bertha stuart

there is little i could find on the book designer bertha stuart herself, though there seems to be an ongoing, even increasing interest in book design--and special focus on women in the field, and on japonisme.

one source of great knowledge on many of these beautifully designed books can be found here. each of his offerings, and we will visit him again, is carefully described, inside and out, and put into context.

additional selections maybe found here, and again... we'll be back.

and, wonderfully, here, where can be found this: New Century: the 1900s “Poster–style” designs flourish, with simple but eye-catching designs with a two–dimensional feel, and with the cloth color an important space–filling component of the whole; designers aren’t shy about using in–your–face typefaces in large sizes. Cloth grained to resemble natural fabrics is popular. Black–and–white and color relief halftone onlays appear on front covers, often using designs or images similar to those on the books’ dust-jackets. Imaginative designs appear throughout the market, from top–of–the–line luxury productions to cheap series bindings; the overall quality of American cloth bookbinding designs reaches its acme.

[i think someone needs to read this blog.]

lastly, on the wonderful japanese page i introduced yesterday, i found this amazing bertha stuart example. perhaps the best of all.