No Reply Press #2

Okay, the last No Reply Press thread made it to over 1000 posts.
Time to start a new thread.

I’ll start it off by agreeing that the in-text illustrations (or “decorations” is the proper term?) in The Hunger Artist are fantastic. The detail in that clock on the title page is actually what pushed me into buying a secondhand copy and I’m glad I did, it’s a wonderful edition all around.

Might be a silly opinion, but having those little letterpressed illustrations within the text or as headers like in CTP’s Pan is probably my favourite feature of the ‘fine press’ books I own.

For those who are not member of the Collectors Club, The Second Medition now shows on the website: https://www.noreplypress.com/limitededitions/thesecondmeditation

>3 SebRinelli: Griffin's breadth of taste and interests are impressive. This lovely edition is outside my wheelhouse, nonetheless if my pockets were deeper I would go for this. I cherish the No Reply titles I have but for the above reasons it's highly unlikely I will ever make it to the Collectors Club.

>4 Pendrainllwyn: I agree. I gave up collecting his complete œuvre a while ago. In fact, I am letting go a few editions that do not really fit my interests. However, his editions that fit my collecting interests belong to the most cherished books on my shelf and he is only getting better and better.

>3 SebRinelli: That photogravure is stunning!

I’m really looking forward to this. Zach’s photogravures are absolutely exquisite!

>6 Lukas1990: It is indeed gorgeous! Just noticed that this book is also the last use of NRP's ivory Zerkall-bütten stock, which is bitter-sweet. A good book to go out on at least!

>7 ChestnutPress: Amen! I love photogravure illustration, and would be happy to see Griffin use them in future NRP editions.

>9 kermaier: Looks like there will be at least one more NRP/ZP collaboration: https://www.zachproffitt.com/about

>10 ChampagneSVP: Oy! Looks verrra interesting!

>10 ChampagneSVP: Yup!!

Surprise new title announcement to circle members, which will be accessible to all in a few days. It's Notes from the Hermitage, a collection of eighty-eight tanka by C. Mikal Oness and with drawings by Gary Young. This is separate from the previously announced collaboration with Chad, A Private Matter, but they can be reserved together.

>13 Shadekeep: I know these pre-announcement discussions have frustrated some in the past, though Griffin has of course OK'd it.

I went ahead and created a separate thread here for Collectors Circle / Early Announcement Discussion, though it's certainly up to others if they feel it necessary / want to use it:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/371978

>14 NathanOv: That's a good idea. Then folks can choose to ignore the entire thread if they like, without the announcements intruding here. They'll also continue to show up in the Year in Fine Press threads, but those feature pre-available announcements from many presses.

>13 Shadekeep: Sounds like it'll be a terrific book.

A second No Reply thread?!

Maybe Paul and Tony will finally invite me to their treehouse...

Public announcement for the latest edition will be on the 4th of July! Chad has a tanka about living with bald eagles, so it seems fitting.

In case it isn't plain, the poet "C. Mikal Oness" is our very own Captain Chad of Sutton Hood / The Last Press. I've never known as sharp a writer who is also such an all-around nice guy.

>18 grifgon: I have had a taste of his poetry in Runian (Bergamot Press, 1999, ~126 copies). Loved it. This new book should be excellent. And printed on his favorite Japanese handmade paper to boot!

The new book reservations are public now: https://www.noreplypress.com/limitededitions/notesfromthehermitage

I saw this offering earlier this morning and decided to go for both books. I'm still finding my path through the private press world but, to me, NRP has been putting out the most varied and interesting catalog of books in this space. While these two books are a bit outside my usual zone, I'm happy to take a flyer on both Griffin and Chad and will enjoy seeing where they take me.

Notes from the hermitage is shipping. The book looks really nice in person. I didn’t notice it in the photos but the covers for the stab binding are actually one piece wrapped around both sides. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen that from a stab binding. I’m not really sure if the tankas are meant to be read over time / in a session, but I’ll probably work my way through them in the next few days.

Has anyone heard anything from Griffin or No Reply recently? A month and a half ago a couple copies of Poseidon went on sale and I ordered one but I haven’t heard anything or received the book. I’ve emailed a couple times since then to check in but I haven’t gotten a response. I hope Griffin is alright!

>23 Salaxalans: I ordered Language about a month ago. It took a couple of weeks to be processed, with no email in the meantime, but it did arrive eventually.

>23 Salaxalans: I’d have to double check, but from one of his notes he may have mentioned being overseas for a little bit. It’s possible he may have stepped away from press stuff for that time.

It will come eventually though, congrats on the purchase too.

>23 Salaxalans: Griffin has been posting comments in other threads so wherever he is he’s paying some attention to LT.

And the dude is busier than a one-armed paper hanger. And yes, he was on the other side of the pond for a while. Patience is the by-word. He'll get things done, though it may take a while.

As another data point, I just received my copy of Notes from the Hermitage over the weekend, which was about 7 weeks after I ordered it.

>23 Salaxalans: I'm on it! My emails are a bottomless cave at the moment, so it's possible you got lost down there. Nine times out of ten a reservation taking that long to ship is due to selecting "hold" (perhaps unintentionally?) as the shipping option. I'll get my spelunking gear and jump into the emails! More very soon I'm sure!

>29 grifgon: You’re alive! Well, this is all good news, thank you very much!

See? I said he'd get if taken care of...... :-D

>30 Salaxalans: Just emailed you! Your email chain was buried and Claire had placed a hold on the order (likely because she knows we know each other) since it came in while I was away. See my email, and big hug!

>31 Glacierman: Actually, note to all:

My emails are such a mess that things are bound to get missed. I need to find a way to sort the wheat from the chaff but, in the meantime, if there's ever anything time sensitive don't feel bad about sending daily follow-ups, putting "URGENT" in the subject line, that sort of thing.

>33 grifgon: Urgent! I'm in desperate need of help picking apples and making apple sauce out here in Minnesota. When is your next trip here? Say tomorrow!

>34 SuttonHooPress: Sorry, folks, something urgent has come up. There will be a modest delay in all outstanding shipments from No Reply Press.

>22 ensuen: To answer--I’m not really sure if the tankas are meant to be read over time / in a session--

They are written to be reread. . . .

>34 SuttonHooPress: You should make apple butter out of some of them. As a side note, if you or anyone else has crabapples, DM me for my crabapple butter recipe.

I don’t really want to bother Griffin about this. I casually follow the goings-on with some of the small presses I am interested in. I have other collecting interests so I’m a little out of touch with this community. I know about Griffin’s health issues and I’m glad that those have improved, but it’s been 18 months since I purchased The Wasteland; is there a technical reason for the delay of this title? I purchased Death of Ivan Ilyich at the same time and I have had that for a while now. Lovely book. I’m not complaining and I’ll wait another 18 months if need be, I’m just curious. Thanks.

If I can tack on a question, does anyone know if pre-orders of The Waste Land via multiple payments are still available?

>38 ProbisPateo: I can answer this! The Waste Land is taking a long time, simply because it's such an elaborate and intensive project. There have been some "delays," in the usual sense – a changeup in some of the editorial materials after typesetting was finished, the original papermaker backing out and needing to switch to a different (far better!) one, or my retinal explosion (kaboom) – but that's small potatoes compared to just the sheer amount of work that has gone into the book. For just one example, it took nearly a month of Claire's time just to cut and sort the handmade paper for printing. We could have just stuck the paper in a big guillotine and chopped it in a few minutes, but with handmade paper you really want to cut each sheet to size by hand, so that you can preserve every deckle, have better deckle alignment, and a perfect square to print from. That's the sort of thing which just gobbles time. The book – like Ivan Ilyich and The Ethics of Ambiguity – also became significantly more ambitious as the project progressed.

It was my mistake, I think, to offer early reservations for three books of this size. It's been pretty stressful, putting me in the spot of choosing between "getting it done" and "getting it right". I've gone with the latter every time, which I think nearly every collector supports, but that means it takes a long time. Starting this year, I switched my policy to only offering orders when a book is finished or nearly finished. My stress has already plummeted!

However, the end is nearing! The Ethics of Ambiguity has begun shipping and, when that's done and I've got my workshop back and cleared, all that's left on The Waste Land is the extraneous printing, sewing, and casing. Copies will begin shipping this year.

The patience of the ~100 collectors who reserved copies has really made the project possible. A huge thanks to everybody.

P. S. Also, it's never a bother to get inquiries from collectors!! It may take me four months to respond..... but I love getting them!

>39 Shotcaller: I've stopped taking pre-orders for the book, I'm sorry to report! There may be a few copies direct from me at the time of release, but the price on those will be pretty high, ~$3,000.

>41 grifgon: Ah, rats! Thanks, Griffin. Too pricy for me, I'm afraid, although I'm sure they'll be worth the cost. Looking forward to living vicariously through pictures!

>40 grifgon: I'd heard there was also some delay as the focus group asked you to change the poem to make the ending "more upbeat".

>43 Shadekeep:

DA
Datta

DA
Dayadhvam

just
DANCE
it'll be OK
da da da da da
just dance
spin that record babe

>43 Shadekeep: I had not thought death had undone so many.
And it hadn't. Phew!

>45 Shotcaller: April is the coollest month 😎

>46 grifgon: Ha! Perfect.

The awesome daring of a moment’s surrender
Which an age of squares can never retract
You’ve gotta admit, it’s pretty great”

>44 grifgon: Shantih shantih shantih
Shantih Khan let me rock ya, that's all I wanna do.

>48 Shadekeep: Ezra Pound's got nothing on us.

>49 Shotcaller: 3z   ra
 
's

    got nothing

 
   o n
 
 

        us

>50 grifgon: :)

>49 Shotcaller: Which also brings us back to popular music, if you're saying we are Better Than Ezra.

>52 Shadekeep: Loved their hit “un fabbro ancora migliore”

>40 grifgon: thank you for an insight into the process Griffin. I found that very interesting and I am perfectly fine waiting. I look forward to having it in hand when you deem it is ready,

Holy shit, man. The Descent of Ishtar looks incredible.

>55 Shotcaller: Insta-buy for me

>55 Shotcaller: Sure does. Is there any other press that could and would take on this work? Really impressive.

>56 gmacaree: Likewise. I told Griffin that this one should have been offered at a "Hell Yes" tier, given how quickly my credit card was out.

This is exactly the kind of thing I originally came to the fine press world for. Content, design, artistry, execution - it's the whole package.

>58 Shadekeep: This is exactly the kind of thing I originally came to the fine press world for. Content, design, artistry, execution - it's the whole package.

100%

"This is the second No Reply edition to feature multi-color printing on every page. I have been inspired by the Allen Press’ example, whose flashes of color always enliven black text blocks. This will be the standard going forward."
It can't be better, I'm happy for this decision. And printing on dampened paper too.

Only 20 out of 180 copies remaining. If anyone’s on the fence, now is the time.

>61 bacchus.: I suspect this will be another title that many ultimately regret missing out on.

This was also an instant purchase from me what i saw it yesterday, I only wish there was a vellum edition to go with Enuma.

I wish there was a super deluxe edition that included a copy of the original text on clay tablets, the whole contained in a wooden box.

;-D

>64 Glacierman: Signed by the author!

My god, someone sell me a vellum Enuma Elis already PLEASE.

Last chance to buy at https://www.noreplypress.com/limitededitions/ishtar

Thanks for the kindness everybody! Absolutely thrilled that I can follow my passions with niche projects like these and still find a receptive audience. It's a real joy.

To my surprise, the edition is fully reserved. There may be a copy or two left after shipping if nothing goes wrong. If you're interested, please join the waitlist (at the link Dr. Carter shared above).

Edit: Spoke too soon, there's one copy left!

>68 grifgon: not any more :)

>65 Shadekeep: Now that it's no longer available, I'll console myself by thinking it's not the first edition.

Signed neither by Ishtar nor by her sister.

My wallet is furious at Griffin’s uncanny knack for printing things I can’t resist.

>71 kermaier: My evil plan is working! 😍

>72 grifgon: Yes, your fiendish scheme to devote months of work to each book merely to break even will certainly give you mastery of the world soon. 😉

>73 Shadekeep: I do better than break even, thank you, sometimes I even pay the mortgage on time!

>74 grifgon: You actually make a profit? You, sir, are a filthy mammonite and a blot on the escutcheon of fine press, and I shall be reporting you to the guild head once my gout abates.

Im really excited for this one too, and I'm glad to see the market is as well with the fairly quick sellout.

I remember Griffin writing about trying to pad the page count of Posiden, so glad to see that the multi-translation thing serves as a nice unlock for that + makes the whole thing feel very scholarly. I've ended up revisiting the ending part of the "the second mediation" a lot more than I expected. The (probably?) letterpress facsimile of the tablet is really cool too. I assumed it was printed at first glance, and then writing this I realized it's actually not.

Edit: typo

>68 grifgon: Griffin--these are the projects I most value--you're scholarly work on works I may not have encountered or new translations of works--please keep following this part of your passions--these are exciting projects.

Has anyone received their copy of They Ethics of Ambiguity yet? I understood it started shipping a while back.

>78 Levin40: I don't think mine has shipped yet. I remain unethical!

>78 Levin40: Mine may or may not have shipped. It's all rather ambiguous.

>78 Levin40: I have not.

They've been slow going out the door, but things are about to pick up! You'll receive an email from me when yours ships (not just an automated tracking notification).

Well, I just received my shipping notification for The Ethics of Ambiguity. Thank you, Griffin! Very, very excited for this one, on many different levels. The work itself, the art and resulting uniqueness of each copy, the printing with multiple inks on each page and, of course, the as-yet-unseen binding. Griffin also provided a fascinating commentary on each of the three art suites, a letterpress copy of which will also be included with the book. Can't imagine how much work must have gone into conceiving and producing this edition.

Was pleasantly surprised to find that my copy of The Descent of Ishtar had arrived this morning. Only had a chance to page through it briefly, but it is a gorgeous little volume and I can’t wait to really dive into it.

Just wanted to give a heads up to fellow collectors to be on the lookout. Griffin has done it again!

>84 Nightcrawl: I agree it is a nice volume. As with the Marcus Aurelius book, the inclusion of multiple translations provides an interesting glimpse into the art of translation and the impact translators can have on your reading experience. For me, the Dalley translation read better than the Talbot translation. And I thought Griffin's translation read quite well and was probably my favorite. I read the three translations in order yesterday and I think I will return to it later this week and try to do more of a line-by-line comparison to focus on the choices each translator made.

Picked mine up at the Press yesterday along with de Beauvoir. Haven't had a chance for more than a cursory look but they look excellent, as expected.

>84 Nightcrawl: Just received my copy of Ishtar and it is beautiful, restrained and elegant. Another great NRP production!

I'm a huge fan of it as well. I really like the idea of new work in fine press too, everything was really well executed.

The facsimile was a fun touch too, I had a brief inspiration to learn the language and become some sort of scholar.

Despite being thrown over the garden wall by Royal Mail, my copy of Ishtar has arrived safe and sound in the UK.

These kind of mythological texts are always joy to me, especially when presented with as much passion and artistry as this. Thanks, Griffin.

Hi Everyone, I have an unusual post regarding my pre-order of one of the five de luxe editions of the upcoming No Reply Press edition of "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot. This is one of five upcoming de luxe editions that includes an upgraded presentation binding from the standard edition.

For financial reasons, I've decided to relinquish my claim on this pre-order and I am reaching out to see if there are any interested parties in purchasing this pre-order from me?

To be clear, I have not yet received my copy from Griffin and I am working with him to see if he is aware of any parties interested in a de luxe edition of The Waste Land.

To cast a wider net, I've also decided to post here and gauge if there is any interest from anyone in this thread.

Let me know if you have any questions.

>90 toaonua: I can take it

>91 ensuen: Great! Please send me a PM where we can discuss details.

The annual holiday email/sale is out: https://www.noreplypress.com/campaigns/view-campaign/2oFJIrFGcMB4E22JNkNJhh86mn3...

25$ code for credit on the site, and a couple quizzes for more. Also a couple recent books have had stock added.

The quizzes seem fun, I tried the science one, and since this is a completely anonymous account where nobody knows my name* -- I will admit I probably got all the questions wrong. Failure to consider second order effects, research more in depths and question phrasing for the most part.

Fun to think about though, been a while since some has had enough leverage to get me to do one of those. There's another "math" quiz which is broadly trivia about recent NRP title which I will be more careful about since I'm more convinced I can find the correct answer.

* (several people know my name, if this was a letter forum I would rotate accounts, but it is what it is)

>93 ensuen: I totally winged it on the quizzes, though at least some of the scientific taxa were familiar to me.

I did fail at finding the credit code, however, though I did locate the free item (which is not at all challenging).

The only free item I find charges shipping regardless of which form factor you select, though the text implies one option should have no shipping charge; am I doing something wrong?

I submitted answers for the science quiz. Read it too quickly and didn’t realize you could select more than one answer for the first question..

Haven’t heard back yet, but I’ve never been an A student.

>96 Taishan: Ha, same here! Tried to go back and fix it, though it probably just ended up getting thrown out as a duplicate.

>96 Taishan: >97 NathanOv: Many people made this mistake. Feel free to submit another quiz! I'll just count the last one submitted.

So far, nearly 400 quizzes turned in in total. Big response, thanks to all who participated thus far!

>98 grifgon: it’s been a lot of fun, thanks for putting it together! Ok I’ll try sending in a makeup exam.

Working on the math one as well, are the details for The Ethics of Ambiguity available anywhere?

>99 Taishan: I haven't put the page up yet... but the info doesn't change anything. (It's not an octavo and the papers are from Nepal, Germany, and the U.S. 😘)

>95 ambyrglow: I found two free items

Found the rarities... :-)

>102 kermaier: man, I'm really off my game this year. I've found one hidden non-item and one previously offered freebie, but I frankly can't tell if either were part of the bonanza.

>103 NathanOv: I am off my game too; somehow I haven’t found the rarities or the free gift yet! Hopefully I’ll figure them out shortly.

>104 Salaxalans: There is an Anglo-Saxon proverb: A dragon must guard treasure.

>104 Salaxalans: I'm bombing as well. I finally figured out the discount code, but that was after placing my order. And I did get the initial free item but only because it was pretty obvious in the catalog.

>106 Shadekeep: If you mean the Vandercook poster, I think that was already there, unless I’m crazy. If I’m wrong I’ve been worrying for nothing!

>107 Salaxalans: Maybe it was and I was just late noticing it!

Ho ho, oh no!

The rarities have all been found and claimed. And the freebies too!

Bonanza wrap-up email tomorrow where all shall be revealed.

>109 grifgon: "Bonanza wrap-up email tomorrow where all shall be revealed."

Would that include the $25 discount? Or will it stay till the end of the week?

>109 grifgon: Iron oxide used in pen ink used to number books - that was just DIRTY!
I messed up that question anyway. I didn't think about the threads so missed the linen. I was contemplating about the PVA and checked it first, but then thought that you, being a Portlander and all, would probably use starch paste or something as the adhesive in at least one book :) Oh, well!

The press is a Vandercook Universal I with an adjustable bed, weighing 1,800 lbs.
....
❌ The starting lineup of the Portland Trail Blazers – About 1,200 lbs at the last weigh-in!

As someone who got the Math Quiz right, I can say with some authority that 1,800 is actually greater than 1,200. Trail Blazers should be a ✅

Not sure if it helps me as I don't remember if I included Awagami Kitakata in my answer. I know I was contemplating. The paper's specs I found online stated 36gsm, not 30gsm as in your answer, so I came to ~1,700lbs, not ~1,400. According to my searches the 1959 Vandercook Universal I can weight between 1,300 and 1,800lbs. At the end I think I decided against the paper, but maybe not...

>111 elladan0891:

Blazers: Oops typo!! Yes accordingly to my calculations (and I've consulted a few math professors too) 1,200 is less than 1,800.

I don't use starch paste at all because it's a wetter process, which means lots of time under weight and a higher possibility of warping. PVA is a much drier process, but the downside is that it's much more expensive and must be used quickly.

Kitakata is between 30 and 36gsm – every sheet is a little different. My Vandercook has an adjustable bed, so it's one of the heavier ones, meaning that whichever end of Kitakata you use, the press is heavier.

Congrats on the math quiz. It wasn't easy!

Ha, my quizzes suffered from me failing to read them properly and thus not answering the questions as they were asked. Though I'd have failed anyway had I done it right. 😊

I did work out who the vault raider was, but didn't make the lateral move of going offsite for the booty. The programmer part of me instead combed all mentions of the raider on the NRP site to see if there was a link hidden on one.

Kudos to all who did well, and I'm looking forward to seeing what ¡ brings.

>112 grifgon: Hey, I'll take it! I'm happy I got at least something right! Wondering if anyone got a 100 on the Science quiz - that was a tough one.

>113 Shadekeep:

and I'm looking forward to seeing what ¡ brings.

Just be sure to tip the forklift driver after he's finished the delivery.

>114 elladan0891: I'm curious as well. Grading now.

>115 grifgon: I see I'll be spending 2026 dissing fleurons...

>117 Shadekeep: Just be sure to mind your p's and q's!

I just read the wrap-up email and although I had very little hope that I had answered the quiz questions correctly, the number of mistakes I made and the number of missed opportunities is quite embarrasing. I even stomped on the No Reply Press books on The Last Press website very early and completely by chance, but I just couldn't buy anything at the time and forgot to return there later. And I never connected it that it was part of the Holiday Bonanza. This will probably haunt me for long time. Perhaps I can blame intense busyness and sleep depravation I am really into recently.
On a positive note - the explanation of the octavo format in the solution to the math quiz was quite enlightening to me. I always had some vague idea of ​​how folding of sheets produces different formats, but I never really thought about it. I just resorted to memorized approximate (most common) sizes of these formats whenever I needed to visualize the size of a book. This of course completely failed me in the quiz, but hopefully I should know better from now on :)

>119 tallchief:

the explanation of the octavo format in the solution to the math quiz was quite enlightening to me.

I'm so glad! You've made my day! I'll admit that this was basically my primary reason for doing it.

It's completely understandable when technical terms lose their actual meaning in general usage (like, say, "typeface" versus "font") but our vocabulary is so much richer when words mean something specific. Isn't it interesting to know how a book was printed, whether octavo, quarto, or folio? And we lose nothing by preserving that meaning, since we still have the words small, medium, and big.

>114 elladan0891: I was off by 1 on every question😆

1)Flax - no idea this was used in the thread, I was thinking flax paper

2)Meters - seemed too big a measurement for book making or even shipping

3)CO2 emissions - guess I was just lazy and didn’t take the time to check this one. Figured gas was light

For some reason, I got it in my head that it ended on the 15th, so I never actually did the math quiz. But, after reading the explanations for the answer, there's no way I would have gotten it right. At least I'm now a little but more enlightened about book making.

I found the rarities cache, but already own the ones I want and can afford.
I’m content to have used the discount code on a copy of “Garage Band Letterpress”. :-)

I've finished grading the quizzes! Of over 400 submitted, we had 27 perfect scores in Math and only 2 in Science! (Don't feel too bad though because, as my mother emailed me earlier this week, "That's not real science!") We had another 20-odd near-perfect scores, also deserving of prizes!

Thanks for all here who participated!

I also wanted to note:

In this particular Holiday Bonanza, I heard from a lot of people who follow the fine press world closely but who, for one reason or another, don't yet collect! In fact, I even had one middle schooler reach out! If you're new to fine press or if the barriers to entry are high, feel free to reach out. griffin@noreplypress.com I'm downsizing, and have loads of great books which I am happy to pass along!!!

>124 grifgon: You're too young to downsize!!!

>124 grifgon: What if I'm a middle schooler at heart?

>125 SuttonHooPress: You're never too young to release yourself from the bonds of material possessions and transcend this temporal plane, Chad.

By the way folks, Chad just texted me photos of what appears to be the finest-ever printing of one of the most important works of the English language, just off his press. 2026 will be an exciting year for fine press!

>126 kreekree: If you can tell me what 6-7 means, the books are yours!

Can't believe I missed a copy of Ivan Illych....oi

>127 grifgon: Tell us more, Chad!!

>129 ChestnutPress: Oh but this is grifigone's post, plus 2026 may be a stretch for what I have left to do!

>130 SuttonHooPress: It’s the good Griffin making it your post, Chad! Still very eager to learn more, regardless of wait.

> 126 kreekree: > 124 grifgon: What if I'm a middle schooler at heart?
>127 grifgon: > 126 kreekree: If you can tell me what 6-7 means, the books are yours!

Whoa, Griffin, you do know your middle schoolers! I'm impressed! Or has that rot spread outside of middle school halls already?

>127 grifgon: You’ll be pleased to know that 6-7 is nothing. It’s just absolute brain rot social media shite with no actual meaning at all.

>133 ChestnutPress: I told my god sister (16) that for Christmas I was gonna get her a $67 gift card to Tik Tok, and in response she unfollowed No Reply Press on Instagram.

Joke's on her though she's really getting a handmade book (as usual 🤮).

>132 elladan0891: I'm hip and jive!

>134 grifgon: Buy her a subscription to some REALLY dull, niche magazine! 🤣

>134 grifgon: Ha!

Just a side note, I set fire to my Instagram account yesterday, so anyone from here I was following (including some folks in this thread) no longer see me there, that's why.

>137 Shadekeep: Had enough of the Insta, Mr K?

Genuinely interested to hear the responses in that chapbook. In a sense, it is THE question. Some heavyweights on there too.

>137 Shadekeep: I have no idea how Meta isn't more vilified. 17 strikes.... Good for you!

Looks like of similar to the Russel Maret "Inks Printers Use" series (but actually printed letterpress)!

>138 ChestnutPress: >140 SDB2012: Aye, can no longer be a part of apparatus, even passively.

>142 Shadekeep: Right on, Brother!

Just received my copy of Why Make Books By Hand?, along with Garage Band Letterpress (a standalone 16th answer to the former question), and they're both gorgeous pieces of printing!
I love the use of Deepdene for Garage (and half-wish that would've carried through to Why?). Jason Dinewitz's essay in Garage resonated strongly for me, and I'm looking forward to sitting down with the rest of the answers in Why?.

Curious, is there a reason #30 is skipped over in the catalog? Placeholder for something special?

https://www.noreplypress.com/catalogue

Wahoo, I got the new chapbook from solving the math questions from the Bonanza! I had the right numbers too, I didn’t just get to the right answer by coincidence. The chapbook is quite lovely, but it lacks an inscription praising my awesome math skills! Griffin, what the heck??

Got mine some time before Christmas, along with The Last Question. Really like the Hahnemühle Ingres paper. Two-color printing is a great touch; so are the calligraphed title and author names. Letterpress is really nice - very noticeably tactile, but the bite doesn't go through to the opposite side.

The Last Question is wonderful. Before seeing it in person, I thought the acrylic slipcase might be a bit of a gimmick, but it works really well, particularly in the context of Sci Fi. Love the whole package. Almost made me want to complete the trilogy! Fortunately for my wallet, I'm not interested in the other two works. So A Hunger Artist is next!

This Machine-Made World Conquers One More Rebel sounds wonderful. The non-lightfast paper choice is inspired, as is the borderline heretical choice of wingdings.

Who but Griffin?

>148 Shotcaller: Who but Griffin? Valeria! She's the designer on this one. She set the type, too.

Thematically and design sentiment wise I feel like it makes a nice pairing with Skeumorph's A Rant About Technology.

>149 Glacierman: A star!

>149 Glacierman: Yep, this one is all Valeria. I think she did a great job. Thanks to all who have made her debut a hit! Only a few left at this point.

>150 ambyrglow: Thats a very good point, I hadn’t thought of that! And both are of excellent quality.

https://www.noreplypress.com/limitededitions/ur-fascism

Just received the email announcing this one. Anyone have it yet? Seems some copies were released early

Emberto Eco's treatise on fascism just announced, Ur-Fascism. Timely, and has me tempted, but it is missing his biographical introduction (copyright issues?), so it is hard to justify the expense.
(edit: PBB beat me to it)

Insta-purchase. Bought a bunch of copies of this essay for the family last year, will keep the fancy one for myself.

Another great design, reminds me a little of the work of Geert at Factotum Pers (a compliment).

I also ordered it and threw in a copy of The Great Man as I've been looking to go back and add some of the earlier books to my NRP collection.

Ah so this is the #30 that was skipped over in the catalog, I had been curious about that.

Bought. We all need more Umberto Eco in our lives

>158 Redshirt: That's an excellent choice. I also highly recommend Above All Else Do Not Lie, which I initially had a marginal interest in, but once I had it I came to appreciate very much. I consider it the overlooked gem of the in-stock NRP titles. (Though Magnetic Storms is pretty spectacular too.)

>160 chase.donaldson: Seconded!

Great and timely choice, Griffin! Hope there is room in my "hold for pickup" cubby at the Press...

I have too many treasures in my own "hold for pickup" cubby that I'm going to have to give this one a miss, I'm afraid. I'm sure it won't affect the book's success.

While I'm thinking about it, dare I ask - on a public forum - how The Wasteland is coming along, Griffin? Not to rush you, of course; merely to help me manage my expectations...

>154 PBB: What a beautiful design.

>157 Shadekeep: I see where you get that. I have The Art of Fugue. I enjoy it when presses nod and wink to each other with their design language. I'm sure Factotum in their turn were inspired by others.

>166 LT79-1: Oh yes, I don't by any means believe Griffin is being derivative or that Geert is the first to have executed such a design. I am merely observing their pleasing consonance.

>167 Shadekeep: exactly! It's like a form of intertextuality. A dialogue or pleasing consonance like you say and each takes the language in unique directions.

>168 LT79-1: Precisely, well stated!

Overall I tend to avoid the overtly political material. But it looks an interesting production.

Incidentally, there are a few recently discovered copies of The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas up for sale on NRP now.

Chimneys is a very interesting choice. Like Griffin, I was skeptical of Cummings - and the lower-case stuff honestly had a lot to do with it. Good on Griffin for not letting that stop him from diving in and finding out that the poetry's worthwhile after all.

Public order link: https://www.noreplypress.com/limitededitions/chimneys

I'm really excited for it, there's mention of a "first attempt" as an add-on which I'm excited to see.

>173 ensuen: Me too. It looks like beautiful work again. I didn't go for the First Attempt option – just to keep the cost down a little – but I'm certainly very curious to see it.

>173 ensuen: I'm wondering how complete that first attempt add-on is, as he mentioned leaving the only truly completed version at a bar after a fifth pint.

I was in the car and pulled the trigger too fast worried about it selling out. So I didn't get a chance to consider the first attempt add-on package deal with the slipcase (which is always a no-brainer for me). Probably would have gone for it.

Is there any word on when Chimneys is shipping?

Griffin can correct me if I'm wrong or things have changed, but I got an update earlier this week saying the current target is a week or two for Chimneys to ship and June for The Waste Land to start shipping (though it likely won't be fully shipped until a while later). Looking forward to both!

>178 blinks112: That is excellent!

Just wondering if anyone is selling a set of the sci-fi trilogy? Edit: hardcovers

>180 Extrasolarian: I have a set of the base ones (softcover) that I can let go.

>181 ensuen: oh thank you but that’s my mistake, I should have clarified it was the hardcovers!

>180 Extrasolarian: I know a guy who knows a guy who has a cousin who knows a guy. Shoot me a message!

But I came here to share:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/16839616433?_skw=%22no+reply+press%22&itmmeta=01KSQ...

I get a message nearly every week asking if I have any copies in the back. I don't, but here's one!

Well cat's out of the bag. My hopes of a discrete posting with minimal bidding competition are dashed! I half joke because in the end, anyone getting a copy of this wonderful edition is great.

>183 grifgon: Oh, forgot, mine's on my boat, where it's raining. . . . .

I hate to be too self-promotional but I'll make an exception to announce the latest from No Reply:

https://www.noreplypress.com/limitededitions/aprivatematter

I am incredibly proud of this collection of ten essays by Chad Oness, who is the finest printer I know. His essays are about bookmaking but really they're about life. Many on this forum will have gotten to know Chad a bit as a frequent contributor here. I visited Chad a year ago and snapped several hundred photos (my first time operating a film camera). A broken clock is right twice a day, so about six of those photos turned out to be pretty good, and they made it into the book. There are a ton of others which aren't great but I thought might help folks get to know Chad a bit better...

A few more...

The photos remind me a little of the Whittington portraits of presses.

>187 grifgon: Good stuff, and kudos for getting that many excellent shots for a first-time film user. I shot (and developed and printed) so much film back in college, kinda miss that. In a lot of ways it's the letterpress equivalent of photography. Anyway, well done mate!

I know several collectors on here ordered our friend Erik Anderson's first foray with his Meadowrue Press. Here's Erik!

>188 ensuen: On my visit to Chad I brought a Canon A-1 (which I gather is one of the more beginner friendly film cameras) just for fun, but I ended up really loving the sense of capturing craft on film. I always find a "suspension of disbelief," or maybe timelessness, in a workshop which B&W film also captures nicely.

After this book, I wanted to do another collection of essays by a bookmaker. Perhaps with film photographs again? I've pitched the idea to Jason Dewinetz and Paul Suntup — both seemed receptive. I hope I can make it happen with both of them!

>189 Shadekeep: Gratz Howard! The letterpress analogy is apt. After ten minutes you can do a passable job (i.e. you can capture letterforms or images) but mastery takes forever and therefore can never really be accomplished.

>191 grifgon: Im not sure if its something you would be interested/find feasible but a potential idea for a future project involving film photographs could be to do some dark room prints rather than gicleé.

The comparison has already been made to letterpress in terms of film capture but dark room printing is the other half of it. As you're new to film photography most likely you would want to collaborate with an experienced printer as many photographers used to do back in the day. I've never done it myself but there is a whole world to dark room printing beyond just developing the image onto the sheet including methods to adjust contrast, using a piece of card to "dodge" or "burn" ie. adjust contrast locally (old school photoshop hehe) in the resulting image and so on.

If the cost/time is prohibitive perhaps it could be limited to the frontispiece?

Anyway just a thought that popped into my head upon seeing your post!

ps. The photos look great by the way!

>191 grifgon: That would be brilliant if you could get more printers on board with further volumes like this! Profiles In Print or some such. And definitely with your own photography!

Incidentally, if want to go way back photographically, try a pinhole camera. I've got a first-gen ONDU made from wood with a magnetic shutter. ^_^

That's an incredibly nice title page! Very much looking forward to reading these essays.

>192 zorg2099: Bit of a brain dump, but:

For this edition, I actually developed the film myself (not a ton to it, of course, but good to learn) and I'd love to use more physical processes in the future. Especially dark room! My M.O. is that I'd always rather do it myself in my workshop, even if DIY means a less "fine" outcome. So, hiring somebody to make dark room prints — even if economical — wouldn't interest me nearly as much as hiring somebody to teach me how to do it, and then doing it. Or just using the technologies currently available to me, even if the outcome is less fine. I think this gets at the difference between a fine press and a private press; I care significantly more about the latter than the former. For the giclée prints, I'm at least "doing them myself" insofar as I'm doing all the file prep, adjusting channels, a little digital dodge and burn here and there, testing the papers, and then babysitting the Epson as they chug on out one by one. (Interestingly enough, the edition of each photograph changes slightly as I experiment and make small adjustments throughout the run.) For the time being, I'd rather get into the weeds on giclée than hire somebody to do dark room for me. However, long run, if I stick with photography, a dark room will be a must. I actually published a trade book a few years back from my friend Bill Clevenger. Bill was an unofficial combat photographer during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. His point and shoot photos, developed in makeshift jungle darkrooms, are remarkable. He actually snuck them out of Vietnam when his deployment ended, past the military censors, and we published them together for the first time. I've been wanting to do a private press edition of that book, or part of it, and that might be the project to take the dive on dark room.

>193 Shadekeep: I was at a dinner party at Ray Bidegain's house (Cascabel Press) and there was a guy there who had just perfected his own design for a 3-D printed pinhole camera. It was awesome! He showed us some shots he had taken with it and I was amazed that such a thing was possible. Shows what I know about photography, zilch!

>195 grifgon: Fair! Thank you for clarifying your philosophy — I only mentioned finding a printer as I didn't want to come across as pushy or anything in a way by suggesting you immediately move onto doing your own dark room prints so soon after starting film capture haha. And as you say doing gicleé yourself is probably more than enough for the time being.

That Bill Clevenger book idea is certainly interesting, would be great if that materialises some day.

>196 zorg2099: Honestly maybe I SHOULD jump right into dark room. Does anybody here have any experience with it? What's the feasibility of an average intelligence but high enthusiasm two-pots-of-coffee-a-day sort of guy who just picked up a film camera doing decent darkroom shots? Seriously asking. Feasible? Nah? Curious if anybody has insight. (One thing I've discovered is that craftspeople, when asked, tend to overrate how difficult it is to get started in something. Perhaps hobbyist opinion would be more accurate.)

>195 grifgon: The Clevenger book sounds amazing, and potentially news-worthy outside the fine press world. Could be a break-out work of an entirely different kind for the press.

Pinhole photography is fun because you have so little control over the process. Apart from choosing where to point it and deciding how long to open the shoulder, almost everything else is outside your control. I find my creativity generally improves the more constraints I put on myself, so pinhole is an enjoyable artform for me.

Oh, and you've gotten some very rich blacks for someone developing his own film for the first time! That can be a difficult thing to do even with experience. (Unless this is part of the post-processing on way to giclée, in which case it still looks grand.)

>198 Shadekeep: I should say that "developing myself" might be overstating it. I worked at a photography studio here in Portland and was taught by a guy who has worked in photography for 50+ years. It wasn't exactly "kitchen table and YouTube videos" like so many crafts are learned. Even so, only 6/300 turned out good (in the book), while another 40 were passable and the rest were, uh....... good media for spooky collages?

>197 grifgon: It's not that difficult, especially if you intend to stick with black-and-white. Color photography introduces a whole spectrum of complications, from chemical costs to temperature settings to having to work in true darkness. (Black-and-white can be done in ruby light.)

The biggest initial outlay is the enlarger. Beyond that you'll need paper developer and stop-bath chemicals, as well as the rinse. Might also use photo-flo at some point. And you've already done the film development side, so you know the equipment and chemicals for that.

Beyond that it's down to finding the film stocks you like and the papers you want to work with, not a million miles from presswork in that regard. Happy to give you more specific info and advice if you like, you know where to find me.

And my go-to for photography supplies is B&H. Never had a bad experience with them over many years. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/

>197 grifgon: Unfortunately I can't give much advice on this though I'm sure there are tons of resources and guides out there. I've only done home development. Given that even that was a bit problematic for supplies as everything needs to be imported into my country I never seriously looked at what would be involved in a basic dark room setup.

The impression I have is that it should be more involved than film development but still quite feasible for a keen hobbyist. Home based hobbyist dark rooms were and still are a very much a thing and not the exclusive preserve of professionals.

Another thought for everybody's cup:

There are many, many fine press collectors who are photographers or interested in photography. However, I think fine presses tend to shy away from it. Not sure why. I think maybe there's this sense that photos don't really jive with a fine press book. I don't see that. Anything printed from photopolymer (that is, 50% of private press books and 90% of fine press books) uses inkjet technology as an essential aspect of how the book is made. Why should an inkjet photograph "not fit"? And as we've been discussing, there are many more "physical forward" methods to get photographic imagery on paper. I hope more presses will utilize photography. I'm finding it very gratifying.

>199 grifgon: "only 6/300 turned out good"

On my best days maybe 1 in 15 is worth keeping of what I shoot. Overall average is probably closer to 1 in 30. So you're doing fine. It's just a lot pricier taking bad shots with film than it is digitally! But counterpoint, you also likely take much more time thinking about and composing a film shot. And as you've seen, even the ones that don't turn out as hoped can have potential in other contexts. The eerie hay bales are quite nice, actually...

>200 Shadekeep: >201 zorg2099: This is incredibly useful!

>197 grifgon: Griffin, if a third grader (me) can learn darkroom work, you sure as Dickens can! My father was a photographer (aerial) and he and his best friend had a darkroom in the back of Don's barbershop. Dad taught me how to develop and print photos when I was in third grade. It was a blast. I learned how to adjust the contrast, how to use the enlarger, the use of masks to get a shaped print (oval, circle, etc.) from a rectangular negative and a bunch of other cool stuff. Third grade.

Go for it!

>202 grifgon:

"However, I think fine presses tend to shy away from it photography. Not sure why."

It's because they do it poorly. When done with knowledge and care, private press books illustrated with world class photography can become magical. Look no further than the livre d'artiste books done by Sidney Shiff in the waning days of the LEC, utilizing photogravure technique from experts. Examples:

1. The Man Who Planted Trees
2. Heights of Machu Picchu
3. A Tribute to Cavafy
4. Dubliners
5. The Old Man and the Sea
6. Song of the Open Road

>200 Shadekeep:
Yes to B&H for supplies -- they're great.

It's not that difficult to get a passable print, but I doubt Griffin is going for merely passable. :-)

I used to print in the darkroom as a hobbyist, and long aspired to building one at home, but I eventually gave that up as impractical. (I took some classes at the International Center of Photography in NYC, and later used rental darkrooms in the city.)

You'll need a bunch of equipment, and you'll need to know what you're after to choose the right stuff. When digital first began to drive darkrooms out of commission, loads of great equipment was sold for a song -- nowadays, I suspect it's hard to find the good stuff in good working condition.

You'll need:

Darkroom: Light-tight, plumbing, electricity and good ventilation.

Enlarger: 35mm film only, or will you want to handle medium/large format as well? Condenser or diffuser light source in the print head (different printing styles)? Variable contrast (presumably) -- dial-in or manual filters?

Lens(es): Depends on the film formats you want to use, and lens quality is important.

Negative carriers, grain focuser, easel, paper safes, safelight, timer.

Trays for developer, stop-bath, fixer, wash.

Print drying racks and flattening/mounting press.

Oh, and paper! You'll almost certainly want to use fiber-based papers, rather than RC, and you'll need to experiment to see which give you the results you want.

You might want to see if there are any darkrooms in your area where you can rent time by the hour, where all you'll need to bring are your negatives and paper, to try to learn your preferences.

As for ink-jet printing (I don't like to mask it with terms like giclee), that is also a real craft, with a wide range of inks and papers to choose from -- not everything is archival and long-lasting like your printed pages -- and I don't think I've yet seen really great inkjet prints in a private press book.

>191 grifgon: The Canon A-1 is a very good "pro-sumer" level camera (I have one too), and there's a ton of superb Canon FD lenses available used for good prices (the old lenses don't fit Canon's digital camera mounts).

>202 grifgon: Yes, I was collecting photography books long before I discovered fine press.! :-)
And I am a photography hobbyist as well. I'm generally disappointed by the inkjet prints that show up in fine press books, and prefer seeing well-made photogravures instead. If a private press were also able and willing to include finely-crafted silver-gelatin prints in their books, I'd be really excited.

>209 kermaier: I was thinking that photogravures are sort of the in-between of giclee and proper silver gelatin prints, with much less of a learning curve, especially for someone who is already working with polymer plates.

I’m a hack photographer and haven’t developed a roll of film in 40 years but I can produce a halfway decent photogravure from my crappy iPhone photos.

>207 kermaier: I think the term giclée is very useful, though I agree that sometimes non-archival CMYK inkjet prints are simply called "giclée" to gussy them up or through the mistaken impression that they're synonymous. You'll also see some publishers say "offset" when really they're using inkjet, not understanding that offset is its own technology and not simply not-letterpress. Giclée is a bit like "mould-made" in my opinion, in that it conveys useful information without pretending to be something that its not.

>209 kermaier: I had one of the photographs from this book done as a dark room silver gelatin print to see if it'd be worthwhile! It wasn't. The limiting factor was the quality of the photograph I'm sure, or perhaps the technician was not very skilled, I don't know.

>210 Another_Bibliomane: I'm relatively new with photogravures but my impression thus far — and having spent a good deal of time with some masters of the photogravure — is that you get to "decent" very quickly, and then the process of getting to "good" or "great" is brutal and long. Making the plate is more of an art than pulling the print, it seems. I don't know if I'd put such different printing methods on a continuum, but I do agree that inkjet is very accessible and photogravure is actually pretty accessible to anybody who is committed. Do you make gravure plates yourself? This is possibly my next addition to my workshop.

>211 grifgon: yes, I’ve been learning to make my own plates from a couple of experts here in San Francisco at the Graphic Arts Workshop. We have a couple of large Epsons that allow us to go direct to plate, and we have a number of etching presses, along with a little Vandy SP-15, so I can play with lots of different techniques. I like your point about the distance between “decent” and “good/great” - I’m decent in a number of areas of the book arts, and good in almost none!

Like so many other art forms photogravure isn’t just one skill, it requires developing expertise in a number of areas: photo composition, Photoshop, plate making, wiping and printing, each of them has its subtleties.

>207 kermaier: This is fabulous! And not particularly daunting. Maybe if Jason or Paul agrees to pull the trigger on another Bookmaker Book I'll try to do make a darkroom for it. Would certainly be fun. I have a few fine press books with inkjets in them and I'll admit that I'm using them as my "Can I do better than these?" mile marker. I feel pretty good about how Chad's photos came out, but I'll be super curious what those with photography experience think. My feelings certainly will not be hurt if the answer is "Not quite there!" or even "Never again!"

>211 grifgon:
You make a worthwhile point about the term “giclée” — probably most of the unsatisfactory giclée prints I’ve seen weren’t really.

There are a million ways to produce a silver gelatin print, some of which might have been worth it. If your technician just did a straight print on pearl finish RC paper, it might have been underwhelming no matter the quality of the negative. A really good FB print can be a joy to behold.

>214 kermaier: My big issue with photography will be discerning the source of quality or lack thereof — is it the negative, is it the paper, is it the printing process, is it me, etc. Curious if your impression is that ANY dark room print is basically gonna smoke inkjet. Like I'll take bad letterpress (basically every book before 1950 and many since) over pristine offset (still rare and involving much skill). Similar with photography printing or no?

>215 grifgon: No, I think an expertly produced inkjet print can be better than an indifferent FB darkroom print. (But then I don’t think bad letterpress is more pleasing than great offset.)

As with any art/craft, there are so many combinations of materials and techniques depending on what end result you’re looking for. For example, a photographer can select the film stock, developer chemistry and timing to make it easier to obtain the result they want for the particular image on the paper they want to use.

In my excitement to post, I’m sorry to echo others and what you already already know. My budding press (slowly groaning to life in my industrial bay competing what with my machine equipment) long anticipates use of my photography for frontispiece and prints. I’ve secured licenses for inclusion of my images of original works (paintings) and thankfully they’ve authorized my creative photographic interpretation of those paintings. (Problem is the agreements are time limited… argh, need to move quick now.) B&W, preferably fiber only and possibly hand colored. But I can handle few skill sets at once. Perhaps I’m passable at each, barely. Progressing as a photographer for the “good better best” within yourself will take many many years. Maybe never achievable. Getting six hits in 300 is fine!! Photography is so incredibly personal.

I’m no expert but been running film from 3rd grade onwards. Crash courses will help - but it’s all “in the doing” (and there are terribly so many places of “undoing”). My work tends all bulk-loaded Kodak Double X (cheap!) Xtol developer (pretty cheap!), mostly fiber paper (not cheap!) and old Beseler enlargers with all their accessories. Small and medium and large format, and too many cameras (and it’s the lenses which are going to get you your vision at that juncture). My aim was full control by developing the negative and print.

To answer your question it’s utterly doable to do the darkroom. Just do it as they say. Just need to be committed, which you’ve oodles. Each step is a pitfall waiting to happen, but an exploration in creativity, much less the taking of the picture. Did I load that box (camera) properly in the first place? Egads! Count me Guilty most every time w 1x-5x screwups (well, w Leica iiif’s). Doing it mostly all yourself introduces a Zillion variables to mess up or find a lovely image from your mess up or you executing your plan perfectly. Fiber paper is notoriously difficult to flatten BTW! I still can’t get it right 100%. But it’s fun. One can work several days repeatedly printing a single negative into one acceptable print, and then making dozens of duplicate prints for a book is going to be the hard work, B&W is the easiest to begin with, best stick w the same tools and materials for consistency to see where things go awry and be pleased w all the surprises that work out. Oh, and ya’ think printer’s ink gets everywhere - I have an incredibly difficult time eliminating dust in my process which appears on prints, near impossible for me. Consider archival work in photography and gold toning (among other processes for longevity). It’s a true voyage. It’s a wonderful challenge and the thrill of a good print is something to behold being your artistic vision and execution. Oh, if going in, be sure to develop and print at a comfortable height. It can be backbreaking if kneeling or stooping all the time. We’ve probably all done it in the bathroom (wink)! And last advice, when going for the best image work, buy good film not the cheapest since one manufacturer is notorious for results of easily scratched negatives when you’re handling them during development. You’ll be frustrated from step one as a result. No bueno. Photrio is an excellent forum to lose yourself in.

Griffin I immediately purchased your book when I saw the email today. So many years ago I’d aspired to make such a book though on a different industry. Congratulations on your personal journey in more ways than one!!

A potrait photo I really enjoyed in a fine press book about a printer was the frontispiece to Morris Cox and the Gogmagog Press.. There was a nervous yet focused energy about it as he contemplated his work. All that life lived in the age lines on his face. His hand was dead centre and tucked into his mouth. Expressive hand postures are very prominent, usually foregrounded in his artwork. A strip of black framed his white hair. He kind of forms a triptych with two pieces of his artwork surrounding him. All together and inseparable. A set of paintbrushes cut in on the right. It was very fitting and had a quiet intensity to it. Composition is the most important thing.

>218 LT79-1: A great example! My favourite is the beautiful Ansel Adam’s photogravure of the proprietors of the Cantina Press, feature in the deluxe copies of ‘Out of the Cellar’.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CC88oMch8Lc/?igsh=MWhreDZpMmxwM2t5eA==

Brand new copies can actually still be obtained from Talas. It is a beautifully produced volume that I wholeheartedly urge anyone to jump on!

https://www.talasonline.com/Out-Of-The-Cellar-Special-Edition

>219 ChestnutPress: What a strange composition. The inside and the outside fold into one at a threshold. I love it!

The best advice you can get is probably from someone who is doing work like this, for example Michael Torosian of Lumiere press. You should maybe get in touch with him.

>220 LT79-1: It’s gorgeous, isn’t it. And the execution of the gravure is incredible, but then it was done by the undisputed master Jon Goodman.

>213 grifgon: I think your photography of Chad and Erik is quite good and certainly up to scratch, and I don't say this out of mere kindness. You should feel confident enough to continue in this fashion if you so desire.

Circling back to why there isn't more photography in fine press, I suspect the two main arguments against it are purity and longevity.

Purity would be those who see the printed word as sufficient on its own, and any attempt to illustrate it with photography is either unnecessary or even detrimental. You can view this perspective similar to when an illustrator does a terrible job of matching a beloved text to how you have long pictured it in your mind. (The counter argument is that there are times when photography is welcome, even vital, to the text, such as in the books Old School and Incline do on specific locales and experiences.)

Longevity is to me the more relevant concern. Well-printed text of good ink on good paper (or vellum) can endure for centuries with minimal degradation. Is there a form of photography which will persist alongside it? Illustrations in the same ink as the printing obviously endure, so I would assume photogravure would as well. Granted, longevity is something of a rarefied concern, since none of us will be around to read our books centuries later, but some of us like to contemplate the long life of our books beyond our own span.