Artist Books for a Global World

In 1985 Gunnar A. Kaldewey set up a hand press in Poestenkill, north of New York City. In the 20 years since, he has printed over 60 unique limited editions at the highest levels of craftsmanship in cooperation with creative minds like Jonathan Lasker, Mischa Kuball and Richard Tuttle. Texts have come from writers including Samuel Beckett, Paul Celan, Marguerite Duras and James Joyce. Kaldewey does the typesetting and printing when he isn’t also making the paper himself; renowned workshops such as Christian Zwang’s in Hamburg, or Jean de Gonet’s in Paris do the binding. This bibliophile’s book, a catalogue raisonna describing each of the artist books Kaldewey has published so far, will draw in those who love his art, those curious about the state of contemporary bookmaking–of which these handcrafted volumes are exemplars, exhibited around the world–and new friends of the medium.