This afternoon the 44th annual California International Antiquarian Book Fair opens in San Francisco. Music is the theme this year, but with approximately 200 A.B.A.A. exhibitors on hand, there will be plenty first editions, artists books, illuminated manuscripts, fine bindings, children's books -- really anything you could wish for (plus, it's a beautiful, sunny day here in SF!). For a preview of what some dealers are bringing, see my blog from last week.

San Francisco is one of America's premier 'book towns.' Last year, bookseller Matthew Jones wrote a feature for us, "Go West, Book Lover," on all the great literary stuff to do here. Today I'm taking some of his advice and poking around some shops in my hotel's neighborhood before heading off to the fair this afternoon. With the help of Chris Lowenstein of Book Hunter's Holiday, I experienced the legendary City Lights book shop last night. Plus, she drove me down the infamously curvy Lombard Sheet. (Thanks, Chris!).

  

Inside the graceful pages of Stealing Magnolias: Tales from a New Orleans Courtyard, Debra Shriver shares her love affair for New Orleans and her French Quarter home. The poetic journey captures the city's lusty European flair with the whimsical memories of Mardi Gras, the deep-seated traditions of Southern ambitions, and the grand pursuits of dining and imbibing.

Guest Blog by Richard Minsky, book artist and FB&C book art columnist

Field Report from CODEX Wednesday, Feb. 9, 8:40 p.m.

Caroline Saltzwedel, proprietor of  Hirundo Press started her talk, titled "The Red Line to Eve," with the comment that Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg was Hitler's favorite opera. She presented a straightforward explication of the relationship of the plot to her interpretive imagery in this work-in-progress (shown above).

Marina and Mikhail Karasik then gave a creative multimedia presentation of their project (shown above) on The Palace of the Soviets, titled The Tower of Babel of the USSR. It started with an unreleased 1938 propaganda video about the building, and went on to show books about the building, which was never built, but was written about as though it existed. The quantity of architectural designs, models, industrial production and political philosophy surrounding the attempt to build what would have been the world's tallest building, topped by a statue of Lenin much bigger than the Statue of Liberty, was mind-boggling. Marina, comparing it to Atlantis, then showed the artistic interpretation of this as a book and a collage-cartoon, some of which was hilarious.

After a short break, Richard Ovenden, Keeper of Special Collections and Associate Director of the Bodleian Libraries (Oxford)  spoke about "The Place of the Book Arts in the 21st Century Research Library." He started with historical examples of book art works, (pictured above) from Mughal illustrated manuscripts to those influenced by William Morris, and proceeded to contemporary competitions and exhibitions of bookbinding design. This was followed by the importance of artists' archives, such as their acquisition of Leonard Baskin's Gehenna Press (including Baskin's Albion handpress) and Tom Phillips' Dante's Inferno.

Photos credit & courtesy Richard Minsky, who did an excellent job reporting from Codex for us!

If you're looking for a creative palette, the city of New Orleans never disappoints. A true southern belle, she woos visitors with sultry street-side musicians, cayenne soaked gumbos, and the oozing beauty of garden mansions and French Quarter cottages. But did you know she is home to a very elite clan of literary legends?

Bad news today out of Portland. Powell's Books has cut 31 jobs, citing the need to scale back in the face of slow sales. The Portland Mercury has posted the full text of the press release, along with the following: "DON'T DIE, POWELLS! DON'T DIE! (please)."

Just about two years ago, the store shelved its plans for expansion.

Guest Blog by Richard Minsky, book artist and FB&C book art columnist

Field Report from CODEX Wednesday, Feb. 9, 7:20 a.m.

The second day of the CODEX Symposium presentations began with Markus Fahrner talking about the Fahrner & Fahrner creative process. Barbara Fahrner could not be there, so she sent a stack of cards for him to read with her general thoughts on this. While he was talking a series of images flashed on the big screen (shown below).

It didn't work for me. The images commanded a lot of attention. When the books on screen raised questions in my mind, those were not always parallel to what he was saying at the moment. Perhaps my brain was on overload from all the input here, but that much multitasking did not enhance my comprehension. I liked what he had to say, but would have preferred either a straight talk about the creative process with fewer or no images, or some reference to the images and how they exemplified the aspects of creativity being discussed at the moment.

Perhaps this is a new presentation paradigm, as Juan Nicanor Pascoe used a similar format later in the morning when talking about his life as a fine printer in Mexico (two images, pictured above). Juan was a protégé of the great Harry Duncan. The talk was entertaining, starting with his family history and their migrations through several generations back and forth between Mexico and the USA. The images, which showed Mexican landscapes, printing presses, beer, and Juan playing the guitar, did not demand the sort of attention that would distract from his narrative, so in this case the suite of background images was a successful accompaniment.

Between the above two presentations, we were treated to Didier Mutel's saga of the acquisition of his atelier, which included presses, ancient containers of pigments, and all sorts of cool stuff (shown above). Originally housed in a historical edifice, he has had to move several times, and showed pictures of the various facilities and artifacts, interspersed with examples of his projects and his young childrens' work, all of which was enlightening. A perfect combination of skillful means, intelligence, technical experimentation, visual acuity, and humor.

The day's sessions finished with Martha Hellion talking about "Artist's Books and Printing Beyond Borders." There were pictures of works by many artists (one pictured above), but unfortunately it was hard to figure out who did what or why it was important because of difficulties hearing her. It would be better in the future to use wireless Lavalier microphones rather than podium goosenecks, so that speakers can move about freely.

In the afternoon the exhibitors were back at their tables, and several told me that sales were up from the previous CODEX. One of my favorites is The Persephones (seen above) by Nathaniel Tarn, from Carolee Campbell's Ninja Press. Each folio is hand painted by Carolee with sumi ink and salt, with a stunning effect.

Fantasy fans everywhere have marked April 17 on their calendars as the premiere of HBO's new television series, Game of Thrones.  Promoted as the Sopranos set in Middle-earth, it is not surprising that this is one of the most highly anticipated shows of 2011.  As such, it might benefit a person to keep an eye on the first editions of the fantasy series it is based on, George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice And Fire. 

 The first book, entitled A Game of Thrones, was published by Bantam Spectra in 1996.  It went on to win the Locus Award in 1997, with nominations for the Nebula and the World Fantasy Awards, as well.  The first edition (with the silver foil jacket), currently commands an impressive $300 and upward from rare book dealers.  (This blogger remembers buying several copies in the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble in 1999 for $5 each -- if only she'd bought a few more). 

 

A Game of Thrones was followed by A Clash of Kings in 1999, A Storm of Swords in 2001, and A Feast for Crows in 2005.  A Feast for Crows was the first book in the series to debut on the New York Times bestseller list.  And on Jan. 2, 2011, the paperback edition of A Game of Thrones hit the bestseller list, as well, thanks in no small part to the upcoming HBO adaptation.

 

The first editions for the rest of the series currently sell at affordable prices.  Decent copies can be had for under $50 -- though this may change after the HBO show premieres, or when the long-delayed fifth book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, is finally published. 

 

Other editions of the series to look out for: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords have all been issued in special illustrated editions with limited print runs of 500 copies.  They command hefty prices on the market, in particular A Game of Thrones, where the only copy currently online is priced at $2500.  A Clash of Kings can be had for the comparatively modest price of $500, while A Storm of Swords is currently not for sale.  As always, advanced reader's copies are in demand, particularly for A Game of Thrones, which goes for $200 and up.

On a final note, Martin's earlier work in science fiction and horror can be found on the cheap.  Collectors have zeroed in on the Song of Ice and Fire series in particular and so far have largely ignored Martin's extensive back catalogue.

 

Whether you delve into the world of Martin collecting or not, the HBO show looks to be downright brilliant:

Guest Blog by Richard Minsky, book artist and FB&C book art columnist

Field Report from CODEX Tuesday, Feb. 8, 7:20 a.m.

Yesterday the CODEX Symposium started with a presentation by Crispin & Jan Elsted, proprietors of Barbarian Press, of their new edition of Shakespeare's relatively unread romance,The Play of of Pericles, Prince of Tyre, illustrated with wood engravings by Simon Brett. An extensive presentation including a video tour of the book is at: http://www.barbarianpress.com/catalog/pericles.html.

What makes this book exceptional is that Crispin, who edited and conceptualized it, is an actor who has performed it and is also a director, a composer, and a poet. This made for a compelling presentation (shown above). The integration of type and calligraphy in the design begins with part of the text coming before the title page, as in contemporary movies where the action begins before the title and credits start to roll. This reinterpretation of a book's sequencing continues as a theme throughout the text. Jan elaborated on the production process and the interactions of the collaborators, punctuated with poetic notes that Simon Brett had sent her on how to approach the printing of the images, which vary from small ornamental work to highly erotic, nearly pornographic vignettes, to powerful full page blocks. The continuous integration of text and image creates a book of great visual appeal.

This was followed by a presentation by Peter Koch (shown above) on the production of The Lost Journals of Sacajawea, which began with a moving reading by the author, Debra Magpie Earling (seen here at left). The book presents a spiritual and political view of the destruction of the native American landscape and culture in a poetic amalgamation of text with archive photos selected by Peter and printed in an unusual process by Don Farnsworth.

The Symposium ended its first day with a lecture by Paul van Capelleveen of the Museum Meermanno on the evolution of Dutch fine books. In the evening there was a reception at the Berkeley City Club for his new book, The Ideal Book. Private Presses in the Netherlands, 1910-2010.

In the afternoon the exhibitors were back at their tables. It is a valuable experience watching curators and special collections librarians look at a daunting number of books. The attention that is paid to each, along with the discussions of content and production values, was a lesson in connoisseurship, diligence, and love.

Photos credit & courtesy Richard Minsky.

I'm a New Orleans gal living 30 miles north of the city on six acres of piney woods and often retreat to my porch swing to pen my prose. Photography is another passion and being a visual writer I often use it to compose my work. I make frequent trips to the city reconnecting with the things that make New Orleans so special and hope you'll join me as we uncover her elusive treasures.