Thank You, Herr Gutenberg
Putting aside the early history of books and manuscripts – from the papyrus scrolls of ancient Egypt to the Roman codex (the traditional bound book format that’s been the standard for 2000 years) – our story really begins with Johannes Gutenberg and the invention of movable type in around 1439. His early form of letterpress printing would be the basis for commercial printing over the next 500 years, and the sounds and smells of the presses and inks were synonymous with bookmaking.

Julie Chen, A Guide to Higher Learning, 2009, Siblia Savage photo

But then technology changed with the invention and adoption of the computer – first on a commercial level – and then in the mid-1980s with the first Macs; and, a few years later, with desktop publishing software that allowed for easy usage by individuals.

Now that virtually anybody could learn to “set” type, they could also create professional quality layouts, books and publications. And the presses, the type, and the accoutrements of printing largely found themselves dumped unceremoniously in landfills at an astonishing rate.

This could have been the sad ignominious end to a half-millennium of a perfectly fine way of doing things, were not for the artists who chose to recycle the technology, and with it, an art form. Just as type drawers became a de rigueur item at flea markets and antique stores, those selfsame presses and type blocks – cheap or even free for the taking – were scooped up by artists and hauled away to studios or garages to live another day.

Barbara Tetenbaum, Gymnopaedia #4: A Piece for Four Voices, 2005, Stephen Funk photo

Today, letterpress is just one of the many processes in the book artist’s arsenal (and, ironically, one now much in demand). In the early part of the 20th century, it may have been the only tool someone had for making books, and it may have been declared DOA 50 years ago; now artists can tell their stories in myriad ways using so many different techniques: scrolls, loose sheets, accordion folds, or geometric shapes that are hand-tipped together, or presented in intricate cutout patterns that pop up in some manner when the book is opened.

DIY’ers popularly make ‘zines employing rubber stamping and inking, calligraphy and Xerography sometimes colored with markers or crayons. Whether stapled together or tied with a ribbon, they tell their stories, as well, and make their own contribution to the craft, coming at it from a very basic approach.

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