May 4, 2012
May 4, 2012
This is the eighth of eleven observations I shared during my part in the conversation about Pen-to-Publication (see blog entry for 24 February 2012).
The day before Valentine’s Day, I was at BooksBooksBooks (Lausanne’s English language independent bookstore) and I snagged the last copy of Letterpress: The allure of the handmade, by David Jury, British designer, teacher, print-maker and independent publisher.
The cover of this book features a gorgeous photographic close-up of metal type sitting in a chase. The title typeface has a flawed surface, as if printed on a letterpress. The books interior is a beautifully-produced homage to the art of mechanically-inked impressions on paper.
The next day, I unwrapped a Valentine’s Day gift from my daughter Sofie. It was another copy of Letterpress: The allure of the handmade. Matt’s shop had TWO copies of this book?
Leafing through the pages brought me to Jury’s beautifully articulated case for independent publishing:
“Independence is freedom from the vagaries of other people’s priorities.”
Of course, this applies to more than just books.
Letterpress (the book)