Video of the Grolier Club Colloquium: Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren't

On February 2, Columbia University and the Grolier Club sponsored an evening colloquium in conjunction with my exhibition Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren't. The symposium was filmed and the film is available on the Grolier Club website.


Here is a link: https://vimeo.com/158427834


Here is the program of speakers:

Colloquium in conjunction with the exhibition

Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren’t

January 28-March 12, 2016

 

Sponsored by Columbia University and the Grolier Club

Tuesday, February 2

Hours: 6:00-8:00 PM

 

Program

Moderator, Karla Nielsen, Ph. D., MSLIS. Curator of Literature. Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University

The Larger View of Blooks

Mindell Dubansky

Museum Librarian - Preservation, The Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation, Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 Collecting Antiquarian Book Objects

Private collecting team, Bruce and Lynn Heckman

The Book as Object

Lynn Festa

Associate Professor of English. Department of English, Rutgers University.

Panel Discussion and Questions. Reception.

BLOOKS review by Claire Voon from the Hyperallergic website March 2

J. & Company, “Instructeur Magnétique Américain. Grammaire” (c. 1870–90), a French educational grammar game (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic)

Books exist as receptacles of information, but for many years people have adopted
their format and appearance to create other objects or containers for an array of items.
Such objects are referred to as “book-looks” — or “blooks,” a term coined by Mindell Dubansky,
a preservation librarian at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Thomas J. Watson Library
who has over the years amassed hundreds of examples. A sample of her growing collection is
now on view at the Grolier Club in the exhibition Blooks: The Art of Books that Aren’t,
filling the shelves of its second floor gallery with over 100 objects that resemble books,
illustrating our fascination with their design and architecture rather than simply the contents
of their pages. Most of the ones that can open are arranged in ways that show both their
outsides and interiors, making for a thoughtful and extensive display.

The variety of blooks — both handmade and commercially manufactured, and constructed
of all types of material — is remarkable and overwhelming, with some items dating as far
back as the late 18th century. As you may expect, many of these creations take advantage
of the format of a book to hide items of personal value in hollowed-out areas, perfect for
camouflaging on a shelf. Children’s coin banks, for instance, hide behind misleading covers
 that market the vaults as encyclopedias. On view, too, are slender cases meant to hold
recipes in the shape of a seven-volume recipe book — in which one previous owner once
hid a personal letter regarding “her unsuitable conduct and questionable behavior.”

This potential to conceal also led to a number of blooks for impish entertainment: beyond
classic board games (and even educational ones), some blooks were mass-produced as gags.
One 19th-century trick book stashes a snake that emerges open-mouthed from its wooden
lair if you tug a string. The exhibition also features an entire case of “punchline” books
that deliver jokes — at times silly, at times shocking — to viewers upon the opening of
their “pages.” One absurd title, for instance, suggests it will advise on how to save the hair
of those in fear of balding; upon opening it, however, you instead see a compartment for
literally preserving locks.

Other containers adopted the design of a book simply for aesthetic reasons, serving as
practical objects while nodding to what was perhaps their owners’ passion for reading —
or at least a desire to present the illusion of intellect. Someone once organized his or her
office supplies in a large tome, and one woman kept her 14-piece vanity set in a blook
with an elaborate 1920s-style cloth binding. Then there’s the very meta “book repair kit,”
which came complete with an eraser, mending tape, sponge, glue, and its very own book:
an instruction manual to properly proceed with mendings. On the flip side, other blooks,
from ceramic ashtrays to lighters with decorated dust jackets, focused only on the
superficial look of a book and do not open at all.

Many of these objects are admittedly slightly kitschy, but the unexpected shedding of pages
 — what makes books symbols of knowledge — to simply having the image of a book
around you is what makes blooks particularly endearing. Still, some blooks offer more
than just their unique physical presence and do hold sentimental value for their owners.
One cabinet in the exhibition features a number of wooden love tokens and small,
palm-sized memorials carved with tender texts to loved ones, all created in the shape
of books. Although unassuming and easy to glance over compared to larger, impressive
volumes, they have the same power of the tomes they emulate, serving to transport the
mind and heart in deeply meaningful ways.

Trick snake book (mid-to-late-19th c.) (click to enlarge)

A stamp holder

A hand-carved wooden cigarette case (1914-1917)

A framed faux box with three-dimensional open books showing decoupage images of famous European paintings (mid-20th c.)

Crowell, Collier and McMillan, “Your Future” (1950s-60s), a child’s book-coin bank

Hand-carved slate memorial book, inscribed with “In Memory” on the spine and “In, God. We, Trust” on the cover

Philip V. Spinner & Company, “Smoke and Ashes [by] Flame” (1927), a smoking set

Writing or tea box with a paper theater (late 18th to mid-19th c.)

“How to Save Your Hair” (1941 edition of mid-19th c. publication)

Reversible Collar Company, “Album Collar”, a collar box for a new and improved cotton and paper collar (1870s)

A carved maple sugar mold in the shape of a bible, likely meant for a communal holiday meal or funeral (c. 1820s)

Marble memorial box (19th c.)

“The Care and Feeding of Books” (1947), a book repair kit

Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren’t continues at the Grolier Club (47 East 60th Street, Manhattan) 

through March 12.

The last public tour of the show will be next Thursday, 1-2. 
You can purchase a catalog via this blog, 
or contact me at mindelldubansky@gmail.com.

THANK you Hyperalleric and Claire Voon for this 
wonderful review. Here's a link to the original:
http://hyperallergic.com/279766/the-aesthetic-allure-of-books-without-pages/

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Blooks on CBS Sunday Morning, the good news program

The CBS Sunday Morning news segment about my exhibition Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren't is linked below for you to share or watch. Thank you for all of your letters and photos. If I haven't answered you already, I will. The outstanding response to the exhibition and the support you have given me are so much appreciated. Some of you are writing about exhibit logistics that you missed along the line. Here are some FAQs about the exhibition and catalog:

Location of exhibition: The Grolier Club, 47 East 60th St., New York, between Park and Madison Aves. Open Monday-Saturday, here's a link to their site: http://www.grolierclub.org. There is no charge to visit this exhibition.

Dates of exhibition: The last day of the show is March 12. I will give free weekly tours every Thursday from 1-2 PM. I often come in spontaneously on Saturdays (2-3 PM) for extra free tours, email or ask at the Club, I'll let them know. For additional private tours (fee may apply) contact me at mindelldubansky@gmail.com.

Buy the catalog: Yes, I have written, done the photography for and self-published a full-color catalog of the show. It is and may always be the only book written on the subject of blooks. I encourage you to buy it. The cost is (for US) $51 which includes postage. International buyers should contact me. You can purchase it here,  on the NEW BOOK page and at the Grolier Club through March 12. If you want to pay with a check, send $51 to Mindell Dubansky, 4-D, New York, NY 10128. Include the mailing address of the recipient please. You will see that I've also written a book about an early book cover designer, Alice C. Morse.

Donations: Many people have donated funding towards this project and even contributed wonderful blooks to my collection. You will see them acknowledged in the Donor page of this blog, in the catalog and on the exhibition labels. If you would like to help to expand the collection and support related projects, please contact me at mindelldubansky@gmail.com.

Other:

• Will the show travel? There are no plans as yet to travel the collection
• Where do I keep them? Pretty much everywhere at home

Here is the CBS segment on my exhibition, aired yesterday on CBS Sunday Morning.

When I get a chance, I'll post some of the photos you've sent and pictures of the extraordinary objects that you have donated to the collection. 

ALSO

you are invited to this free public lecture about blooks on March 2 at FIT. 

Judith Leiber's Book Purses

Judith Leiber

Many fabulous and not-so-fabulous designers have been creating book purses for a long time, at least since the 1890s. Judith Leiber's crystal book purses stand out as the most luxurious, numerous and varied. (Olympia Le- Tan is another book purse designer of note.) As far as I have been able to determine, Leiber designed two types of book purses, a single and a three-volume, strapped variants. I'm creating this post as a way of collecting images and information on the purses. It's a work in progress and I'll add them as I find them. Check back now and then. Here is an article on Leiber from the Jewish Women's Archive. 

This is a description from an auction sale of one of the bags:

Judith Leiber Crystal Books Minaudiere Evening Bag

5.5" Width x 3" Height x 2.5" Depth
Minaudieres by Judith Leiber are a rare blend of art and utility. Testament to the flawless craftsmanship and creativity of these minaudieres, they included in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and The Houston Museum of Fine Arts. This minaudiere shaped like a stack of books is done in a plethora of colors and accented with gold hardware. The interior is done in gold metallic leather. This bag includes a coin purse, a comb, and a small dustbag.

Little Black Book is not so little.

From Saks Fifth Avenue. Sold for $4,695 (2014)

A very elegant version with faux marbled ediges

Also seen in green. This one is the most realistic of the designs seen so far.

Heckman Collection of Book-shaped Spruce Gum Boxes - Update

I wanted to let readers know that in October Bruce and Lynn Heckman published an extensive, illustrated article about their collection of North American spruce gum boxes. The article, "Spruce Gum Boxes: Folk Art for Sweethearts"  appears in the Maine Antique Digest (October 27, 2016) and includes numerous color photographs of the best examples from their collection of over one-hundred nineteenth and early twentieth century book-shaped boxes.

There are two other posts about Bruce and Lynn's extensive collection of blooks on this blog:

http://aboutblooks.blogspot.com/search?q=heckman
http://aboutblooks.blogspot.com/2014/08/guest-post-19th-century-trick-snake.html

Bruce and Lynn will be panelists during the Blooks: The Art of Books That Aren't colloquium, sponsored by the Grolier Club and Columbia University on the evening of February 2. The colloquium is open to the public but requires an RSVP to Maev Brennan at mbrennan@grolierclub.org.

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: