Black & White and Read All Over

It is no wonder that Lorenzo Petrantoni spends much of his time pouring through old books to find artworks to photocopy for his collage illustrations. His most recent exhibit in Milan included over 22,000 individual pieces of paper attached to the gallery walls, and 800 time pieces, to illustrate the word Timestory. The exhibit is now past, but you can fortunately see his new Timestory book on the same topic which was just released by Gestalten. He must have the patience and organization of a librarian in order to keep track of all those little scraps of paper.

Bet You Can't Print Just One

Novelty stamp pads and printing sets have long been familiar toys for young children, and often were the first introduction most of us had to the world of printing and moveable type if you came of age before computers (BC.) The pleasure of printing multiples of anything by hand endowed us with a certain privilege and entitlement. Even the lowly potato gained a lofty respect the first time I discovered it was a printmaking tool. I wouldn't trade an entire plate of french fries for that moment. 

Yes kids, 1935 was a world without spellcheck. 

All stamp pads and sets displayed are from the Letterology Archives with exception of the most Excellent Self-inking Stamp Pad, currently on eBay. The Dutch Drukkerij set, and the King Novelty Stamp Set, were both eBay posts from long ago. Oh, and Mr. Potato Skull here, who has undoubtedly made the best impression of all.  

It's Shop Time!

Grand Bazar is the latest screenprinted book release from Franitcham, the dynamic book-making duo behind Redfoxpress in Ireland. This colorful new forty page book is one of their grandest to date. It is largely a commentary on consumerism, and the visual advertising and marketplace culture we are besieged with daily. This 40 page book is screenprinted in many colors on a variety of papers, and measures in roughly at 12 x 17 inches. And yes, you can shop for this grand book here.

First Books of Many

Happy Children's Book Week! It almost escaped me again this year. Doesn't Hallmark have a greeting card for this? Evidently CBW has been around since 1919 with book and reading events held nationwide in schools, libraries, and bookstores. Even Google maps has a national CBW page of events with listings ongoing through Sunday, May 19th. So I have no excuse for being late to the party, except to honor it by including some of my favorite found first's. Not first edition first's, mind you; but first book's of reading. Still looking for that special First Book of Typography title, but I may have to write and design it myself.
   

See more of Langston Hughes delightful book, deftly illustrated by Cliff Roberts at We Too Were Children, Mr. Barrie.

For the budding geologist, from Calsidyrose's Flickrstream.

A 1957 first from Vintage Nelly's Etsy bookshelf. Don't they realize they are on the cover of the first ever book they are reading? 

A 1951 gem from Brain Pickings, where you can see more of Jeanne Bendick's lovely illustrations.

See more of Mark Hearld's remarkable illustrations at St. Jude's Prints. There are words in it too. 

Another first from Calsidyrose, and naturally, with the great title. A revised 1956 edition.

I'm not sure this is the first book I would want to remember reading, but what great illustrations. Via Steph's Flickrstream.

From Farm to Book via liz and jay books n' more.

The first, though maybe not the last conchologists book. First published in 1839 originally under Edgar Allan Poe's name, although he never claimed he was the author. He was more likely the editor or compiler and translator of the work, and also wrote the preface and the introduction. Natural history books were very popular reading in the 19th century, and I guess conchology was no exception.

Another Jeanne Bendick illustrated book with astronaut space walkers on the cover. What could they possibly be spraying in space? Maria Popova at Brain Pickings reports that Bendick authored and illustrated over 100 mid-century children's science and technology books. Read and learn more about this wonderful 1953 book at Brain Pickings. The illustrations are out of this world. 

Master Sign Smith

British sign artist David Smith, claims he has the best job in the world, and judging from his uncompromising work, he may well be the very best at it. Smith has the uncommon lettering talents of a 19th century master signmaker, and he is one of the few remaining traditional glass artists to excel in the trade of glass embossing. He is without peers, and in order to prevent his trade from becoming a lost art, he is on a personal mission to teach his skills to as many as he can. I was delighted to write about the design of John Mayer's Born and Raised album cover artwork in a previous post last August, but this video by Danny Cooke may be the most inspiring 18 minutes of your entire week. And don't miss the closing titles!
::With gratitude to Design Envy today.

In case you haven't had enough, this is an earlier documentary on David Smith. 

Rare Bookstalls

A little reading material from some very collectible bookstalls and newstands. Designed for model train stations, as it is a small world after all. 
::All images from Vectis Auctions of collectible toys, with exception to the diecast WH Smith newstand which is available on eBay.   

Postcards From the Edge

Lovely mid-century souvenir postcard envelopes from various Japanese vacation destinations. Each printed three to four spot colors. 

::Via Mine!

Plastic Fantastic Signs of the Time

The introduction of molded plastic signage has proliferated across the American landscape since the 1960s. Uvex, a division of the Eastman Chemical Products, and a subsidiary of the Eastman Kodak company at that time, was responsible for a large part of this growing trend in fabricated signage. Many businesses soon traded their old handpainted and electric neon signage for the shiny new backlit plastic models made of many colors. However, the consequences of this new swing in advertising had a devastating impact on an elite industry of hand signpainters who couldn't compete with the behemoth plastic companies. Greater harm is the plastic's damaging environmental toll taken on our landscape and oceans as mounting evidence has since revealed. 
     Uvex wasn't the only company responsible for producing molded plastic signage, but it did have some reasonably nice marketing materials. Concepts in Uvex, their trade catalog promoting their modern and "versatile, high impact plastic sheet" of "lustrous beauty" was published in the 1960s. No designer listed, but it certainly has the earmarks and influence of Alexander Girard's colorful work. And you gotta love the Vanna White of plastic molded letters.

  

::Via the Hagley Digital Archives.