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Derek Cowan

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Artist's Books

The first book I made (along with Priscilla Tetley), "The Red Gate & Other Poems" by James Kelly, 1985, Vancouver. I worked with Jim at the newspaper, "The Weeklly War Whoop & Moral Volcano," Ashland, OR, when I was a teenager and he was an old (30+) redneck hippie. I wanted to make regional/local books and I knew freedom of the press goes to those who own one. Phototypesetting and small offset presses were expensive and tricky so a bought a Chandler Price clam shell press and ordered lead type from Mackensie Harris, San Fransico. We were off to the races in a rented basement in East Vancouver. Since then I've published 18 books by various artists and writers.

I would like to show you my last six books. You could call these artist's books (livres d'artistes), whatever that is?  Any book made by an artist? What's an artist anyway? I will say this, a book has a beginning, a middle and an end as opposed to a print portfolio where a single image stands there alone not moving through time with a past and future. You take one page out of a book and it hurts the whole thing. Take a look at these and I hope you enjoy them.

Artist's Books Items

Blue.$6500cad.

One-hundred Views: A Graphic Memoir told in Woodblock Prints. $8500cad.

What's Love, Shakespeare? $4500cad.

A Child's Guide to War. $7500cad.

Songs of Innocence and of Experience. $4500cad.

The Lotos-Eaters. $5000cad.

Pagination

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