Category Archives: Moon as Bright as Water

A Taste of Qin Guan

26 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by in Books, Letterpress, Moon as Bright as Water

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Tomorrow there will be some proper photographs of the new book enclosed with a slipcase but the first prototype cases are still drying in the press at the moment. Allow me to introduce the regular edition binding of Moon as Bright as Water by the exiled 11th century Chinese poet Qin Guan. This is the first time these poems will be printed in English, our thanks to David Young and, posthumously, William McNaughton for bringing forth these translations.

Copies will be available this coming weekend at the Oak Knoll Fest in New Castle, Delaware. My partner in Chester River Press, James Dissette and I will be at my table along with my other Deep Wood Press titles that are currently available. More details to come in the following days.

coverspread

Progress on Qin Guan

15 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in Letterpress, Moon as Bright as Water, Oak Knoll Fest

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Printing is coming along nicely on Moon As Bright As Water with all but a few pages of the introduction and the color runs to do.

I’d forgotten how dusty Hahnemühle Biblio is, after 3 runs of 100 sheets the press must be cleaned up completely – new ink and vacuum the whole thing down. It doesn’t help that I’m running it with one natural deckle on the fore edge of the page. Such a nice soft sheet though with a nice heft at 150gsm that takes ink and impression so well.

I should have copies ready for Oak Knoll Fest coming up the end of the month on September 30 – October 2nd in New Castle, Delaware. Jim Dissette and I will be there as usual with books on the table and enjoying the camaraderie of our fellow printers and enthusiasts from around the globe.

Previous apprentice Daniel Schneider, Bonnie Loukus and another former apprentice, Erin Murray, will be here in the studio next week to assist in the bindery as loose sheets turn into folios and are sewn into book form ready to be covered in some sage Asahi book cloth and a lovely cotton indigo Shizen batik paper with a hint of gold highlights. Stock I found at Hollander’s in Ann Arbor last weekend as I once again presented at the Kerrytown Bookfest.

There is already high demand for the unbound copies of the edition so if you are a bookbinder looking for books in sheets let me know soon as they will ship upon my return from Oak Knoll.

Looking forward to wrapping up this project and getting back to my Kafka madness.

Here is a photo of some of the piles of sheets taking up space in the bindery. The wood engraving on the left is for another project. More updates next week as things head into the bindery side of the shop.

progress