Kat Ran Press UNE SHORT SURVEY DES SECOND THREE TITLES AVEC ACCOUNTS DES FIRST THREE BOOKS FLORENCE 2002
Everything is Starting UNE PETITE POEM ET UNE PETITE ETCHING THE MANUSCRIPT for Everything is Starting was received in the last days of July 2001, and ours became the first printing of a single poem by MacArthur Award-winning poet/ teacher/scholar/dog lover Eleanor Wilner, who noted in a letter to the printer that the scope of the piece go[es] from dog piss in the neighborhood to the Big Bang. It was quickly decided that Centaur types would be exceptionally appropriate for such themes and should be cast in the small shop adjacent to the Thistlebrook Kennel in Skaneateles, New York. The types were rearranged at our new offices overlooking the Mill River and printed on dampened Twinrocker papers in June of 2002, almost one long year after we received the manuscript. A small threecolor etching was arranged opposite the title page by artist/printer/teacher/professional student Louise Kohrman at Zea Mays Printmaking. The whole book, comprising eight 6½ x 10 inch leaves, has been sewn into handmade paper wrappers by the staff of the Press. Simultaneously published with this prospectus, fifty numbered copies are presently available for $120, while an additional fifteen lettered copies are meant for those individuals who participated in the making of the book and are not available at any price.
Crow Calls FOUR SHORT PIECES ET FOUR DRAWINGS AFTER SEVERAL years of planning, we finally had the pleasure of offering this title in November of 2001. Four short and sweet pieces by Robin Barber, writer/teacher/ landlord, were composed in Bembo types and printed on dampened paper by Michael and Katherine Russem and Ms Corinne Gill on our presses overlooking the warehouse of Deals & Steals, a local purveyor of packaged health foods that have long since passed their date of expiration. Four complementary drawings were made by Jennifer Jo Schmidtmann, artist/printer/dental assistant/ native of Liverpool. These drawings were reincarnated as photogravure plates under the watchful eye of Jon Goodman and printed on his press by Rosemary Kress. The papers used throughout are Twinrocker, Griffen, and Oakdale, the latter laboriously dyed and re-dyed at the Press until they turned a deep, dark blue hue, and then used for the covers of the books. All bindings and boxes (which measure a comfortable 7½ x 11 inches) were made by Sarah Grace Provoncha at her well-equipped New Haven bindery. Fifty numbered copies were offered for $800, while an additional fifteen copies were lettered and divided among those individuals who participated in the making of the book and are not available at any price.
Overpass UN BOOK SANS TEXT AVEC SIX DRAWINGS AFTER TWO LONG years, for which we had very little to show, the Proprietors of the Press were delighted to offer Overpass in the very last days of the Summer of 2001. Greeted with scorn and ridicule by the old fashioned and the old at heart, while praised and adored by the progressive and young at heart, it is the first in a planned series of number books in which various artists will be asked to make a series of drawings on themes of their own choosing the only requirement being that this series deal with an increasing amount of some thing or things (i.e., one dog, two figs, three bottle rockets, etc.). Overpass contains six drawings of structures imagined by Jennifer Hill, local and illustrative painter/on-air radio personality. Ms Hill s original drawings were reincarnated as polymer plates, printed on our presses, and further embellished with considerable amounts of pencil. Although there is no text, a small amount of metal Gill Sans types in a variety of sizes were required for the title page and colophon. Dampened Twinrocker papers were printed, dried, and folded down to 10 x 14 inches. Fifty numbered copies were offered for $180, while an additional fifteen copies were lettered and divided among those individuals who participated in the making of the book and are not available at any price.
A Year of Smoke, 1999 UN POEM AVEC OU SANS UN SMOKE DRAWING PRINTED FROM Dante types on dampened handmade papers, R. Barber s poem was the third title from the Press. Thirty-five deluxe copies were bound in a paste-paper and leather tri-fold by D. Bourbeau with a smoke drawing by K. Gohde. An additional fifteen lettered copies were bound thus, and given to the book workers. Another fifty copies were bound in Richard de Bas wrappers without the smoke drawing. Deluxe $250. Regular $45. Seven Trees, 1998 SEPT POEMS ET SEPT LITHOGRAPHS SEVEN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL poems by J. Alvarez were printed from Perpetua types on 11 x 16 inch leaves of Velké Losiny papers with lithographs by S. Eichner, printed by H. Fox. Sixty-five copies were bound by D. Bourbeau and B. Blumenthal. Three deluxe copies came with an original drawing by the artist. Deluxe $1250. Regular $950. Match in a Bottle, 1997 LE BEGINNING ET L END SEVEN POEMS by T. Knapp were printed from Centaur types on 8 x 11 inch sheets of Arches. Eight smoke and fire drawings by K. Gohde accompany each book. Regular copies were bound by W. Bixler, while deluxe copies were handled by D. Bourbeau. Out of print. La Patience est une Virtue THE STAFF of the Press realizes that the production of these books often takes ridiculous amounts of time. We encourage collectors, curators, and dealers who find themselves too anxious to wait for our next titles to take some comfort in hiring the Press to manufacture custom bookplates, or stationery for their personal or business correspondence. Further relief may be gained by patronizing one or more of the other publishers, institutions, and businesses that hire the Press for the production of limited edition books and ephemera. Some of our clients include Sierras Press, 21st Photography, Osiris Communications, The Limited Editions Club, the Robert Klein Gallery, and Smith College. We are certain that you will find dealing with the representatives of these firms to be as easy, delightful, and refreshingly stress-free as we do. But before resorting to any of the above, we suggest that you check your library for Kat Ran titles that may be missing from your collection. Parties interested in filling any holes should call, write, fax, or e-mail the Press and rest assured that all correspondence will be dealt with in a timely manner. Kat Ran Press 221 PINE STREET, FLORENCE, MASSACHUSETTS 01062 KATRAN@CROCKER.COM WWW.KATRANPRESS.COM (413) 584-1152 PHONE & FACSIMILE