Andrea here, thinking about books today. Okay, that’s nothing new. I think about books a LOT! But I’m thinking specifically about the art of books today. These days, more and more of us are reading digitally, and while that’s a wonderful convenience—having loads of books on a tablet or phone is a godsend for travel or being stuck in a waiting room or grocery line—we do lose some of the elemental essence of what makes reading such a visceral pleasure.
What got me to thinking about this was an article I came across the other on modern-day artists in Tuscany who are keeping the age-old crafts of fine bookmaking alive and well. (You can read the the story and feast on the pictures here.
I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time in college and grad school learning about the arts of the book—including choosing handmade paper for the pages, printing with handset lead type, creating illustrations, sewing signatures, making marbling paper, and binding the pages into a decorative cover. So for me, an integral part of the interaction with the written word is the physical connection—holding a book and turning the pages.
Now, that’s a nice experience even with a mass-market paperback printed on cheap pulp paper. But it becomes a sublime one when I’m reading a book that has been crafted to be a work of creative art in and of itself. (A favorite example, one that I’ve had forever in my personal library, is Maurice Sendak’s “Nutshell Library, a very cool and inventive little ensemble of children’s books.)
I once went to a book exhibit on the pre-Raphaelites as book illustrators and it was entitled Pocket Cathedrals. I love that term, for a beautiful book really is a "tiny heaven.” So, let’s explore some of the elements that I experienced in learning about the craft of bookmaking. (All photos are from my personal library)
P
aper is important on a number of different levels. Color, weight, feel, deckled or straight edge—there are more choices than you might imagine! Whites ranges from cool to warm. (Cool has a blue-ish tinge, while warm veers toward yellow.) And cream colors can have a variety as well. I tend to think cream is softer on the eyes, but that’s a personal preference. Weight is very important. The rule of thumb is a page should turn with a “flutter”. Too thick (ie. stiff) and it won’t lay down well and makes the book harder to read. Too thin and the type will show through, again affecting the reading experience. Size of the book often determines just how heavy a weight paper to use.
A paper can also be very smooth or have a “tooth”—which in book parlance mean a slight texture. Handmade laid paper has the mold of the paper imprinted on it. Kid finish is a common commercial paper type, and is used in fine bookmaking.
Typefaces affect readability, and also are chosen to create beauty. Their designs are often works of art on their own. Popular faces for special edition books these days are Goudy, Bembo, Garamond and Baskerville, which are all classic serif types with an elegance that is timeless. (Studies have shown that serifs, those little swashes on the ends of individual letters, make a type more readable in book pages. That’s why you very rarely see books set in sans serif typefaces.)
Illustrations add a wonderful element to a book. Novels used to be illustrated, as shown in my vintage editions of Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice. Sadly, mass publishers rarely do that anymore. But . . . read on for more on illustration.
And then there are bindings and endpapers, as well as the actual cover. Slip cases often add an extra touch of protection for a special book. (I made the slipcase lined with decorative paper to hold Art of the Printed Book.)
I only dabbled in book arts, however my interest in bookmaking got my artist mother really intrigued . . .and she became a fabulous creator of handmade, illustrated books. She set the type, did the illustrations, printed the limited editions on a hand press, and learned book binding so that she she could create her own covers and slipcases. Needless to say, these wonderful books are treasures of my personal library.
So what about you. Do yo have a soft spot in your heart for the look and feel of a physical book? Do you have favorite editions or books you’ve saved just for the sheer beauty of them? Please share!
