A80. A Papermaking Safari to Africa
(Middle) A80. Peter Thomas. A Papermaking Safari to Africa. Santa Cruz, California: Peter & Donna Thomas, 1995.
72 x 63.5 mm (3” x 2 ½”), 54 pages, 100 copies.
Binding: Case-bound pocket portfolio; “zebra stripe” paper, handmade by Peter Thomas, over boards. Pages stab sewn together; back page slipped into a pocket in back inside cover. Paper: Duplex sheet, “zebra stripe,” handmade by Peter Thomas from cotton rag and msasa fiber. Printing: Letterpress. Typography: Digitally set. Illustration: Fifteen illustrations by Donna Thomas. Notes: A pocket on front inside cover contains a paper sample from South Africa made by John Roome and a paper sample from Zimbabwe made by Walter Ruprecht. In copies 1-25 there is also a two dollar bill from Zimbabwe in the pocket.
“In 1995 we were invited to come to Africa to teach book and papermaking classes. This book contains observations made on that trip. The paper was made using two moulds, laying a stencil over one to make a fine layer of brown paper and couching that onto a second freshly formed sheet. The pulp used for the stripes was recycled from paper we made using local plants in Zimbabwe with papermaker Walter Ruprecht, using local plants. The binding was a variation of the one we developed for Bayad [A60], and was featured as a project in More Making Books by Hand [F1].”
(Backgound) A83. Peter and Donna Thomas. Handmade Paper. Santa Cruz, California: Peter & Donna Thomas, 1995.
19.5 x 14 cm (7¾” x 5½”), 10 sheets, 75 unnumbered copies.
Binding: A single sheet of grey paper, handmade by Peter Thomas, folded to form a portfolio. Adage and linocut printed on cover. Publisher information on back cover. Paper: Nine paper samples handmade by Peter Thomas. Printing: Letterpress. Typography: Hand set American Uncial. Illustration: Two linocuts by Donna Thomas. Notes: Seven of the paper samples are printed with the name of the material they are made of; two are printed with illustrations. All illustrations (including cover illustration) were cut for A44 and reused.
“This was made to give as a gift to our hosts when we traveled the next year to Australia and Africa. I don’t think we actually ended up making all 75 copies.”
(Foreground) A84. Peter and Donna Thomas. Bird Word. Santa Cruz, California: Peter & Donna Thomas, 1996.
25.5 x 16 mm (1” x 5/8”), 10 pages, 39 copies.
Binding: Full-bound in brown leather. Bird symbol stamped in gold on cover. End sheets marbled. Paper: White with visible fibers, handmade by Peter Thomas. Printing: Letterpress. Typography: Hand set Bernhard Modern Roman. Illustration: Bird-shaped printer’s ornaments. Notes: Printed letters have been painted over.
“The text is words that describe the sounds birds make. This book was made for Donna’s 39th birthday, after our return from a teaching trip to Australia, where everyone we met had a bird book in their car… As it was a birthday book it had to be made in secret, and that is why I used printer’s ornaments for the illustrations rather than having Donna make cuts. I painted over the words, further exploring the concept of acrostic manuscripts which I had been working with in a class I taught in for the School of Art in Canberra where we made the book DBIJEP [E1].”