A Wake for Duthie Books

Last month was a difficult month for book lovers in Vancouver. After 53 years in the business of books, Duthie Books Fourth Avenue announced it was going to close. Sadly, this type of occurrence happens way, way, way more often than it should.

To officially pay respects to the local bookseller, The Shebeen Club is hosting a wake to honour Duthie Books on February 15, 2010. Tickets are available online, and the price includes dinner and a drink. With proceeds going to the Strathcona One to One Literacy program, the event is likely to sell out in advance, so act quickly. See this blog for more info. This is not an official Alcuin event, but all book lovers are welcome to attend!

The Alcuin Society has held much respect for Duthies, and 3 years ago, the Society published a limited edition volume featuring fifty years of Duthie's bookmarks created by a who’s who of West Coast artists including Jack Shadbolt, Takao Tanabe, Celia King, Carel Moiseiwitsch and 20 others. This deluxe limited edition book has since sold out. For those who missed out on the book, we're pleased to announce we've just received word that Celia Duthie has agreed to reminisce and provide a potted history of Duthies at our upcoming AGM on June 14, 2010. Stay tuned for more info.

To conclude this post, here's an excerpt from the Duthie Books blog announcing the closure:

We have had 53 (mostly) happy years of bookselling in Vancouver. We have offered friendly recommendations, and stocked good books. For 53 years Duthies has provided a good book service to the city, championed BC and Canadian books, encouraged the public to read local writers, and helped to create a knowledgeable reading public. The book culture of Vancouver and BC has grown up and flourished around Duthies from publisher's reps to publishing houses , authors, illustrators, designers, printers, literary festivals, and university writing and publishing programs have emerged in the Duthies milieu and many Duthies alumni work in all parts of the book trade.

Thank you and Good bye

Everybody knows that Independent bookstores have been under pressure from the 'big box' operations for many years now and it is clear that it is not going to get any better; the likes of Chapters, and Amazon are ruthless in their drive for market share and we cannot compete on price anymore. The book itself is in the throes of a technological transformation and book readers undergoing a major demographic shift.

We are closing now while we can do so in an orderly fashion and not under any pressure from banks or suppliers. Duthies went through a radical restructuring 10 years ago and frankly, we do not want to go through that again.

Our last annual sale starts Thursday January 28 with 40% off everything and further reductions in the following weeks. Please use your gift certificates before the end of February.

Fine Printing and the Imagination: another upcoming lecture by Peter Koch

The University of British Columbia Library and The Alcuin Society are pleased to announce an upcoming lecture entitled, "Fine Printing and the Imagination". The speaker is Peter Rutledge Koch, artist, printer, writer, and publisher of fine editions and artist books. He will describe and discuss his major work.

Currently living in Berkeley, California, Mr. Koch's work – including over 100 books, and hundreds of broadsides and prints -- is internationally known. His lengthy essay about the making of the Editions Koch Parmenides appears in Carving the Elements: A companion to The Fragments of Parmenides edited by the Canadian poet and essayist Robert Bringhurst. His work has been featured in solo exhibitions at The New York Public Library, The San Francisco Public Library, The Widener Library at Harvard University, The Yellowstone Art Museum, and The University of Montana Art Museum.

More recently Mr. Koch has been artist-in-residence at the Scuola Grafica di Venezia in Venice, Italy. In 2005 he co-founded The CODEX Foundation to preserve and promote the arts of the book and is the director of the Biennial CODEX International Book Fair, Symposium, and publishing program. In addition to his creative and collaborative ventures he has taught “The Hand Made Book In Its Historical Context” at the University of California Berkeley in the departments of Visual Studies, History, and at Bancroft Library Press for the past 16 years.

Place: University of British Columbia
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
The Dodson Room
Vancouver, BC
Friday, March 26th, 2010
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to the public.

Printing in the Shadow of Aldus: a lecture by Peter Koch

'Printing in the Shadow of Aldus'
Originally uploaded by Fine Press Book Association

The Alcuin Society is pleased to announce an upcoming lecture entitled, "Printing in the Shadow of Aldus". This illustrated talk will explore Joseph Brodsky’s Watermark: A Memoir of Venice, with photographs by Robert Morgan. The book is a series of essays in memoir form, by the poet and Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky. The speaker is Peter Rutledge Koch, artist, printer, writer, and publisher of fine editions and artist books, including Watermark. Mr. Koch will be introduced by Robert Bringhurst.

Mr. Koch will show slides and talk about the grand adventure of printing Watermark in Venice in collaboration with an international cast of distinguished printers, artists, and artisans, including British Columbia's own Crispin Elsted. Mr. Koch will be in Vancouver as one of the judges of the Alcuin Society 2009 Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada competition, taking place on March 27th, 2010.

Place: Simon Fraser University Downtown Campus, Harbour Centre
Fletcher Challenge Room
Vancouver, BC
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to the public.

"AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers of 2009" Worldwide Call for Entries

Alcuin members will know the important role awards can play in fostering design excellence. Each year we put the call for entries out to Canadian publishers, authors, illustrators, and designers to submit their best work for our own "Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada."

Now for the first time ever, the AIGA - well known professional association for design in America - has not only opened up their book design competition to Canadians, but to the entire world.

From their website:

Following AIGA’s membership in Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and in keeping with a deepening commitment to demonstrating the importance of diversity, entries from all countries will be eligible for AIGA competitions for the first time in AIGA’s history. In order for the jury to understand the content and context, entries that are in languages other than English must include a brief English translation.

Fees are modest at $35 USD per title entry for AIGA members, $55 USD per entry for non-members. Fees drop $5 with 5 titles or more.

More from their website:

Enter “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers of 2009” to take your place in design history! This time-honored competition aims to identify the 50 best-designed books and book covers of the past year, as chosen by a distinguished jury.

Categories:

    * Literature and nonfiction
    * Image-driven books
    * Limited-edition and fine-press books
    * Instructional books and textbooks
    * Reference book
    * Children’s books

Books may be read, consulted and treasured for years, but this competition is the best way to ensure that your creative legacy will endure. All selections become part of the online AIGA Design Archives, a traveling exhibition that debuts at the AIGA National Design Center in New York and the physical collections of the Denver Art Museum and the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University. If your work is selected, countless future designers and potential clients will have access to your work. This is your golden opportunity—enter by March 5, 2010.

Eligibility

    * A book must consist of at least 48 pages (except for children’s books).
    * A book must be either case-bound or paperbound between covers. Portfolios of loose pages do not qualify.
    * Books and book covers designed and/or produced between January 1 and December 31 of the previous year are eligible.
    * Except in the case of limited-edition books, print runs should be in excess of 250 copies.
    * Entries should be for sale to the general public, or, if offered gratis, should not be publications whose primary purpose is to advertise or serve as an annual report or other corporate literature.
    * Following AIGA’s membership in Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) and in keeping with a deepening commitment to demonstrating the importance of diversity, entries from all countries will be eligible for AIGA competitions for the first time in AIGA’s history. In order for the jury to understand the content and context, entries that are in languages other than English must include a brief English translation.
    * Submit only actual work; no photographs accepted. We regret that entries cannot be returned.

Even if you are not an AIGA member, you can signup for a free online account to enter the competition.  Register at here where you can read the complete details on categories, fees, submission requirements, notification, and more. Once again, take note the due date is March 5, 2010.

In Memory of Jim Rimmer

Sadly, Canadian designer, illustrator and typographer Jim Rimmer passed away on January 8, 2010 after a battle with throat cancer. An immensely talented and remarkably generous fellow, he will be greatly missed and remembered fondly by all who knew him.

Two historical photosets have been added to the Alcuin photostream; the first featuring a trip to his New Westminster letterpress print shop in January 2006, and the second a tribute to Jim Rimmer entitled Rimmerfest at SFU Harbour Centre in November 2006. Additionally you can view a photoset of the SFU Special Collections exhibit of Pie Tree Press and Foundry from the same timeframe, along with many more great photos from other flickr users.

UPDATE

See also:
Richard Kegler's obituary post in Jim's honour
C.C. Stern Type Foundry blog post
Words from the Fine Press Book Association by Bob McCamant 
Minding the Ps, Qs & As with Jim Rimmer (an interview with Jessica Spring from 2008) (part 1), (part 2), and (part 3) 
Gaspereau Press Tribute to Jim by Andrew Steeves
Ryan Mah's tribute 
VANCOUVER BY DESIGN with JJ LEE plus interview from 2007
Jim Rimmer remembrance from the New Westminster News Leader (via @letterpress) 
Applied Arts Magazine Wire 
Jim Rimmer: Making Faces YouTube film trailer for a documentary on Cutting Metal Type (via P22Ascope)
Facebook Memorial Page 

2009 Call for Entries is online

The call for entries is now posted online for the 2009 Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada. Head on over to the Awards section of our website for more info. Three excellent judges for the upcoming competition will be: Marian Bantjes (Bowen Island, BC); Linda Gustafson (Toronto, ON); and Peter Koch (Berkeley, CA). There will, again, be 8 categories of books, and the awards will be presented in both Vancouver and Toronto.

To be eligible, a book must have been published in calendar year 2009 by a Canadian publisher and designed by a Canadian designer. There is no limit to the number of titles you may enter. The entry fee is $30 per title ($25 for Alcuin Society members). We strongly encourage you to become members; the annual fee is still only $40.

Until this year, The Society has mailed its Call for Entries early in the year, to as many Canadian publishers (both large and small) as possible. In January 2009, this included close to 800 publishers. Beginning with the 2009 competition, you can access the Call for entries as a PDF online (471kb PDF). We will also email a copy to everyone for whom we have an email address.

To enter, print a copy of the entry form (page 7 of the PDF) for each title, and send it in a package with the book(s), together with one cheque for the total amount. The deadline is March 10, 2010. More details appear in the Call, or you may contact me.

We hope that you will support us by entering our competition, and the best of luck to all who enter!