LibGuides: Book Arts: Home

Welcome! Discover the captivating world of artists' books through this carefully curated guide. Explore select titles from the collection by theme, browse introductory publications, and connect with valuable online resources, including journals and blogs—all designed to inspire your journey into this unique art form.

What is an Artist's Book?

An artist's book is a unique art form that uses the concept or structure of a book. These works exist at the intersection of multiple disciplines, including printmaking, photography, poetry, narrative, visual arts, graphic design, and publishing.

What makes artists' books distinctive is how they often feature experimental elements like unconventional bindings, fold-out pages, striking imagery, and innovative printing techniques. They encourage interactive engagement from the reader/viewer, inviting exploration beyond passive reading.

Artists' books frequently challenge our fundamental assumptions about what constitutes a "book" and push the boundaries of how we define books traditionally. They represent a form of artistic expression that defies simple categorization, existing in a space where literature and visual art converge.

Image by Claudia Peter from Pixabay

Acknowledgements

Thanks to colleagues who built the book arts collection we use today: Michelle Baildon, Anna Boutin, Rebecca Bramlett, Gwendolyn Collaço, Jana Dambrogio, Lareese Hall, Emilie Hardman, Amanda Hawk, Terra Huber, Ayako Letizia, Sofia Leung, Lorrie McAllister, Alena McNamara, Jonathan Paul, Ariana Rutledge, Kai Alexis Smith, Emilie Songolo, Greta Kuriger Suiter, Chris Tanguay, Thera Webb, and Ned Wolfe. Without these catalogers, the collection would not be discoverable: Ben Abrahamse, Martina Anderson, Veronica Downey, Deborah Lenares, Nicola Mantzaris, Liz Mueller, and Cynthia Schwarz.