The Alcuin Society Blog

Winners of the 3rd Edition of Canada's National Book Collecting Contest Annouced

2012-05-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Canada’s Third National Book Collecting Contest for Young Canadians under thirty years of age

The Bibliographical Society ofCanada (BSC), the W.A. Deacon Literary Foundation (DLF), and the Alcuin Society are pleased to announce the winners

FIRST PLACE $1,000

Aesop’s Fables

Samuel Jang 27 (Victoria, BC)

SECOND PLACE $500

The Imaginary of Books: Homosexualities, Images, and Texts

David Fernández 28 (Scarborough, ON)

THIRD PLACE $250

Tasteful Books

Gideon Foley 25 (Saskatoon, SK)

Since the three winners are from Victoria, Scarborough and Saskatoon we have had to change the presentation of the prizes this year. The Bibliographical Society of Canada (BSC) AGM will be held on Monday the 28 May 2012 at the University of Waterloo, ON. The BSC will announce the current winners at their AGM and present the cash prize for the Second Place winner from Scarborough.

The W.A. Deacon Literary Foundation, with the Alcuin Society, will be presenting the cash prize for the First Place winner from Victoria, BC at a special event.

Monday 28 May 2011 @ 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Simon Fraser University Vancouver Campus

Room #2260 - 515 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC

Current sponsors for the third 2011-12 contest include ABE Books, the National Post, CBC Books and Hemlock Printers.

This years winning essays will be uploaded onto the BSC and ABE Books website.

Our AGM Speaker: John Pass of High Ground Press

2012-05-16T21:54:00.001-07:00

We hope you will be able to attend this year's AGM and talk. Once again, we will serve a dessert buffet (but no dinner). Below is a complete schedule of the evening.

AGM: Tuesday, June 19, 2012
6:00 pm Doors open; award winning books on display; Cash bar will be open

6:45 pm Alcuin Society AGM

7:15 pm Dessert bar

7:45 pm Guest Speaker begins

9:00 pm Event ends

Place: UBC Golf Club, 5185 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC

We're pleased to announce that John Pass of High Ground Press will be our guest speaker.

The talk will be preceded by a short AGM, for interested members. The AGM portion of the evening is open to members only; the guest speaker is open to the public.

The winning books from the 2011 Alcuin Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada will be on display. The awards will be given at another ceremony on Friday October 18 at the Vancouver Public Library.

If you would like to attend the lecture and dessert buffet on June 19, please RSVP and send prepayment at a cost of $22 per person.

RSVP required.

Contact Howard (604)733.1204 or Leah (604) 732.5403 for changes or to bring additional guests.

You can mail your RSVP to us at this address:

The Alcuin Society
PO Box 3216
Vancouver, B.C.
V6B 3X8

Canadian Books Recognized at 2012 Leipzig Competition

2012-04-04T22:15:00.004-07:00

Frankfurt, Germany – The Stiftung Buchkunst, based in Frankfurt, Germany, curators of the international exhibition "BEST BOOK DESIGN FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD" at the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs, selected the 2012 award-winners (books published in 2010) in an international competition on February 3-4, 2012. The awards were presented at the Leipzig Book Fair in March 2012.

The Stiftung has just released their list of awards. Of 540 books submitted by 31 countries, 14 prizes were selected; five Canadian designers were honoured to have their books among the shortlisted titles. The Alcuin Society would like to congratulate the designers and publishers of these books:

MARVIN HARDER, designer (Montreal, QC): Relations on Southeastern Hudson Bay by Toby Morantz (Avataq Cultural Institute)

EMMELYNE PORNILLOS (1218A), assisted by LAURIE CASTILLOUX-BOUCHARD, designers; Liz Broes (Em Dash), jackets; Aurèle Parisien (IPCI-Canada), director of production (Montreal, QC): The Conservation, Restoration and Repair of Stringed Instruments and Their Bows edited by Tom Wilder (IPCI-Canada)

JESSICA SULLIVAN & NAOMI MACDOUGALL, designers (Vancouver, BC): The Little Hummingbird by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Greystone Books).

The 37 Canadian books on exhibit, participants in the international competition, were submitted by The Alcuin Society to the Stiftung. These books were the winners of the 2010 Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, held in March 2011. The collection has been donated to the German Book and Type Museum in Leipzig, where it will be available for consultation and exhibitions. The winners of this year's Alcuin Society competition will be forwarded to the Stiftung later this summer.

Information about the Stiftung Buchkunst may be found at:
http://www.stiftung-buchkunst.de/

The Alcuin Society is a Vancouver-based non-profit society for the support and appreciation of fine books. In addition to the annual Book Design Competition, the Society publishes a quarterly journal, Amphora, and organizes lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and field visits on various aspects of the book. Further information on the Alcuin competition may be obtained from awards at alcuinsociety.com.

For a PDF version of this press release, click here.

Best Canadian Book Designs of 2011 Announced

2012-04-03T21:13:00.002-07:00

Stan Bevington, Bonne Zabolotney, & Ingrid Paulson judging the Alcuin Awards

Vancouver, BC - The Alcuin Society has announced the winners of its 30th annual Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada. The winning books will be exhibited in Germany at the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs; in Japan, at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, in conjunction with the Tokyo International Book Fair; and, in Canada, in eight provinces. Exhibition venues will be posted on our web site. They will also be entered in the international book design competition in Leipzig, Germany in February 2013.

Bonne Zabolotney, Stan Bevington, & Ingrid Paulson above.

This year's judges, Stan Bevington, Ingrid Paulson, and Bonne Zabolotney, selected 35 winning titles from 252 entries, from 9 provinces and 103 publishers.

This year's winners have been posted to the Alcuin Society website. You can also view this list of winners as a PDF press release.

More photos will be posted to the Alcuin flickr account in the coming days. A catalogue of the winners will begin production shortly, and the awards will be given out this fall in both Toronto and Vancouver.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Alcuin Patron Honoured with a Queen's Jubilee Award

2012-03-24T13:34:00.001-07:00

Congratulations go out to our longtime supporter and patron Yosef Wosk, who will receive the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Governor General of Canada through the Canadian Museums Association in recognition of his exceptional contributions to Canadian culture and heritage. From the Governor General's website:

A new commemorative medal was created to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60^th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, it serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.
During the year of celebrations, 60 000 deserving Canadians will be recognized.
The Chancellery of Honours, as part of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, administers the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal program.

Congratulations Yosef!

Toronto: Two Typoscrumptious Happenings Upcoming

2012-03-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Andrew Steeves of Gaspereau Press recently wrote on his blog:

...I'll be participating in a couple of events at the University of Toronto and Massey College at the end of the month, where I’ll be talking about printing, the state of literary publishing and the art of fine typography. Wherever I start, I’ll most likely end up talking about ecology, economics and civics too, putting the issues facing ‘the book’ into some sort of historical context. I’m into that kind of thing.

The events are open to the public, and I’d love to meet some of our Toronto readers and authors. If you live in that neck of the woods and are interested in the way we like to roll at Gaspereau Press, please come out to one or both of these events and make sure you take a minute to say hello.

Get the Lead Out, a symposium of letterpress printers includes Stan Bevington, Briam Maloney, Will Rueter, and Andrew Steeves. The event takes place at Massey College Wednesday, March 28, 2012 3pm - 4:30pm.

The following day, the Ecology of the Book, an illustrated talk by Andrew Steeves takes place at the Jackman Humanities Building on March 29, 2012 1pm.

The events are sponsored by the Dean's Student Initiative Fund in the Faculty of the Arts and Science at the University of Toronto and by Massey College.

Grimsby Art Gallery presents their 34th Wayzgoose

2012-03-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Coming the last Saturday in April, the Grimsby Art Gallery in Ontario presents the 34th edition of their Annual Wayzgoose Bookarts Fair.

April 28, 2012, 9am - 5pm
FREE ADMISSION

GRIMSBY PUBLIC ART GALLERY
18 Carnegie Lane, Grimsby, Ont. L3M 1Y1
Ph: 905-945-3246 Fx: 905-945-1789

twitter.com/TheGPAG

grimsbypublicartgallery.blogspot.com

From their website:
Each year on the last Saturday in April practitioners of traditional book related crafts including letterpress printers, printmakers, paper makers and hand bookbinders gather at the Grimsby Public Art Gallery to present their work to the public, renew connections with colleagues and share their expertise with the next generation of artists and artisans.

Started in 1979, Wayzgoose was a small gathering of friends and colleagues that attracted about 300 visitors. Since then it has grown into an eagerly awaited annual event with an attendance of between 2000 and 2500 people. Participants and visitors come from across Ontario, from Quebec and from the North Eastern states. There are also often a few travelers from Europe, Japan and across the U.S. who find their way to Grimsby to enjoy and appreciate this fascinating craft.

Wayzgoose provides a wonderful opportunity to experience first-hand the traditions that turned us into a literate society. This annual book arts fair brings together private presses from all across Canada and the United States representing the renewal of old friendships, the beginning of new ones, and the appreciation for handmade book and paper arts.

Demonstrations and displays of paper making, book binding, calligraphy, paper marbling, and book making celebrates the love of fine art, fine craft, and stories.

Workshop: Simple Sewn Bookbinding Structures with Adele Shaak

2012-03-17T22:35:00.001-07:00

This announcement has come to our attention, and we thought it would be worthwhile to feature here. Sponsored by The BC Lower Mainland Chapter of the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild, this workshop costs $60 for CBBAG Members and $75 for non-members, plus there is a $10 materials fee for all students.

Date and Time: Sunday April 22, 2012 10am - 2pm
Room C509, Langara College, 100 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver BC, V5Y 2Z6

In this one day workshop students will make four books, including a pamphlet, two stab-stitch bindings (one with up and down stitching, the other with Japanese binding), and one multi-section book. They will come away with ideas for variations on those structures. They will also explore different ways of covering the books, and of providing lettering, labels, and other cover decoration. Adele will provide the pages and cover materials for the books. Paper will be pre-cut. Adele will bring extra supplies "in case speedy types have a chance to make another book."

Please email the organizers to register before Sun, Apr 9, 2012.

COACH HOUSE PRESS AS A DIGITAL PIONEER: Talk and Presentation to Stan Bevington

2012-02-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

Cover of the Coach House Books catalog, Spring 2012, from their website.

For Immediate release
February 8, 2012

Vancouver, BC - The Alcuin Society is very pleased to announce that its fifth Robert R. Reid Award and Medal will be presented to Stan Bevington, of Coach House Books (Toronto), on Friday. March 30th.

John Maxwell, Assistant Professor, Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing, will give a talk entitled Coach House Press as a Digital Pioneer. Following this, the Society will present its lifetime achievement award to Mr. Bevington.

Mr. Bevington will be in Vancouver as one of the judges in the Society's 30th annual book design competition, The Alcuin Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, which takes place the following day.

PLACE: Simon Fraser University - Harbour Centre
Fletcher Challenge Room
515 West Hastings St.
Vancouver, BC V6B 5K3

DATE: Friday, March 30th, 2012
TIME: 7:30 pm

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Limited seating; first come, first served

The Alcuin Society is a Vancouver based non-profit society for the support and appreciation of books. In addition to the annual Book Design Competition, the Society publishes a journal, Amphora, and organizes workshops, lectures, exhibitions and field visits on various aspects of the book.

For more information, please contact Leah Gordon, Alcuin Society Design Competition Committee Chair, 604-732-5403.

A Love of Letters: Work by William Rueter

2012-02-05T16:17:00.002-08:00

News of this recent exhibition has just reached us:

A Love of Letters: Work by William Rueter is on exhibit in Dundas, Ontario. The opening reception was held Friday, February 3rd, and the show continues till the last Sunday of the month.

Aliquando Press is Will Rueter's private press in Dundas, Ontario. This year will mark the 50th anniversary of his press. A selection of books and a virtual tour of his studio can be seen on his site online.

February 03, 2012 to February 26, 2012
Presented by the Carnegie Gallery
10 King Street West
Dundas, ON
L9H 1T7
Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm
Thursday, Friday - 10 am to 7 pm
Sunday - 1 pm to 4 pm
www.carnegiegallery.org

Linotype in Film

2012-01-25T23:50:00.002-08:00

As you may have heard, a Kickstarter project called Linotype, the Film is about to premiere across the USA.

"Linotype: The Film" Official Trailer on Vimeo.

From the website's about page:

Linotype: The Film is a feature-length documentary centered around the Linotype type casting machine. Called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" by Thomas Edison, it revolutionized printing and society. The film tells the surprisingly emotional story of the people connected to the Linotype and how it impacted the world.

The Linotype (pronounced "line-o-type") completely transformed the communication of information similarly to how the internet is now changing communication again. Although these machines were revolutionary, technology began to supersede the Linotype and they were scrapped and melted-down by the thousands. Today, very few machines are still in existence.

February 3rd is the very first screening in NYC, and a subsequent Brooklyn screening has already sold out. We would certainly love to get a chance to see this film up here in Canada, but as of yet, there are no scheduled screenings North of the border. Stay tuned to @linotypefilm on Twitter for late breaking news, as there has already been rumours of a Seattle screening for late February.

Update! Overheard via Twitter today: "DVD and download will be released in early summer."

Props to the filmmaker for following through with this documentary vision! Bravo!

For those who wish to study the history of linotype in film, you may be interested in catching the movie Park Row which happens to be screening this Saturday night in Vancouver at the Vancity Theatre. The film is part of a series of newspaper films called Stop the Presses! and it deals with the invention of linotype, albeit in a fictionalized way.

In typical film review fashion, I shall include a few film review excerpts from the IMDb page of Park Row below:

Kalaman from Ottawa writes:

"Park Row" is small but an engaging and entertaining tribute to American journalism. Under the opening credits we see a huge rolling title that lists about 2,000 American daily newspapers and this story is dedicated to them.

Set in the 1880s New York, the film is about the rivalry between The Globe and The Star. An aspiring newspaper editor (Gene Evans) sets up his own daily The Globe after a man jumps off the Brooklyn Bridge. He struggles to compete with his former employer's (Mary Welch) newspaper The Star, who happens to be in love with him, while the Statue of Liberty is being donated to the U.S. by France.

The film may not be the benchmark of historical accuracy, however. Reviewer Irie212 from New York City points out in a review:

Linotype was indeed invented by German immigrant Ottmar Mergenthaler in 1886, but it wasn't for a Park Row newspaper, it was for lawyers wanting a way to get legal papers printed faster...

And finally, IMDb reviewer Martin Lane from Cortland, Ny writes:

Any film that can turn the creation of linotype into a miracle of discovery is a wonder. Check out this 83 minute masterwork...rediscover how alive film can be.

That's good enough for me; recommended!

Stan Bevington gets Lifetime Achievement Award from The Alcuin Society

2012-01-16T23:20:00.000-08:00

For immediate release

January 16, 2012

The Alcuin Society is pleased to announce that Stan Bevington, C.M., founder of Coach House Press, will be the recipient of the 2012 Robert R. Reid Award and Medal for lifetime achievement in the book arts. He is the fifth to be so honoured; previous winners were Robert R. Reid, Frank Newfeld, Jim Rimmer, and Glenn Goluska.

Stan Bevington at NSCAD in May of 2010

Coach House Press was founded in 1965 and, having published more than 500 titles, is renowned for its support of poetry and fiction writers (including bpNichol, Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Atwood and George Bowering) and for its leading role in design and technological innovation. Bevington himself is a master printer and award-winning designer whose works are coveted by collectors and bibliophiles.

Measurable quality, cohesiveness, and appropriateness come to mind when Bevington thinks about creating a fine piece of printing, and over the years, other considerations have contributed to the Coach House aesthetic, including his insistence upon working with living Canadians. He continues as “Head Coach” at Coach House Press, happy to be working in an era when computer technology, as it relates to book design and printing, has moved into the creative stage.

Bevington has received many awards for his work over the years. In 1999 he was awarded an Alcuin Society Award for Design for his work on the Toronto in Print catalogue. In July 2009 he was appointed to the Order of Canada for his contribution to the field of communications, and in May 2010 he was awarded Doctor of Fine Arts from NSCAD.

Bevington will be one of the three judges at our annual book design competition in March 2012, The Alcuin Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada. The award and medal will be presented at a small private gathering in Vancouver, following the competition.

A full biography with Audio Interview can be found here.

Pulp Paper Pages: Call for entry for Albertans

2012-01-15T23:45:00.000-08:00

We received word of an upcoming exhibition in Alberta jointly sponsored by the Alberta Craft Council and the Albertan chapters of the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild. Entitled “Pulp Paper Pages”, the exhibit will celebrate the contemporary state of paper and book arts.

The exhibit runs April 14 – July 7, 2012 at the Alberta Craft Council, Edmonton, Alberta, with a second exhibition planned for Calgary at the Leighton Centre in 2013, scheduled to coincide with the International 2013 Art of the Book exhibit, an event which occurs every 5 years. See below for more info:

Pulp Paper Pages: Call for entry

An exhibition exploring contemporary paper and book arts. A joint project of the Alberta Craft Council and the Calgary and Alberta North chapters of the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Arts Guild.

Deadline for submissions: February 15, 2012

Exhibition Details: April 14 – July 7, 2012 Alberta Craft Council, Edmonton

Paper and book arts are a vibrant aspect of contemporary craft. This juried exhibition will feature a wide variety of forms, objects, approaches, techniques and concepts found in both the paper and book arts. This major survey exhibition will be presented in the Alberta Craft Council’s Feature Gallery in Edmonton. (The Craft Council will work on other future exhibition locations.)

This call is open to emerging and professional Alberta artists (and artists with a connection to Alberta) working in paper and book arts. Original work created outside of workshops or classes within the last five years will be considered.

Paper arts might include hand-made or hand-decorated papers, paper mache, origami, woven papers, cut and pierced paper, collage, lamps/lanterns, boxes, furniture, and other sculptural or functional paper objects.

Book arts might include hand-made and altered books; book binding and restoration; typography, calligraphy, letter press printing and printmaking in books; and other book-related forms.

Please Note: printmaking, painting, drawing, and scrap-booking are not included in this exhibition.

Various Albertan organizations are generously providing prizes to participants such as:

The Bluerock Gallery and Arts on Atlantic Gallery will invite one or more artists to exhibit work.
The Banff Centre Library artists’ Book Collection and the University of Alberta’s Bruce Peel Special Collections Library are awarding purchase prizes.

For more information on this call please visit albertacraft.ab.ca/calls02.htm

Extra Extra! Our Book Design Awards for 2011: The Official Call for Entries

2012-01-03T22:48:00.000-08:00

Our annual book design awards official call for entries for books published in 2011 has just been posted. Read all the details in the bilingual PDF entry form. In addition to posting all the fine print about the competition, we're pleased to announce the names of our three esteemed judges. They are:

Stan Bevington, CM, DFA
Printer, publisher, professor
Coach House Press (Toronto, Ontario)
Ingrid Paulson
Freelance book designer (Toronto, Ontario)
Bonne Zabolotney
Book designer, typographer, professor
Dean of Design and Dynamic Media
Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Vancouver, BC)

Was 2011 the year you produced an outstanding Canadian book? Submit your design to our competition! Note that students in publishing programs are eligible to submit complete books, prepared as assigned projects, in our limited editions category. All submissions in the limited editions category will be returned to the sender. Publishers may submit as many books in as many categories as they wish. For those entering books in the competition, the important deadline to remember is March 10, 2012.

For further information, contact Leah Gordon
Telephone 604 732 5403
awards@alcuinsociety.com
http://www.alcuinsociety.com/awards/

The Queen Esther Mosaics of Lilian Broca

2011-11-21T23:35:00.001-08:00

Via the Jewish Book Festival, taking place at 950 West 41st Avenue in Vancouver, BC, we have a special book launch and reception that friends of the Alcuin Society won't want to miss:

The Hidden and the Revealed: The Queen Esther Mosaics of Lilian Broca
Lilian Broca, Sheila Campbell, Linda Coe, Yosef Wosk
Sunday, November 27, 2011 - 8:00pm
FREE

“Seven years in the making, The Queen Esther Mosaics contribute to the vital historic task of what the biblical scholar Naomi Graetz called for in S/He Created Them: Feminist Retelling of Biblical Tales: ‘. . . to put women voices back where they should have been in the first place.’” - Judy Chicago

Lavishly illustrated, The Hidden and the Revealed: The Queen Esther Mosaics captures the shimmering brilliance of artist Lilian Broca’s monumental Queen Esther Mosaic Series. Created in classical Byzantine style but with contemporary sensibility, Broca’s mosaics give life to the complex personality of Esther who rose from shy obscurity to become her people’s savior.

Archaeologist, art historian, and curator Sheila Campbell has published widely on ancient and contemporary mosaics and Byzantine art. A Professor Emerita at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, she has curated many exhibitions, including a showcase of the Scuola di Mosaici (Friuli, Italy) at the Royal Ontario Museum.

Linda Coe (book designer) A graduate of the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr University), Coe has worked as a professional graphic designer for over thirty years and has taught design courses at Emily Carr University, the University of British Columbia, and at various workshops. She is a former President, a longtime Charter member, and a Fellow of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, BC Chapter.

Scholar, rabbi and SFU professor, Yosef Wosk, took inspiration from Broca’s mosaics to create a lyrical prose-poem in the voice of Esther, so striking and unique the work must be read for itself to be fully appreciated. The prose is accompanied by scholarly notes illuminating Wosk’s extensive investigation of biblical, rabbinical, comparative religious, and mythological aspects of the Esther story.

On the same Sunday, Karen X. Tulchinksy, Revital Shiri-Horowitz, Joel Bakan, and even Curious George!

Curious George – children's event and art exhibit
Sun, Nov 27 - 2:00pm
FREE
at The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

For children ages 3-6, parental supervision required.

All kids love the stories of Curious George and his mischievous antics. So bring them for an afternoon of literary fun - Curious George-style! This special event includes story-telling, a reading from Curious George Rides a Bike, a musical singalong and a chance for parents to view a unique exhibit (open from 1-4pm) – The Wartime Escape – Margret and H.A. Rey’s Journey From France. This exhibit, in Vancouver for just six weeks, recounts the story of Curious George creators, Margret and H.A. Rey, who escaped from Nazi-occupied France.

To reserve a spot for your child please call the VHEC (604) 264-0499 or email info@vhec.org.

For more events from the Jewish Book Festival in Vancouver, visit their website.

Alcuin Society Award Winning Book Designs and Markus Fahrner exhibit in Port Coquitlam

2011-11-20T21:18:00.001-08:00

Here's your last opportunity to see an exhibition of the 2010 Alcuin Award winners in the Lower Mainland.

Leigh Square Community Arts Village in Port Coquitlam, BC is hosting this final exhibition for The Alcuin Society. Along with it, at a reception on Saturday, December 10th, you will have an opportunity to meet book artist Markus Fahrner, designer of the 2009 and 2010 Alcuin Awards catalogues, who will have an exhibit of his own.

Children are most welcome to attend during the reception Saturday, December 10th, as there will be demonstrations regarding children’s illustrations, storytelling, and book binding.

For a complete press release for the event, click here.

Leigh Square Arts Village is situated in downtown Port Coquitlam, in the courtyard right next to Port Coquitlam City Hall.

We hope to see you there!

Exhibition Dates: December 2, 2011 – January 16, 2012

Reception: Saturday, December 10 at 2pm (includes children’s illustrations and storytelling and book binding demo)

Location: Leigh Square Arts Village

#1100 - 2253 Leigh Square Place (map and directions)

Port Coquitlam BC V3C 3B8

Open Daily except for statutory holidays.

Free Admission

Upcoming in Toronto

2011-11-18T11:39:00.001-08:00

I'm passing this on via the CBBAG Bulletin Board; I'm told this event is likened to Toronto's Wayzgoose!

OCAD University 27th Annual Book Arts Fair

GREAT HALL at 100 McCaul St., Toronto
Saturday, December 3, 2011, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
OCAD University is proud to present the 27th Annual Book Arts Fair. Exhibiting the work of artists, printmakers, bookbinders and others involved in creating handmade books and paper, zines and small press publications. For further information contact: bookartsfair@gmail.com
No website, but you can visit the facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=218680814858006

Applications for this event are still being accepted until Nov. 25th, 2011.
Price for a full table is $40, a half table is $25.

Visit the CBBAG table at the book arts fair.

I also spotted the Small Press of Toronto (SPoT) is having a fair mid-December as well; Winter Fair Registration is currently underway:

Everyday we find our mailbox clogged with registrations for the SPoT Winter Fair, which is very exciting! If you haven’t registered for the fair, please do so quickly, as table space is running out.

Send us and email at smallpressoftoronto@gmail.com for more info.

Extra, Extra! Book Auction Next Saturday!

2011-11-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

This is to remind you that the annual Alcuin Society book auction takes place on November 12, 2011.

Our deadline to RSVP for lunch just passed, but the general public is welcome to attend the event. Aside from the member's lunch, admission to the auction is free and open to the public.

Hint hint: It's a great place to look for Christmas gifts!

Here is a list of the books that we'll be auctioning, along with their list prices. You are generally able to get these books for considerably less - depending on who else bids on them! And of course, all funds go to support the society's book design competition, so your investment is money well spent!

We hope to see you there!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

11:30am: Auction Preview
12:00 noon: Lunch
1pm: Auction

University Golf Club
5185 University Blvd. Vancouver, BC

For information contact info@alcuinsociety.com or awards@alcuinsociety.com.

Looking back at Wayzgoose

2011-10-30T18:03:00.002-07:00

It's been a week since our Wayzgoose printing fair at the Vancouver Public Library, and we trust everyone who attended enjoyed themselves! We saw a few reports come through on the web, so we thought we'd provide a roundup.

First, big thanks go out to Richard Kegler of p22.com who screened his film Making Faces about Jim Rimmer last Friday evening. Also present were the Rimmer family, who received the Robert R. Reid medallion on Jim's behalf. (the award was granted in 2010, but the medallion was only finished earlier this year).

Our own flickr photoset below of Saturday's book fair provides a visual record of the event (captions still need to be added to the photos, hopefully soon!).

Next, a few blog posts: Jim Westergard came in from Alberta where he showed his new book, ODDBALLS, printed and published Heavenly Monkey. Gary Sim gave a linocut demonstration, printing upwards of 50 printing keepsakes on a hand press, and generously donating one of his own prints in support of the event. Thanks, Gary!

The newly formed Lower Mainland Chapter of the BC Book Arts Guild made an appearance, alongside Jose and Dave from BC Islands CBBAG Chapter who manned the table beside them. Markus Fahrner, who has designed our spectacular Awards catalogs for 2009 and 2010, displayed an array of his book designs. Over on the East Coast, Crystal Vaughan posted a series of articles about the Wayzgoose at Gaspereau Press.

That is but a brief summary of the 2011 event; as our event is a biennial one, we hope to see you at our next Wayzgoose in 2013!

Wayzgoose Countdown!

2011-10-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

Our bi-annual Wayzgoose printer's fair at the Vancouver Public Library, Central branch (Library Square) is coming up next weekend!

The details for our upcoming event have already been posted here, and in addition, a second post covered the details of our special film screening on Friday, October 21 honouring the legacy of Jim Rimmer. The Rimmer family will be in attendance to accept the Robert R. Reid medal for Jim's lifetime achievements in Canadian Book Arts.

Briefly again, here are the details for Friday night's film screening:

What: Public screening of the film "Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century"
When: Friday, October 21, 2011 - 7:00 pm
Where: Labatt Hall, Room 1700
Harbour Centre
Simon Fraser University Vancouver
515 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
Cost: Free Admission – limited seating
Please RSVP by calling
778.782.6704 or emailing library@sfu.ca

Here is a PDF flyer for the film event.

And here is a quick recap of our main Wayzgoose event on Saturday:

What: Alcuin Wayzgoose printing fair

Where: Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia, Vancouver
When: 22 October, 2011, 10:00am until 4:00pm.
Cost: Admission is free.

This is a great opportunity to meet the men and women behind British Columbia's creative book arts community, when a host of fine presses gather together in the same room to show their wares! You can follow along on our Facebook event page here.

Gary Sim has shared a preview of one of the printing keepsakes he has prepared, which you might be able to acquire on Saturday. As well as giving a linocut demonstration during the day, Gary will also be printing these throughout the day on Arches Text Wove 120gsm paper, or perhaps on some Reg Lissel paper, Japanese paper, or BFK Rives print paper. They will be numbered, and signed in pencil. Thanks Gary, and to all the other demonstration artists!This includes Phyllis Greenwood on marbling, Reg Lissel on paste papers, and perhaps more!

I am also pleased to announce that at some point during the day on Saturday, we will also be offering one copy of the Gaspereau Press book Memories from the Composing Room Floor by Jim Rimmer. At some point during the day, a question will go out via Twitter related to Jim Rimmer's life and work. The first person to answer the question wins a copy of the book!

Hint: It might help if you're there to watch the film Friday evening!

Speaking of Gaspereau Press, if you are on the other side of the country, perhaps you can catch the other Wayzgoose, happening in Kentville, Nova Scotia! Details here.

Finally, please help to spread the word; next month we're having our annual fundraiser book auction at UBC University Golf Course. I'll post a more detailed post about the auction in the weeks ahead, but here are the important details to remember.

Saturday, November 12, 2011
University Golf Club
5185 University Boulevard
Vancouver, British Columbia
Books will be available for viewing from 11:30 am
Lunch will be served at 12:00 pm
Auction begins at 1:00 pm
$20 per person inclusive if you wish to stay for lunch; RSVP for lunch is required.

Contact Leah at awards@alcuinsociety.com or 604.732-5403.

Alcuin Award Winning Books at World Book Design exhibit in Tokyo

2011-10-16T13:55:00.001-07:00

We were quite please to receive word from the Embassy of Canada in Japan, informing us of a privileged honour. The Printing Museum in Tokyo will organize an exhibition called "World Book Design 2010-2011" and they will feature the Alcuin Society Book Design Award winners from 2010 as part of their display. The Printing Museum learned of our award through the Canadian Embassy's website in Japan, announcing the display of the winner's books and they decided to include it into their exhibition. Thanks go out to our contact at the Embassy, and the Printing Museum for including us in the exhibition!

This exhibition will showcase the best book designs from all over the world and this year it will pick the following competitions from seven countries:

Japan: The 45th Japan Book Design Exhibition
Germany: Die schönsten deutschen Bücher 2010
Holland: De Best Verzonrgde BOeken 2010
Switzerland: Die shönsten schweizer Bücher 2010
China: The Beauty of Books in China 2010
Canada: Alcuin Society Book Design Award 2010
Austria: Die schönster Bücher Österreichs 2010

Here are the exhibition details:

World Book Design 2010-2011
Date: November 12, 2011 (Sat) to Feb. 19, 2012 (Sun)
Venue: Printing Museum, Tokyo P&P Gallery
Time: 10:00-18:00
Admission: Free
Organizer:
    Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
    Printing Museum, Tokyo
Support:
    Goethe Institute, Tokyo
    Japan Book Publishers Association
    Japan Federation of Printing Industries
    Stichting De Best Verzorgde Boeken
    Bundesamt für Kultur Wettbewerb Die schönsten Schweizer Bücher
    Stiftung buchkunst, Frankfurt am Main undeipzig

And here is the official summary of exhibition:

14 award winning books from the "Most Beautiful Book in the World" competition held in German Leipzig and selected books from "regular winning countries" like Japan, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and China. This year books from Canada and Austria will be added and total number of the display will be about 240. Visitors will be able to touch and feel books.

Contact person:
    Printing Museum, Tokyo
    Ms. Minako Teramoto
    Tel: 03-5840-2301, Fax: 03-5840-4567
    website

A Tribute to Jim Rimmer

2011-09-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Next month, the Alcuin Society hosts a number of key events, including two awards ceremonies, one in Toronto and one in Vancouver. In addition, we will be hosting our biannual Wayzgoose printing fair at the VPL Library Square on October 22. Leading up to this event, we are also having a film screening of Richard Kegler's film Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century on Friday evening at SFU Harbour Centre. Richard Kegler will be present to introduce the film.

Here are the event details, and a PDF flyer.

Friday, October 21, 2011 - 7:00 pm
Labatt Hall, Room 1700
Harbour Centre
Simon Fraser University Vancouver
515 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
Refreshments following the presentation.

Free Admission – limited seating
Please RSVP by calling
778.782.6704 or emailing library@sfu.ca

For further information contact:
Eric Swanick
Head, Special Collections
WAC Bennett Library
Simon Fraser University
Tel: 778.782.4626

Edward Gibbon and the Age of Quarto

2011-09-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

We just received word of a show at Queens University in Ontario on now until December entitled Edward Gibbon and the Age of Quarto.

From wikipedia: Edward Gibbon (27 April 1737^{[notes 1]} – 16 January 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament. His most important work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. The Decline and Fall is known for the quality and irony of its prose, its use of primary sources, and its open denigration of organized religion. source

Quarto (abbreviated 4to or 4°) is a book or pamphlet produced from full 'blanksheets', each of which is printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded two times to produce four leaves (that is, eight book pages). Each printed page now presents as one-fourth size of the full blanksheet.

The earliest known European printed book is a quarto, the Sibyllenbuch, believed to have been printed by Gutenberg in 1452–53, before the Gutenberg Bible, surviving only as a fragment. Quarto is also used as a general description of size of books that are about 12 inches tall, and as such does not necessarily indicate the actual printing format of the books, which may even be unknown as is the case for many modern books. source

WHERE:
W.D. Jordan Special Collections and Music Library
Douglas Library, Level 6/floor 2
also exhibiting one case at Stauffer Library, ground floor
University Avenue at Union Street
Queen’s University, Kingston Ontario

WHEN:
September 21 - December 2, 2011
9am-9pm Monday - Thursday
9am-5pm Friday
1-5pm Saturday - Sunday
(closed October 8 & 10)
Tel: 613-533-2584

Thanks Chester!

Alcuin Book Sale Fundraiser

2011-09-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Alcuin Society is pleased to present a special online book sale of fine hardcover editions from The Folio Society. The Folio Society has been publishing beautiful editions of classic titles since 1947. Also included in this sale are 7 leather-bound books from the Franklin Library, from the late 1970s.

Almost all books in this sale are priced at a very reasonable $20 each, with a few titles marked down to $10, and a few more marked up to $30 for books in like new condition or $40 for double volume titles. All titles have been donated from a private collection and most books will have a small inscription of the owner's name & date of purchase inside the front cover, beyond which they are in very good overall condition. Books noted "as new" are unread and without inscription. Thanks Nick for the generous donation!

The proceeds from this sale will go to support The Alcuin Fund and the Alcuin Society's continuing efforts in the promotion of the Canadian book arts scene.

Please take a look at the list of titles offered for sale in this shared Google document:

All book titles are available immediately, with the remaining titles for sale at our upcoming Wayzgoose event at Vancouver's Library Square on Saturday, October 22, 2011.

Email us to request a title, and thereafter the titles will be marked on the list as SOLD.

Local pickup of the books can be arranged, they can be reserved for pickup at our Wayzgoose event, or if necessary, each book can be mailed for a small fee of $5, slightly more for the heavier books and sets.

Happy book hunting!

Wayzgoose is Coming

2011-08-26T12:08:00.011-07:00

We are pleased to announce that our biannual Alcuin Wayzgoose printing fair will take place on 22 October, 2011 at the Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia, Vancouver from 10:00am until 4:00pm. Admission is free. This is a great opportunity to meet the men and women behind British Columbia's creative book arts community, when a host of fine presses gather together in the same room to show their wares! We now have a Facebook page for the event here. The following will be present:

Fine Presses:

Alden Press
Barbarian Press
Bowler Press
De Walden Press
Les Editions Lucie Lambert
Greenboathouse Press
Heavenly Monkey
Isto Press
Mother Tongue Publishing
Pie Tree Press
Poppy Press
Andrea Taylor
Charles van Sandwyk

Book artists:

Steven Calvert
Fahrner & Fahrner
Emma Lehto
Charles Mayrs
Gabriella Solti
Marlene Yuen

Demonstrations are another key component of Wayzgoose, and we have three demonstrations this year. Paper marbling, paste papers, and linocuts to be precise! This is your chance to see the creative process hands on and ask any questions you might have.

Demonstrations:

Phyllis Greenwood on marbling
Reg Lissel on paste papers
Gary Sim on linocuts

Stay tuned as there will be even more to follow as the date approaches.

The Robert R. Reid Award. Photo credit: Peter Lattimer

Furthermore, on Friday evening, 21 October 2011 at Simon Fraser University (Harbour Centre), we are pleased to present Richard Kegler of the type foundry P22 who will introduce and show his film 'Making Faces: Metal Type in the 21st Century'. Following the film the Robert R. Reid Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Book Arts will be awarded to the Rimmer Family on behalf of the late Jim Rimmer.

For additional information or questions please contact Eric Swanick at Simon Fraser University 778.782.4626

ps: If you find yourself on the East Coast of Canada, Gaspereau Press is also hosting their own Wayzgoose celebration on the same date, October 22, 2011 in Kentville, Nova Scotia.