Another year, another impressive array of books and covers to marvel at. The turnout for the November 5 opening also impressed, especially since it was a “first Thursday” night when galleries typically debut new art shows.

On hand were designers, design educators and their students, painters, illustrators, musicians and assorted other bibliophilic types for a look-see at the AIGA 50/50 show. While most were of the local variety, there was a contingent from Cal State Chico and at least one attendee from Monterey. Who said the book is dead?

Here are some snapshots of what they saw.

Chronicle Books’ lobby transformed into book gallery

Letterpress-printed commemorative napkins and bookmarks, courtesy of Michelle Clair and designed by Laura Bagnato, Chroniclers both.

A curiosity piece from McSweeney’s: All Known Metal Bands. Really.

Look at me: Photos from Mexico City

The ties that bind: exposed spine from MIT Press; multi-hued spine from Mark Batty. In the background, Chronicle’s own L Is for Lollygag.

Full metal jacket: printed pressed tin cover from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

That’s right. It’s books, too!

From fruit to nuts–and bookmarks.

Not the last word: yours truly takes to the soap, er, book box, on behalf of the book as we know it.

The penultimate word
I’m not one who seeks to have the last word. I do like to welcome our guests, however, and acknowledge those who worked to make the evening a success. To ensure that I do not have the final word, I include an e-mail from journalist friend Clair Sykes extolling the virtues of real books, as opposed to virtual ones. Claire writes:

“I have had no experience with e-books and am not at all drawn to them. Maybe someday that’ll change, but for now, I prefer the tactile feel of paper between my fingers, its texture and heft, and the sound it makes in that small shift of air as I gather up the corner of a page and turn it. I love the smell of a fresh, new book, my nose in the crease. I love how a book shows its use from my carrying it around in my bag, its cover worn from my touching it so much, its pages buckled from getting wet while reading in the tub. I love seeing the spines of all my books lined up one after the other on my bookshelves, the colors and typefaces as varied as the contents inside. I love just knowing they are there. I love returning to a book over and over again throughout the years, seeing underlined passages and notes in the margins, scrawled in my hand. I could go on, but you get the idea. Nothing will ever replace a real book.”

The AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers exhibition will remain open until November 20, 2009 in the lobby of the Chronicle Books building, 680 Second Street, San Francisco. Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.

Michael Carabetta
Creative Director

Source: Michael Carabetta