Designer Bookbinders is a British society of bookbinders and they just held their first international competition at the Bodleian Library. Entrants were asked to interpret the theme of water, a very relevant topic as fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce due to overuse, pollution, deforestation, and climate change.
A total of 117 books were exhibited, and you can see the prize-winning books here. My favourite is by George Kirkpatrick. It’s not watery-looking like most of the others but I think it best emphasizes the life-giving nature of water. The idea is that a drop of water lands on the arid-looking front cover, seeps through, and causes a sudden eruption of vegetative growth on the back, including a golden shoot which clasps the book together. Wonderful.
via @asteger
