The paper swatch book, A Papermaker’s Season, is finished.  I bound the last book May 22 at 7:15 PM, and it is now available to the general public.  I am well pleased with both content and presentation.  Below are the book facts:

• 100 copies, signed and numbered

• hardcover casebound, quarter cloth with a complementary cloth for the cover

• 96 pages in 8 signatures printed on 70# natural linen textured paper

• Canson paper endsheets and pastedowns

• hand sewn head and tailbands

• title-printed spine and front quarter cover

• 46 2”x3” pure single-plant swatches from 25 different plants

• $200 plus $10 shipping and handling

I tried three other bindings for this book before settling on case binding.  While this method is the most exacting and labor intensive, it is the most professional.  The project encompassed a full year, from pulling the first swatch to the finished book, and it deserved to be presented in this manner. 

           A Papermaker’s Season is written for both papermaker and non-papermaker alike.  And though there is much “how to” information included, it is not an instructional book.  It is a plant-by-plant journaling of my papermaking season from April until November of 2003.  During that time, I worked with 25 native plants – from invasive weeds such as Johnsongrass to fine papermaking plants such as rose mallow and mulberry – pulling more than 6000 swatches for this book.  Each swatch is followed with specific information about how it was made and a journal entry sharing the source of the plant and the fun and/or frustration I experienced dealing with it.  Also included are bits and snippets of the plants’ history and occasional strange and interesting folk uses. 

 Papermaking is fun, and the book presents it in this manner.  Included are humorous incidents that have occurred along the way, from an elderly gentleman’s misunderstanding of handmade paper to an encounter with the state police.  The voice is casual because papermaking is not dull and most certainly not dry.  The book is, very simply, written to be read. 

 To give credit where credit is due, the A Papermaker’s Season was edited by MJ Cole, an outstanding papermaker from Texas, and Peter Hopkins, the Robert C. Williams American Museum of Papermaking representative to the Friends of Dard Hunter.

            All books shipped within the US are sent insured US Priority Mail unless otherwise specified.  Books shipped outside the US are sent Global Priority or United Parcel Service.

For further information about purchasing and availability, please click here to send me an email.

Reviews

From the Winter 2004 Hand Papermaking Magazine - "A Papermaker's Season is not a recipe book.  It resides somewhere between a journal, travelogue, and folksy botanical primer, and ends up in whole as a gloriously personal papermaking journey."

From Appalachian Heritage Magazine's spring 2005 issue - "This is a spectacular book."
 

Comments from readers

Velma, teacher/artist from New York – “...it is far more readable than Bell's or even Helen Hiebert's more recent books. Community and attachment/commitment to place are singing through the text... Thank you. Your book has been inspirational for me. I know that I am an artist first, and a teacher second, but I have to make a living. I need to be reminded that the artist also needs to work or she withers.”

Akua, papermaker from New York – “This tactile and sensory seduction begins before opening the book... It is a handsome object that suggests precious treatment. But its content is too exciting and rich, necessary and practical, for the book to rest as adornment... The accessible tone is between journal and letter... You are colleague and cohort, friend over for coffee and peek in the vat... The papermaking field needs more of this. This moves along the path of Lillian A. Bell's ground breaking Plant Fibers For Papermaking, illuminating new options.”

David Feldman, author of the Imponderable series of books – “It is simply magnificent. I know nothing about papermaking. I've always admired the "fine" paper in stationery and art stores, but I didn't know what to expect from A Papermaker's Season. It's an overwhelming experience to see all the papers that Gin has created from local plants, and then read the technique and experimentation behind the creation. The writing is modest and straightforward, but there is a moving cumulative effect... Other than the beauty of the paper itself, what ultimately makes this more than a craft book is the deep connection Gin has with nature and her community.”

MJ Cole, first reader and papermaker from Texas – “I knew this book would be great, but this is so much more than I expected... I am just in awe. Toward the end of my stay at SFA University, they had a book arts exhibit come to the gallery... This book is as good or better than the books in that exhibit.”

Aleena, papermaker from Washington state – “...an incredible book! Unlike the fibers included in most papermaking books, these plants are available outside my door! And the papers, oh me! I am in awe!”

Merle, papermaker from Canada – "It is absolutely wonderful... Thank you so much for birthing this gorgeous book."