Plumb Bob: A Book Object

[Artist's Book] Bart, Harriet

Published by Mnemonic Press, Minneapolis, 2009

Octavo. [46] pp., illus. Limited edition, number 9 of 30 copies, signed by Bart. Letterpress printed on 200 gsm Fabriano Artistico, sewn and in brass covers with chemical symbol for lead, "Pb," hand-engraved on the front cover. Steel hinges enclose the perimeter of the brass covers; housed in hinged wooden box with brass mesh cover top and bottom. Minor snags to the brass mesh; some discoloration to the brass covers from handing. In private correspondence, Bart writes: Unlike my other books, which I prefer to see as pristine as possible, I actually like when the PB looks handled (the pages remaining pristine). I have a collection of old plumb bobs. Because they are tools that have been well used, they are pitted and marked. I have one copy of Plumb Bob in the studio that I have intentionally allowed to be scratched, pitted and finger-printed. I like that way." This note followed by some instruction to brighten the brass covers for those collectors who prefer a fresher look. Accompanying publisher announcement describes Plumb Bob thus: "In keeping with her practice of presenting cultural artifacts as sculptural objects, Harriet Bart has used the quotidian plumb bob as both subject and object of her conceptually based installations for more than a decade. Largely unchanged from ancient Egypt to the present, this elegant and simple tool has been handed down to us as if it were a fit from our ancestors. Bart has explored the plumb in its many guises: as a building tool, an object of initiation and divination, as a pendulum, and as a metaphor in search for that which is timeless and true. Plumb Bob, a book object, is a reflection of that extensive body of work. Seller Inventory # 9371

Bibliographic Details

Title: Plumb Bob: A Book Object
Publisher: Mnemonic Press, Minneapolis
Publication Date: 2009
Signed: Signed by Author(s)
Edition: 1st Edition