A64. A Single Day
A64. Gary Young. A Single Day. Santa Cruz, California: Peter & Donna Thomas, 1991.
76 x 57 mm (3” x 2 ¼”), 2 pages and an 11 page accordion fold-out, 68 copies.
Binding: Case-bound fold out accordion. Copies 1-34 are full-bound in eggplant Morocco leather. Sterling silver plate with etching by M. Taylor mounted on cover. Copies 35-68 are full-bound in eggplant Morocco leather. Title blind-stamped on cover. Back end of accordion not attached to a board. Paper: Cream, handmade by Peter Thomas and Gary Young. Printing: Letterpress. Typography: Hand set Bodoni. Title in blue. Illustration: Pulp painting by Peter Thomas and Gary Young on accordion fold out.
“The poem tells the story of a young woman being struck by lightning on the beach near our house. It is taken from Young's larger work titled Days. When I asked to use the poem, as it was being excerpted from the larger work he suggested I call it A Single Day. The book was being made in celebration of Donna's 34th birthday, so she was not part of its creation. Young and I made the paper, enough to print 34 copies for Young and 34 for the birthday edition. A silver thread was imbedded in the handmade paper, as a metaphor to represent the poems’ message about the value of life, and of the value of making books as works of art. The leather used for the binding was cutoffs from the binding of Youngs’ recently completed fine press book A Throw of the Dice. Continuing the metaphor, a 22 gauge sterling silver plate, cut and etched with a stormy ocean, was mounted on the cover of our 34 books.”