PPN 2024 Book Award Winners

Diplomats at War is a family memoir by Charles Trueheart, who was the godson of Fritz Nolting, the US ambassador to Vietnam in 1961 to 1963, and son of Bill Trueheart, Nolting’s second in command. The book tells the story of an anticommunist alliance between the United States and South Vietnam that came to a violent end in late 1963, three weeks before President Kennedy died. The story follows the Kennedy administration’s improvisational approach to a client state beset by guerrilla insurgency and the ensuing crisis over the fate of the Vietnamese government led by Ngo Dinh Diem. The narrative thread is carried by Frederick Nolting and William Trueheart, whose quarter-century of friendship also ended in Vietnam.

The Buddhist crisis that precipitated the collapse of the Diem regime generated one image that encapsulated the drama of that moment: the shocking self-immolation of a monk in protest against the regime of President Diem. If potential readers remember anything about this story, it is that image. We didn’t want to profit from such an image, but we wanted to bring the readers close to the story by evoking the image without using it, finding the right equilibrium between a memory of fire and a monk, which in a ripped image also suggests the rupture of the friendship at the center of the book.

Written by a scholar formerly embedded with US troops in Iraq, this is the first book to investigate the cost to military families of the US’s long War on Terror, and it illuminates the interconnected, ongoing sacrifices that veterans and their families have made over the past twenty years.

I was raised in a military family, so the realities and struggles Ender discusses in Army Spouses are all too familiar to me. It’s hard to have a spouse or parent away for weeks or months at a time, but it can be just as hard to readjust when they come home. It’s a cycle that can be as stressful as it is isolating, especially in this era of constant combat. As this book focuses on the family, I stayed away from overtly patriotic or service-related imagery. Instead, I leaned toward the idea of absence—a solitary hand reaching out as one wakes up alone—and subtly alluded to the military with the foggy green tone of the sheets, setting the title in a classic, no-nonsense serif and framing the composition with a double-ruled border, evocative of military insignia.

In the wake of the untimely death of the author’s younger sister and isolated by the pandemic, Rikkers produced Morning Leaves, a book of vulnerable, evocative, and ultimately hopeful poems. She introduces her story and explains how counseling, the artistic process, and nature helped her through the healing process.

Her poems, paired with Kelly Leahy Radding’s stunningly realistic botanical paintings, metaphorically describe the range of emotions she passes through while grieving. Rikkers seizes the opportunity to be attentive to who she is and, more importantly, who she wants to be, leaving space for the reader to do the same. Her writing is soulful, open, and accessible and the artwork is exquisite. Ultimately, readers are invited to reflect on themselves as they address the grief and loss they have experienced in their own lives.

The design inspiration for this book comes from classic poetry chap books–it’s a small, handheld size with high design concept. We wanted to further invoke the feeling of a classic book by making the book be a faux 3 piece.

Veg-table features over 100 inventive and approachable recipes using vegetables both common and uncommon, organized by plant family. Author Nik Sharma, a molecular scientist, beloved food blogger, and photographer, reveals the origins, biology, and unique characteristics of veggies to help home cooks best choose, store, and cook them beautifully. Nik’s Indian heritage, his time in the American South and Los Angeles, and his deep love of cooking combine, to offer up flavorful and approachable recipes you’ll turn to in every season.

The visual inspiration for Veg-Table, as with Nik’s two previous cookbooks, begins with his rich and delicious photography. In reference to his science background, and in homage to the beautiful colors and textures of vegetables, the large typography mirrors Nik’s micro images—as if you are looking through a microscope. Design and content work together to play-up the “Table” in Veg-Table, via charts, didactic illustrations by Matteo Riva, and a periodic-table of vegetables on the end pages (that also acts as index). The omission of a traditional ingredient list provides a streamlined flow in reading the method text and allows for a clean and tidy recipe page layout.

Clark analyzes the contemporary graphic along three specific axes: the ethnographic, the pornographic, andThe author suggests using a grid/graph paper background, with something visceral or grotesque in the foreground–“think a pile of offal plopped in the middle of the Cartesian Poetics cover.” She offers works from two artists: the sculptor Qimmyshimmy and the performance/collage artist Narcissister. (The latter’s performance works are analyzed in the book.) See the file on Shared for sample images from those artists, and one mockup cover. The cover needs to strike a balance between being gross and visceral, and not actively repelling prospective readers. Avoid any “American” imagery (flags, maps, etc.) or plays on American Gothic.

From the publisher:
JIMI is the ultimate tribute to the greatest guitar player in rock and roll history, celebrating what would have been Jimi Hendrix’s 80th birthday on November 27, 2022. This comprehensive visual celebration is an official collaboration with Jimi’s sister, Janie Hendrix, and John McDermott of Experience Hendrix L.L.C. JIMI significantly expands on the authors’ previously published titles, including An Illustrated Experience, and features a new introduction by Janie, extensive biographical texts, and a trove of lesser known and never-before-published photographs, personal memorabilia, lyrics, and more. We would like to emphasize that Tré Seals of Vocal Type created ALL of the typography in the book including the custom Jimi on the cover and all the fonts on the interior were custom designed for this book as well. He also set the design direction for the interior layout of the book and Alexandria assisted in completing the finished files in-house at Chroma.

From the publisher:
Mujeres Hispanas y Tipografía (Hispanic Women and Typography) reflects the influences that individual cultures and histories had on the investigations of five designers, researchers, and educators: Sandra García and Dafne Martínez (Colombia and Mexico), Laura Meseguer (Spain), Marina Garone Gravier (Argentina/Mexico), and Jimena Gamio (Peru/Los Angeles). This bilingual publication, in Spanish and English, is a documentation of their research, design, and investigations and celebrates the talents and contributions of these Hispanic women to the field of graphic design and typography.

The publication is comprised of four booklets—each representing one project—held in a full-color folio. This loose format offers each booklet equally weighted importance, allowing their sequence to change. The gradation of the cover speaks of a broad spectrum of personalities and interests, touching upon topics such as colonialism, educational systems, feminism, and indigenous languages. It is also reflected by the inside covers and foredges of the booklets. The main text and the images are monochrome, with touches of color used for the footnotes, tying each booklet to the cover. The size of the publication represents the importance of women taking up space and the monumental contribution that women designers have made to graphic design and typography.

From the publisher:
The Rob Roy Kelly Wood Type Collection is a comprehensive collection of wood type manufactured and used for printing in nineteenth-century America. Comprising nearly 150 typefaces of various sizes and styles, it was amassed by noted design educator and historian Rob Roy Kelly starting in 1957 and is now held by the University of Texas. Although Kelly himself published a book on wood type and nineteenth-century typographic history in 1969, there has been little follow-up on either subject since. David Shields rigorously updates and expands upon Kelly’s historical information about the types, clarifying the collection’s exact composition and providing a better understanding of the stylistic development of wood type forms during the nineteenth century. Shields provides a stunning visual context that complements the textual history of each typeface. He also highlights the non-typographic material in the collection—such as borders, rules, ornaments, and image cuts—that have not been previously examined. Shields adopted a 19th-century maximalist approach for the book design, balanced by a manageable set of types that provide a robust impact without sacrificing the possibility of nuanced micro-typography. He sought to choose a dynamic mix of typefaces that would not overshadow the images of 19th-century type specimen catalogs, printed specimen proofs, type blocks, and other realia that comprised the rich visual material of the book.

From the publisher:
Three photographers. Three perspectives. And through the lenses of their cameras, three different views of one bitter chapter of American history. In this remarkable work of nonfiction, Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki weave together photo documentation, firsthand accounts, and stunning original art to reveal the history, heartbreak, and injustice of the Japanese incarceration.

Nearly a hundred years later I set out to bring his original vision for the book into printed form. Typography and design are mine, but based on careful consideration of WAD’s own page designs for the individual stories published in 1935, 1948, and 1950. (My aim was to have my presence be as recessive as possible in the typography, and to let Dwiggins be the chief designer.) The title page mirrors his 1928 design; trim size is identical to his dummy; front-cover and spine title are his hand-lettering. The text was set in Dwiggins’s own Caledonia types. The endpapers are a reproduction of the mural WAD painted in his home dining room around 1925; it depicts Sinbad’s home port. My short afterword provides context.

To capture the subtleties in his illustrations — pen-and-ink drawings, multi-color stencil prints in gouache, watercolor paintings, woodcut prints, and silkscreen — the book was printed with stochastic screens, thus ensuring fine detail and color fidelity. Book made entirely in New England; printed by Penmor on Finch Fine 80 text; Smythsewn and case bound by Superior.

Every aspect of The Lamb Cycle made it a delight to design, beginning with the writer’s masterful wit and carried on through the illustrator’s clever and ever-so-charming drawings. My design decisions were entirely guided by the content, choosing typography and ornamentation that showcased the style and variety of the poems and complemented the illustrations. The last illustration to come in—the sweetest lamb—is my favorite and can be found stamped in gold on the front binding. The team—editor, illustrator, and I—spent the most time conceptualizing the jacket, no easy feat given the ranging content and the (appropriately) long subtitle. In the end we got it just right. I feel fortunate to have been part of this creative team!

I left the framing and photo/archival info at the edges of the photos where it occurred to emphasize the documentary aspect of the photos. The “inexpression” concept also steered me toward Franklin Gothic for the display and Adobe Text for the text setting.

The resulting volume is three things: the definitive text of Crowley’s novel, in a form that encourages reading; a carefully calibrating showing of Peter Milton’s art, making images that came from a variety of different sources, and that often featured great variations in texture and detail, look natural and consistent; and, together, a third thing: a sort of dancing conversation between the text and the art.

All the interior art was reproduced as duotones. The 800-page book is securely bound in signatures of Mohawk Superfine, our first choice of paper stock, so that despite its extent it opens flat and should prove to be durable in the long term. This book is meant to be read, and it is meant to last.

More than just a beautiful paradise, Hawai’i has a rich culture, deeply rooted in tradition. Native Hawaiian and cultural expert Kainoa Daines has spent many years teaching visitors to the islands about this time-honored wisdom, and now he has teamed up with journalist Annie Daly to share that knowledge with you. Island Wisdom is an inspirational and rewarding journey through traditional Hawaiian teachings that have stood the test of time, from how to be pono (live a balanced life) to how to mālama ‘āina (preserve and protect the land). Filled with the voices and guidance of Hawaiian elders, regional folklore, and ancient teachings—plus gorgeous local photography and illustrations throughout—Island Wisdom is a celebration of Hawaiian culture, language, and values that will give you a deeper understanding, appreciation, and respect for Hawai’i and the Hawaiian way of life.

Perfect for:

• Fans of the New York Times bestseller The Little Book of Hygge
• Travelers who have visited or are thinking of visiting Hawai’i
• Readers curious to learn about Hawaiian culture and language
• Anyone seeking a more thoughtful and balanced life

Roach would rather be listening to the latest episode of her favorite true crime podcast than assisting the boring and predictable customers at her local branch of the bookstore Spines, where she’s worked her entire adult life. A serious true crime junkie, Roach looks down her nose at the pumpkin-spice-latte-drinking casual fans who only became interested in the genre once it got trendy. But when Laura, a pretty and charismatic children’s bookseller, arrives to help rejuvenate the struggling bookstore branch, Roach recognizes in her an unexpected kindred spirit.

Despite their common interest in true crime, Laura keeps her distance from Roach, resisting the other woman’s overtures of friendship. Undeterred, Roach learns everything she can about her new colleague, eventually uncovering Laura’s traumatic family history. When Roach realizes that she may have come across her very own true crime story, interest swiftly blooms into a dangerous obsession.

A darkly funny suspense novel, Death of a Bookseller raises ethical questions about the fervor for true crime and how we handle stories that don’t belong to us.

DJ Screw, a.k.a. Robert Earl Davis Jr., changed rap and hip-hop forever. In the 1990s, in a spare room of his Houston home, he developed a revolutionary mixing technique known as chopped and screwed. Spinning two copies of a record, Screw would “chop” in new rhythms, bring in local rappers to freestyle over the tracks, and slow the recording down on tape. Soon Houstonians were lining up to buy his cassettes—he could sell thousands in a single day. Fans drove around town blasting his music, a sound that came to define the city’s burgeoning and innovative rap culture. June 27 has become an unofficial city holiday, inspired by a legendary mix Screw made on that date.

Lance Scott Walker has interviewed nearly everyone who knew Screw, from childhood friends to collaborators to aficionados who evangelized Screw’s tapes—millions of which made their way around the globe—as well as the New York rap moguls who honored him. Walker brings these voices together with captivating details of Screw’s craft and his world. More than the story of one man, DJ Screw is a history of the Houston scene as it came of age, full of vibrant moments and characters. But none can top Screw himself, a pioneer whose mystique has only grown in the two decades since his death.

In the early United States, anthems, flags, holidays, monuments, and memorials were powerful symbols of an American identity that helped unify a divided people. A language of freedom played a similar role in shaping the new nation. The Declaration of Independence’s assertion “that all men are created equal,” Patrick Henry’s cry of “Give me liberty, or give me death!,” and Francis Scott Key’s “star-spangled banner” waving over “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” were anthemic celebrations of a newly free people. Resonating across the country, they encouraged the creation of a republic where the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” was universal, natural, and inalienable.

For enslaved people and their allies, the language and symbols that served as national touchstones made a mockery of freedom. Deriding the ideas that infused the republic’s founding, they encouraged an empty American culture that accepted the abstract notion of equality rather than the concrete idea. Yet, as award-winning author Matthew J. Clavin reveals, it was these powerful expressions of American nationalism that inspired forceful and even violent resistance to slavery.

Symbols of Freedom is the surprising story of how enslaved people and their allies drew inspiration from the language and symbols of American freedom. Interpreting patriotic words, phrases, and iconography literally, they embraced a revolutionary nationalism that not only justified but generated open opposition. Mindful and proud that theirs was a nation born in blood, these disparate patriots fought to fulfill the republic’s promise by waging war against slavery.

In a time when the US flag, the Fourth of July, and historical sites have never been more contested, this book reminds us that symbols are living artifacts whose power is derived from the meaning with which we imbue them.