Author Archives: J. Davis

CODEX 2026 Book Fair (& Crawl)

Posted on February 14, 2026 by J. Davis

I’m just back from the CODEX Book Fair, or what I usually refer to as my CODEX Book Crawl, meaning that I use CODEX as an excuse to go to the book heaven of the San Francisco Bay area. With … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurry Slowly: News at the speed of a hand press, Loose Type: Fine Press odds & ends | Leave a comment

The Lady Who Liked Clean Restrooms, by J. P. Donleavy; Published by Thornwillow Press

Posted on February 1, 2026 by J. Davis

I procrastinated and procrastinated on this review. Almost as long as I would procrastinate on a Bukowski or Hemingway review. I just don’t need to read the male characters in books by these authors, or their attempts to write female … Continue reading →

Posted in Fine Press Book Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Canon of Aphrodisia; published by First Bite Press

Posted on July 23, 2024 by J. Davis

Possibly one of the most delightful surprises I had at this year’s CODEX was meeting Stephanie Kimbro Dolin and learning about her First Bite Press.

Posted in Fine Press Book Reviews | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Notes from the CODEX IX International Biennial Book Art Fair & Symposium

Posted on February 10, 2024 by J. Davis

I got to spend a day in the book heaven of CODEX in Oakland after a six year layoff due to the pandemic. It was good to be back and inspiring to see the fair get bigger and bigger. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurry Slowly: News at the speed of a hand press, Loose Type: Fine Press odds & ends | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No Reply Press: an interview with Griffin Gonzales, Part II

Posted on December 26, 2023 by J. Davis

This is the second part of an interview and visit I did with Griffin last year. Enjoy! My soapbox with respect to private press publishing, and to a lesser extent fine press publishing, is that so much of what is … Continue reading →

Posted in Fine Press Interview | Tagged | Leave a comment

No Reply Press: an interview with Griffin Gonzales, Part I

Posted on November 30, 2023 by J. Davis

I had the luck to visit with Griffin at his No Reply press when passing through Portland in the early fall. We have been collaborating on this interview for the last few months and I was hoping to get some … Continue reading →

Posted in Fine Press Interview, Loose Type: Fine Press odds & ends | Tagged | 3 Comments

Preludes by T. S. Eliot; published by No Reply Press

Posted on July 27, 2023 by J. Davis

Upon receiving the beautiful edition of T. S. Eliot’s Preludes from No Reply Press, I realized that I have never reviewed my cherished Arion Press of The Wasteland. Mostly because even though I cherish that edition and love the poem, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fine Press Book Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Reading about 2022 in Review

Posted on January 24, 2023 by J. Davis

Somehow, I haven’t done a reading review since 2019 but I’m trying to motivate out of the pandemic induced malaise and post more on TWBE; so here you go. In 2022 I read 67 books and about 20,000 pages. That’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Other Book News | 2 Comments

Animal Farm by George Orwell; Published by the Arion Press

Posted on January 2, 2023 by J. Davis

Now, why in the world was I looking for a happy ending to this book? Or even a happy(ish) ending? This is George Orwell of 1984 and I’m reading it in 2022.

Posted in Fine Press Book Reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame; Published by the Mad Parrot Press

Posted on April 27, 2022 by J. Davis

I’ve read this personal fave from my youngster days many times and have a hard time resisting new editions, especially handmade private press editions that feature one of my favorite illustrators. As they say, with every re-read of a book … Continue reading →

Posted in Fine Press Book Reviews | Leave a comment