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Irma Boom: The Architecture of the Book
From The University of Amsterdam, Special Collections. A revised and updated reprint of the Irma Boom miniature monograph Biography in Books (2010) in two formats: a miniature book and an XXL edition. In partnership with the University of Amsterdam’s Special Collections, Lecturis is now publishing a significantly revised and updated reprint of the 2010 work. Two different formats are being printed, containing identical content: a miniature book (41.4 x 54.0 mm) and an XXL edition, measuring 345 x 455 mm and weighing in at 7.5 kg. Both books (in English) have a stitched softcover binding and colored edges and are packed in (different) boxes.
800 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2013
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About the author
Irma Boom
36 books11 followersIrma Boom is a Dutch graphic designer—who specializes in book making. Boom has been described as ‘The Queen of Books’,[1] having created over 300 books and is well reputed for her artistic autonomy within her field. Her bold experimental approach to her projects often challenges the convention of traditional books in both physical design and printed content.
Boom has been noted as the youngest recipient of the Gutenberg Prize, an award recognizing outstanding services to the advancement of the book arts.[2] A selection of Boom’s books are held in the permanent collection of MoMA,[3] and a personalized Irma Boom Archive has been set up at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, showcasing Boom’s work.
Boom has been noted as the youngest recipient of the Gutenberg Prize, an award recognizing outstanding services to the advancement of the book arts.[2] A selection of Boom’s books are held in the permanent collection of MoMA,[3] and a personalized Irma Boom Archive has been set up at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, showcasing Boom’s work.
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January 3, 2014
A retrospective on the work of Irma Boom, a Dutch graphic designer mostly known for designing books.
Boom has actually done some legitimate work, but this book probably isn't the best showcase. The gimmick—or ``concept'', I suppose the official term is—of making the book itself tiny (5.5 cm × 4 cm × 3 cm) is pretty uninspired, and though I appreciate the technical challenges involved in mass-producing non-standard books, it fails on a technical level by having the pages sticking together because the paper is too thin and the edges were painted red. After a few hundred pages you get the hang of separating them quickly without damaging the book, but I don't buy that that was a deliberate choice.
The content isn't much either. In principle it's what you'd expect, but in practice the many pictures are often hard to make out because they're so small, and the text desperately needed a pass by an English-speaking editor for grammar and spelling.
If I were Irma Boom or one of her parents I could imagine being happy to have this on my shelf, but smugly sitting on a shelf is pretty much all it's for. It's not a book for reading, which makes it not a book at all.
Boom has actually done some legitimate work, but this book probably isn't the best showcase. The gimmick—or ``concept'', I suppose the official term is—of making the book itself tiny (5.5 cm × 4 cm × 3 cm) is pretty uninspired, and though I appreciate the technical challenges involved in mass-producing non-standard books, it fails on a technical level by having the pages sticking together because the paper is too thin and the edges were painted red. After a few hundred pages you get the hang of separating them quickly without damaging the book, but I don't buy that that was a deliberate choice.
The content isn't much either. In principle it's what you'd expect, but in practice the many pictures are often hard to make out because they're so small, and the text desperately needed a pass by an English-speaking editor for grammar and spelling.
If I were Irma Boom or one of her parents I could imagine being happy to have this on my shelf, but smugly sitting on a shelf is pretty much all it's for. It's not a book for reading, which makes it not a book at all.
Displaying 1 of 1 review