Artisan Books & Bindery Takes Another Step

When I began to learn more about her as a person, I naturally assumed she came from an upper class family and decided, in her free time, to instruct us all on what was proper. Well, almost.

Emily Post was born of an upper class family and married into an even higher class family. At that point, my assumption fell short. Post went through a scandalous divorce that was splashed across the front pages of the New York papers. That trauma forged the Emily Post we came to know through her instruction in manners. But between society marriage and etiquette she also wrote a number of novels and interacted with the likes of Edith Wharton and Mark Twain. Then, in 1922, at the age of fifty, she published Etiquette.

Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners is a masterful exploration of the life and impact of Emily Post on American manners. Laura Claridge’s earlier biography of Norman Rockwell was ground breaking in revealing an American icon and the successes and heartaches that the public never knew. She does the same with Emily Post.

If you are interested in a copy, click on the dust jacket above. It makes a wonderful gift.

Happy reading!

— Craig

I can’t say this about many artists, but Andy Goldsworthy rocks my world!

I don’t remember when I first came across Goldsworthy’s work. I think it was when our friends Mark West and Nada Subotincic lent us a copy of the DVD Rivers and Tides, a fascinating documentary about Goldsworthy, his work, and his process of creation. His art can be large: rock walls that wind through trees, over hills, and through a river; interior pieces like a wall fashioned out of mud with human hair from the barber shop in his village in Scotland as the binder. Whatever the result, it is fascinating, disarmingly simple, and quite elegant.

But what captivates me most is his walls. In addition to being a dairy farmer, my father was a bricklayer. Much of my early life was spent “laboring” for him: hauling brick and block, mixing mortar, and striking joints. It wasn’t until graduate school in upstate New York that I discovered dry stone walls. I fell in love. I think if I weren’t so enamored with books and the business of bookselling I would be a dry stone waller. Could I ever achieve what Goldsworthy does? I doubt it. In this book, Enclosure, the focus is on the many projects Goldsworthy has completed that entail stone walls, barriers that integrate found objects like tree limbs and wool from the sheep enclosed in those walls and other found objects. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Wait until you see the giant snowballs he places in central London during the summer. The photography is stunning and his ingenuity is simply breathtaking.

So, if you have someone on your holiday list that appreciates the visual, revels in landscapes, and appreciates any well designed object, Enclosure is a perfect gift. To order your copy click on the book cover or reply to this e-mail and we’ll be sure send you a copy. If you are giving as a gift, we are happy to wrap and ship directly to the recipient with gift card enclosed. As always, shipping in the United States is free.

Happy reading!

— Craig