Sibyl Selldorff Rubottom, ABC of Covid, Sibyl Line Press, 2021

front cover

I'm sharing Rubottom's artists' statement that came with the purchase of this Abecadarium book as it eloquently sums up how this accordion arose as a response to the extraordinary world we were all living in after the Covid epidemic got underway. It's interesting that she adopted the format of the childhood Abecadarium to explore the new language(s) that were developing during this unprecedented time in world history.

"We share our experience in many ways, but perhaps language is the most universal. And our language starts with the alphabet.

This Abecdarium (alphabet book) is my interpretation of the vocabulary that emerged as the pandemic overtook us in 2020 and 2021, exploring the unexpected words that became common connections for us all. Here I offer an archive of the cultural lexicon to reflect the worldwide experience that has altered our lives so dramatically.

Originally a single edition artist book, letterpress printed using Dunn-Edwards color sample sheets, and hand bound, this facsimile edition makes the work more available, without compromising quality. This hand-bound, accordion-fold artist book, when fully opened extends to a length of 18feet (by 8 inches hight)."

54 double-sided pages, individually 8" x 4.25", and when unfolded 18ft 5"

reverse side

back cover

Stephen Levine and Felipe Ehrenberg, Lovebeast and other Incarnations, Unity Press, Sausalito, 1968, ed. 2000

front cover

This is a really fascinating collaboration between the writer Stephen Levine (1937-2016) and the Mexican artist Felipe Ehrenberg (1943-2017) in which they've woven Levine's literary works with Ehrenberg's drawings and prints into a seamless whole.

One key part of this collaboration is the 4 page double-sided accordion fold-out featuring one long visual work by Ehrenberg on one side and assorted poems by Levine on the back. Ehrenberg's work depicts a male figure in some kind of liberatory dance, while his visual works throughout the book depict a variety of different subject matter.

For another accordion work by Ehrenberg see link to one on this blog: accordion publications: Felipe Ehrenberg, Codex Aeroscriptus Ehrenbergensis, [2 versions] Nexus Press, Atlanta, 1990, ed. 40 & 500

4 double-sided pages, individually 7.75" x 5" (variable), and when unfolded 1ft 2.5"

reverse side