“The Book Makers” profiles an eclectic group of people who have dedicated their lives to answering the question: what should books become in the digital age? From the esoteric world of book artists to the digital library of the Internet Archive, the film spins a tale of the enduring vitality of the book.
This engaging documentary captures the painstaking but pleasurable process of creating hand-crafted books, in a diverse range of styles and mediums.
The film travels from New York to Germany’s Black Forest, culminating at the CODEX Book Fair in San Francisco, where the cast of characters congregates to sell their books to collectors from universities and the Library of Congress, and to curious buyers from around the world.
Along the way, “The Book Makers” highlights the talent, dedication and skill of these book artists, and reframes the concept and purpose of the book itself.
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At the Internet Archive, 70 people scan daily as part of a goal to give everyone in the world access to all books. Photo credit: InCA Productions
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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The legendary CODEX Book Fair in the San Francisco Bay Area attracts people from all over the world who make, collect, or just love books.
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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During the annual Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, the Lacuna art installation offers free books to the public.
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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Colored goat skins for book covers seen at the CODEX Book Fair in San Francisco.
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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Type-setting "Leaves of Grass."
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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Award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Christian Robinson believes strongly in the importance of representation in the stories he depicts and bringing a sense of play in the process of creation.
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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Veteran book artist Julie Chen emphasizes the theatricality of books in radically playing with the form they can take, as in her Chrysalis.
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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Mark Sarigianis sets out to print a limited run of Charles Bukowski’s novel "Ham on Rye" on his own with a specific paper, process, and pure persistence.
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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Fne press printer Peter Koch's "Liber Ignis," a 30-pound book made entirely of lead, demonstrates the concept that the story is the book.
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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Russell Maret, a highly regarded book artist and master of traditional printing technologies, shares the process behind his 50th book with students attending the CODEX Book Fair in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Courtesy of InCA Productions
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Book artist Russell Maret makes books that transform the text, elevating a trade into an art.
Courtesy of InCA Productions
Watch On Your Schedule:
Streaming now on PBS.org and the PBS Video App for phones, Apple TV and Roku.
Join The Conversation:
"The Book Makers" film is on Facebook and Instagram.
Credits:
Director / Editor: James Kennard. Distributed by American Public Television.
