Brief Loves That Live Forever by Andreï Makine - FOOLSCAP PRESS LE 2022

Brief Loves That Live Forever by Andreï Makine - FOOLSCAP PRESS LIMITED EDITION 2022

A PICTORIAL REVIEW

No. 54 of 90 copies
Eight full-page three-color illustrations and eight chapter opening monochrome vignettes by Vladimir Zimakov.
Designed, printed and bound by Peggy Gotthold and Lawrence Van Velzer at Foolscap Press.
Printed letterpress on Rives paper in Van Dijck type.
Signed by the author, translator and artist.
Quarter bound with a red leather spine and brown cloth sides.
Light brown endleaves.
Ragged fore and bottom edge pages.
Presented in a custom crimson art silk covered Solander box lined with brown pattern printed paper.
36.6x26.5cm.
107 pages
US$1100 from publisher

Brief episodes from the narrator’s life, in chronological order, each describing a short moment of happiness from the past. From the image of a beautiful crying woman encountered in his childhood, to a platonic friendship with a young woman in a drab town; from a brief, passionate summer affair by the sea to a stroll through an orchard with an old friend. Each of the moments marks an important landmark in the narrator’s life, and while none of them lasted for long, all of them have made a deep impression.















































































An index of the other illustrated reviews in the this series can be viewed here.

Thanks for sharing. This one isn't for me but I like the fact Foolscap have a sense of fun and can crank things up when needed and then tone it down in other books like this. Looking at their shop the keepsakes deserve a review in their own right.

Exceptional. >1 wcarter: Thank you for highlighting this.

It's a top 5 fine press book on my shelves: a moving text thoughtfully elevated by every aspect of the production, all underpinned with excellent press work. Even the box is a work of art. The use of three colours imparts a wonderful depth to the illustrations. It's always subjective, but for me they hit just the right note.

As >2 LT79-1: says, Foolscap have incredible variety in their bookmaking, both in form and content. I eagerly await news of their next release.

>3 GardenOfForkingPaths: Speaking of their next release, did anyone at CODEX see if they had something new on show?

>3 GardenOfForkingPaths: I agree. Top 10 for me in my collection. The delicacy and precision is hard to appreciate via the web.

>4 MyrddinWyllt: I'm sorry, I don't have any intel on this! Hopefully soon.

>5 abysswalker: I agree. Delicacy and precision are great words for this.

>4 MyrddinWyllt: They did, and it's mostly complete if I remember correctly. I'll leave it to them to announce the details when they're ready.

>7 CTPress-Tony: Thanks Tony, something to look forward to!

>7 CTPress-Tony: Yes, they had a mock up but it wasn’t quite finished.

Talk about an ambitious book! This one checks a lot of boxes. I certainly treasure my copy. Foolscap is (literally in my house) top shelf.

I was enabled by this thread: something good to read, a very handsome production, and from an admired press not yet in my collection. So thanks >1 wcarter: Warwick for the original review, >3 GardenOfForkingPaths: and >5 abysswalker: for their encomiums, and >10 grifgon: for reassuring praise during the long wait for delivery from CA to UK.

There are a few copies of this book for sale priced by dealers at about $1500 while the book is still available from the press at $1100. I'm not sure how this is expected to work well.

>11 affle: Probably some dealers are waiting for it to sell out and then it will appreciate on the second-hand market. That said, congrats on the purchase!

>11 affle: Congratulations on your purchase! It’s truly a beautiful book with wonderful illustrations. I hope you enjoy the stories.

Also, for anyone who enjoyed Brief Loves, I suggest taking a look at Dark Avenues (also translated as Dark Alleys) by Ivan Bunin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Avenues