Blooks Exhibition On NOW at Bard College

Public Exhibition

Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren't

Charles P. Stevenson Library. Bard College.

Annandale-on-Hudson, New York

August 23-October 30, 2016

(second floor exhibition closes on October 14)

From January 27 through March 12, 2016 at the Grolier Club in New York City, I curated the first exhibition of my collection of blooks, which included over 200 book-shaped objects representing over 250 years of their development from many countries. As a part-time resident of Tivoli, New York, I am aware of the important and active role that Bard College has in its community and am pleased to participate in its artistic and scholarly dialogue by presenting a segment of the original Grolier Club exhibition at the Stevenson Library.  I hope that some of you will get the chance to visit the exhibition before it closes next month. Below is a list of objects on view. Most are illustrated in my book.

First Floor

Case 1 (facing cases, from right to left):

Maple sugar mold. Bible. American or -Canadian, c. 1820s.

Marble (memorial) book.  American, 19th c.

Sewing box. Bibel. German, 19th c.
Gift box with hand mirror. Curly Locks. American, late 19^th-early 20th c.
Ladies’ dresser set. Milady’s Fancy. Vol. XVII. Enesco. American, 1920s.
Negative box. Tylar's Unique Negative Storer. English, mid–late 19^th c.
Biscuit tin. Book. Huntley & Palmers. English, 1920.
Pencil box. American, late 19th c.

Case 2: Baking pan from T. H. Nelligan Bakery, Troy, NY. [American], c. 1947. 
Yarn box. Knitting Volumes. American, mid-20th c.
Toy. Secret Sam’s Spy Dictionary. Topper Toys. American, 1966.
Freemasonry symbolic sculpture. Holy Bible. American, 20th c.
Case 3:
Exploding book. The Bare Facts of Nudism. Adams Co. American, c. 1945.
Punch line book. A Collection of Shapely Pin-Ups.  American, mid-19th c.
Trick snake book. American, mid-late 19th c.
Shock book. World’s Greatest Jokes. Franco-American Novelty Co., New York. American, mid-20th c.
Clutch bag. Chelsea Husbands. A.Hindmarch, London. English, c. 1990s.
Bath products. Secrets by Dermay. Dermay Perfumes, Inc., New York. American, c. 1920-1930s.
Reading light. Magic Booklite. Eagle Electric Manufacturing Co., Inc., New York. American, c. 1949.
Alarm clock. Lava Time. Lava Simplex. Chicago, Illinois. American, 1976.
Recipe file. Chef-an-ette. Terry’s Origin-ettes. Chicago, Illinois. American, c. 1957.
Child’s lunch box. Book Bento. Sanwa Seiko Co., Ltd. Japan, c. 1960s.


Second Floor

Case 1 (facing cases, from left to right):

Lunch box with flask. Noonday Exercise. American, c. 1875 and U.S. Patent 170,441. 1875.

Case 2:

Educational device. The Book of Books. Endeavor Printing Co., Anniston, Alabama. American, c. 1918 and U.S. Patent 1,262,269. 1918.

Case 3:

Candy box. Life Savers: A Sweet Story.  American, 1941–1948 and advertisement from Life Magazine. American, 1940s.
Crosley book radio. New Crosley Transistor Book Radio. Fantasy. Avco. Cincinnati, Ohio. American, c. 1954 and advertisement (Lekmayer’s).
Trade catalog. Jellinek.  Paris. French. Early 20th c.

Case 4:

Souvenir box. Dictionary. Made by C. H. Haines. Canadian, 1885.
Office supply set. Dennison Manufacturing Co. Framingham, Massachusetts. American, c. 1940–1942.
Table lighter. The Book of Smoking Knowledge. Ross Electronics Corp., Chicago, Illinois. American, made in Japan, c. 1960s.
Trench Art lighter, World War I. Marie. French, c. 1914–1918.
Betel box, Mrs. Crosby. Indian or English, c. 1912–1918.
Coal carving. James Fagen. American, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, 1897.
Slate paperweight. L. K. E., 1871-1909. American, early 20^th century.
Frida (Kahlo) icon. Mexican, c. 2010.
Salt box. Cook Book Salt. Barton Salt Co., Hutchinson, Kansas. American, c. 1940s.
Bookie Blox, Vol. 1. Bookie Blox Co. American, 1922.

If you can't make it to the exhibition, you can still order my book on this website.

The Curious Genre of Maple Sugar Bible Molds

Before the availability of refrigeration which made maple syrup a viable commodity, maple products were produced in solid forms such as maple sugar. Maple sugar was often processed in decorative wooden molds as sale or gift items. Sugar molds were made during the 19th century throughout New England and Canada. I have found a curious group of bible molds which produced small sugar bibles that would fit in your hand. I have seen these in three different designs and assembly styles. Two are in my collection and one is at the Royal Ontario Museum. I don't really have an understanding yet of the context of the maple sugar bibles, but they could have been served at religious communal meals and holidays, or perhaps they were gifts or rewards for children.

Mold 1: This mold was purchased from a dealer in Maine. It probably dates from the late 19th century. It is missing it's foredge piece. In the shipping box there was an additional spine piece, indicating that there were at least two book molds. This is a six-piece mold held together with four wood pegs. Only two are shown. Its bookish features include a curved spine with three raised bands, squares, and a cross design typical of a bookbinding. The mold is fully described in my book Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren't. To understand more about the history and production of maple sugar, I refer you to the essay Maple History, from the website of the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association. Here is a segment:

From the journals of early New England explorers we have learned that there were three types of maple sugar made by the Northeastern American Indians: "Grain Sugar" a coarse granulated sugar similar to that we know as "brown sugar"; "Cake Sugar," sugar poured into wooden molds to become hard cakes or blocks; and "Wax Sugar," which was made by boiling syrup extra thick and pouring it over snow. This wax sugar is what we know today as "sugar on snow."

In the early days maple sap was boiled down and made into maple sugar, instead of the more common maple syrup that we see today. There was no easy way to store syrup as a liquid, but hardened, dry maple sugar was easily stored for use later in the year. The Native Americans of New England used their maple sugar as gifts, for trading, to mix with grains and berries and bear fat. During the heat of summer a special treat was a drink made of maple sugar dissolved in water. The early European settlers who came to New England made maple sugar in the way which they learned from the Native Indian population. The settlers set up sugar camps in the woods where the maple trees were most plentiful, and the trees were slashed with an ax to allow the sap to drip out and be collected. As early as 1790 it was suggested that. slashing the trees was not good for their health, and that a better way was to drill a half inch hole in the tree and insert a "spill" or spile to allow the sap to run out. The early spiles were made of a softwood twig such as sumac that had a soft center. The center was pushed out leaving a hollow wooden tube that could be inserted into a hole drilled into the maple tree. The sap would then drip out through the hollow tube or "spile", and into a collection vessel such as a hollowed out log.

These early sugarmakers gathered their sap in wooden buckets as they went from tree to tree. The sap was then boiled down in a series of large iron kettles hanging over a long open fire. As the syrup got thicker in one kettle it was ladled into the next one and fresh sap was then added to the first kettle. In this way, they always had the last kettle full of nearly completed syrup or sugar. When it was finally thickened enough, the liquid sugar was stirred until it began to crystallize, then poured of into wooden molds. These blocks of maple sugar could be broken up or shaved later in the year when needed. (continued below)

Mold 2: Below is another mold from my collection. Instead of pegs, it uses two wood clamps to lock the pieces for pouring. Notice that the top piece, which represents the foredge of the bible is upside down in this photograph. This mold revealed something new to me about bible molds and their usage. 

What I thought in the sales photographs were raised bands, turned out to be the letters RIP (Rest In Peace), indicating that this mold could have been used in relation to a funeral gathering. 

Below is a detail, showing a registration mark at the right:

The registration mark, which looks like an "A" shows the sugar maker how to assemble the pieces of the mold. 

Mold 3: This elaborate and apparently well-used bible mold shown below resides in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada. The bible design is a bit more formal than the other molds and the maker seems more skilled. The spine is flat. Notice the heavy corners. I'm not sure how it was locked, but there could be clamps missing or perhaps it was held shut with hand pressure alone. 

This sweet product of the New England forests was very important to the colonists of early Massachusetts. In addition to providing a homemade source of sugar, the maple sugar was also used for trade or was sold. Many colonists made far more maple sugar than they could use themselves, sometimes as much as a thousand pounds per family. This excess was valuable to the early settlers as it provided some income or could be traded at local stores for other food and supplies. This locally made sugar was also important to the New Englanders because it was a sugar not made by the slaves of the West Indies. Our third President, Thomas Jefferson, was so much in favor of the United States producing its own maple sugar that he even started a plantation of sugar maples at his home, Monticello.

Over the next hundred years or so, maple sugar producing went through some changes. Metal buckets replaced the wooden ones; metal tanks became available for sap storage instead of hollowed out logs or wooden barrels. For boiling, large flat pans soon replaced the three open kettles that were hung over an open fire. A contained fire could be built under the flat pan in a furnace or "arch", thus becoming more efficient because of the large surface area exposed to the fire. Other improvements included the building of shelters for boiling the sap, which became know as "sugarhouses." However, the process still involved much time and labor.

As the price of imported cane sugar declined, more New Englanders bought cane sugar instead of maple sugar. By the late 1800's a Vermont man built what he called a Maple sugar "evaporator." This especially designed flat pan had channels for the sap to flow through as it boiled. In this way fresh sap could always be added to one end of the evaporator, and finished syrup could be drawn off at the other end. Today pure maple syrup is still made in an evaporator with much the same design.

Shortly before 1890 the import tax on white cane sugar was removed, and cane sugar soon out sold maple sugar. What happened in the maple industry however, was that maple syrup became popular. Soon the New England "sugarmakers" were making maple syrup instead of maple sugar, and were selling it in cans and bottles. Now over a century later we still seek that special flavor of pure maple syrup that the original settlers of Massachusetts learned about from the Native Americans.

What I don't know about these molds could fill a book. I'd like to know their dates, who made them, where exactly they were made and how they were used. I've read that Quakers supported maple sugar before the Civil War to boycott the use of cane sugar which was produced by slaves, but I don't know if these molds were produced that early. If you have any insight into the molds of have photos of other bible molds, I'd like to hear from you. In the meantime, I'll continue the search and update the blog post if I find new information. 

The Fantasy World of Story Book Villages

Hello again readers! Since the end of my blooks exhibition I haven't written much on the blog. I thank those of you who have noticed my absence and I am now beginning again by completing some of the blog posts I've had in draft form. I begin with a post on blooks associated with a group of American children's theme parks, or story book villages, some long gone and others still in operation. If you visit them, send pictures!

To me, some of the most interesting and affecting blooks are large and ephemeral. These include billboards, signs and stage props. But what could be more exciting than passing through a giant story book into a magical world? As a small child, I had that experience growing up in Baltimore, which was near the Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City, Maryland.

The Enchanted Forest. Ellicott City, Maryland

The Enchanted Forest was the first theme park on the East Coast and the second oldest in the USA (Disneyland is the oldest). It opened on August 15, 1955.  The Enchanted Forest was meant for the small children who were intimately familiar with Mother Goose and other fairy tales. It featured no mechanical rides or spectacular special effects, but was full of wonderful giant interactive sculptures that were illustrations of the familiar tales, such as the Old Woman Who Live in a Shoe. In its heyday, the Enchanted Forest hosted some 300,000 visitors annually. Admission was $1 for adults and 50¢ for children. The park began on 20 acres, expanded to 52 acres and later reduced to 32 acres. The park closed in 1988, when its owners sold the property to develop a Shopping Center.

After closing, Clark's Elioak Farm purchased and re-installed many of the original Enchanted Forest features. You can visit them still! See http://clarklandfarm.com/.

Story Book Forest. Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

Where dreams are real and so are your story book friends!

Story Book Forest in Ligonier, Pa. is still in business! It is described on its website as a place where children can meet their favorite characters from nursery rhymes and children's tales and where parents and grandparents can revisit their youth and reminisce about simpler times. Story Book Forest was developed by C.C. Macdonald and Arthur Jennings, a performance clown who spent his summers entertaining guests at Idlewild Park. Working together, they made their dream a reality, and created one of the most fun and memorable things to do near Pittsburgh. Story Book Forest is a place for dreams and kids activities in Pittsburgh. 

Fantasy Land. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Fantasyland was in operation from 1959 to 1980. It was owned and operated by Kenneth and Thelma Dick on 23 acres (later expanded to 35) near General Meade's Headquarters, the present National Park Service Visitors Center. Noted for its beauty, tranquility and cleanliness, the story book land provided over 100 attractions. These included an Enchanted Forest and Santa's Village, Fort Apache (which was attacked by live Indians), Rapunsel's Castle, and more.

Never Never Land, Tacoma, Washington

Never Never Land was a private attraction owned and operated by Alfred Peterson of Victoria, B. C. from 1964 to 1985. In the cool, green forest of cedar, fir and hemlock trees, where ferns and moss covered the ground, the stories of enchantment from Mother Goose to the Brothers Grimm were brought to life. 

Story Land, Glen, New Hampshire

Need a little fairy tale magic in your family’s life? Look no further than Story Land in Glen, NH. Celebrating its 58th year of providing families with young children a treasure chest of memories in New Hampshire’s beautiful White Mountains, Story Land is not your average amusement park. Geared toward children ages 2-12, Story Land provides a gentler approach to your usual family attraction.

Story Land. New Orleans, Louisiana

You can still climb aboard Captain Hook’s pirate ship, follow Pinocchio into the mouth of a whale or scamper up Jack & Jill’s Hill at Story Land in New Orlean's City Park. Fairytales and fantasy come to life before your eyes in City Park’s Storyland. This charming theme playground is a child’s dream come true, filled with 20 larger-than-life storybook sculptures featuring classic fairytale characters. - See more at: http://neworleanscitypark.com/in-the-park/storyland#sthash.jiTZGRnP.dpuf

Enchanted Forest. Turner, Oregon

In the 60's, Roger Tofte, a young father realized that there wasn't a lot for a family to see and do together in Salem. He formulated the idea for a theme park where he could use his creative talents and though he had very little time or money to make his dream a reality, he persisted anyway. He purchased the original 20 acres of land and began construction in 1964. He repaired watches in his spare time to help finance his project and worked on building the park after work and on weekends. The Tofte's own backyard became filled with storybook figures and small buildings as Roger also used every spare second at home to work on his dream.

Roger originally thought it would take only two years to build the Storybook Trail, which was the first section that he needed to complete before the park could open. Finally, after seven years Roger and his wife Mavis hung up a piece of butcher paper saying "OPEN" on the fence and the first visitors entered the park. Over the years, Roger and his family have been adding to his dream with new additions to the park. Now, Roger Tofte, though still the ringleader of Enchanted Forest, has successfully incorporated three of his children into the business. For more on this theme park see: 

http://www.roadarch.com/fairyparks/main.html
http://www.enchantedforest.com/history.html



A Sample of "Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren't"

Hello Readers, 

Since the New Year (2015) I've been doing all of the things necessary to raise the funds for, promote and prepare the exhibition and catalog Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren't (Grolier Club [NYC], January 28-March 12, 2016).  It's taken all of my skills and pointed out the ones I don't have. Now that the illustrated catalog is at the printer, I can come up for a breath of air. I look forward to getting back to posting about interesting blook trends, but have patience. 

Both the exhibition and its catalog follow a thematic arrangement that illustrates fourteen genres of book objects. In the exhibition, there will also be a miniature exhibit with a chronological arrangement of tiny blooks, to give visitors an impression of the developmental evolution of blooks in a nutshell. The exhibition illustrates about 250 years of blook history, from the eighteenth century to the present. There are 130 objects in the show that are also illustrated and described in the catalog. The exhibition will have additional objects, including in-depth looks into two blook genres and new acquisitions, including the 18th century Catholic portable book altar shown below. Here is a peek into the themes with an example from each: 

Religion

Catholic portable book altar, European. 18th century.

Commemoration

Stone memorial book. In Memory. American, 19th century.

Photography

Daguerrotype case. Friendships Offerining. American or English. Nineteenth century.

Travel Souvenirs

Stone books. Souvenir of the Soldier's Home. Hot Springs, South Dakota. American. 1916.



Stimulating substances

Table lighter. Book of Smoking Knowledge. Ross Electronics Corp. American, 1960s. 

Food and Candy

Chef-an-ette.   Terry's Originettes. American. Late 1930s.

Grooming and Fashion

Anya Hindemarch clutch bag. Chelsea Husbands. English. 1990s.

Needlework

Yarn box. Knitting Volumes. American. 1940s-1950s.

Household Items


Alarm clock. Lava Time. Lava Simplex. American. 1976.

Books and Writing 

Book repair kit. The Care and Feeding of Books. American. 1947.

Gags

Snake book. What I Know About Women. Japan. 1950s-1960s.

Props

TV or theatrical prop. Manon Lescaut and Les Chinois de Paris. American. Late 20th century. 

Games and Toys

Toy spy camera. Secret Sam Camera Book. Topper Toys. American. 1960s.

Safes and Banks

Coin bank. Book Bank. English. 1970s.

Please send this post to your book-loving friends, come to the exhibition and purchase the catalog. I will be at the Grolier Club giving public tours of the exhibition, every Thursday from January 28 through March 10. To keep up with exhibition events, check in with the Grolier exhibition page, or visit the Grolier Club website. The catalog is being finished now and will be ready in early January. To order copies, contact me at mindelldubansky@gmail.com ($45 plus $6 s&h). 

First page, Introduction: