A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called "leaves") imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person—perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic. 
—Carl Sagan, Cosmos

Books work magic on the eye, the mind, and the soul. And book arts opens a universe as broad and deep as the cosmos. Artist books—broadly speaking, books made by artists as works of art—is a discipline that is becoming more accessible all the time. One of its leading proponents is The Center for Book Arts, in the Flatiron District, which hosted an open house on Saturday afternoon.

In the press room and bindery, CBA artists demonstrated many aspects of book arts, from the basics of binding to the surprising ways in which a single sheet of paper can become a little book—or a springy sculptural piece that is book-like. Visitors had a chance to get into the action, from pulling proofs on the Vandercook presses or trying their hand at linocut.

Among the visitors to CBA on Saturday were a group of students from Astoria, here being shown the die-cutting process by Roni Gross.

In addition, there was a tour of the current exhibition of artist books made with paper, rock, scissors, cloth, thread, and much more—a great introduction to the many sides of book arts, as well as the classes, and public programs offered by CBA. The Center for Book Arts, 28 West 27^th Street, Third Floor, NY, NY. In addition, the CBA blog has great information about book arts and artists.

On Friday, February 8, 6:30 pm, CBA presents the History of Libraries, with Stephen Bury (Frick Collection), Consuelo. W. Dutschke (Columbia University), and Michael Stoller (NYU).Suggested donation $10/$5. 

For more about book arts on the West Coast: 
The first LA Art Book Fair, organized by Printed Matter, takes place February 1-3 at MOCA Geffen Contemporary. Information.
From February 10-13, the Codex International Book Fair takes place in S. Richmond, CA, a short hop from San Francisco. Information. Alexender Campos, Executive Director of CBA, will be on hand.

This just in:
Artist Talk Rescheduled: Tuesday, January 29, 7pm: Martin Smith | We Exchanged Phone Numbers. United Photo Industries Gallery 111 Front Street, Suite 204 // DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY.