Heda Kovaly on accordions

"I carry the past inside me like an accordion, like a book of picture postcards that people bring home as souvenirs from foreign cities, small and neat," she wrote in her memoir. "But all it takes is to lift one corner of the top card for an endless snake to escape, zigzag joined to zigzag, the sign of the viper, and instantly all the pictures line up before my eyes." New York Times obituary, "Heda Kovaly Dies at 91; Wrote of Life Under Totalitarianism," Dec. 9, 2010.

Helen Douglas & Telfer Stokes, Clinkscale, Weproductions: Yarrow, Scotland, 1977

The front and back covers are photographs of an accordion with the hands of the player, and the 'bellows' is made from a long folded color photograph of green grasses in a field. The book is named after the famous brand of Scottish accordions, the same kind as in the photographs. This publication is a witty play on the idea and structure of the accordion book. [11" (h) x 66" (l)/27.9 cm (h) x 167.6 cm (l)] Available from Printed Matter (Printed Matter) for $24.