Friday, February 26, 2010

Vertebrae

A yellow-toned illustration of the bones of the ribcage and shoulder.Media: Beet juice, drawing, graphite, hand cutting, inks, mono-printing, painting, pastel, pencils, tumeric, xylene ink transfer, and other media. "Inset on the inside back cover are a row of Datura stramonium seeds... poisonous and psychotropic."  Goodness, what are we adding to the collections?

Organik's artist's book, Vertebrae (Brooklyn: Artichoke Yink Press and Organik, 2009) came to Dartmouth as a result of a class visit from book artist Marshall Weber last Spring.  After presenting books offered by the Booklyn Artists Alliance to a book arts workshop class, we asked the class what book they would buy if they were responsible for building the collections.  The overwhelming choice was Vertebrae, a book that presents "the intersection of human and plant form" through a collage of organic materials.

The book provides a perfect juxtaposition with our tremendous collection of historical anatomies.  Ask for Rauner Presses A778orve to experience this unique book.

A color illustration of a ribcage and vertebrae, turning to leaves.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Dartmouth Typeface

The word "Dartmouth," followed by the full alphabet, numbers, and punctuation marks, arranged in six rows. The typeface is a serif font in all capital letters.Did you know Dartmouth has its own letters? We pass signs everywhere on Dartmouth's campus. Imagine if you were asked to design the letters. Both Will Carter and Paul Hayden Duensing are mentioned in a recent acquisition at Rauner Library: The Private Typecasters : Preserving the Craft of Hot-Metal Type into the Twenty-First Century, Newtown, PA : Bird & Bull Press, 2008.

An illustrated portrait of a man, captioned "Dedicated to the memory of Paul Hayden Duensing August 11, 1929 - November 9, 2006.""The Private Press and Typefoundry of Paul Hayden Duensing takes pleasure in presenting the first showing of Dartmouth title designed by Will Carter." "Mr. Carter designed Dartmouth as a titling letter for the college... for signage and other display uses." "For this cutting new figures based on Octavian have been redrawn by Will Rueter, Toronto, to work with the letter. Dartmouth has been cut in the 22 point size in May and June of 1991 at The Private Press and Type-foundry of Paul Hayden Duensing and was the last complete font cast at Vicksburg, Michigan before the PP&T relocated."

To see an example of Dartmouth letters, see:

Author: Carter, Will, 1912-2001.
Title: [Alphabet of capital letters for Dartmouth typeface] [realia]
Imprint: [S.n. : s.l., 1965?]
Description: 28 hand carved wood blocks representing the capitals letters designed by Will Carter for the Dartmouth typeface.

Ask for: Rauner Realia 510

A printed image titled "The Private Typecasters," showing a woodcut of a pile of tools and further text reading "Preserving the craft of hot-metal type into the twenty-first century Richard L. Hopkins general editor with woodcuts by Christopher Manson Bird & Bull Press Newtown PA, 2008."To see a different example of Dartmouth letters, see:

Author: Carter, Will, 1912-2001.
Title: R : This letter R demonstrates the main principles behind the shaping of the design called Dartmouth: emphatically waisted strokes, with strong, square-ended serifs and clearly defined counters; perfect for incising on stone or wood. Originally conceived for some carved teak panels in the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, it was later adapted as a type-face.
Imprint: [Hanover, N.H. : Will Carter, 1969]
Description: 1 broadside ; 40 x 26 cm.; "Prepared by Will Carter as a keepsake for his friends at Dartmouth College to record his stay as Artist-in-Residence during the Spring Term 1969."
Special Collections/Broadside copy: Author's autograph presentation copy, inscribed to Bernard Cohen. 

Ask for Rauner Broadside 969940.2