{"id":1527102,"date":"2024-03-08T00:01:29","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T00:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jacksonsart.com\/blog\/?p=1527102"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:04:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:04:31","slug":"a-history-of-artists-books-and-how-to-make-your-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jacksonsart.com\/blog\/2024\/03\/08\/a-history-of-artists-books-and-how-to-make-your-own\/","title":{"rendered":"A History of the Artist’s Book and How to Make Your Own"},"content":{"rendered":"

Artists\u2019 Books are a revealing and versatile art form that have been created throughout art history. They are used by artists to express their ideas, expand on personal narratives, document and embellish previous works, experiment with materials, and most importantly, distribute their works to a wider audience. The book format allows a multifaceted work of art to be shared with as many people as the artist chooses. In this article, I will explore a history of artists\u2019 books, detail some contemporary artists who champion this medium, provide two tutorials for books you can bind at home, and share some advice on choosing a sketchbook to transform into your own artists\u2019 book.<\/p>\n

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\"Artist's<\/p>\n

A History of the Artist’s Book and How to Make Your Own<\/h2>\n

What is an Artist’s Book?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Artists\u2019 Books Throughout History<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is Considered to be the First Artists\u2019 Book?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Do Artists Still Make Artists\u2019 Books?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Two Tutorials for Handmade Books<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

– Simple Saddle-stitch Book<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

– Eight-page Concertina Book<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

What To Look For in a Blank Sketchbook to Make an Artist’s Book<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Further Reading<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is an Artist’s Book?<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

Artists\u2019 books are works of art, in the form of a book. This can encompass a variety of forms, from a one-off completely handmade book to a printed edition. The essential point is that the entire book is the artwork, and not about the artwork. They shouldn\u2019t be confused with exhibition catalogues or art history books in this way. A separation from the formal publishing world is important to the history of artists\u2019 books – they are often self-published and funded, hand-printed, painted and drawn, and made in limited editions. They differ from a sketchbook in the light in which they are intended to be seen – a sketchbook is personal and usually preparatory. Artists\u2019 books are made with the intention of being appreciated and enjoyed. A sketchbook (the blank object) becomes an artist’s book as soon as the maker decides that\u2019s what it is. <\/p>\n

The book format offers a multifaceted approach, where the repeated (through page turning) and the individual (through looking at one page) combine to convey a sense of a progressing idea, and often narrative. Style can change throughout the course of the pages, and the sense of time given by working your way through affects the reception of the work within the sheets. Some artists\u2019 books may contain pop-outs, be made from unconventional materials, contain text or none at all, and be made of one media, or multiple. They are as varied as the artists who have created them.<\/p>\n

\"Artists\u2019<\/p>\n

Artists\u2019 Books Throughout History<\/h2>\n
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This is by no means an exhaustive history of all the artists\u2019 books ever made – they are as varied and plentiful as any other art form, across cultures and time till this day. The one unfortunate aspect of writing about artists\u2019 books in a blog format is that many of the images of these incredible works are copyrighted. Through your own search, I would encourage you to find a much greater abundance of examples and you can often see them in person through museum collection libraries on request. The ones I have chosen provide a broad stroke of the history of the medium.<\/p>\n

What is Considered to be the First Artist’s Book?<\/h2>\n
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Although there is evidence of artists making books since the early Medieval period, by today’s definition they would not be considered artists\u2019 books. Illuminated manuscripts are incredibly detailed, skillfully made objects that are not lacking by any means in artistic touch. Today, they are not usually considered artists\u2019 books because they were created for the Church, or for personal belief.<\/p>\n

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Book Cover<\/em>, 1343
Unknown Sienese Painter
Tempera on wood
The Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a><\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first book artist is often considered to be William Blake (1757-1827) since in his prophetic work he was deeply invested in integrating imagery and text, considering the entirety to be of equal importance. Blake made visionary books which he hand-illustrated and bound alongside his wife, without the precedent of a commissioner, with the content being completely self-generated and published. He set the tone for all of the key factors in artists\u2019 books to this day.<\/p>\n

\"Artists\u2019
“Fiery the Angels rose, &….”<\/em>, 1793
Page from <\/em>America: A Prophecy<\/em> (17 copies were made, the full book is made of 18 plates)
William Blake
The New York Public Library Digital Collections<\/a><\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Artists\u2019 Books Through History<\/h2>\n
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By the early 20th Century, typography had become key to the production of artists\u2019 books in both Bauhaus and Italian Futurists’ publications. The materials they used were readily available and cheap, and the book format allowed them to compound their ideas. They used them to distribute their design principles, with the formatting of the book itself embodying the qualities they were seeking. For example, Fortunato Depero created his masterwork Depero Futurista<\/em> in 1927 as \u2018a portable museum\u2019 which charted the array of mediums he tried throughout his career, assembled with typography into a new artwork. It was secured with two bolts so that the pages could be removed and rearranged or displayed on their own. The edition was planned to be 1000 copies, but it\u2019s unclear how many exist to this day. You can view the entire book through the Bolted Book<\/a> website.<\/p>\n

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Cover of Depero Futurista<\/em>, 1927
Fortunato Depero
Bolted artist book
The Bolted Book: A New Facsimile<\/a><\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wassily Kandinsky made an artist book named Kl\u00e4nge<\/em> which he described as a \u2018musical album\u2019. In it, he combined 38 poems he wrote with 56 woodcut prints. He didn\u2019t see these prints as illustrations for the prose, but rather as a synthesis of the arts and music. <\/p>\n

\"Artists\u2019
Kl\u00e4nge<\/em>, Published 1913
Wassily Kandinsky
Book with 56 woodcut prints
The Art Institute Chicago<\/a><\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Japan, another kind of artists\u2019 book was being developed. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Japanese textile pattern books were produced to provide examples of potential designs to merchants and their customers called hinagata-bon. By the 20th century the appreciation of the beauty of these books in their own right, as artworks rather than catalogues, was developed by publishers like Yamada Naosabur\u014d. By ascending past the diagrammatic and into the artwork through intricacies of design, personal flair, and beautiful publishing, these zuan-ch\u014d<\/em> became coveted works of art. These published books were made through collaboration with dozens of artists, skilled at printmaking, and the participants often went on to create books full of their own works. <\/p>\n

\"Artists\u2019
Seiei: A Design Book<\/em>, 1907
Yamada Naosaburo
Woodblock printed book; ink, colour, mica, and metallic pigments on paper
The Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a><\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beyond the early 1900s, many examples of images of artists\u2019 books are not in the public domain, so I\u2019ve listed a few examples from this point forth as a start to your research:<\/p>\n

Dieter Roth<\/strong> (1930-1998) is often credited with creating what we\u2019d consider to be the contemporary definition of an artist book, in that they were made purely as artworks, not developed out of an industry or higher calling. He began making his books through printmaking techniques he learnt from working in the publishing industry. He later made more experimental works, such as books where he pressed foods like sausage and chocolate into the pages, to create works that would intentionally eventually rot away. He developed radical books with no text, specific binding order or specific motifs, such as his work Children\u2019s Book<\/em> (1957). He considered artists\u2019 books in this form to be liberating to his practice, calling them \u2018like-minded communities of things\u2019.<\/p>\n

A number of conceptual artists turned to artists\u2019 books as a means to document their performances or fleeting works of art. Artists’ books became a necessary means to immortalise or explain as well as share their ideas. These include artists such as Lawrence Weiner, Bruce Nauman, Barbara Krueger,<\/strong> and Sol Lewitt<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Louise Bourgeois<\/strong> (1911-2010) made beautiful, intimate artist books containing her printmaking. Age 90, she created Ode \u00e0 l\u2019oubli<\/em>, a fabric book made from items such as her own clothing and wedding linen collaged together.<\/p>\n

Kara Walker<\/strong> (1969-) made the book Freedom, A Fable<\/em>, which contains a story about racism and gender discrimination populated by Walker\u2019s silhouetted figures, with the aesthetics of a vintage children\u2019s book. She considered the book format to conceptually signal that this theme is a never-ending story. <\/p>\n

Companion<\/em> by Kiki Smith<\/strong> (1954-) is a concertina book made from lithographs, with figures encircling the pages amongst wolves, a signature motif for her. It alludes to the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, except the girls are unafraid of the wolf.<\/p>\n

Do Artists Still Make Artists\u2019 Books?<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

Artists continue to make books to this day, there are just far too many examples to detail. There are great collections of contemporary works you can view online through many institutions’ websites and via appointment. I\u2019ve listed just a handful below: <\/p>\n

National Museum of Women in the Arts – Collection<\/a><\/p>\n

British Museum – Artists Making Books<\/a><\/p>\n

Smithsonian Libraries – Artists\u2019 Books Collection<\/a><\/p>\n

V&A Collections – Artists and the Book<\/a> <\/p>\n

Center for Book Arts – Collections<\/a> <\/p>\n

Two Tutorials for Handmade Books<\/h2>\n
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Many artists\u2019 books are handmade, with precise decisions being made from the choice of paper to the very binding of the book itself. Here, I\u2019ve detailed two simple tutorials for making your own books as a start to creating your own artists\u2019 books. Feel free to chop and change any of these instructions as you please, like all of the artists I\u2019ve written about have done. <\/p>\n

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\"Artists\u2019<\/p>\n

Simple Saddle-stitch Book<\/h2>\n

For this book you\u2019ll need: <\/p>\n