the Franco Maria Ricci's Publishing House in Milano, Italy. It was "Codex Seraphinianus" - a lavishly illustrated manuscript written in a weirdest alphabet, not seen anywhere else. The illustrations were of bizarre animals and strange rituals, reminiscent of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" psychedelics, married with Hieronymus Bosch. If you can read this book, you'll possess keys to parallel Universes, or so they say. According to Wikipedia, "the language of the codex has defied complete analysis by linguists for decades". At least we know that the title word "Seraphinianus" is the acronym for "Strange and Extraordinary Representations of Animals and Plants and Hellish Incarnations of Normal Items from the Annals of Naturalist/Unnaturalist Luigi Serafini".

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Japanese Bookbinding

Coptic Binding

Coptic binding refers to methods of bookbinding developed by early Christians in Egypt, the Copts, and used from as early as the 2nd century AD to the 11th century.[1][2] The term is also used to describe modern bindings sewn in the same style. Approximately 120 original and complete Coptic bindings survive in the collections of museums and libraries,[3] though the remnants of as many as 500 Coptic bindings survive.[4][5]
Coptic bindings, the first true codices, are characterized by one or more sections of parchment, papyrus, or paper sewn through their folds, and (if more than one section) attached to each other with chain stitch linkings across the spine. In practice, the phrase "Coptic binding" usually refers to multi-section bindings, while single-section Coptic codices are often referred to as "Nag Hammadi bindings," after the 13 codices found in 1945 which exemplify the form.


More information on coptic binding by clicking here.
Variation of the above.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Exhibition TEXT/MESSAGES & Worlds Smallest Book


Video and interview about exhibition: Text/Messages at the Walker Art Center. Some good images of books. Click here to see video.

Worlds smallest Book:
Mark Palkovic, head librarian for the College-Conservatory of Music Library, owns a prized possession that's bringing him world fame. Guinness World Records has confirmed that Palkovic is the owner of the smallest book in the world. Palkovic's book, Chekhov's Chameleon, measures just .9 by .9 millimeters, not much larger than a grain of salt. Amazingly, this miniscule book has 30 pages and three color illustrations. The print cannot be read by the naked eye, but Palkovic keeps another larger copy of the book, still measuring just a tiny 2 by 1.8 centimeters, nearby.


Sunday, February 7, 2010

Scott McCarney


This guy has lots of galleries and does lots of altered books. The above is from his "Saints & Sinners" group. Click here to go to his website.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Book Arts Podcasts

Various podcasts related to artist books. Click here.