The Book of Books: 500 Years of Graphic Innovation

by Mathieu Lommen (Editor)

A profusely illustrated visual history of the printed book, from bibles to children’s books to modern photography collections, that will delight and inform bibliophiles everywhere. Since the fifteenth century, the printed book has been an essential carrier of information. And, for more than five hundred years, there have been designers, printers, and publishers who have extended the boundaries of their professions aesthetically and technically, producing books that are masterpieces of graphic art.

This sumptuous collection tells the history of the printed book through milestone publications and little-known treasures of the art of the book. The noted originators range from Jenson and Bellaert in the fifteenth century through Piranesi, Bodoni, and Bewick to Morris, Gill, Tschichold, and Birdsall in the modern age. The featured publications include The Nuremberg Chronicle from 1493―a masterpiece of integrated text and illustration; Maria Sibylla Merian’s book of insects from 1719; Muybridge’s 1887 Animal Locomotion ; a photomontage book by John Heartfield published in 1929; and a 1937 edition of The Frogs by Aristophanes, produced by the Limited Editions Club of New York. 685+ color illustrations

Genres: Design, Art

464 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2012

Reviews

[Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have been a librarian in another life. A little tweak in the timestream wherein I felt the strength of my interests a bit earlier, while I could still afford a switch in my education (or while I was still ignorant of the fiscal consequences) would have nudged me in an entirely different direction. Alas, it’s a bit too late to change all that. Yes, I’ve volunteered at libraries and participated in a couple of “friends of XYZ library” groups, and I’ll likely put in significantly more time once the kids are all grown up and out of the house, but as far as vocation goes, it’s probably too late (unless some generous donor wants to pay off my student loans and pay for me to go back to school).

That doesn’t, of course, preclude me from loving books. And I do. I love the feel of books, the heft, the smell, the sound of pages scraping against each other. Not that I have anything against e-books, obviously. But there’s something enchanting about the artifact itself. This is especially true of old books – not the moldy National Geographics in your grandmother’s basement, but really old, solid books. Maybe this is part of the reason I love Tartarus Press so much – they’re like old books, but they’re new. Strange. But I digress.

If I could go back in time and rearrange the timing of my interests in relation to my available cash, I would study Archival Science and Preservation. That’s one thing I miss the most about not having access to a university library – I don’t get to just hang around those musty old volumes and browse the stacks (while I should have been studying). Other friends partied, hung out at the pizza place, exercised . . . I wandered the labyrinth of books.

The Book of Books: 500 Years of Graphic Innovation, therefore, makes me drool. Not because of the commentary, which is pedestrian (though the parts about the dissemination of type throughout Europe were interesting), but because of the plates therein, especially those facsimiles of really old books.

Mathieu Lommen is careful to point out that, throughout the book, “Special attention is devoted to printers' manuals, illuminating the printing process, and also to type specimens and writing masters' copybooks, placing letterforms in a broader context”. In other words, this is really a book about book printing and the design and evolution of fonts, not about the books themselves. In fact, he points out that “Although the particular copy illustrated may have an interesting or even an important history of its own – its provenance, binding or manuscript annotations – that is not discussed here.” And, again, the style in which the commentary is written is fairly dry and academic. But the presentation of the graphics in chronological order effectively exhibits the love and care with which the old books (and some newer books) were created.

For example, Die Geuerlichkeiten und eins teils der geschichten des loblichen streitbaren und hochberümbten helds und Ritters Tewrdannckhs, commissioned by Emperor Maximilian I, took over five years to produce. The type is beautiful, a gothic font with flourishing “whip-tails” coming off of some of the letters, giving the whole a touch of antiquated elegance that compliments the detailed Dürer-esque illustrations that show various events surrounding a knight (presumably a stand-in for Maximilian himself).

But, as beautiful as Maximilian's book is, if I had to pick a calligrapher to hand-write my own books, I would pick Ludovico degli Arrighi, also known as Vicentino, because he was born near Vicenza. The work illustrated here is Arrighi's La operina di Ludovico Vicentino de imparare di scrivere littera cancellarescha (you can download your own free copy of the original manuscript here). His chancery italic font combines the best of gothic script with the swooping loops of what came to be, 400 years later, Art Nouveau. While the arabesques here are more restrained than in the German work, there is a certain playfulness to the capital letters, an almost carefree whimsy that evokes the romanticized ideal of the Latin temperament, hardly able to control itself, yet holding its chin up high. I, for one, am in love with Arrighi's writing. Or maybe I just have a bad case of Penmanship Envy.

Now, while I’m not likely to be a professional librarian in this life, and it may be some time before I can access the local university’s libraries (I’m hoping they’ll take pity on a crazy old man after I retire), through Lommen’s book, I can have a taste of what was and what is to come. In the meantime, it will tide me over until I can get my manuscript-corrupting fingerprints back on the real deal.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one that’ll be very useful for my university project! Heavily tabbed and going to use a lot of the information to enhance my project. Definitely a good, interesting and insightful read. So much brilliant info pertaining to the history of the book and the evolution of printing and the design of books. Would definitely recommend this!

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about books as material objects. It is a 500 year history of book design, told chiefly through photographs and brief descriptions of some of the most elegantly produced books from each era of printing. The illustrations are beautifully done and are nicely complimented by the descriptions which provide background on the type designers, printers, publishers, illustrators, etc. who contributed to making these books true works of art. This book will be a delightful experience for anyone who enjoys book history and the craft of book making.

[Sheli Ellsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book of Books: 500 years of graphic innovation is a sampling of books printed between 1471 and 2010. The books, illustrating historic typography, are part of the Special Collections division at Amsterdam University Library. The book focuses on the printers and engravers that transformed the written word into an art form and tracks the development of typestyles or fonts. The editor, Curator Mathieu Lommen has carefully and painstakingly paved the thoroughfare from the Gutenberg Bible to the modern digital age with rare books from the library’s collection.
The enormity of the book makes it well suited for libraries and museums rather than a vade mecum for the casual collector. The reproductions are magnificent and the overall quality is superb. Anyone who does book or graphic design will feel humbled and inspired by the creativity and uniqueness of the examples, most of which were published before electronics or computers. The quality and craftsmanship of the engraving and printing process is remarkable to behold.
Each chapter focuses on a new book and a new printer. Most of the excerpts presented are printed by Italian, German, French and Dutch publishers allowing an extraordinary glimpse into antiquarian books most of us would never see otherwise.
Unfortunately, there is very little information about the actual process of printing of and even less about actual book manufacturing.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very heavy read, that is kind of a joke. This is one massive book and the subject matter is of particular interest. This is a coffee table read if there ever was one but it is also for a rather limited audience. Many examples of old print from many languages. There is an aesthetic beauty to many of the examples and the introduction of humor to graphic design in the late 19th and 20th centuries is obvious.
I would like to own my own copy one day as this one is a library book and I enjoyed the opportunity to peruse the pages.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fantastic graphics in this book do justice to the evolution of the art form of the book itself. I confess that I stopped reading it half way through and just grazed, looking at the pics and reading whatever struck me as interesting. A weighty volume!

[Mills College Library]

002.09 B7242 2012