TEN YEARS GONE
February, 2008 marks the tenth anniversary of HM publisher Rollin Milroy's first letterpress book. To celebrate – and finally rid ourselves of leftover paper samples from the original edition – we are issuing the tenth anniversary edition of El Autobus Azul - Handmade Papers from Costa Rica.
As there were just 15 copies in the original edition (five of them hors commerce), few people have ever seen Autobus. A miniature book, it was printed with a Kelsey tabletop press from hand-set 8-point Centaur and Arrighi, on Costa Rican coffee fiber paper. Each copy contained seven sewn-in folio samples of paper, and was bound in kangaroo hyde with paper edges. The anniversary edition will be set exactly as in the original, although printed from polymer plates by David Clifford at Black Stone Press. Each copy will contain four tipped-in paper samples (each about 1 by 2 inches) from the original sheets. And the anniversary edition will include the linocut created as a frontis (shown at right) for the 1998 edition, but not actually used (although tipped-in proofs were included at the back of some copies). Also included in this edition is the press device created for A Lone Press by Shinsuke Minegishi; its first – and only appearance – was in the book that followed El Autobus Azul, the biography of Francesco Griffo (also printed – excruciatingly – on the Kelsey).
The signatures are being sewn and cased at the HM studio in printed paper over boards (shown at right). The anniversary edition of El Autobus Azul (2 x 2.75 inches, 41 pp, edition of 50 numbered copies) will be issued at $125.
The standard dealer discounts apply. A prepublication discount of 25% is offered to private collectors and institutions, through to February 15, 2008 (about when we expect to begin shipping copies). See the bottom of the Ordering page to contact us for details or to reserve a copy.
ISKANDARIYA IN COLOR
The six deluxe copies from the Boxed Issue of Iskandariya will be shipped in February. These copies, which were available only to subscribers by advance order, will be fully bound in vellum by Claudia Cohen, and come with a hand-colored suite of the 11 etchings in the book. They also feature an original pencil sketch by Briony Morrow-Cribbs on the limitation page. A few copies of this issue will be available from Heavenly Monkey booksellers; please contact us if you would like to be put in touch.
BARBARA HODGSON EXHIBITION & KEEPSAKE
An exhibition of Barbara's books and related art, including The Temperamental Rose, will run from March 6 to April 30, 2008 at Seattle's Wessel & Lieberman Booksellers. A special interactive keepsake has been designed and letterpress-printed by Barbara for the show. Watch this page for updates. Also, the UCLA Charles E. Young Library Department of Special Collections has developed an excellent online multi-page exhibition titled Wilder Shores: Lady Travellers of the 18th and 19th Centuries, based on Barbara's book No Place for a Lady (Greystone Books 2003). And, a site based on Barbara's latest nonfiction book, Trading in Memories, has been created.
HM OUT THERE
A profile of HM's ongoing collaborations with papermaker Reg Lissel appears in the latest issue (no. 13) of the Fine Press Association's journal, Parenthesis. This article actually was written in early summer 2006, so some time-shifting is required when reading it; for example, the "planned" collection of Reg's paste papers (Topos) came out at the end of 2006.
UPCOMING PROJECTS: DEFINITELY, MAYBE & SOME DAY
The Calligraphy of Martin Jackson
A major new project for the studio, presenting the craft and art of renowned calligrapher Martin Jackson. With a text modeled along the lines of Bruce Rogers' Paragraphs on Printing (i.e. paragraphs on calligraphy), it will recount the path of his career, and capture his thoughts on the highs and lows of calligraphy in contemporary society. Each copy from the edition will feature extensive embellishment by Martin's own hand, including hand-colored reproductions of his stunning pieces combining calligraphy and butterflies. Due to the amount of handwork required to complete each copy, the edition is not expected to exceed 30 copies. The book is currently planned as a quarto, approximately 36 pages, printed damp on Reg Lissel's handmade paper. We hope to publish this title in late 2008.
The Al Azif of Abdul Alhazred
A history of the printed editions of this book, based on typographic
evidence from a newly discovered fragment, which will be reproduced in
facsimile.
Spaceman
by MC 900 Ft Jesus
The long-promised issue of HM Comix #1. One day we'll get around to
contacting Jaime Hernandez about taking this on...
Leaves From a Blaeu
Atlas of the Baxos Payes [Low Countries]
A massive (12 x 20 inches) folio seventeenth century
atlas—butchered for its plates—was discovered in a
discard bin. Even without the maps, this book, from the famous family
of Dutch atlas publishers is a wonderful example of typography,
printing and publishing from the period. A selection of six leaves from
the book, accompanied by a brief essay on various aspects of the book
itself.
See ordering
& contact for details on prepublication discounts for
books on this page.
HEAVENLY MONKEY
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