Book Arts and Printers' Fair

I was at Fort Mason today, mingling with the small but enthusiastic book arts crowd at the PCBA Book Arts and Printers' Fair. I see the increasing popularity of book arts as a reaction to the digitization of the book. None of the items on display can be reproduced digitally, since their physical & very tactile form is intrinsic to what they are. I totally coveted Peter & Donna Thomas's extraordinary book Paper From Plants, with it's unusual binding that incorporates 30 samples of different types of paper. I can't believe they let me handle this beautiful object which is priced at over $800! I enjoyed running into Aaron Cohick again, & I am in awe of his broadsides in which he used an x-acto knife to lift away a thin layer of paper from the negative space of the text. He has also created a DIY series of books. Anyone can download the PDF files for free & assemble them themselves.

The fair is a pretty cozy event. The exhibitors are all extremely friendly & eager to share their work. There seemed to be a high proportion of tall women in attendance.