“. . . a towering achievement in American arts and letters . . .” Aharon Yermiyahu Taub in the American Jewish Libraries News Review.
“Stunning — we are delighted to add it to our Yale Library collection.” Nanette Stahl, Joseph and Ceil Mazer Librarian for Judaic Studies, Yale University
“What a stunning book! The Amichai Windows is marked by so much love, care and brilliance in the spirit of the old school makers of illuminated books. Black is a spiritual artisan and visionary.” Kwame Dawes, Emmy and award-winning poet, essayist and editor-in-chief of Prairie Schooner
“Not many artist books have the depth of visual and cultural literacy as The Amichai Windows. It bears the journeys of the poet and the bookmaker who both walked meditative steps in Jerusalem, and mutually came upon their own certain truths written in words that bear witness.” Helen Frederick, American artist, curator and George Mason Professor Emeritus
Price:
$9,500 for private collectors in our online store.
We also offer The Amichai Windows at a price of $7,500, or a little more than a 20% discount, for institutions so that scholars, curators, students and the public can engage with and benefit from the work.
For institutional discounts, purchase order numbers and payment plans, please inquire directly with us. If you prefer, you can purchase a copy through our agent, The Kelmscott Bookshop.
The Amichai Windows in Major Collections:
Yale University, The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New Haven, CT
Library of Congress, Rare Books and Special Collections, Washington, DC
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Library, Washington, DC
The University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Ann Arbor, MI
The University of California at Berkeley, The Bancroft Library, Berkeley, CA
Exhibitions and Public Programs:
A Light by the Window, solo show, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, Hyattsville, MD
A Celebration of The Amichai Windows, Tmol Shilshom Literary Café, Jerusalem, Israel
Windows in the Poetry of Yehuda Amichai, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT
The Amichai Windows: A Morning of Poetry and Art, Highland Park Conservative Temple, Highland Park, NJ
The Amichai Windows, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (virtual webinar)
Many intimate and virtual presentations to universities, JCCs and small salon groups, too.
Colophon Information:
The Amichai Windows is a compilation of 18 unbound triptychs inside a double drop-down enclosure. The edition size is 18.
Each letterpressed poem is wrapped and folded in an individual, handmade paper triptych that is 13” x 21” fully open. Multi-layered collages of digitally printed images and additional folio elements include blind embossments, botanical inclusions, gold leaf and papercuts made by Debra Band. A 28-page guide with an introduction by scholar and literary translator Robert Alter accompanies the edition.
Over the course of ten years, Rick Black conceived, translated, designed, letterpressed and assembled The Amichai Windows. The poems were letterpressed on a Vandercook Universal I at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. The typeface of the Hebrew poems is SBL Hebrew; the English translations are set in Pelican. The catalogue is in Goudy Old Style. Digital prints were made on an Epson Stylus Photo R2400 archival printer.
The handmade paper to support the poems was made by Twinrocker Handmade Paper in Brookston, Indiana, and hand deckled by Travis Becker. It is a blend of abaca and cotton. The poems were printed on Aya White 125 g/m², a specialty fine art paper for digital printing made by the Awagami factory in Tokushima, Japan. Additional handmade papers come from Germany, India, Japan, Nepal and the United States.
Rick Black also designed the double drop-down boxes. They were handcrafted by Mirtha Antelo of Distinctive Bookbinding in Rockville, Maryland. The cover of the boxes is handmade abaca and cotton paper that has been rough dried—again, produced by Twinrocker Handmade Paper. The interior is lined with Asahi Japanese bookcloth in olive green.
Contact:
Private collectors can purchase the work directly in our online store. We will arrange shipping and applicable charges separately.
Institutions should be in touch directly to discuss acquisition plans, collection needs, price, etc. Please contact Rick via email: rick at amichaiwindows dot com or via phone 908-227-7951.
Our mailing address: Turtle Light Press, P.O. Box 50162, Arlington, VA 22205.
