Paper is sensuous. Think of the love letters of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, Henri Matisse's Jazz cutouts, William Morris wallpaper, Samuel Pepys's journal....With its many textures, weights, weaves, colors, and designs, paper adds dimension to our lives. Paperie: The Art of Writing and Wrapping with Paper, written by Bo Niles in conjunction with Kate's Paperie, explores that dimension and widens our understanding of the role of paper throughout history and its importance in communicating with books, letters, cards, currency, wrapping paper, room decoration, and anything else you can imagine.
Paper is a gracious and hospitable medium; while it can easily be transformed through folding, cutting, printing, or tearing, it also has the power to transform through wrapping and decorating. Paperie documents our relationship with paper, describing its creation from wood fibers and cotton rags, the use of it in packaging and printing, and the way in which a simple sheet can inspire the imagination to artistic creativity. The first section of the book, "Transforming Paper," describes the ways in which societies have adapted paper to their uses throughout history, most notably through writing, printing, and the creation of stationery, envelopes, greeting cards, books, and journals. The second section, "Transformed by Paper," deals with the more artistic uses of paper and the ways in which it affects each surface to which it is applied, whether that surface is a box, lamp, wall, floor, kite, or banner. One of the most stylish ways paper can be used is in wrapping, and Paperie describes different folds and presentations, as well as how the Japanese tradition of gift-giving places more importance on the wrapping than the gift itself.
Like Holly Golightly's Tiffany's, Kate's Paperie has a remarkable atmosphere. Everything in the store is made from or used with paper, and the moment you enter you can tell something unique is happening there. It is a complete paper experience, from the corrugated cardboard walls all the way up to its paper accordion drop-ceiling -- rough sheets of multicolored papers line the walls, brightly designed handmade greeting cards await selection in circular carousels, handmade photo albums and journals lie in stacks, all begging to be caressed, fondled, and chosen for a special use. Paperie is the distillation of years of paper craft knowledge, creativity, and flair. It not only provides information on the best paper choices for each project, but it teaches new techniques for wrapping and decorating, and inspires the letter-writer, journal-keeper, and would-be artist in all of us.
In these days of PalmPilots, pagers, hastily typed e-mail messages, and cars equipped with fax machines, the art of hand-writing a letter has morphed into something rather quaint, if not downright Victorian. The folks at Kate's Paperie, a sumptuous, even decadent paper and writing-supply store with three Manhattan locations, seek to remedy this situation with
Paperie: The Art of Writing and Wrapping with Paper. It's a reference for creative touches that no party planner, wedding coordinator, gracious businessperson, or love-letter writer ought to go without.
Paperie begins with an enthralling, lavishly illustrated tour through the histories of the written word; the art of papermaking (from China's first paper 2,000 years ago, through the Egyptian development of papyrus); to printmaking, including the background of the watermark, business card, social stationery, penny postcard, and letter-sealing wax; and developments of calligraphy, embossing, and engraving. This is a book that appeals to the Martha in all of us: the artful design and elegant prose, from the textured tangerine endpapers to step-by-step directions for artful gift-wrapping, will likely inspire you to excitedly order some custom-engraved Crane's stationery or marbelized Japanese sheets at the very least.
Etiquette enthusiasts will appreciate the explanations of the various stationery elements, from monarch notes to "at home" cards. The scores of full-color photos of Crane's stationery; vellum, origami, kraft, and tissue papers; raffia from Madagascar; and gorgeous silk ribbons (some of which are so wide that visitors to the store purchase by the yard to wear as scarves!) beg for creative projects and heartfelt letter-writing. The staff at Paperie honor the ceremonial aspects of paper, hint that other cultures could benefit from treating it as a sacred thing as Asians do, and suggest dozens of ways for turning an everyday memo, thank-you note, or gift into something truly artful and memorable. --Erica Jorgensen
