Yellow Back Books is a new collaboration between Becca Thomas, Louise Hobson and Samuel Hasler around artist books and artist bookshops. Launched at B, g39's first artist book fair, we want to connect with a network of artist book publishers and readers, collectors, sellers and create in-depth contemporary discussions.
‘Yellow Backs’ along with ‘Penny Dreadfuls’ were some of the earliest examples
of books printed cheaply for the mass market, and distributed through train station shops. We’ve long been interested in aesthetics and form of cheap pulp novels, and we’re interested in the way they were a part of democratising the publishing world. Like the train station bookshops, we want to connect with a network of artist book publishers and readers, collectors, sellers and discuss the form of artists books. We think that artists books provide a similar potential for democratising the otherwise seemingly elite world of ‘art objects’. Their affordable, portable and intimate form, gives the artist book a opportunity for a specific type of engagement, and also a form that encourages collections. We believe that the artist book is a specific and precious space of experimentation; it has an age old tradition within the visual arts to be referenced and manipulated. We will be looking at artist books, and artists writing and we’ll be writing criticism about them, meeting books on their own terms and applying the personal and thoughtful critique that they deserve. We welcome encouragement, criticism, counter criticism, suggestions, questions. and contributions. Please do get in touch: [email protected]
