Customer Reviews

The Century of Artists' Books

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This excellent book goes over the different styles of artist books. Each chapter is an in-depth look at each style, with plenty of examples. The material is well-organized and easy to read without sacrificing academic rigor. This book has introduced me to the various approaches in making artist books. This book would be good either for the artist book aficionado, the art history student interested in artist books, or the serious book maker.

A landmark book. Does double duty as a showcase of some of the most incredible books of the century and puts forth some much needed critical groundwork. Johanna Drucker has done the world of book arts a huge service by initiating discussions about the definitions and categories that are necessary to formulate a critical language for this art.

The theory parts are not heavy-handed, but spring naturally from the way she has decided to structure the material for presentation. Not many books are a reference, an inspiration, a sweeping survey, a seed for further criticism, and a flower of criticism in their own right. This one is all that and more.

Your expectations of this book might be quite high if you've been wishing in vain for something like it. Even so, you will not be disappointed, because there is nothing else like it.

When I finished it, I flipped back through the pages once, pressed the covers gently together and whispered to the book, "Well done, Johanna, well done, indeed."

It is rare enough for art books to be commented on, but to have the opportunity to read commentary on art book making and writing by a poet and old hat at art book typesetting, binding, etc is a great joy. A reference to cherish, and part of a necessary set of works by a fine author who is still underacknowledged for all she is bringing to contemporary book arts today.

This book is an incredible resource to artists creating bookworks or any form of artist's books. Numerous professors in Columbia College's Book & Paper Arts MFA program use excerpts for readings and they always add insight and information to the recipients. Additionally, the readings (chapters) are not so complex as to not be able to absorb the information.

It is outrageous that the [$$$] book is being sold for [$$$] here, just because it's out of print. Book artists are not bankers!

A landmark book. Does double duty as a showcase of some of the most incredible books of the century and puts forth some much needed critical groundwork. Johanna Drucker has done the world of book arts a huge service by initiating discussions about the definitions and categories that are necessary to formulate a critical language for this art.

The theory parts are not heavy-handed, but spring naturally from the way she has decided to structure the material for presentation. Not many books are a reference, an inspiration, a sweeping survey, a seed for further criticism, and a flower of criticism in their own right. This one is all that and more.

Your expectations of this book might be quite high if you've been wishing in vain for something like it. Even so, you will not be disappointed, because there is nothing else like it.

When I finished it, I flipped back through the pages once, pressed the covers gently together and whispered to the book, "Well done, Johanna, well done, indeed."

If you are a serious artist or student of art, this book is almost a complete waste of time. Drucker's flowery writing is pretentious and difficult to follow, and in the end she has little to say. She also needs a new editor; There is a typo on the first page! (I believe it's "and and", but I don't have it in front of me) I also find it frustrating that she has no typographic sense. I took an undergraduate class about artists' books which featured her book. Several design students joked in the back of the class that they shouldn't have to read the book on that basis alone. (These are undergraduate students, not people who are writing books about the art and design of BOOKS.)

I added this to an order of other books about 'artist books' because the reviews said it was a classic, etc. Maybe it is, but it is really just s scholarly tome ABOUT the 20th century history/concept of artist books and some artists - very few illustrations (all B&W) to illuminate all those words. I was going to just return it immediately but decided it would not hurt me to learn more.