Amichai Windows
By Rick Black
The Amichai Windows, a limited edition artist book of Yehuda Amichai poems, opens a window onto love, war, being Jewish in the 20th century and life in Israel.
Each poem is wrapped and folded in an individual, handmade paper triptych and collected in an enclosure resembling a Jerusalem window.
One of the great modern Hebrew poets, Amichai sang of the everyday experiences of private individuals caught in the middle of war and historical events. His poems have been translated into more than 30 languages.
When one opens each triptych, one discovers a different world within. This artist book incorporates replicas of some of Amichai’s original, handwritten poems as well as collaged images of Jewish history and life have been culled from archives around the world. A special introduction has been written by Hebrew literary critic and translator, Professor Robert Alter.
Price:
$9,500 for private collectors; $7,500 for institutions.
Please contact us for purchase orders, shipping info, etc.
Or, if you prefer, you can purchase a copy through our agent, The Kelmscott Bookshop.
Praise
“. . . a towering achievement in American arts and letters . . .” Aharon Yermiyahu Taub in his American Jewish Libraries News Review.
“Stunning — we are delighted to add it to our Yale Library collection.” Nanette Stahl, Joseph and Ceil Mazer Librarian for Judaic Studies, Yale University
“What a stunning book! The Amichai Windows is marked by so much love, care and brilliance in the spirit of the old school makers of illuminated books. Black is a spiritual artisan and visionary.” Kwame Dawes, Emmy and award-winning poet, essayist and editor-in-chief of Prairie Schooner
“Not many artist books have the depth of visual and cultural literacy as The Amichai Windows. It bears the journeys of the poet and the bookmaker who both walked meditative steps in Jerusalem, and mutually came upon their own certain truths written in words that bear witness.” Helen Frederick, American artist, curator and George Mason Professor Emeritus
Links
A separate website for this artist book, The Amichai Windows.
A special, two minute video to experience what it’s like to open and be immersed in the opening poem, “Eternal Window.”
For the best visuals of several spreads plus our artist statement, please take a look at the feature on our work on the College Book Art Association website.
More links on The Amichai Windows website itself.
The Amichai Windows in Major Collections
Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New Haven, CT
U.S. Library of Congress, Rare Books and Special Collections, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Library, Special Collections, Washington, D.C.
University of California at Berkeley, Bancroft Library Judaica Collection, Berkeley, CA
University of Michigan, Special Collections, Ann Arbor, MI
The New York Public Library, Dorot Jewish Division, New York, NY
The University of Würzburg, Special Collections, Würzburg, Germany
Colophon Information
The Amichai Windows is a compilation of 18 unbound triptychs inside a double drop-down enclosure. The edition size is 18, of which 11 are still available for purchase.
Each letterpressed poem is wrapped and folded in an individual, handmade paper triptych that is 13” x 21” fully open. Multi-layered collages of digitally printed images and additional folio elements include blind embossments, botanical inclusions, gold leaf and papercuts made by Debra Band.
Over the course of ten years, Rick Black conceived, translated, designed, letterpressed and assembled The Amichai Windows. The poems were letterpressed on a Vandercook Universal I at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. The typeface of the Hebrew poems is SBL Hebrew; the English translations are set in Pelican. The catalogue is in Goudy Old Style. Digital prints were made on an Epson Stylus Photo R2400 archival printer.
The handmade paper to support the poems was made by Twinrocker Handmade Paper in Brookston, Indiana, and hand deckled by Travis Becker. It is a blend of abaca and cotton. The poems were printed on Aya White 125 g/m², a specialty fine art paper for digital printing made by the Awagami factory in Tokushima, Japan. Additional handmade papers come from Germany, India, Japan, Nepal and the United States.
Rick Black also designed the double drop-down boxes. They were handcrafted by Mirtha Antelo of Distinctive Bookbinding in Rockville, Maryland. The cover of the boxes is handmade abaca and cotton paper that has been rough dried—again, produced by Twinrocker Handmade Paper. The interior is lined with Asahi Japanese bookcloth in olive green.
A 28-page guide with an introduction by scholar and literary translator Robert Alter accompanies the edition.
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