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. 

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:

New Grolier Club exhibition page

Dear Readers, 
Please support the blook exhibition catalog and programs. I need your donations to bring them to fruition! Thank you for your readership, over 29,000 since last June.

$30,000 needed. $17,850 raised so far.

To Contribute

Option 1 $10.00 USD Option 2 $25.00 USD Option 3 $50.00 USD Option 4 $100.00 USD Option 5 $250.00 USD Option 6 $500.00 USD Option 7 $1,000.00 USD

The Art of Books That Aren't
January 28 - March 12, 2016
Grolier Club, 2nd floor member's exhibition gallery, 47 E. 60th St. NYC

2016 is the Year of the Blook! In January you are invited to the first blook exhibition ever to be held in the U. S. and only the second in the world. You will see over 100 objects of great diversity and ephemera which puts the objects into historical perspective. The exhibition is the result of  two decades of collecting and research. I'm so looking forward to sharing this with you. In order to produce (self-publish) the catalog and programs for your enjoyment, I need to raise $30,000. I would appreciate any donation you can make and there will be perks (see below).

PAYMENT OPTIONS
Click on the payment payment button in this post and choose your option
Log into Paypal and make a Paypal payment to mindelldubansky@gmail.com
Send a personal check or money order to: Mindell Dubansky
210 East 88th Street
#4-D
New York, NY 10128

FUNDING REWARDS
$10 Your name and website link on the Blook Club page of this blog and in the exhibition catalog.

$25 Your name and website link on the Blook Club page of this blog; your name in the exhibition catalog and two handmade greeting cards, made after vintage blook cards from my collection.  

$50 Your name and website link on the Blook Club page of this blog and the 2016 Year of the Blook wall calendar. 

$100 Your name and website link on the Blook Club page of this blog  and a personalized copy of The Art of Books That Aren't catalog.

$500 All of the above plus a choice of a copy of one of my books Guess Who Died? Memories of Baltimore with Recipes or The Proper Decoration of Book Covers: The Life and Work of Alice C. Morse; or an original felt flower pin by myself made to your specifications; or another perk that we can work out together. 

$1,000 A copy of The Art of Books That Aren't catalog and a unique book-lovers tours of the Metropolitan Museum of Art with me as your tour guide; or a private tour of the Grolier exhibition. Includes mentions on the Blook Club page and in the catalog. 

DONORS: to know more about the over 130 contributors to this project, see the Blook Club page of this blog.

CATALOG: EARLY BIRD SUBSCRIPTIONS

To subscribe to the Art of Books That Aren't catalog, please send your name and contact information. I will post the final price and specs to the exhibition page and email you as soon as I have them. The Art of Books That Aren't will be a paperback book,  9 x 11 inches, about 100 pages with about 150 color illustrations. I am on schedule now to have the book ready by mid-January 2016.

PROGRAMS
There will be at least one symposium with speakers who are collectors, historians and makers of book objects. I am also planning a magic show with book effects and weekly public gallery talks. Please let me know if you would like to plan a private tour or lecture.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT 

mindelldubansky@gmail.com
Daytime: 212-650-2890
Evening: 212-348-1674