Brandon Mise is a letterpress enthusiast and owns a company called Blue Barnhouse which specialises in greeting cards. His book showcases the work of his press and about 70 other specialist printers in the USA.
There are only a few pages of text, and there is little information about either the history of letterpress or the technical processes involved, so readers needing more information about these topics must consult other sources. What does come through, though, is Mise's enthusiasm for his medium and confidence in the current resurgence of craft printing as an alternative to faster and cheaper commercial methods. Until recently craft printing appeared to be a dying art, but a revival has seen it re-establish itself as a specialist, labour-intensive craft catering for a small but stable niche market.
Most of the book consists of reproductions of recent letterpress work in cards, posters, packaging and books. There are various categories, including humour, politics, business and animalia. Styles range from self-consciously traditional to edgily modern, with a wide range of design styles. For those wishing to know more about the specialist presses represented here, a Press Bios section at the end provides brief information and URLs for each.
This is perhaps not the best book for people who are new to craft printing and require more background and explanation. But it is an interesting one for the already interested and, especially, for practitioners seeking inspiration.
This is an attractive book, and the cover has a pleasant look and, literally, feel. I recommend it for the largest public libraries and for tertiary libraries supporting art and design teaching. It would not be an essential purchase for information and library studies collections unless there is a particular interest in this aspect of the history of the book.