Ed stumbled upon a very cool website by Mirage Bookmark, featuring some of the grandest, creakiest, most modern, particularly drafty, and altogether essential bookstores–alive and well–on the planet. Click here for some stunning shots of venerable shops like Shakespeare and Co. Antiquarian Books in Paris and The Lello in Portugal.
Don’t miss the new exhibition “Inventing Marcel Duchamp: The Dynamics of Portraiture” at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. Here’s some of what the New York Times had to say:
(The exhibit) can be viewed as a fascinating exploration either of the process of self-invention or of the artist as self-promoter. Either way, it should arouse sharp reactions. It includes portraits by Man Ray, Francis Picabia and Alfred Stieglitz, as well as self-portraits by Duchamp. There is also a portrait by Andy Warhol, another artist who knew how to mold his public image.
If you go, be sure to check out the accompanying catalog Inventing Marcel Duchamp: The Dynamics of Portraiture, produced by Marquand Books, also found on-line through MIT Press.
March 27-August 2, Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Call (202) 633-8300 for more information.
I have loved books for as long as I can remember. The process of making books is an almost 600-year-old technology that is constantly being reinvented, particularly where art and artist books are concerned. Regardless of what is going on politically or economically, those of us in the book industry have always felt that there is never really a good time not to make books. It helps, of course, that our vocation is almost entirely populated with obsessive enthusiasts (or enthusiastic obsessives): artists, gallerists, curators, designers, contributors, color-managers, pressmen, and so forth, all the way down to the sellers and consumers/collectors of art books.
I’ve been involved with almost every aspect of book making for over ten years. It started back in 1993 when I was the editor-in-chief and associate publisher for Incommunicado Press, an independent press specializing in contemporary fiction and poetry. We were only a small staff of two; together with publisher Gary Hustwit, I acquired, edited, designed and promoted every book. When I moved to New York, I had the good fortune to be hired by Avery Lozada, Vice President at D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers.
Working with Avery was an incredible experience and I learned a great deal from her. We tackled all aspects of distribution and publishing, covering a wide variety of projects—working directly with artists, galleries, museums, collections, special projects, and internationally recognized publishers, such as JRP/Ringier, Aperture, Hatje Cantz, and Steidl.
Now, although I am based in New York and far away from the Seattle office, working with Ed and the rest of the Marquand team has been a joy. When meeting with clients here on the East Coast regarding prospective or in-progress projects, I find it easy to communicate the creativity, energy, enthusiasm, and integrity that has always existed at Marquand. I think most of our clients come to realize rather quickly what an extraordinary structure we have at Marquand—one which exists for the primary purpose of supporting their publishing ventures and also for the mutual love of books. –Donna Wingate
We caught up with Cloudery, a designer and visual artist who has grown a series of rewarding businesses around Etsy, a website for buying and selling handmade goods, including Cloudery, Cloudery Digital and Crescent Maille. The artist talks design and offers tips for anyone new to the world of on-line art and craft. More at somethingcloudery.com and on her gallery-style blog featuring Etsy’s visual artists, MVSEVM.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Does it seem like design work and now Cloudery grew out of childhood aspirations?
I’ve always felt a need to make things; arts & crafts have played a huge role in my life. I think that’s one reason I gravitated professionally to graphic design, specifically book design (and even more specifically, art book design). I’m able to combine my appreciation of art with my desire to make things, and have tangible results of my work.
By the first grade I was composing and illustrating my own stories (my first big project was called “Miss Mole Gets Married”). I dictated while my mother patiently typed each sentence—I was very specific about the paging, and which sentences I wanted on each page—then I illustrated the pages. I added a cover, title page, even a table of contents. I created little books of my stories, which I stapled together or bound with a three-hole-punch and yarn.
In drawing I have found my artistic voice to be relevant to who I am right now. My background as a designer influences how I use the page. My drawings are very purposefully positioned in the space, and often bleed off one or more sides. White space is as important in my drawings as the lines. Recently I received an apt compliment on my work: “Cloudery’s drawings strike me in some way as an artist’s rendition of thoughts—someone expressing an idea or sentence—in visual format. I suppose all painting and drawing is this to some degree, but to me these are close to sentences.”
We recently caught up with bookmaker, visual artist and writer Alisa Golden. Golden founded never mind the press in San Francisco in the 1980s and has taught bookmaking and printmaking at the California College of the Arts for years. Here, she shares insight into staying creative and staying put in San Francisco’s vibrant book arts community.
Tell us a little bit about your education and background.
People used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I’d say, “a writer and an artist.” Then I would get a lecture about how you couldn’t make a living being a writer and an artist. I also wanted to be a teacher, but was told by my favorite high school teacher not to do that either. Meanwhile, I always had art lessons, I always wrote, and I worked with kids constantly.
Continue reading: “Never Mind the Press: A Chat with Bookmaker and Artist Alisa Golden”
Here are a few different images of make-ready sheets shot on press by Marquand Senior Designer John Hubbard. Make-ready sheets are the result of running paper through a printing press in order to align its plates. This helps achieve the right balance of plate pressure and ink density to match the client’s color proofs.
(Captions clockwise, from top left)
A typical sight at a book printing plant, this ready-made includes a standard test press sheet with color bars and gradients used to test the press and calibrate plate curves.
Detail of a make-ready made sheet from Over the Line: The Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence 2000, designed by Marquand Books for UW Press.
Discarded offset printing rubber blanket from a sheet of random images sent for wet printing, 2000.
Make-ready from Dangerous Curves: The Art of the Guitar 2000, designed by Marquand Books for MFA Boston.
At Marquand Books, we are working as hard as our clients to save money and reduce unnecessary cost overruns. This series will feature suggestions on how to help us help you save on book production costs. Check back often.
Today’s Tip: Stick to deadlines. Delays can drive up publishing costs.
Continue reading: “Tips for Controlling Publication Budgets in Tight Times”
by Kim Christiansen, iocolor
When preparing a digital image for use in book production, there are three primary areas of concern that need to be addressed:
Image Resolution
Color Accuracy
Color Space
The number one concern is image resolution. Ideally the image scan/capture should be 400ppi (pixels per inch) at 100% of the final size it will be used in your book. This should be native resolution, since resampling your image in Photoshop to 400ppi won’t add the necessary quality.
The second concern is color accuracy. This hinges on a simple, yet crucial, question: “Does your studio/department employ good color management practices?” Without a color-managed system, your screen and printer will not accurately show what the files actually look like. If you are unfamiliar with the principles of color management, we highly recommend learning more about the process. There are many classes, books, and websites available to help you find more information.
Third, your final images should be in the Adobe RGB color space and not converted to CMYK. If you convert to a generic CMYK color space, it is likely that you will not be getting everything you can out of your images. Let us handle this process. We have the experience, tools, and information necessary to make an optimal CMYK conversion that will bring out the best in your images and, ultimately, your finished book
If you have transparencies or artworks that need to be captured, iocolor can provide scanning and digital image capture services. We can also color manage existing images and print color-accurate match prints for reference. With our many years of experience, we understand the image requirements for the book production process better than a prepress shop more oriented toward advertising. We employ state-of-the-art equipment and industry-leading processes, so your book images will more truly match the originals.
If you’re in the Omaha-area, don’t miss Sentimental Journey: The Art of Alfred Jacob Miller, on view at the Joslyn Art Museum. While you’re there be sure to pick up the exhibition catalog, produced by Marquand:
“This book will set a new scholarly standard for monographs on western art,” said Bill Truettner, Senior Curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and one of the leading scholars in America on western American art. “[It] will bring to the study of western-art patronage a refinement few others in the field have even approached.”
The exhibit remains at the Joslyn–its final destination–until May 10.
We’re in love with IndieBound, a new website that promotes local, independent bookstores across the US. The site offers excellent reasons to shop and think locally:
The Economy
*Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
*Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
*More of your taxes are reinvested in your community–where they belong.
The Environment
*Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
*Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.
The Community
*Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
*Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
*More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community
A favorite feature of the site is the indie store finder. Type in your zip code and presto, you get a consolidated list of local booksellers in your area. Try it here.
Marquand Books designs and produces fine illustrated books for art museums, galleries, trade publishers, artists, collectors, and architects.
