John Carrera’s Pictorial Webster’s extensive research and printing project is a huge inspiration.
The Pictorial Webster’s that John researched, organized, formatted and printed in a decade long process, feature over four hundred pages of original wood and copper engravings from the 19th century editions of the Marriam-Webster dictionary. The fine press edition features a letterpress interior, leather binding and a hand-tooled cover.
--The Pictorial Webster's is, in simplest terms, an artistic visual reference of what was important to 19th Century America.
“The Pictorial Webster's is not to be undestood as mere visual reference. I believe a person instinctively tries to find the connection between things when they are grouped together, and so when confronted by combinations of two or more images the mind looks for a link to give their grouping meaning.”[1]
--“-The book is also a meticulously printed study of the art of 19th Century scientific and black-line wood engravings. To an engraving, the printing in this book is of better quality than the printing in the original dictionaries. Details are revealed that were lost in the original printings as this book is printed for the engravings rather than for the text, on better quality paper, with a more sophisticated press, and it is being printed with the engravings or electrotypes as opposed to stereotyped plates which would have been used for the edition printing of the dictionaries. “[2]
The title of this blog entry links to a video that offers a behind the scenes peek at the making of the book, that provides a sense of effort and value in hand craftsmanship and the printing process.
The deluxe copy shown in the video is from an edition of 26 is $4600, but there is also the regular run of 100 books (doesn't have fingertabs) in $3200 binding, $2600, and $1800, and now from Chronicle Books a very splendid $35 version.
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References:
[1]http://www.quercuspress.com/webster_process.htm
[2] ibid
