Arion Press - Woolgathering

Not officially released yet, but since it was displayed at Codex (and on Instagram) and is now available for pre-order for subscribers, I thought I'd ask: any thoughts on this one?

From my perspective, I love it. The artwork's combination of vinyl records and organic and plant material is inspired and well suited to the content. While the signed gravure is nice, and I love the sheep vellum binding and acrylic slipcase of the deluxe, this time I think the standard limited is the one I'll be going for. It's still handsewn and slipcased, and 980 vs 3,200 USD is a big enough difference to give me pause, especially with the yen at 20 year lows against the dollar...

I love Patti Smith and would love to have Woolgathering. This is definitely one that makes me regret having to give up my subscription. I've never read any of her prose but know I would probably like it at least as much as I love her music. Another regret about not getting to CODEX this year is not seeing this particular book in person. Would love to review it for The Whole Book Experience.

>1 mnmcdwl: Is the standard state signed by Patti Smith?

>3 punkzip: Yes! All states are signed by Patti Smith and Christian Marclay, with the deluxe coming with an additionally signed gravure of a poem that is handlettered by Patti Smith.

>4 mnmcdwl: Is 980 the non-subscriber price?

No, those are the subscriber prices. Here's the details from the email:

Woolgathering is a very special collaboration between two world-renowned contemporary masters: author and singer-songwriter Patti Smith and visual and sound artist Christian Marclay. Inspired by Smith’s first published prose work, an incantatory memoir of the creative process, Marclay has created a suite of 13 original color photograms that conjure the verdant magic of Smith’s natural world.

The edition is a quarto of 64 pages with 13 unnumbered leaves for the artwork, 10-3/8 x 8 inches, and printed by letterpress on mouldmade 125 gsm Zerkall book laid from Monotype Veronese cast onsite. Corvinus was composed by hand from the historic type collection of the Press for display text.

The Limited Edition
-Sewn by hand with dark blue cotton headbands affixed
-Bound in full pale blue cloth imprinted with a color gradient that rises to enshroud the title
-Author and artist names are foil stamped above title
-Presented in handmade slipcases silkscreened in opaque blue ink with a botanical motif composited from Marclay’s photograms, with silkscreened titling on spine
-Limited to 250 copies for sale
-$980 with Subscription / $1,400 retail

The Deluxe Edition
-Sewn by hand with linen thread on linen tapes with off-white handsewn silk headbands
-Bound in the same cloth as the Limited but with sheep vellum spines blind-stamped with titling
-Presented in a custom-built light blue translucent acrylic slipcase etched front and back with the botanical motif described above so that the underlying book’s covers and titling show through the layered construction
-Accompanied by a gravure of an original poem lettered by Patti Smith in her chancery-style hand, “The New World.” Prints are chine collé on vintage Tiepolo in presentation folders, 17h x 14w inches, and signed by the poet
-Limited to 50 copies for sale
-$3,200 with Subscription / $4,000 retail

>1 mnmcdwl: I'm really looking forward to receiving the standard limited edition too. Seems like a top notch production all around. Love the artwork and the cloth covered slipcase with the 'botanical motif' seems like a step above many standard limited Arion slipcases.

I'm also quite excited for this and their next two publications. For the subscriber price point I feel like it is fair and although I haven't read anything by Patti Smith it seems like an intriguing read.

I just scrolled through the AP website on this book. I've been wanting to read it forever but it won't be in this edition, I don't think.

But I was struck by the curious decision to feature the press so prominently on the spine. Seems a little dismissive of the writer that she is not even mentioned on the spine. Interesting.

Anyone seen it yet? I'd love to get some feedback on it. Glad to see them publishing Patti Smith.

>9 jveezer: "But I was struck by the curious decision to feature the press so prominently on the spine. Seems a little dismissive of the writer that she is not even mentioned on the spine. Interesting."

I'm not entirely sure on this, but the description "An artist's book by Patti Smith" implies to me that she had significant input on the design, despite Marclay being the illustrator.

I think it's meant to evoke a record sleeve, which would almost always name the artist but do also often prominently feature the record label.

>10 NathanOv: haha, maybe. Although it's rare for the artist not to be mentioned on the spine of their record sleeve. I'd be annoyed every time I saw that book or record on my shelf. Just like I'm annoyed by slipcases without title/author on the spine. I have a lot of books and records and don't need the mental gymnastics of trying to drag that info out of my blonde and 60'ish brain. Er, or maybe I do....