Nancy Richards Farese, Book Cover from I Still Speak Southern in My Head, published by Workshop Arts ©The Book Photographer

Books are having a resurgence. Perhaps the perpetual foretelling of their demise has never been more than an unpleasant rumor. A world without books ignites the imagination of a science fiction dystopian future.

Every love affair begins differently, for some it starts with those early, long forgotten days of thick board books and few words, filled with illustrations, equally good to chew on as admire their content. We evolve to narratives of fiction and knowledge—from encyclopedias and dictionaries to graphic novels and works that can span thousands of pages.

Nancy Richards Farese, Spread from I Still Speak Southern in My Head, published by Workshop Arts ©The Book Photographer

Nancy Richards Farese’s practice frequently uses sewing and collage to evoke narrative. I Still Speak Southern in My Head echoes these techniques through embroidery, rainbow colored thread, smaller pages and tip ins that create a sense of physicality and layering.

Published by Workshop Arts, Design Direction by Luminosity Lab
Book Documentation by The Book Photographer

Instagrams:@nancyfarese @workshop_arts_publishing @luminositylabdesign @the_bookphotographer 

Nancy Richards Farese, Spread from I Still Speak Southern in My Head, published by Workshop Arts ©The Book Photographer

Some fall under the spell of the medium itself, a spell that our partners consider a curse, whatever it may be, a gift or a curse, it drives our fascination and purchase of books that engage with the medium, most often these are photo and art books that inhabit a realm straddled between worlds. They share the same tools as a picture book or graphic novel, using text and images to drive a narrative, but the kind of book that is created is something different—the form of the book, of its material, its typography and color shape the experience and become part of the journey and the narrative. These books consider their rich historical past and their vibrant present, they exist because of the content, but the experience exists because of what the content and the medium achieve together something that can be extraordinary.

Suzanne Revy, Murmur in the Trees ©The Book Photographer

Suzanne Révy created a series of are triptych’s, quadtych’s and pentaptych’s landscapes. The binding and folding method gives A Murmur in the Trees the appearance of a small handheld book—when in fact it opens to nearly three feet. The design is informed by the Thoreauvian idea of walking through a landscape and exploring what unfolds out of sight, with the images appearing only when the pages are unfolded.

Published by Workshop Arts, Design Direction by Luminosity Lab
Book Documentation by The Book Photographer

Instagrams:@suzannerevystudio @workshop_arts_publishing @luminositylabdesign @the_bookphotographer 

Suzanne Revy, Murmur in the Trees ©The Book Photographer

Suzanne Revy, Murmur in the Trees ©The Book Photographer

The materiality, typography and color are key to the experience¬—the visual and haptic language coalesce with the text and images to become an object, a book that is sought after as an experience, as something to be collected and cherished. Something that sits on a table or bookshelf and gives pleasure and joy throughout the day.

Justin Aversano, Smoke and Mirrors, ©The Book Photographer

Justin Aversano’s Smoke and Mirrors explores the existence of magic and mysticism through seventy eight portraits each representing a tarot card. The design and physicality reference magic and conjuring through pages with smokey overlays and mirrored surfaces. The book includes a Polaroid taro deck. Published by Justin Aversano.

Justin Aversano, Smoke and Mirrors, ©The Book Photographer

Justin Aversano, Smoke and Mirrors, ©The Book Photographer