List of Artist Books in Chronological Order
Artists’ books are meant as works of art that convey an idea through engagement with their form and sequence as much as by their content. Their artists are very involved in their production, and their readers are expected to interact with them physically as part of the experience. Some books open or are held together in unusual ways. Others feature handmade paper, often from material other than wood fiber. There are also books about bindings in general and making paper.
1720-1898
Ehon Tekagami. (Shunboku Ōoka) N7350 .N67
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Japanese woodblock images, six volumes. Kōkidō
[A Pocket Hymnbook]. (John Wesley) BV459 .W47 1787
covered with brown calico, laced on with twine
Faust; a Tragedy, by Goethe. (Theodore Martin, tr.) Folio PT2026 .F2 M37 1877
cover is gilt-stamped, heavily embossed, and studded with bosses and medallions
Schriften Atlas: Eine Sammlung der Wichtigsten Schreib. (Ludwig Petzendorfer) Oversize NK3600 .P48 1898
hundreds of examples of type, including flowers and non-Roman alphabets
1900-1950
The Wonderful Mallet. (Mrs. T. H. James) PN989 .J3 W6
creped paper pages, pen and ink drawings have been colored in
Daimyoduchū. (Zentarō Akiyoshi) ND 1053.5 .A4
cover held with little ivory pegs, accordion-folded, bright illustrations, tiny Japanese calligraphy
The Twelve Moneths. (Nicholas Breton) PR2214 .B4 A75 1927
calendar months from 1928 through 1955 within wood engravings appropriate to that season
I'm Fairly Sorry, Says Peter Reel. (Peter Reel) PS3535 .E33812 1932
poems and woodblock prints by Bobrick. Shoestring Press
A Gil Blas in California. (Alexandre Dumas, Marguerite Eyer Wilbur) F865 .D882
small engravings at chapter heads
This House of Havoc. (Carl Purington Rollins) BJ1595 .R64
printed on handmade paper and bound with a tied cord by the Press of the Wooly Whale on the occasion of C.P. Rollins receiving the Medal of the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1941
Doom to Bloom. (Robert Frost, Ann & Joseph Blumenthal) PS3511 .R94 D6 1950
wood engravings by Fritz Eichenberg. Spiral Press
1951-1999
Japanese Hand-made Paper. (Seikichiro Goto) TS1095 .J3 G6
on Japanese handmade paper, with colorful woodblock prints and captions describing the process, with 47 samples of paper by Seikichiro Goto tipped in at the back
The Jolly Beggars: A Cantata. (Robert Burns) PR4311 .A1 1963
handmade paper, red print headings and colophon, music tucked into back pocket
De-Coll/age-Happenings. (Wolf Vostell) PN3205 .V613
a collection of folded posters, a package of antacid on Mylar, and a piece of matzo in a wooden box. Something Else Press
Flosculi Sententiarum: Printers, Flowers Moralised. (Leonard Baskin) Z276 .F55
mottos in various languages decorated with type ornaments designed by Bruce Rogers, on paper handmade in 1905
The Well Wherein a Deer's Head Bleeds: a Play for Winter Solstice. (Robert Kelly) PS3521 .E4322 W44
one of the annual Christmas greeting booklets from Black Sparrow Press
Tale of Genji Scroll. (Ivan I Morris, Murasaki Shikibu) Folio ND1059.6.G4 G413
facsimile of a 12th century scroll, paper has embedded flowers, silver highlights, and other luxury features
That Other Alone. (William Stafford) PR3537 .T143 T48 1973
printed on botanical drying paper, ferns in cover, some embossing
The Book Beautiful and the Binding as Art. (Peter A Wick, Eleanor M Garvey, Mark Sexton) N7433.3 .B66 1983
exhibit catalog with plates of beautiful bindings
Master Humphrey's Clock. (Charles Dickens, George Cattermole, Hablot Knight Browne) PR4572 .M3 1984
Dickens' work reprinted in original, weekly format, each issue a separate fascicle
Double Readings. (Buzz. Spector) N7433.4 .S741 A63 1987
Early American papermaking: two treatises on manufacturing techniques. (James Cutbush, John Bidwell, Henry Morris) TS1095 .U6C84 1990
sample of Gilpin paper and illustrations of watermarks, 1829 treatise and modern commentary
Buchaltärchen = Livre-autel. (Otto Mazal, Dagmar Thoss, Phillip, Duke of Burgundy) ND3380 .B82 1991 v.1
The Tarantella Rose: Six Poems. (William Everson, Donna & Peter Thomas) PS3509 .V65 T37 1995
paper by Peter Thomas, illustrations cut and paper hand bound by Donna Thomas. Anchor & Acorn Press
Spirit Land. (Gary Paul Nabhan, et al.) Oversize N7433.3 .S64 1996
Tall and narrow, handmade paper, poems about Oregon and Arizona. Cabbagehead Press.
Desire and the Importance of Failure. (Shelagh Keeley, Debra Esch) Oversize N7433.4 .K436 D4 1996
Illustrations of transitions and containers, accompanied by a poem by Debra Esch. Nexus Press
ATlanta 1945+50. (Shinro Ohtake) N7433.4 .O415 A8 1996
bright collages with Japanese text and photographs glued in. Nexus Press
Meditations at the Edge: Paper and Spirit. (Dorothy Field) TS1094 .F54 1996
text on paper from hemp fiber, illustrations on paper from Kim Yeong Yon's kozo fiber; paper, letterpress, and binding by Donna & Peter Thomas
Flag Book: Interaction Towards a Better World. (Fernando Lopes) N7433.4 .L65 F45 1996
diagonally folded, origami-like pages with flags from the countries represented at the 1996 Olympics
I Want to Spend the Rest of My Life Everywhere... (Damien Hirst, et al.) N7433.4 .H57 A4 1997
illustrations of Damien Hirst's controversial work. Monacelli Press
Eco Songs: a Song Cycle. (Dimitrije Bužarovski, et al.) N7433.3 .B89 1998
handmade paper from fibers sent from around the world. Pyracantha Press
Knowledge of the World. (Frédéric Bruly Bouabré) N7433.4 .B78 K6 1998
box with postcard-type picture cards about the Atlanta Olympic Games. Nexus Press
Paper from Plants. (Peter R. Thomas, Donna S. Thomas) TS1124.5 .T56 1999
a paper sample book with 20 examples alternating with pages explaining them
TM. (John L. Risseeuw) N7433.4 .R596 T62 1999
to honor Thelonius Monk, uncut pages show how folded sheet corresponds to pages. Cabbagehead Press
The Buddha Scroll. (Guanpeng Ding, Thomas F. Cleary) ND1049 .T556 A66
accordion-folded scroll with sketches and some Chinese calligraphy
2000-Present
Half Dome: A Climbing History. (Donna and Peter Thomas) F868 .Y6T56 2000
balsa covers, no spine
Innovative Printmaking on Handmade Paper. (Eric Denker, et al.) TS1124.5 .D46 2003
20 specimens of handmade paper in folders that include information about the artists
Between the Sheets. (Buzz Spector) N7433.4 .S741 B56 2003
Pancha Tantra. (Walton Ford, Bill Buford, Benedikt Taschen) Folio ND237 .F4915 P36 2007
bound collection of Walton Ford's watercolors. Taschen Press
[Cortona Clothesline]. (Katie Gonzalez) N7433.4 .G6475 C67 2008
Nox. (Anne Carson) PS3553 .A7667 N69 2010
facsimile of a book the author created in response to her brother's death, incorporating an elegy by Catullus. New Directions
Deeply Honored. (Fred Hagstrom) Oversize N7433.4 .H2 D3 2010
enlarged photos and letters about a Japanese-American soldier. Strong Silent Type Press
When I First Arrived in Baghdad. (Stan Honda, Fred Hagstrom) DS79.762 .H65 2011
metal cover, silk screened, half-tone photos and brief captions. Agence France Presse
Boom!: A Summary of the Paper Landmine Print Project. (John Risseeuw) UG490 .R577 2011
[Isosceles Romance]. (Katie Gonzalez) N7433.4 .G6475 I76 2012
Cosmology. (Helen Hiebert, Carl Adamshick, Diane Jacobs) N7433.4 .H533 C67 2012
S (Ship of Theseus). (J.J. Abrams, Doug Dorst) PS3601 .B7367 S47 2013
story told through marginalia and associated items held throughout the book
Migrant. (Jose Manuel Mateo) PQ7298.423 .A85 M5413 2014
accordion-folded from top to bottom, revealing a single image with story along the left side
Selections from Elegy for Ira H.: [Exit from Appalachia]. (Forrest B. Johnson, Frank Brannon) PS3610 .O35 S45 2014
Bird & Diz. (Gary Golio, Ed Young) ML3929 .G59 2015
accordion-folded, story continues on back, magnetic clasp
Messenger Boat. (Wade Brickhouse) N7433.4 .B7513 M47 2015
William Morris Manuscript - The Odes of Horace. (a facsimile published by the Bodleian Library) PA6395 .G53 2016
one of Morris's experiments with creating illuminated manuscripts similar to those from medieval times
Piute Creek. (Gary Snyder, Donna Thomas, Peter Thomas) PS3569 .N88 P54 2017
Homage to Humanity. (Jimmy Nelson, Donna Karan, Mundiya Kepanga) Oversize GN380 .N456 2018
book with supplemental VR glasses and companion phone application that allow pages to become interactive with videos corresponding to the book's photographs
Capital Arch. (Tatiana Potts) N7433.4 .P68 C37 2018