I look at books the same way I watch films. Both mediums have evolved through time and have been shaped by the environment in which they are produced. However, while the change in books and films is perpetual, they should not be compared to the past. In his essay Michael Russem states “…a book is in constant transition as changing technology and methods of production affect the tools we use everyday. Consider the evolution from the stone tablet to the scroll, or the codex to the Kindle. They all have the same basic purpose, but they fulfill that purpose in different ways…” Books are works of art, they serve one purpose, and that is to convey the writer’s ideas to the reader. Now when I say this I don’t mean that I agree with Michael Russem’s opinion that text is the fundamental element of the book, nonetheless I do feel that no matter how the text, illustrations and layout is used, a book is effective if all the elements work together to produce something beautiful. Therefore, for their time, a selection of effective books has been made in the past and continues to be made in the future no matter how transformed they look.

William Morris’s The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer is a beautiful spectacle that follows his belief of the “ideal book” perfectly: large sheets of high quality handmade paper, historic yet dark typefaces and ornamentations flood the pages, the margins are thick on the bottom and thin along the sides- Morris was fond of creating visual density. When one turns the pages of the book you can hear the crisp rustle of the pages, the type and woodcut engravings fit together like a puzzle. There is no doubt that it took careful time and effort to produce such a vision. This book makes me believe that handmade books have certain magic to them. But that isn’t to say that commercial, industrially produced books cannot hold a magic of their own. Its simply a different kind of magic.

Was here by Emily McVarish, published in 2001 breaks away from Morris’s traditional layout but has similar characteristics. The text doesn’t follow the grid layout. Photographs are dispersed all over the pages, and some of the text overlays the photographs. Like Morris’s illuminated initial, some of McVarish’s text has larger letters. The book just like The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer is a work of art. From the moment the book is opened, you are introduced to text floating around the page. However the words are stylishly placed in such a way that the eye moves in a diagonal “up to down” direction. The text is a mix of different type, different colors and different sizes however as isolated as they look, they all read as one story and have a certain flow to them. The diagonal “up to down” motion of the eyes works as successfully as reading a book from left to right! This book is of a similar size to the Geoffrey Chaucer, therefore the photographs used in it have a similar effect on the reader as Morris’s woodcuts did in his book.  Just as the pieces of text and wood engravings work together like a puzzle in William Morris’s book, the floating text and dispersed photographs in Emily McVarish’s book do the same.

To conclude, while both The Works of Geofferey Chaucer and Was Here are produced in different time periods, both are strong works of art. Book making is an art form and will continue to evolve but will also continue to use small details used in the past.

 The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer Was Here