Adventures In Letterpress

Tactile, retro and idiosyncratic, hand-printed objects have an undeniable appeal, especially in a digital age. In recent years, the nearly obsolete craft of letterpress has been resurrected by artists and designers who have rescued cast-iron presses from basements and scrap yards. Adventures in Letterpress features over 200 examples of the resulting work: elegant cards, edgy broadsheets and everything in between. Beautiful, humorous and sometimes just plain weird, the projects featured in the book perfectly illustrate the vibrant future of this once-endangered medium.

A hilarious tale of two nursery-rhyme heroes on the run, from the award-winning creator of the Traction Man series! When the cow jumped over the moon, the dish ran away with the spoon . . . to seek fame and fortune in twentieth-century America. This is the never-before-told story of their exciting adventures out in the big world. How this famous nursery rhyme couple learns that crime doesn’t pay—and love conquers all—is a treat for the whole family! Hand this to fans of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs or The Stinky Cheese Man. “This inventive tale of true love will sustain many re-readings by readers of all ages.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Hey-diddle-delightful.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred

Part travel diary, part cultural anthropology, part philosophical musing, part poetic digression, The Itinerant Printer book is a series of interconnected yet independent vignettes that tell the story of two and a half years on the road visiting letterpress shops throughout America & Canada. The large-format, hardcover book comprises over 300 pages and over 1,500 photos from the 2015-17 journey. This is the ultimate index of this printing adventure, the culmination of all the miles, all the ink, all the paper, all the type, and the blood, sweat, and tears.

Each project in this book combines bookbinding with a specific craft such as quilting, jewelry making, or polymer clay, and offer levels of expertise: basic, novice, and expert. Illustrated step-by-step instructions and photographs demonstrate how to construct the cover pages, and a unique binding technique, easy enough for a beginner to master. Each project also features two other versions with the same binding geared to those with more or less experience. The novice version is for those who have no knowledge of the craft and want shortcuts, but love the look. For the quilter's book, for example, vintage quilt pieces become the covers so all that's needing in the binding. Or if you're interested in wool felting use an old sweater. This offers great opportunities for upcycling. The expert version is for those who have a great deal of knowledge and proficiency of a certain craft - the master art quilter, for example. For this version, an expert guest artist has created the cover and the author has created the binding. This offers yet another creative opportunity - the collaborative project. Since crafters often get involved with round-robins and other shared endeavors, this will show them yet another way to combine their skills. No other craft book offers the possibilities and challenges that Adventures in Bookbinding does. Readers will return to it again and again to find inspiration and ideas.

Lola wants a cat, but Mommy says taking care of a pet is a lot of work. So Lola does her homework. At the library she finds books about cats and pet care and she and Mommy learn as much as they can. She pretends her stuffed kitty is real and practices taking care of it. When the time comes, Lola is allowed to pick out her new friend at an animal shelter. With patience and care, her kitten settles in at home. Lola is a book-loving favorite, and this delightful story is a new treasure in the series. "This sweet story of first-time pet ownership is sure to appeal to young animal lovers of all kinds and especially to feline fanciers"—Kirkus Reviews "A solid introduction to pet ownership, probably best shared one-on-one"—School Library Journal

The revival of traditional printing methods has been afoot for the last decade, and the tactile charm of letterpress has ensured that its popularity is on the rise. Ladies of Letterpress is an organization that champions the craft, and in particular seeks to showcase and promote the work of women printers. A gallery of art by its members, the work in Ladies of Letterpress ranges from greetings cards to broadsides and posters, and is offered in a cornucopia of type and illustration styles. What comes through clearly, though, is the quality of the work: every one of these pieces is worthy of display on your wall, and with 80 detachable pages, you can create an instant and beautiful gallery of your own.

This is a very proud moment. A pupil of mine from 5H, going to Pluto! I'm sure you will want to keep up your writing skills while you are away, so why don't you write to me and the class about your trip? A holiday to Pluto seems like a well-deserved reward for Jon, considering he has just saved the entire planet. However, with homework arriving from Earth, mad Grans and handbag-stealing, blue-headed skwitches to deal with, Jon's trip might be more eventful than he'd planned!