GPO in the 21st Century

We've written several times about the Government Printing Office, the behoemeth print operation just down the road from us. Though it isn't humming at quite the same rate it did in its heyday, an article in today's Washington Post talks about how the GPO is preparing for its future:

"Pressmen are being trained to operate digital presses designed for shorter runs. When they retire, their jobs will move to a new generation schooled in building e-book partnerships and designing iPhone apps."

Though the GPO is going digital to stay relevant, paper lovers needn't get themselves too dogeared:

"For whose who fear the end of the printed word, there is good news. GPO officials, working with librarians in the federal depository system, have come up with a canon of about 160 titles that will continue be printed by the GPO indefinitely, from the Economic Report of the President to the Internal Revenue Bulletin."

Personally, I can't think of better bedtime reading than the Internal Revenue Bulletin. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

The piece also features an historic photo gallery.

Impressive

The new book Impressive explores the confluence of modern design and age-old production techniques (letterpress, hand-binding, block engraving, etc.). The desire for a handcrafted feel is the common thread among these projects. Though the techniques are traditional, the results are not. Impressive indeed.

Obselete Professions

Over at NPR, they have a great little featurette on obsolete professions. In words and photos, the former occupations they explore include river driver, copy boy, and lector. Not surprisingly, the bygone jobs that resonate with us most are those of typesetter and pinsetter. You can even hear pingirl Nancy Richmond recall her days at the bowling alley, clearing deadwood and uprighting the pins.

As a kid, Duckpin's Pete and his brother James would frequent the basement duckpin alley at the local YMCA, where the pinsetting was manual. We each took our turns in the pit dodging the flying pins. Even more dangerous than the flying pins were our own friends. They liked to play chicken with us, intentionally hurling balls at us as we were setting up the pins. Let's just say bowling balls and shins don't mix. Not all the marks at that alley were on the score sheet.

Ampersands and Treble Clefs

Awhile back we posted a piece on ampersands, linking to a wide-ranging history of the symbol. In the comments section, anonymous wrote, "Stretch your imaginative eye and you will see the treble clef in the ampersand." Though there's no historic link between the two, anonymous' comment stuck with me.

The comment was in the back of my head as I sat reading Robert Bringhurst's The Elements of Typographic Style. The book serves as part style guide, part encyclopedia, and part inspiration. There are history lessons -- Jonathan Hoefler cut the "fffl" ligature in his Requiem italic typeface for use in the only two words that contain "fffl" together. There are priggish admonishments -- "use titling figures with full caps, and text figures in all other instances." But mostly the book serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding the finer points of typography.

So what does this exceedingly thorough and thoughtful book have to do with our rather unenlightened blog? In a passage about the ampersand, Bringhurst makes the following point...


Seems our anonymous commenter sensed that connection as well. (Though in typical form, Bringhurst was far more derisive in his description.) Good instinct there, anon.

Now, for 1000 bonus points, can you name either of those two words that contain the string fffl? (Hint: they're German-language words.)

On the Art of Life and Vice Versa

Enjoy our first ever book review, courtesy of resident bookworm and printer's devil, Christine.

The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by
Michael Kimmelman

This slim book is a fabulous collection of meditations on the art that surrounds us everyday. Written by Michael Kimmelman, art critic for the New York Times, it is a collection of essays on paintings, sculpture, etc that is perceived as Art, and the process of looking at our lives and the lives of others as being artful. One of his underlying themes is the importance of passion in creating art. That passion can be in the form of collecting an example of every light bulb known to exist and sharing that collection in your basement. As the former curators of the Squished Penny Museum, I can really relate! Or the passion can take the form of putting yourself in harm's way or at least risk in order to experience something like the Antarctic explorers and the photographer who documented their journey. Kimmelman provides a thoughtful reflection on what art is, and made me think about why so many people seek art in their lives.

One of my favorite pieces in the collection explores the PBS denizen of peace and tranquility among happy trees, Bob Ross. Michael Kimmelman instinctively grasps Ross' love for both art and the process of finding that artistic space within yourself, a passion that he shared for hundreds of quietly encouraging hours of his televised paint-along series. The most provocative part of the essay was when Kimmelman shared the fact that Bob Ross knew that most viewers were not painting along, but simply enjoyed watching him paint. Kimmelman explores the idea that it was the sight of creation rather than the act of creation that was so compelling. It is this kind of insight that makes this book well worth exploring.

Like this? Here are more reviews by Christine.