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Book Arts Collection

A guide to discovering artists' books in the Book Arts Collection at Hill Memorial Library.

Woodcut

Woodcut text and abstract image on handmade paper

Sonnets of Dark Love

García Lorca, Federico. Sonnets of Dark Love. [New York] : Parvenu Press, 2000.
PQ6613 .A763 S513 2000 FLAT, Rare
 
Carolyn Trant often chooses to carve and print text from woodblock. Here, the text and image are printed are woodcuts. Trant uses a masking technique to apply multiple colors to a single block. Khadi handmade paper. Spanish and English poetry throughout.

Large red bust on cover. Book open to a spread with a multi-colored checkered snake crossing the two pages.

Ultima Thule

Christopher, Nicholas. Ultima Thule. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Passim Editions, c2004.
PS3553 .H754 U48 2004 FLAT, Rare

Epic poem that is the story of an adventurer on a journey to the end of the world, while a young Spartan queen waits and ponders her fate. Woodcuts by W.B. Tanner on Swedish handmade paper with over 125 color woodcuts.

Overlapping text that reads

Mask

Kennedy, Amos Paul, Jr. Mask. Bloomington, Ind.: A. P. Kennedy, Jr., 2000.
N7433.4 .K46 A71 2000 FLAT, Rare

Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. uses wood and lead type as a sort of vibrating image in much of his work, including this one. The poem "Mask" by Paul Lawrence Dunbar is the inspiration for this piece. This version is printed on handmade paper with heavily inked woodcuts and type, one masking the other.

Two open spreads of book. First spread shows text printed on translucent paper and woodcut illustration. Second spread shows overlapping black, orange and yellow shapes with tangled black lines below.

Duck Blind

Kelly, Bill. Duck Blind. San Diego: Brighton Press, 2013.
N7433.4 .K458 D83 2013 FLAT, McIlhenny Natural History Collection

Three years in the making, Bill Kelly's book of woodcuts and writings was inspired by the musicality of language. Studying poet Robert Pinsky's translation of Dante's Inferno, he built his own "selva oscura" (dark forest) through a series of intricate prints and word ruminations. The poetry and prose that make up the text of Duck Blind helped him carve the wood so he could hear his meanings. 'I get an image from the sound of the metaphors,' he said. For Kelly, the writings and images must be seen together..."--Brighton Press 2014 catalog

Book open to a spread showing a swimmer through green and blue waters.

The Third Thing

Kiggell, Ralph. The Third Thing: A Selection, by Ralph Kiggell, of Writing on the Subject of Water. Llandogo, Monmouthshire: Old Stile Press, 2013.
N7433.4 .K478 T45 2013 OVER, Rare

Multiple block woodcuts in a palette of four colors illustrate this collection of poetry on the theme of water. Poets include Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, Padraic Colum, John Masefield and contemporary poets from Australia, Thailand, and the UK.

Black and white woodcut bust of King Lear.

The Tragedie of King Lear

Van Vliet, Claire. The Tragedie of King Lear. [Newark, Vermont: Janus Press, 2013]
NE539 .V38 A77 2013 FLAT, Rare

A portfolio of woodcut prints that visually depicts King Lear's gradual descent into madness.

Lino-cut

Lino-cut print of Callisto as a bear and a hunter poised with a spear.

Callisto

Samson-Talleur, Linda. Callisto. Tuscaloosa, Ala.: Carotuccia Press, 1986.
N7433.3 .S257 C35 1986 OVER, Rare

This version of Callisto is printed on irregularly shaped handmade paper to accommodate lino-cut illustrations that extend off the square page. A shaped box houses the unique book.

Overlapping floral papercuts inside a shadow box in colors of green and yellow.

The Perfect Garden

Schwartzott, Carol. The Perfect Garden. Niagara Falls, N.Y.: Lilliput Press, 1996.
N7433.4 .S385 P47 1996 FLAT, Rare

Five tunnel book type layered illustrations made from reductive lino-cut illustrate different garden flowers.

Landscape with grassy field, hills, and blue sky

What The Owl Said

Cortese, James. What the Owl said: with relief prints by Claire Van Vliet. Newark, Vt.: Janus Press, 1979.
PS3553 .O717 W5 OVER, Rare

An American fable in which a variety of animals are concerned with their own survival.

Three panels of a man thinking about a treehouse and dragging wood out of a forest.

The Tree House

Liddell, John. The Tree House. Oldham, England : Incline Press, 2001.
N7433.4 .L54 T73 2001, Rare

2-color linoleum block printed panels take the reader through the building of a tree house and illustrates the passage of time through seasonal color shifts.

Abstract rendering of summer in yellows and oranges with details in pink, green and purple.

Four Months, Four Seasons

Fine, Ruth. Four Months, Four Seasons. Newark, Vt.: Janus Press, 2009-2010.
N7433.4 .F56 F68 2010, Rare

Reductive linocuts create abstract landscapes representing the four seasons. Each section of the book uses one linoleum block cut then printed, then cut again and printed again, multiple times. This image has 6 layers all carved and printed from the same block.

St. Fancis stretching and a cup of coffee.

St. Francis Preaches to the Birds

Schumann, Peter. St. Francis Preaches to the Birds. Newark, Vt.: Janus Press, 1978.
NE539 .S37 A4 1978B FLAT, Rare

Hand colored relief prints by Peter Schumann illustrating a day in the life of St. Francis of Assisi. One of three versions of this book held by Hill Memorial Library.

Lino-cut illustration of brown hills with dark green trees in the background.

Four Women

Hayford, James. Four Women. [West Burke], Vermont : Janus Press, 1982.
PS3558 .A84 F68 1982, Rare

A collection of poetry with two landscape color linoleum-cut prints by Susan Johanknecht.

Embossings

Embossing created with wire of a woman's figure.

Turn Over, Darling

King, Ron. Turn Over Darling --. England: Circle Press, 1990.
N7433.4 .K48 T87 1990, Rare

A series of 6 double-sided blind-embossed images printed from wire, which, when folded and juxtaposed in sequence, make eleven reclining nudes which change position from front to back view.

Circle Press has made this item digitally available: https://issuu.com/ronking/docs/turnoverdarling_issuu

Cover of book created with embossing and paper casting during the papermaking process.

Winterreise

Müller, Wilhelm. Winterreise. [London] : Parvenu Press, c2005.
PT2436 .M7 W613 2005 FLAT, Rare

Embossed handmade paper covers by Carolyn Trant with collagraph prints.

Blind intaglio embossing of a map paired with concrete poetry that mimics the shape of the map.

Chesil Bank, South

Please, Keith. Chesil Bank, South. Surrey: Circle Press, 1980.
PR6066 .L38 C48 1980 OVER, Rare

An embossing made from an intaglio plate paired with concrete poetry that references the imagery.

Geometric intaglio embossing on left page with text of a poem on right page.

Earth Birds

Eigner, Larry. Earth Birds. Guildford, England: Circle Press, 1981.
PS3509 .I47 E37 1981, Rare

Blind intaglio embossings and 46 poems printed in hand-set Baskerville lead type.

Blind intaglio embossing of a baby with red text printed below.

Delicious Babies

Shuttle, Penelope. Delicious Babies. [London, England]: Circle Press, 1996.
PR6069 .H8 D35 1996 OVER, Rare

Intaglio embossings by Willow Legg.

Embossing of a tree in winter made from an intaglio plate printed without ink.

Etched in Autumn

Jones, Shirley. Etched in Autumn. [Croyden, Surrey : Red Hen Press], 1997.
PR6060 .O577 E83 1997 FLAT, Rare

"A response to the landscapes of Breconshire, where Shirley Jones came back to live in the autumn of her life. Five folders embossed with blind-printed etchings of local flora, fauna and her cats enclose leaves of Japanese Unryushi printed with passages of her poem ... The poem is printed letterpress in Perpetua typeface. The images employ mezzotint, aquatint and etching, printed on Somerset paper." -- Colophon

Collograph

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Kazantzis, Judith. The Garden of Earthly Delights. [Lewes, England?] : Parvenu Press, 2003.
PR6061 .A98 G37 2003 FLAT, Rare

Carolyn Trant's multi-color card collagraphs expand through this large scale artist's book and take inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch's work of the same name. Screenprinted text.

Jasper the Lion Heart

O'Callaghan, Julie. Jasper the Lion Heart. London: Gefn Press, 1990.
PS3565 .C34 J37 1990 FLAT, Rare

Three black and white collagraphs by Susan Johanknecht demonstrate some of the textures achievable with this medium.

Winterreise

Müller, Wilhelm. Winterreise. [London] : Parvenu Press, c2005.
PT2436 .M7 W613 2005 FLAT, Rare

"WinterReise words from Schubert Song Cycle by William Müller together with words and collagraphs by Carolyn Trant" -- Colophon. Embossed handmade paper covers, collagraph, and overlapping Schubert and Trant text combine in this work.

Wood Engraving

Winter Wind

Jennings, Elizabeth. Winter Wind. Newark, Vt.: Janus Press, 1979.
PR6060 .E52 W5, Rare

Wood engraving by Monica Poole; poetry printed by letterpress on handmade Barcham Green Charles I paper.

Lac Des Pleurs: Report from Lake Pepin

Schanilec, Gaylord. Lac Des Pleurs: Report from Lake Pepin. [Stockholm, Wisconsin] : Midnight Paper Sales, 2015.
N7433.4 .S328 L33 2015 FLAT, Rare

The text consists of commentary on passage through Lake Pepin by several authors including Henry David Thoreau and Mark Twain, for example, and is printed letterpress with hand set lead type. All of the images were printed from end-grain maple blocks with the exception of the key block for Pelicanus erythrohynchos, for which han extra piece of Corian countertop material was used.

Outside: Six Short Stories

Lopez, Barry. Outside: Six Short Stories. Santa Rosa : Nawakum Press, 2013.
PS3562 .O67 O98 2013 OVER, Rare

Wood engravings by Barry Moser.

Herball from the Dialogues of Creatures Moralised ...

Siegl, Helen. Herball from the Dialogues of Creatures Moralised ... West Burke, Vt.: Janus Press, 1979.
PA8310 .D52 1979, Rare

Hand-colored wood engravings on Barcham Green deWint paper. First printed in Latin by Gerard Leeu in Gouda in 1480 & in English in 1535.

Bible Birds

Tournour, Margaret. Bible Birds. Durham: Black Cygnet Press, 1996.
NE1147.6 .T68 A4 1996, Rare

Collection of wood engravings and Bible quotations.

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