A41. Jack Be Nimble
(Top) A33. Donna Youngblood. Our Baby’s First Year Book. Santa Cruz, California: The Good Book Press, 1985.
63.5 x 47.5 mm (2 ½” x 1 7/8”), 32 pages, 200 copies.
Binding: Copies 1-30 full-bound in purple Cabretta. Title in gold on label inset on cover inside bas-relief frame. Copies 31-200 full-bound in patterned lavender cloth over boards. Title in gold on label inset on cover. Paper: Lavender, handmade by Peter Thomas. Printing: Letterpress. Typography: Hand set Canterbury. Illustration: Four line drawings by Donna Youngblood. Illustrations in copies 1-30 are hand-colored by Donna Thomas.
“Donna Youngblood is Peter’s sister. When her first child was born she received too many baby books and never had the time to fill any of them in. When we began to plan this book we were expecting our first child. We wanted to have a baby book that would not be left blank, and decided to make it a fill-in-the-blank book, as that would be the best format for the parent on the go. Of course we didn’t finish the book until after our second child was born. Maybe we should have made it multiple choice.”
(Middle Left) A34. Anonymous. I Love You. Santa Cruz, California: The Good Book Press, 1985.
29x 24 mm (1 15/16” x 15/16”), 4 pages, not a limited edition.
Binding: Case-bound accordion; glued at spine. Full-bound in red sheepskin. Heart stamped in gold on cover. Paper: Pink, handmade by Peter Thomas. Printing: Letterpress. Typography: Hand set Broadway and Canterbury. Notes: Peter Thomas originally made this book for Donna Thomas for Valentine’s Day.
(Middle Right)A35. Anonymous. Rags Make Paper. Santa Cruz, California: The Good Book Press, 1985.
39.5 x 32 mm (1 9/16” x 1 ¼”), 32 pages, 225 copies.
Binding: Quarter-bound in tan calfskin and ivory paper with rag & thread inclusions, handmade by Peter Thomas. “RAGS” blind-stamped on spine. Some copies full-bound in tan calfskin. “RAGS” blind-stamped on spine. End sheets in both bindings vary copy to copy. Paper: Eight different colors, handmade by Peter Thomas. Printing: Letterpress. Typography: Hand set American Uncial; ornaments in black, red, green, blue, yellow and orange. Illustration: Six linocuts by Donna Thomas. Printer’s ornaments.
“We had already printed this saying as a broadside. We designed the book through the encouragement of Jim Ingals, our papermaking assistant at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, who came up with the concept of a little picture for each line. We were inspired to use the multiple colors of paper and ink by Walter Hamady’s Hand Papermaking.”
(Bottom Right) A36. Mother Goose. Mother Goose Rhymes. Santa Cruz, California: The Good Book Press, 1986.
76 x 60.5 mm (3” x 2 3/8”), 24 pages, 10 copies.
Binding: Full-bound in blue Morocco leather. Blind-tooling on cover. Raised bands on spine. “Mother Goose” blind-stamped on spine. Hand-sewn headbands. End sheets blue. Paper: Ivory, handmade by Peter Thomas. Printing: Letterpress. Typography: Hand set Canterbury. Illustration: Ten original watercolors hand-painted by Donna Thomas.
“Eight rhymes make up the text. This was the first project Donna worked on after Tanya and Suzanne were born. After Peter printed the pages she painted the same ten illustrations in each of the ten copies.”
(Bottom Left) A41. Mother Goose. Jack Be Nimble. Santa Cruz, California: The Good Book Press, 1987.
74.5 x 63.5 mm (2 15/16” x 2½”), 36 pages, 200 copies.
Binding: Copies 1-25 are full-bound in royal blue Morocco leather. Watercolor illustration painted on vellum by Donna Thomas is mounted in gold paper frame on cover. Copies 26-200 are bound in blue, yellow, red, or green paper, handmade by Peter Thomas, over boards. Title and illustration by Donna Thomas on label on cover. All copies have end sheets marbled with colored pulp. Paper: Nine different colors, handmade by Peter Thomas. Printing: Letterpress. Illustrations printed from photoengravings. Typography: Hand set Canterbury. Illustration: Reproductions of seventeen line drawings by Donna Thomas.
“Fifteen rhymes make up the text. The 1985 book titled Mother Goose Rhymes [A35] was expanded and changed to become this edition titled Jack Be Nimble.”