The Speech Writer is a fictional documentary presented in the form of ten flip books (6 x 12 cm) in a slipcase. The contents follow a day in the life of a retired political speech writer. Surrounded by the memories of his family and his vast collection of speeches, he is a creature of habit, idiosyncratic behaviour and reclusive existence. Retired from a lifetime of public service work, his connection with the outside world takes the form of a daily broadcast from the comfort of his home. Passersby, now accustomed to the perplexing array of loudspeakers wired to the outside of his house, stop to listen for a few moments each day. We cannot hear him speak but witness instead a moment of ultimate freedom in the life of a man who formulated the rhetoric, visions, dreams and declarations of others.

• Cutting-edge idea! • Titles on altered books are topping sales charts • Packed with valuable artists’ resources—galleries, bookstores, Web sites, book fairs, exhibitions Famous artists from David Hockney and Andy Warhol to Gilbert and George have created their own books—distinctive bound collections of work, sometimes variations on the popular altered-book craze. Now any artist can follow in the booksteps of these well-known muses, with the help ofCreating Artists’ Books. Author Sarah Bodman, an expert on artists’ books, gives wonderful inspiration and practical guidance on printmaking processes for making books, digital output and computer-based books, assembling books with limited resources, and creating altered books. An invaluable appendix lists bookstores and galleries that sell and exhibit artists’ book; book arts collections, archives, and organizations; book fairs; related Web sites; and more.Creating Artists’ Booksis packed with ideas, inspiration, and information from cover to cover.

"The future vision of a soon-to-be emancipated 19th century Negress."--Prelim. leaf.

Artists' books have emerged over the last 25 years as the quintessential contemporary art form, addressing subjects as diverse as poetry and politics, incorporating a full spectrum of artistic media and bookmaking methods, and taking every conceivable form. Female painters, sculptors, calligraphers, and printmakers, as well a growing community of hobbyists, have played a primary role in developing this new mode of artistic expression. The Book as Art presents more than 100 of the most engaging women's artist books created by major fine artists such as Meret Oppenheim, May Stevens, Kara Walker, and Renee Stout and distinguished book artists such as Susan King, Ruth Laxson, Claire Van Vliet, and Julie Chen. Culled from over 800 unique or limited-edition volumes held by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, these books explore the form as a container for ideas. Descriptions of the works are accompanied by colorful illustrations and reflections by their makers, along with essays by leading scholars and a lively introduction by the most famous book artist in our culture, best-selling author Audrey Niffenegger. The exquisitely crafted objects in the The Book as Art are sure to provoke unexpected and surprising conclusions about what constitutes a book. The Book as Art accompanies the exhibition of the same name at the Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., beginning in October 2006.

Artwork by Trenton Doyle Hancock.

The story of a Southern quilter which is printed on richly colored, uniquely shaped pages that create a layered effect.

This collection offers field-defining work from 43 master book artists.