News on Shirley Jackson & Sappho from the Arion Press

Posted on March 29, 2011 by J. Davis

From the latest newsletter, it looks like Shirley Jackson’s The Sundial will be the next book published by the Arion Press. Introduction by Diane Johnson and illustrations by Jackson’s grandson, Miles Hyman.

They are also working on an edition of the Poetry of Sappho that will be illustrated by Julie Mehretu. Author and professor Page duBois and poet John Daley have collaborated on the new translation. It looks like this is going to be a very large book to accommodate the illustrations. Sound very enticing. I can’t wait to see this one as I’ve been wanting some Sappho.

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King James Bible & Sharpe’s Birds of Paradise limited editions

Posted on March 29, 2011 by J. Davis

The Folio Society announced in their latest newletter that they will be producing a limited edition of the “very finest reading version of the King James Bible”. It will be available for order online around the middle of April.

Also, there is a new limited edition of Sharpe’s Birds of Paradise available to order on their website today. Limited to 1000 copies and reproducing all 79 of Sharpe’s plates in their original size for the first time ever. Looks very nice.

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Robert Pinsky reading at the Arion Press/Grabhorn Institute

Posted on March 19, 2011 by J. Davis

The former Poet Laureate of the United States will be reading at the press on Wednesday, March 30 at 6:00PM for those of you lucky enough to be in San Francisco that night. RSVP at grabhorn@arionpress.com

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Barbarian Press Visit, British Columbia

Posted on March 19, 2011 by J. Davis

Back in the summer of 2008, I was up visiting my family in the Seattle area, and managed to talk them into making a road trip up to Mission, British Columbia. My main objective was to drop by the Barbarian Press in nearby Steelhead but I sweetened the trip with the some white water rafting on the Chiliwack River. So my Dad, Brother, and my teenage niece and my son drove the couple of hours up to the beautiful Fraser River Valley area. The rafting was fabulous and I highly recommend Chiliwack River Rafting for setting up a fabulous time. I expected to leave my family to amuse themselves while I went off to the press but to my surprise they all wanted to tag along. Jan and Crispin Elsted, proprietors of the Barbarian Press, were probably more surprised than me to see the big group but were gracious hosts nonetheless. Continue reading →

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The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe; Centipede Press

Posted on March 14, 2011 by J. Davis

When it comes to fine print editions of novels and longer works,  it is common to see the “classics” of literature. Often it is a classic title and other times a less well known novel by a “classic” author. So it is always nice to see more eclectic titles outside of that bubble and in other genres. Maybe because novels tend to be larger and thus more risky than other things like poetry, presses seem fairly conservative in the titles they choose to publish. I guess Virginia Wolfe is perceived as much less risky that Gene Wolfe? Continue reading →

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Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, The Limited Editions Club

Posted on March 5, 2011 by J. Davis

I love poetry. But I really love love poetry. And this is about as love as it gets. Elizabeth Barret Browning is right up there with some of my favorite love poets like Neruda, Denise Levertov, Robert Herrick, Joe Pulichino, and Walt Whitman. Her poems seem to me to lean both on her love for Robert Browning and on her faith. Both of those aspects weave their ways in and out of every sonnet in this book. Continue reading →

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Ulysses by James Joyce, printed by the Arion Press

Posted on February 27, 2011 by J. Davis

Stately, plump Buck Mulligan… Continue reading →

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Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis, printed by The Barbarian Press

Posted on February 20, 2011 by J. Davis

An earlier review I had done on LibraryThing back in 2007, edited and posted here to test out the review section of The Whole Book Experience. Continue reading →

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CODEX 2011 Notes

Posted on February 20, 2011 by J. Davis

I had the pleasure of visiting CODEX 2011 in Berkeley for a day and thought a report of what I was able to see would be a great way to kick things off at The Whole Book Experience. Continue reading →

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Hello readers (and collectors) of fine press books!

Posted on February 7, 2011 by The Whole Book Admin

Welcome to The Whole Book Experience. This blog is dedicated to fine press books and my intent is to cover all topics of interest to the people who read and collect them. I love to read. I read voraciously in all formats: paperbacks, hardbacks, magazines, blogs, e-books and pdf’s, etc. But my favorite reading experience is when it all comes together in an intellectual AND sensuous way, with the literature in synergy with the text and type, the paper, the binding, the illustrations. That’s the Whole Book Experience!

I will be including news on fine press happenings and shows, visits to presses, and reviews of fine press books that I am lucky enough to read or maybe just see and touch. I hope you will enjoy sharing this experience with me.

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