Handsome Books - The Book As Art

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Useful Links

Online Exhibitions

Publishers' Bindings Online, 1815-1930: The Art of Books -
A large virtual collection of decorative bindings, with interesting historical essays and biographical sketches of designers.

Women Children’s Book Illustrators -
An excellent guide to these overlooked artists by illustrator Denise Ortakales.

To Judge a Book by its Cover - 19th Century American Pictorial Book Covers
A concise overview of the development of decorative publisher’s bindings.

Antiquarian Supernatural, Fantasy & Mysterious Literature
Images of books, author essays & bibliographies from leading authority and book dealer Jessica Salmonson.

Color Printing in the Nineteenth Century
Explanations and exaamples of nineteenth century printing processes.

The Pulp Net
Everything you never knew you needed to know about classic pulp magazines, their authors and illustrators.

Vintage Paperbacks & Digests
A wonderful resource featuring hundreds of cover images, sorted by author, cover artist, publisher, and theme.

Women in the Shadows
Duke University Library’s Lesbian Pulp Novel Collection

Individual Book Designers and Illustrators

Elihu Vedder's Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám
A virtual version of this seminal illustrated book, with a biography of the artist.

Illustrator Biographies
Over 100 informative biographical essays by Bud Plant, a leading dealer of iIlustrated books.

Clubs and Organizations

Grolier Club of New York
America's oldest and largest society for bibliophiles and enthusiasts in the graphic arts.

The Center for Book Arts
A virtual version of this seminal illustrated book, with a biography of the artist.