The enchanting beauty of eternal pages

Viewed from the perspective of artists’ books and bibliophilism, a book is considered to be a unique work of art in which the text is integrated with visual, typographic and haptic properties. It is a medium in which materials, visual concepts, and artistic originality all play a role. As František Xaver Šalda noted in his essay The Book as a Work of Art (1905): “A book is – or at least should be – not only a mediator of inner life and spiritual elevation, but also a perfect work of art, an object of visual culture, a beautiful artefact…”. This ideal is shared by traditional bibliophile printings, published in small quantities with an emphasis on typography and craftsmanship, and also by artists’ books, which use the book as a free medium for personal or experimental artistic expression.

Jiří Jůza