4 ms·

Books have always been an art form...

by rfrank 9y ago

cooper12 9y ago
The title refers more to the physical book process itself rather than just the contents. That's why the article spends paragraphs talking about his meticulous choices in ink and paper, and trivialities like silk that will show in the binding or the exact color of the bookmark. The article differentiates him with how he has the luxury to spend months on projects and do longer and more expensive print runs. A normal publisher would just probably go with glossy paper, whatever size the artist prefers, and cheaply mass produce coffee-books, but he is shown to be more collaborative and discerning.
- Mikhail_Edoshin 9y ago
  I think the author of the comment meant the physical process. It was and is an art and art doesn't have to be posh and expensive to be art. The article title sounds as if it used to be a mere utility process until this guy. Besides, I was expecting to find examples of books inside with examples of good typography or art editing, but there's none; this is strange.
  - cooper12 9y ago
    > The article title sounds as if it used to be a mere utility process until this guy That's a good point as it makes it seem like anyone preceding him had no creativity or standards. That's titles for you though, interesting always trumps descriptive or objective. > I was expecting to find examples of books inside with examples of good typography or art editing Yeah I was actually expecting something similar but turns out this is more about the product itself rather than any of the contents. Besides, they're photography books so most of the focus will be on the photographs.
- rfrank 9y ago
  Yeah I know, and I'm referring to that as well. He pans the Gutenberg Bible early in the article. The whole reason the printing press was a world changing invention is because it reduced books from handmade art to a commodity. To me it feels like he doesn't actually understand or respect the history of his craft. 1st edition of Birds in America by John James Audubon: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9aiM_tlf4s0/TxuGE5ytVPI/AAAAAAAAEY4/4mQnvlP2ztY/s1600/audubon-birds_+Audubon+book+-The+Birds+of+America-7-million-dollar.jpg https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9aiM_tlf4s0/TxuGE5ytVPI/AAAAAAAAE... Yale rare books library: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/45/e8/56/45e85613242ae03facb2d4c84f23dc8f.jpg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/45/e8/56/45e8...

Books have always been an art form...

by rfrank 9y ago

Books have always been an art form...

The title refers more to the physical book process itself rather than just the contents. That's why the article spends paragraphs talking about his meticulous choices in ink and paper, and trivialities like silk that will show in the binding or the exact color of the bookmark. The article differentiates him with how he has the luxury to spend months on projects and do longer and more expensive print runs. A normal publisher would just probably go with glossy paper, whatever size the artist prefers, and cheaply mass produce coffee-books, but he is shown to be more collaborative and discerning.

Mikhail_Edoshin 9y ago
I think the author of the comment meant the physical process. It was and is an art and art doesn't have to be posh and expensive to be art. The article title sounds as if it used to be a mere utility process until this guy. Besides, I was expecting to find examples of books inside with examples of good typography or art editing, but there's none; this is strange.
- cooper12 9y ago
  > The article title sounds as if it used to be a mere utility process until this guy That's a good point as it makes it seem like anyone preceding him had no creativity or standards. That's titles for you though, interesting always trumps descriptive or objective. > I was expecting to find examples of books inside with examples of good typography or art editing Yeah I was actually expecting something similar but turns out this is more about the product itself rather than any of the contents. Besides, they're photography books so most of the focus will be on the photographs.
rfrank 9y ago
Yeah I know, and I'm referring to that as well. He pans the Gutenberg Bible early in the article. The whole reason the printing press was a world changing invention is because it reduced books from handmade art to a commodity. To me it feels like he doesn't actually understand or respect the history of his craft. 1st edition of Birds in America by John James Audubon: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9aiM_tlf4s0/TxuGE5ytVPI/AAAAAAAAEY4/4mQnvlP2ztY/s1600/audubon-birds_+Audubon+book+-The+Birds+of+America-7-million-dollar.jpg https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9aiM_tlf4s0/TxuGE5ytVPI/AAAAAAAAE... Yale rare books library: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/45/e8/56/45e85613242ae03facb2d4c84f23dc8f.jpg https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/45/e8/56/45e8...