Blue Valentine Press

Afflicted is the most recent book from Beth Carls of Blue Valentine Press. Afflicted was letterpress printed from photopolymer plates, sandragraph blocks, and linoleum cuts using an old Vandercook 219. Printed as a single sheet, and then folded in a fashion similar to maps, the book measures 2 5/8″ × 4″ when closed. The deluxe edition of the book is neatly stored in a handmade box whose cover papers were printed in a similar fashion using a sandragraph block. Each box is secured with a bone closure and waxed linen thread, and is sealed with several layers of Renaissance wax. Afflicted was produced as an edition of 37, of which 17 are deluxe.

Exerpt:

In some ways we are each of us defined by our scars. …

… First we are whole, then we are wounded, and finally we are scarred.

Urban Landscapes was printed during the dirty gray spring of 2004. The pages of Urban Landscapes were printed layer upon layer with various print techniques. This layering created a subtly textured collaged effect that connotes the visual chaos of urban living. Printed on Rives BFK and bound into a drum leaf binding, this smallish but sturdy book measures 4″ × 3 1/6″ when closed. Urban Landscapes was published as an edition of 15.