Craftsmanship & The Linocut

Oct 4

I've been studying up a bit on book arts, in hopes of improving the quality of my observations here and having a lot of anachronistic fun. In the age of the e-book, there's something satisfying in an against-the-grain activity like setting lead type. Not to mention, this week -- thanks to the good graces of longtime BDB reader Mark Strobel -- I'm going to have some hands-on time with the magnificent letterpress masterpiece, the Arion Bible. Rest assured, photos will be taken.

In the meantime, I've been writing about some of my letterpress experiences:

"Craftsmanship"

"The Linocut"

I'll be chronicling the journey primarily at my author blog, Crime Genre, with a little relevant spillover here. Expect some bookbinding posts, too. (I don't expect to get really good at it, but hopefully I'll learn enough to better appreciate those who are!)

And in case you're wondering, yes, I took the photo above while rummaging through the type cases at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. And yes, somebody has jumbled up the sizes of the Rs. (Not me!)

J. MARK BERTRAND

J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist and pastor whose writing on Bible design has helped spark a publishing revolution. Mark is the author of Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World (Crossway, 2007), as well as the novels Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide—described as a “series worth getting attached to” (Christianity Today) by “a major crime fiction talent” (Weekly Standard) in the vein of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Henning Mankell.

Mark has a BA in English Literature from Union University, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, and an M.Div. from Heidelberg Theological Seminary. Through his influential Bible Design Blog, Mark has championed a new generation of readable Bibles. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship, and chairs the Society’s Award Committee. His work was featured in the November 2021 issue of FaithLife’s Bible Study Magazine.

Mark also serves on the board of Worldview Academy, where he has been a member of the faculty of theology since 2003. Since 2017, he has been an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife Laurie life in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

http://www.lectio.org

Craftsmanship & The Linocut

Hands On with The Arion Bible

"17th Century County Parson" Style Rebind by Leonard's