Digital Book Design & Publishing [Paperback]

Douglas Holleley (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This book will assist the reader who wishes to construct a book utilizing contemporary digital technology. Although it is primarily aimed at photographers, it will also be of use to artists, authors, historians, and others who have a collection of related material and would like to see it integrated into a single document. The primary means of assembling the book will be through the practical application of two pieces of software, Adobe Photoshop™ and QuarkXPress.™ No prior knowledge of either computer program is assumed nor does it exclude those who may be fluent in either or both. The book emphasizes the direct expression of abstract ideas in tangible form and thus content, rather than technique, is stressed at every opportunity.

From the Inside Flap

Contrary to futurists’ predictions that computer culture would mark the demise of the book, electronic technologies, by changing the way books are produced and distributed, are creating a renaissance in book culture. At least as significant to print publishing as Gutenberg’s moveable type in its time, electronic, or desktop, publishing has brought the tools of book production to anyone who owns or has access to a personal computer. Add a scanner and printer, page layout and image processing programs and you have, at your desktop, a means to work with typography, images and page design undreamed of fifteen years ago.

This book covers all the essentials of digital bookmaking for photographers, artists, designers and for writers who want to move beyond the manuscript to the page. Based on his years of work as a photographer, bookmaker and teacher, Douglas Holleley has developed a clear and considered approach to "digital book design and publishing." You will find a progression through the process of bookmaking, from a consideration of maquette and materials through printing and bookbinding, as well as a step-by-step guide to page layout and image processing software. A rich and varied selection of reproductions from historical and contemporary illustrated books and artists’ books places digitally produced books in a historical continuum.

Joan Lyons Visual Studies Workshop Press

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Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Clarellen (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970713800
• ISBN-13: 978-0970713803
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #755,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only digital design book you will ever need!, December 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Digital Book Design & Publishing (Paperback)

For several years I have used Digital Book Design and Publishing to teach students how to combine their photography and writing to create artist's books that rival professionally printed publications. This book goes right to the heart of what you need to know: How to correct images for the highest quality reproduction of photographs, whether scanned or from digital sources; how to use typography, instead of letting typography use you; how to sensitively design a layout with picture and text, depending on the expressive message of the book - something dreadfully lacking in most "how to" books; how to bind books and create portfolios that challenge the traditional definition of what one might think a "book" is; and how to avoid breaking copyright laws. The book is richly illustrated with every kind of book you can imagine, which motivates students to think in non-traditional ways about artist's books. The information is also perfect for someone with more prosaic projects, such as a cookbook or first aid instructional booklet (both of these were projects done by students who didn't fancy themselves as "artists.") This book is especially good for people who are computer phobic. Holleley makes you feel like your computer is your best friend. When you buy this one book, it's like getting 5 books for the price of one. A great deal, a great inspiration - a must on everyone's bookshelf.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars: Very good primer!, September 17, 2003

By 

Manny Hernandez "@askmanny" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Digital Book Design & Publishing (Paperback)

Let's set the record straight. What this book is NOT is a comprehensive guide to help you in setting up a book design & publishing shop, although it does provide an excellent primer on the topic for those of us not coming from the print industry. What this book is tailored for is the audience of photographers, artists, designers and writers who want to "go" one more step beyond just putting together the content elements for their works.

The book is assembled around five building blocks:

-Establishing a Layout Style: designing and typesetting the book.
-Assembling the document digitally: goes into some detail about the most popular page layout program out there, QuarkXpress. Although it covers the most importants elements of version 4 (version 6 is out as of this writing), most of the "tips" provided will still be useful. If you need a 'bible' on the topic, you will need to pick up the "QuarkXpress Bible".
-Preparing images for reproduction: the art of scanning and retouching images.
-Printing the document: considerations about color space, printing from different applications (Quark, Acrobat), effect on different types of paper, printing to InkJet printers and so on.
-Binding the book: depending on the binding resources at hand, this section might offer a lot more information than you will ever need to know about the topic.

Finally, there is a short section devoted to the very debated topic of copyright and the law. In general, I found the book to be very useful and beautifully illustrated, but it still is a primer. For each of the sections mentioned above, in order to deeply understand and get a command of them, you will need other references. I give it 4.5 stars.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Editor's Choice: "A Masterful Vision of Publishing", October 12, 2002

By 

Fred Showker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Digital Book Design & Publishing (Paperback)

Holleley's new book Digital Book Design & Publishing is a masterful vision that brings together all the elements of the new digital technologies into a resource for photographers, artists, authors, historians, teachers and anyone who would like to see their information made into a single document.

This book will appeal to a wide community of readers -- not just the desktop publisher or publications designer. Aside from its essential information of publishing in a digital age, it also celebrates the book as a medium which will always portray the very best of the minds of people. Whether your book becomes a mass produced best seller, or a hand-made, one-of-a-kind art treasure Holleley's Digital Book will help you make it happen.

Educators:

I also feel strongly this is an important book for educators. College and University level graphic design, printing, publishing and even journalism curricula planners should seriously consider integrating this book into their plan. As a university instructor myself, I can see this as an important part of any visual art and literary foundation program. It will arm those freshmen with a superior breadth of understanding in preparation for the higher level courses.

Fred Showker
Editor/Publisher: DT&G Magazine
The Design-Bookshelf dot com