Golden Cosmos (Daniel Dolz and Doris Freigofas), Locomotion, London: Nobrow, 2016

Another smartly designed book in the Nobrow leporello series with this publication put together by the Berlin-based couple and illustration duo Dolz and Freigofas.

10 pages double-sided, individual 9.25" x 5.5", fully extended 4' 7".

Sanna Mander (illustrator), History of Women's Fashion, Somerville, Big Picture Press, 2015

This is a fun oversize children's book with great illustrations of "...more than one hundred women's outfits, accessories, and shoes that define each decade of the last century." The back has further information about the clothing and accessories. Printed on nice thick paper that gives the book a sturdy feel.

8 pages at 12 3/8" x 9 7/8", fully extended 6' 1/2". 

Jen Tong, Bloom, screenprint, 2016 [ed. 125]

This beautiful accordion is made up of two double-sided silkscreen prints that are joined in the middle of one of the pair. The combination of the two accordions creates three different viewing options, two of which reveal the central figure of the young girl in assorted locations within her plant world. The small size, and the otherworldly feeling that Tong creates with her sensitive illustrations all mesh perfectly in this palm-sized accordion. 

Jen Tong is an illustrator, print maker, comics and zine maker and lives in Brooklyn, check her out at: welcome

Individual pages 3" x 2.5", fully extended in its longest position 2' 3.5"

Erika Rier, 1987 Illustrated, 2014

A cute little accordion that illustrates a series of important memories from 1987 when Erika Rier was 10 years old, and indeed there were some pretty key things that happened during that year!  In her note that accompanied the purchase of this book she thanked me for the order and wrote "I'm always especially excited when people order zines since they are my favorite thing to make."

8 pages double-sided, individual page 4.25" x 4", fully extended 3' 4".

Julie Doucet, Kirk and Spot & Charming Periods, photocopy, c. 1988

In 1988 I was in communication with Julie Doucet, who even in this early period was obviously a very talented artist. Doucet would later break out with her Dirty Plotte zine with its extraordinary drawings and intimate subject matter. During our postal exchanges Doucet sent me this accordion which is made up of two of her early strips taped together in the middle to create this one long work. These two stories reflect both her irreverent and feminist view of the world combined not only with a startling honesty but also a bravery in tackling a variety of difficult subjects in both her drawings and comics.

8 pages at 4" x 2 3/4" and open 22". 

Michael Bartalos, 29 Degrees North, San Francisco: San Francisco Center for the Book, 2012, 2nd trade edition, ed. 200

A curious little 8-page accordion that illustrates a poem that references a degree of latitude shared by all the six eastward journey's described inside - mexico to morocco, india and china, to japan and hawaii. There's a fun and quirky quality to the imagery that gives this small accordion a unique charm. 

8 pages at 2 7/8" x 3 6/8" and opened up 23", includes poem on translucent paper and interwoven into the first couple of pages.

Beatrice Coron, Prayers for the Unfaithful, New York, 1997 [open edition]

A humorous and smart publication that serves as "a talisman for the non superstitious. Just hang it and you will be protected effectively." This delicate book comprises the traditional accordion, but threaded down the center is another type of accordion called a 'clamshell' accordion. Divided into four sections corresponding to the silhouetted figures, each part comprises a prayer for the non superstitious with the themes of: Health Goddess (protects against the flu and bad breath), Love (let us always remember names and birthdays), Wall Street (may we never endure data loss), and finally, Jetset Lady (help us to travel in style and within budget...). 

The little medallion at the bottom that helps to hold the book open when hung, has two cryptic letter-type markings on either side but when you superimpose the two parts it read "shit happens."

Beatrice Coron was born and raised in France. She has lived in Taiwan, Mexico & Egypt and has been living & working in New York since 1984 [Béatrice Coron]. A big shout out to Bert who kindly gave me this accordion. 

8 pages, individual pages 1.25" x 2.75," when opened it's 1ft 10inches.

Alcatraz and Beyond, San Francisco: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, 2014.

A nifty little publication printed on thick boards that gives the book a certain heft. One side juxtaposes photographs of assorted inmates with images highlighting what was happening outside in the larger culture throughout Alcatraz's history. The other side presents a written history of Alcatraz (1934-1963) accompanied by photographs that show prisoners engaged in a variety of activities all of which were associated with a number of different prison rules.

This is a thoughtful publication that provides a good introduction to the rich history of the nation's first maximum-security prison.

30 pages, double-sided, 6" x 4", fully extended 10'.