Shantell Powell

Johann Gutenberg’s Forty-two-line Bible, also known as the Gutenberg Bible or the Mazarin Bible (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016, para. 1), is the first typographic book. A large book (30 x 40.5 cm pages), it is laid out in two columns of justified type with a 2.9 cm margin dividing them. The first nine pages of the book contain forty lines per column, and the tenth contains forty-one. The remainder of the 1,282-page volume is set with forty-two lines per column, hence the name of the book. With an average of 33 characters per line, “each page had over 2,500 characters set from a fond of 290 different characters” (Meggs & Purvis, 2016, p. 80).

Because so many different characters were used, with a variety of ligatures, the book achieved the same sort of variety and richness seen in the illuminated manuscripts which inspired it. Indeed, illuminated text and illustrations remained part of the book in spite of the use of moveable type. Blank spaces were left in order for decorative capital letters to be hand-drawn by scribes. Originally, Johannes Gutenberg wished to print the book in two colours, but this proved too difficult at the time. Instead, illuminators added illustrations and red text, initials, and headers (Meggs & Purvis, 2016, p. 80).

References

Encyclopedia Britannica. (2016). Gutenberg Bible. Retrieved January 28, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gutenberg-Bible

Meggs, P. & Purvis, A. (2016). History of Graphic Design (6th Edition). Hoboken, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Question

I’ve long been intrigued by marginalia (images, notes, and doodlings in the margins), and marginalia was used in both illuminated manuscripts and the Gutenberg Bible. Some examples may be found for illuminated manuscripts here (https://io9.gizmodo.com/5896008/medieval-monks-complained-about-their-jobs-in-the-margins-of-ancient-manuscripts ) and for the Forty-two-line Bible here (http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenbergbible/ransomcenter/). Why do you suppose marginalia is not discussed in the Meggs & Purvis text when it was a ubiquitous form of textual/graphic communication in books of the time?

My original plan for my pop-up book was to sew it. I misunderstood the original concept, and thought it only needed to be an interactive book. I wanted to use things like fringe, zippers, etc. combined with sewing techniques (eg. pleating). However, I found out that this didn't meet the project parameters, so I scuttled it. I thought I might still be able to use fabric, but this would likely more than double the amount of work I'd need to do, and I didn't have that much time to devote to the project. I would still like to create this sort of book at another time, though.

So I started investigating a variety of kirigami/origami papercraft techniques. I soon realized that beyond the absolute simplest techniques, I have no natural facility with paper-folding.

After a lot of struggling, I was able to make a kirigami paper sculpture, but I couldn't get it to close again.



I tried making an origami pop-up book, but that didn't go so well. Here are my failed attempts.





I attempted to create a foldout collection of flowers. The tutorial videos I watched made it look relatively simple. The tutorials were a lie! Everything kept exploding, and no fixative seemed powerful enough to maintain structural integrity.



I will attempt paper-folding techniques again when I am not so pressed for time.

Lest I enter a kirigami rage of epic proportions, I instead chose to work with a variety of construction techniques. With my background in sewing and metal arts, construction techniques are more aligned with my skillset. I chose to use illustration board instead of paper since paper isn't sturdy enough to support some of the mechanisms I'd be making.

The first page is a case in point. It uses a penny slider as a mechanism and demonstrates the design principle of contrast. It shows a contrast of colours, texture, and movement versus stillness.

In order to create the penny slider, I used old arcade tokens and a button (got some sewing notions in there, even if only invisibly!) and affixed them together with rubber cement.



The decorative element of studded wood was cut from a magazine photo and mounted onto thick paper. I used mayfair paper for the black, and left the reverse side of the illustration board alone for its tan colour. The white side of illustration board was used to form the frame for the penny slider.



Here it is, in motion:



The next page uses a simple pop-up concept with paper fold-outs in the shape of three hearts. These are hidden within an even simpler page fold-out. The symmetry of the composition demonstrates the principle of balance



A waterfall page demonstrates the principle of rhythm with a variation on the pull-tab technique. When you pull on the tab, the squares cascade in order. For these I used mayfair paper and repurposed paper from a magazine and a sheet of origami paper obtained at the Design Thinkers conference in Toronto, 2017.



The final page uses a simple fold-out kirigami technique, with right-angle pop-outs of different size demonstrating the effect of scale and proportion. For one of the pop-ups I used a photograph of the moon. For the other, I used a decorative ball. Both images came from recycled magazines/books. The overlay page is made of textured paper I purchased combined with cut-out paper recycled from a magazine. The pink and blue construction paper were purchased. This all rests atop pastel paper.

My original plan for binding the book was to use a style which left the stitching visible. However, I had a difficult time finding the right tutorial. I eventually found a tutorial for single sheet bookbinding and did a mock-up.

I had to purchase a few supplies first of all. I needed six curved embroidery needles, red embroidery floss, and an awl. I also had to drink a couple of glasses of wine. Why? Because I needed a cork to safely store my awl, and waste not, want not, right?

I also had to practice making a leather-bound book cover. My first step was to measure and cut a piece of thick card stock. I chose a comic back board. I then cut a piece of leather with ~3/4" border all around. I used rubber cement to bond the leather to the board.



I next put rubber cement over the other side of the comic back board, waited for that to dry, and carefully folded down the leather.



I then went to the corners and added more rubber cement to affix them in place.

The leather side of the cover was done, but I still needed to finish the reverse side.



Next I cut a piece of lining paper slightly smaller than the comic back board to cement on top of it all. It was done. The next part was to prepare a template for the single sheet binding, and make corresponding holes in the cover with my awl.



Happy with how my mock-up turned out, I repeated the process with the leather for the Skinfolk book, careful to line up the beadwork just right. It's especially important to affix the beaded leather in place. If the leather had not been cemented into place, the threads holding the beads in place could eventually fray from the friction of rubbing.





As for the binding technique, I first practiced on regular printer paper and used sewing thread. It soon became obvious that sewing thread was far too thin, so I cut it all out and started over with heavy cotton thread: the sort I use for weaving. This thickness was good, but the paper was too thin, and was getting torn by the binding style. There are two fixes for this which are incorporated into the final book. The pages will be printed on heavier paper, and the binding margins are reinforced with tape. This will extend the life of the book.

The single sheet binding tutorial was posted by Sea Lemon on YouTube.



The entire process of preparing the cover and binding the book is time-consuming, but not difficult. Preparing the covers, with all the cutting, waiting for rubber cement to dry, etc., took several hours.

The idea continues to evolve. I'm no longer considering a cookbook, but instead, a book on Inuit culture and visceral folklore which will use photos demonstrating interactions with flesh.

One tentative story is of Blubber Boy.



(This video parodies Nanook of the North.)

Blubber Boy read aloud.

I managed to track down the creator of the Arjowiggins Inuit typeface, and he graciously sent me the font to use for my project.

My next design project is for a pop-up book. Instead of working with paper, I think I'd like to work with fabric. I'd like to make an interactive sewn book.

Here are a few links with ideas.

Nora's Homemade Cloth Activity Book

How to make your own archival book cloth

Your Beginner's Guide to Making Pop-Up Books and Cards

33 DIY Ideas For Making Pop-Up Cards

How to make simple kirigami craft for kids