Essay Question

Should one have more or less respect for an author who writes corrections in sparkly blue gel pen?

Royal Stet Lodge Corduroy Appreciation Committee?

I suspect we would get along quite well with this organization:

Then I asked, “And the point of a social club is to socialize?”

"I like to use the word "fellowship,'" he said. "I went on a tour of the Masonic Temple on 23rd Street--for purposes of research--and I saw that they use the word 'fellowship' a lot, and I liked that."

"Better Living Through Corduroy," Jonathan Ames, New York Times, November 19, 2006.

Let the Eagle Soar!

The election season RSL bug is out.

Members are reminded to report all patriotic usage of the lodge bug to Lincoln Cushing at the Bancroft Library.

hwww.lib.berkeley.edu/~lcushing/addpages/Bug_adds/UnionBug.html

The favorite aunt of that renowned authority on spelling

In an author's stet of the word "quirked" on a manuscript I'm designing:

A quirk is "an abrupt twist or curve' [Miriam-Webster]

Photocopied for the "Salem That Trials" file, of course.

From the organization known to us as

"that other lodge": Oft Unseen: Art from the Lodge and Other Secret Societies (via Coudal Partners).

Note that they need a proofreader for their URL: "exhibihitions."

The Confederation of Royal Stet Lodges Seal

For reference only:

For Maury, part three

For Maury, part two

For Maury

An interim logo created at the Official Seal Generator:

Carry On, Margaret

M.E.I. contributes the following to the discourse:

A paragraph about publishers from Carry on Jeeves by Wodehouse:

I always used to think that publishers had to be devilishly intelligent fellows, loaded down the the grey matter; but I've got their numbers now. All a publisher has to do is to write checques at intervals, while a lot of deserving and industrious chappies rally round and do the real work. I know, because I've been one myself. I simply sat tight in the old flat with a fountain-pen, and in due season a topping, shiny book came along.

I'm really fond of this Penguin edition. It's the first long text I've read set ragged right that wasn't a design book. You can't see in the Amazon shot but the headers have a 1/2 pt rule the length of a text block below the head. The verso head is set left aligned too, about a pica in from the margin, OS page numbers (foot) set to the left as well. I like the contents page (subtle, legible) and full title. The text is Monotype Trump, which I'm not familiar with, but is reading well. Aside from some new line mistakes on the "Other Penguin Titles by PG W." page, a spiffy series design.

That crazy "Murder in Manolo" SOHO author ought to consider ragged right text for all her dialogue/brand name-heavy books. I'm at a loss as to what other types of text would be well-suited for ragged right, though. I like the rag better with this small trim (4" x 7") than if it was set in a traditional trade pb size. I don't know if smaller overall trim makes any "different" kind of design element more tolerable (perhaps), but the rag does seem to create the illusion of more space (breathing room) on what might've been an overwhelming page if set full just. YMMV.

. . .

I think a sequel to the Guinea pig book would be a great Production Meeting project. The Care and Feeding of Typesetters (like the "Move the Figs" rant from last night, but with marker illustration and gratuitous use of the phrase "I am just telling you").

I am all for it, as long as in the feature-length film of The Care and Feeding of Typesetters, the narrator will be played by Hütz.

Minutes, 8/28/06

Resolved:

• That somebody should post something on the blog every now and then.


• That Lodge members should not appropriate blog post ideas that rightfully belong to the Lodge blog. (Sorry!)


• That authors should know better than to cross Sarah G.

Proposed:

• That Lodge members should maybe look at the blog from time to time.


• That two baskets of calamari and two of fries is about the right amount of snacks.


• That the Lodge will convene again by early October.

What did I forget?

File under: Safety fonts with senior appeal

Andrew Byrom's Grab Me is an expensive but practical and sturdy display font made out of stainless steel tubing and wall brackets.

It might be worth $3k (or a trip to a hardware store with a generous returns policy) for a book jacket design with a three word title like:

Old: The Senior Movement in Canadian Architecture

I also like Byrom's 3-D neon tube font and Concussion, a font for color blind designers.

I'm going to pack up the office. It's over. There's no way I can compete with Protea Publishing.

Book covers

Marty is Dead

Not non-fiction, I think

Paintings

Small dog

Human portrait


Holy Book repair

Slipcase Bible

Academic binding

A. Poetry. Critic.

A poetry critic reads a bunch of chapbooks all at once, and discovers that books, OMG, have designers. Writing in this week's Contant Critic, Joyelle McSweeney clarifies a previous review of a chapbook based on a discussion with the book's designer:

In preparing my review of Yunte Huang's Cribs last month, I went out of my way to consider the book's layout and non-verbal textual markings in developing a reading of the book as a whole. I credited Huang-the-author for the distinctive irregular stripes running up and down the book's pages, along and amid the words. Since the review appeared, communication with Huang and with Tinfish editor Susan Schultz revealed to me that these non-verbal elements of Cribs were in fact the invention of Kristina Bell, the book's designer.

I stand by my reading of Cribs, but I wonder why, with Bell's credit in the book's interior, I was still unable to 'see' her contribution for what it was, even while I was preoccupied with 'seeing' it on the pages. I'm particularly struck by my failure to see because, as the editor of my own new press, I've learned that a designer's selection of typeface and layout becomes the first interpretation of the poem, the medium through which the book's readers encounter that (perhaps?) immaterial entity, the poem itself.

Assorted Chapbooks reviewed by Joyelle McSweeney

Turns out even critics know a "McSweeney's-esque typeface" [that would be, what?, Garamond?] when they see it.

Call for Submissions

All Royal Stet Lodge members in good standing are hereby required and directed to proceed without a moment's loss of time to post as comments to this post any and all Interesting marginal notes on manuscripts, such as those directed to copyeditors, overeager or otherwise, made by our esteemed colleagues and clients, The Authors. Said authors are to remain nameless, as are their books, publishers, and all other lawyer-hiring entities related thereto. Hereof nor you nor any of you shall fail as you will answer the contrary at your peril.

* * *

I am sad to say that I am unable to lead the action properly at this time, as I ill-thinkingly sent back unphotocopied the novel proofs we had last week that contained two Extremely Hostile marginal notes, presumably directed by the author to the copyeditor or editor. The wording of one of them was something like, facing a deletion and insertion of several words, "Words that are not the author's should not appear in the text." Another said something like "If you want this reworded, ask me; don't just rewrite it." Very firm black felt-tip printing. We see a lot of distinctive marginal notes, but rarely anything this angry. Perhaps this is because most of our books are nonfiction? Discuss.

Also available with unconvincing antlers

HAPPY NEW YEAR now available in a special copy editor edition.

HAPPY NEW YEAR