Books and Vines readers are likely well aware that I am a huge fan of David Pascoe’s Nawakum Press. Their early 2013 publication of Jorge Luis Borges’ Book of Sand is one of best designed and executed books in a number of years.  Prior to that, they burst upon the fine press scene with fantastic editions of Hermann Melville‘s Norfolk Isle & the Chola Widow, Rachel Carson‘s Undersea, The Indigo Bunting: 15 Love Poems by Robert Bly, and In A Single Gesture by Alan Loney, all of which are shown in all their glory here. The latest publication from  the Press, which is already nearly sold out, is a work from author Barry Lopez, featuring illustrations from Barry Moser, titled Outside.

Outside includes six short stories of Barry Lopez, taken from his Notes trilogy (Desert Notes, River Notes, Field Notes), written over a span of almost twenty years from 1976-1994. The stories are narrative fiction, non-plot driven and non-traditional in approach. The writing of Lopez (b. 1945), often focused on nature, is sometimes compared to that of Henry David Thoreau.  He was a landscape photographer early in his career, and his writing exploring the relationship between the physical landscape and human culture demonstrates a photographers depth of vision combined with a naturalists understanding of that vision. The prospectus further describes Lopez:

Barry Lopez is a writer of  the West, an unusual storyteller with a profound awareness of the natural world and the mysteries that lie behind everyday appearances.  His subject matter is both fascinating and sometimes vaguely unsettling.

His work Arctic Dreams won the National Book Award for non-fiction in 1986,  and he has won the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, two Pushcart Prizes, five National Science Foundation Antarctica Fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship and many other prestigious awards.

Barry Moser needs little introduction to lovers of fine press books.  His Pennyroyal Press produced some of the most spectacular private press books of the last century (the Pennyroyal Caxton Bible foremost among them, but also including Alice in Wonderland, Huckleberry Finn, The Divine Comedy, Frankenstein and others). He also has produced illustrations for a number of other publishers, including the great Arion Press edition of Moby Dick. His wood and resingrave engravings have a distinctive style; beautiful, atmospheric, detailed and, in some cases, dreamlike/fantastical. His work is in collections of prestigious museums, libraries and art galleries throughout the world, including The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., The British Museum, The Library of Congress, and The Vatican Library. He calls his work for Outside “meditations” on the stories. A look at his illustrations here give no doubt he was the one and only best choice for illustrating this work.

Nawakum Press has some exciting works planned for the next couple years. In 2014, look for LOOM, a poetical exploration by poet and hand press printer Alan Loney with sixteen wood engravings by artist Richard Wagener, whose companion piece Sierra Nevada Suite was just published by The Book Club of California. The edition will debut at the Codex Australia Book Fair in Melbourne in March 2014. For 2015 the Press is at work on Part One of Hermann Hesse’s novella Siddhartha. The edition will be in artists’ book format, taking inspiration from Buddhist palm leaf prayer books.  Berkeley artist Keith Cranmer will be creating chine colle etchings for the edition.

About the Edition

• Designed and with Illustrations by Barry Moser
• The engravings were printed directly from the blocks on Gampi Torinoko, a legendary handmade Japanese paper
• Afterword by Barry Lopez
• Introduction has been included from James Perrin Warren of Washington and Lee University
• Printed by Arthur Larson of Horton Tank Graphics, previously of Pennyroyal Press and Gehenna Press
• Text set in Gudrun Zapf-Von Hesse’s Nofret, with a hand-brushed calligraphic title executed by Judythe Seick of Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Printed Letterpress on Zerkall Book
• Handbound by Greg Jensen at Booklab II in San Marcos, Texas
• 99 pages, 9″ x 12″
• Standard Edition
  • limited to 35 copies, signed by the author
  • Rounded and backed lap-case binding
  • The spine is rust Asahi book cloth and the sides are marbled papers commissioned from Pam Smith of Abiquiu, New Mexico
  • The book is housed in a slipcase, two tone black and rust Ashai book cloth and printed paper label on the closed side
• Deluxe Edition
  • Fifteen copies, signed on the colophon page by the author and artist
  • Bound in a millimeter binding
  • The spine and fore edges are black Levant goatskin; on the spine, the title stamped in gold on a red leather onlay
  • The side panels are copper Asahi book cloth
  • The book and extra suite of all prints from the book are housed in a double-tray, drop-spine box
  • The front of the box features an accent of recessed Sycamore veneer and black leather

Pictures of the Edition

(All pictures on Books and Vines are exclusively provided, under fair use, to highlight and visualize the review/criticism of the work being reviewed. A side benefit, hopefully, is providing education on the historical and cultural benefits of having a healthy fine press industry and in educating people on the richness that this ‘old school approach’ of book publishing brings to the reading process. Books and Vines has no commercial stake or financial interest in any publisher, retailer or work reviewed on this site and receives no commercial interest or compensation for Books and Vines. Please note that works photographed are copyrighted by the publisher, author and/or illustrator as indicated in the articles. Permission to use contents from these works for anything outside of fair use purposes must come directly from the copyright owner and no permission is granted or implied to use photo’s or material found on Books and Vines for any purpose that would infringe on the rights of the copyright owner.)

{Ed. Note: I apologize for the less then great pictures; these were taken with my iPhone instead of my regular camera as these were taken at a book show. Also, a few pictures are taken from the Nawakum website, with thanks to Mr. Pascoe.}