PPN 2023 Book Show Winners

You’re with Stupid
kranky, Chicago, and the Reinvention of Indie Music

Author: Bruce Adams
ISBN: 9781477321201
Publisher: University of Texas
Cover design: Lonny Hurley and Derek George
Printers: Versa Press/Phoenix Color

Judges’ comments:

• Perfect treatment for the topic, expertly conveys the aesthetic of 1990s indie music graphic style, focusing on the kranky label in Chicago in particular.
• The uncoated paper-over-board gives the book a down-to-earth immediacy.

Weed Rules
Blazing the Way to a Just and Joyful Marijuana Policy

Author: Jay Wexler
ISBN: 9780520343924
Publisher: University of California Press
Cover design: Tim Green, Faceout Studio
Printers: Books International/John Pow

Judges’ comments:

• Innovative lettering, incorporating the leaf motif in an unexpected, memorable way.
• Well-executed—we particularly like the resonance between the ‘D’ and ‘U’ letterforms.

American Amnesia
How We Lost Our National Memory—and How to Recover It

Author: Helen E. Krieble
ISBN: 9781641772808
Publisher: Encounter Books
Cover design: Molly von Borstel

Judges’ comments:

• The unexpected treatment of the word ‘American’ is evocative and engaging, drawing the reader in—expressionistically conveying the book’s themes.
• The special effects are wonderfully subtle and add an extra level of richness.

Ink
A Novel

Author: Angela Woodward
ISBN: 9780813196534
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Cover design: Kat Lynch
Illustration: Tanatpon Shaweewat

Judges’ comments:

• Beautifully expressive and engaging—eye-catching and lingers in the mind long afterward.
• Conceptually strong—the typewritten text evokes ink in a way that complements the illustration, anchoring the stylistic contrast.

Sown in the Stars
Planting by the Signs

Author: Sarah Hall
ISBN: 9780813197043
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Cover design: Kathleen Lynch/Black Kat Design
Printer: Versa Press

Judges’ comments:

• Nice use of a visually textured hard cover case and navy/dark green nocturnal palette, which works well for the topic intersecting astronomy and agriculture.
• The vintage woodcut style illustration pairs nicely with the wood type, and the color palette does a great job of evoking the night sky.

Your Blue and the Quiet Lament
Poems

Author: Lubna Safi
ISBN: 9781682831397
Publisher: Texas Tech University Press
Cover design: Hannah Gaskamp
Printer: Sheridan

Judges’ comments:

• A perfect cover for a debut collection of poetry: soft blue misty magic pulls you in.
• Appropriate use of soft touch lamination.
• The landscape references Syria while at the same time evoking a certain universality of experience.

Visible Borders, Invisible Economies
Living Death in Latinx Narratives

Author: Kristy Ulibarri
ISBN: 9781477326572
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Cover design: Natlile Sowa
Printers: Sheridan/Phoenix Color

Judges’ comments:

• Conceptually, this cover was a big challenge to pull off, as the title has two loaded parts and a subtitle pulls the book in yet another direction.
• Successful use of line art and color palette makes it work, while very basic font choices reflect a scholarly work from a university press.
• The brilliant color treatment subdues the illustration, challenging the viewer to take a closer look at the macabre scene.

Death of a Bookseller
A Novel of Suspense

Author: Alice Slater
ISBN: 9781613163771
Publisher: Scarlet/Pinzler Publishing
Jacket design: Tim Green, Faceout Studio

Judges’ comments:

• Another great cover from a versatile team at FaceOut Studio clearly communicates a suspense novel.
• A difficult script font to use successfully—extra points for that!

American Graphic
Disgust and Data in Contemporary Literature

Author: Rebecca B. Clark
ISBN: 9781503630970
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Cover design: David Drummond
Printer: Lightning Source

Judges’ comments:

• What a meaty title/headline! This cover delivers exactly that: orderly bits of raw texture!

Jimi

Authors: Janie Hendrix & John McDermott
ISBN: 9781797220017
Publisher: Chronicle Chroma
Designers: Tré Seals (Vocal Type) and Alexandria Martinez
Printer: Asia Pacific Offset

Judges’ comments:

• The judges loved this book inside and out.
• The cover is strong, graphic, and appropriate to its subject.
• The title typography is gorgeous. It was custom-created for the book, as are all the fonts used within, which complement the layout beautifully.
• It is not easy to bring together archival materials in a way that reads unified and lively.
• This book uses a flexible and dynamic grid that both highlights the wonderful photography and makes it easy to navigate.

Mujeres Hispanas y Tipografía

Authors: Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography
ISBN: 97817334137
Designers: Lavinia Lascaris and Ximena Amaya
Printer: Acuprint, Marina Graphic Center

Judges’ comments:

• Original use of size, format, typography, gradients, and white space.
• The choice to create four oversized booklets, each representing a typographer, was surprising and appreciated.
• Attention to detail and a sure-handed elegance were visible in every aspect of the design and production.

The Rob Roy Kelly American Wood Type Collection

A History and Catalog

Author: David Shields
ISBN: 9781477323687
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Designer: David Shields
Printer: Asia Pacific Offset

Judges’ comments:

• Described by the judges as a “designer’s love letter,” in which the choices made by David Shields, both the author and designer, are dynamic, elegant, and always serving the interest of the visuals.
• Typographic detail and thoughtful use of white space provide a compelling framework for the book’s type-centric visual content.
• A complex design with a lot of elements to manage.

Seen and Unseen

Author: Elizabeth Partridge
ISBN: 9781452165103
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Designers: Lauren Tamaki and Lydia Ortiz
Printer: C&C Offset Printing

Judges’ comments:

• A beautiful merging of illustration, typography, hand lettering, and photography.
• Both new and old, innovative and retro, all at the same time.
• Type and illustrations work together in a way that is original, and reflects expert attention to visual balance.
• The design helps tell stories of a harsh time in a way that is palatable and engaging.

Athalinthia
Seven Stories

Author: W.A. Dwiggins
ISBN: 9798218082109
Publisher: Püterschein-Hartland
Designer: Bruce Kennett
Printer: Penmor Lithographers

Judges’ comments:

• Judges deemed this “an exquisite little book.”
• As opposed to the large format of other winners, this small book felt spacious, with excellent illustration and careful execution.

Pulp
A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit

Author: Abra Berens
ISBN: 9781797207148
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Designer: Sara Schneider
Printer: C&C Offset Printing

Judges’ comments:

• It’s light and airy.
• The printing and production values are evident.
• You can see how each piece of design—photo styling, typography, and palette—was thought out, refreshing, and well-executed.

The Lamb Cycle
What the Great English Poets Would Have Written About Mary and Her Lamb (Had They Thought of It First)

Author: David Ewbank
ISBN: 9781684581450
Publisher: Brandeis University Press
Designer: Lisa Diercks (Endpaper Studio)
Printer: 1010 Printing

Judges’ comments:

• Perfectly put together, very amusing, with a just-right level of embellishment.
• The juxtaposition of text and art is creative, effective, and charming.

Deadpan
The Aesthetics of Black Inexpression

Author: Tina Post
ISBN: 9781479811212
Publisher: New York University Press
Designers: Adam B. Bohannon (cover) and Charles B. Hames (interior)
Printer: Versa

Judges’ comments:

• Chapter openers, sideways running heads, and art treatment signal something out of the ordinary, focusing attention on what is being shown.
• Nice to see this kind of attention in a one-color, text-driven book.
• Put together with thought and skill.

DJ Screw
A Life in Slow Revolution

Author: Lance Scott Walker
ISBN: 9781477325131
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Designer: Derek George
Printers: Sheridan Books and Phoenix Color

Judges’ comments:

• Using the font Helvetica feels like an innovative and non-cliché move for a book about an underground dj in Houston, Texas.
• It says that his story is not relegated to a grungy, graffiti, niche audience. It has wider appeal and importance, and is taken seriously.

Symbols of Freedom
Slavery and Resistance before the Civil War

Author: Matthew J. Clavin
ISBN: 9781479823246
Publisher: New York University Press
Designers: Adam B. Bohannon (cover) and Charles B. Hames (interior)
Printer: Sheridan

Judges’ comments:

• Inviting to read.
• Nice black text type with well composed pages.
• Chapter heads are dramatic, allusive to the historical period.
• The closer you look at it, the better it looks.

The Human Side of Innovation
The Power of People in Love with People

Author: Mauro Porcini
ISBN: 9781523002887
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Designers: Debbie Berne
Printer: Friesens

Judges’ comments:

• Effective use of a second color in a text-driven book—enough to add interest and accent without going overboard.
• The design is accessible and makes the book inviting.

Little, Big
or, the Fairies’ Parliament

Author: John Crowley
ISBN: 9780963363756
Publisher: Incunabula
Designers: John D. Berry and Ron Drummond
Printer: Brilliant Graphics

Judges’ comments:

• The design comes across as initially classic. Its size and approach conveys that this is an important, timeless novel.
• The interesting use of imagery, including placement, cropping, and interaction with the text, signal a more modern intention.
• Many delicate touches, from the indents to the tints.

Island Wisdom
Hawaiian Traditions and Practices for a Practical Life

Authors: Kainoa Daines and Annie Daly
ISBN: 9781797216935
Publisher: Chronicle Prism
Designer: Laura Palese
Printer: C&C Offset

Judges’ comments:

• The colors are bright and beautiful.
• The photography and illustration reflect the history and culture of the subject while being joyful, fun, and inviting.