Today is the first Peter Verheyen Day. Subscribers to the Book_Arts-L, a Syracuse University-based mailing list managed by Peter Verheyen, decided that it was about time we honoured Peter for his contributions to the book arts world. The date —June 23, 2019— was chosen by Peter himself as this day marks 25 years since the list began. Continue reading
Tonight’s video was produced by Neenah Paper and Crane® Papers as part of a fund-raising campaign for the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in the community of Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
If you have a few minutes to spare this weekend, there are two more videos in the series here. If you would like to plan an unusual vacation, you might want to check out the events schedule for the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum here.
I received a lovely gift this past week: a second-hand but mint condition copy of The Beauty and The Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, in the 1858 J. R. Planché English translation.
This week’s flicks both feature typewriters. The first, eponymously named Typewriter, is by Tom Nichols of Nic Nac Pictures and gives a brief history of the machine.
The second flick, Boston Typewriter Orchestra, is from American Buffalo. It’s a music video with typewriters as the only instruments.
Perhaps you will find something typewritten this weekend, or even get a chance to type something yourself.
I wrote last week about being given some items by a friend. She was clearing out her late husband’s study and wanted to find a good home for things she has no use for. I showed you lots of pens and nibs, and one set of stencils for a specific drafting pen, but I saved the other alphabetical goodies for this week.
Tonight’s flick comes from the Robert E. Kennedy Library, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, California. The video presents a rapid look at three artist’s books by Julie Chen/Flying Fish Press held in the library’s Special Collections.
If you would like to spend a few minutes this weekend taking a slower look at some of Julie Chen’s book works, you will find her portfolio here.
In February I posted about acquiring an Alpha lettering set from a friend. It had belonged to her late husband. She was happy to dispose of it and I was happy to get it.
My friend contacted me again recently about more of her husband’s things. (It is remarkable how much stuff one man can pack into a study about ten feet by ten feet.) She wanted to be rid of things and asked if I was interested.
The answer was a definite yes. Continue reading
There are some things books can’t do. The sight gag is one of them. Today’s flick from Tony Zhou’s Vimeo channel, Every Frame a Painting, demonstrates Buster Keaton’s mastery of the visual joke. The video is a bit longer than I usually post, but worth every second.
If you have twenty-five minutes to spare, you might want to watch The Railrodder. One of Keaton’s last films, the movie was directed by Gerald Potterton and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. If you have another hour to fill, and want even more Buster Keaton, the NFB also produced a documentary of the filming of The Railrodder entitled Buster Keaton Rides Again. It includes Keaton reminiscing about his life in the movies and clips from some of his films. Perhaps you will have a Buster Keaton festival this weekend.
On Friday I posted two videos about fan making in Japan. Finding those videos and a few days of warmer than normal weather set me to thinking about fan books: not just books whose pages could be fanned out, but fan books that could be usable as fans. This was my first try.
We are getting a little preview of summer with temperatures above normal for a few days. Thinking of hot weather makes me think about ways to keep cool. Many cultures traditionally use a hand fan. Tonight’s pair of flicks show the construction of two different styles of fan from Japan: a folding fan from Kyoto and a flat fan from Chiba Prefecture.
If it is warm where you are this weekend, you could make a different sort of folding fan.
You will find the instruction video here.
