Creating Handmade Books - Softcover

Golden, Alisa J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0806988258 ISBN 13: 9780806988252

Publisher: Union Square & Co., 2000

Synopsis

Everyone has a story to tell--so make your own book to tell it with! From the scissors that snip the pages to the glues and stitches and ties that bind them; from elaborate compound structures with pockets to multiple signatures in a thick, sewn volume, here are the techniques you need and the styles you want. Cut and fold pages in a simple accordion, or hide a second book inside. Create pop-ups, fan, and slot-and-tab books. Construct handscrolls and hanging ones, soft- and hardcovers, even portfolios and boxes. Hundreds of illustrations and diagrams will guide you, and dozens of striking pictures will seize your imagination! The author lives in Berkeley, CA. 128 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 10. NEW IN PAPERBACK

About this title

Review

Handmade books can speak volumes (pardon the pun) about the person who created them. Some see the process as a craft; Alisa Golden treats it as an art form. Unwilling to make a choice between writing and art, Golden discovered that by making her own books she could do both, each enhancing the other. Her meticulously constructed creations are intricately folded; cleverly cut; carefully bound; adorned with letterpress, linoleum cuts, silkscreen, acrylic paints, rubber stamps, collage, decorative papers, and other ephemera; and filled with poetry, stories, images, or sometimes just snatches of words and abstract streaks of color. After nearly two decades of making books, she's still excited by each new production. That excitement comes through as she leads us on a journey of discovery from inception to finished book. Extensive directions and detailed diagrams teach us how to construct cut and folded books, sewn and/or glued structures, soft- and hardcover bindings, and variations such as portfolios, presentation boxes, and Jacob's ladder books.

Golden's own very interesting works are amply illustrated, but they are there for inspiration, not to be slavishly imitated. Beginners therefore may be somewhat intimidated; despite the thorough instructions, readers are called upon to use their imaginations when envisioning their own books. But Golden provides plenty of suggestions on finding content to fill these creations, advising us to experiment with words as we do with art materials. With her loving encouragement, even newcomers to the field will be rewarded--probably even more so than if they had simply copied someone else's designs. --Amy Handy

Edition details

• Publisher: Union Square & Co.
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0806988258
• ISBN 13: 9780806988252
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128