A Writer's Desk: Book Arts

A center for the art form that combines crafts of papermaking, typesetting and bookbinding has been created, inspired by the founder's road trip in America.

From a story in the Guardian...

It could be said that book arts have been around since medieval illuminated manuscripts, but the craft as we know it emerged from the French tradition of the livres d'artistes, or livres de peinture, around the turn of the 20th century. Since then there have been futurist artists' books, surrealist artists' books, conceptual artists' books and more.

Goode said it was something of an anomaly in the UK that while there has been no centre until now, there are plenty of artists' book fairs and shops where the books are sold.

That's not the case in the US, where the first book arts centre opened in New York 38 years ago, with others following in cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Goode said his trip to the US "visiting these incredible institutions" was a complete eye-opener and that it was these experiences which led him to create the London Centre for Book Arts in a 365-square metre space in Fish Island, Hackney, which has been funded by membership fees and benefactors.