A different sort of published book . . .

So much talk lately on being published and not being published.

There’s actually another sort of book: the artist’s book .  A book that is conceived by an artist, formatted and bound by that artist.  It may have a graphic interior, text, or it may be blank, a rendition of the old-style journal.  It will often be made of the most glorious paper and sometimes will be manipulated and folded to create a different style of book: a concertina book, a pamphlet book, an octavo, a ‘fat’ book, so many different sorts.  It may have a box specially created to contain the book. And then there are the bindings: a traditional single-case binding, a Japanese side-binding, a Coptic binding and hundreds of other decorative styles.

I have a penchant for artist’s books.  I like that there is a creative imagination behind so much of the piece.  I like the feel of it in my hand, I like the smell of the paper and the faint squeak from a binding as the book is opened.  I LOVE the covers that many artists design for their books.

To illustrate my point, here is a selection of artist’s books from Salt Studio. Salt Studio has a special place in my heart because the artist concerned designed the covers for The Stumpwork Robe and The Last Stitch.