Thursday, November 25, 2010

Used Book Sale to Support Book Arts Studio


The University of Tampa Press and its Tampa Book Arts Studio will hold their first-ever used book sale on Saturday, December 4, from 9 am until 3 pm at the Music Room of Plant Hall. All proceeds will support the handcraft and antique letterpress printing activities of the Tampa Book Arts Studio on the University of Tampa campus.

Over a thousand books of all kinds have been donated for the sale by Friends of Tampa Book Arts Studio and other interested supporters. They range from classic and popular novels and nonfiction titles, to more unusual books issued in attractive illustrated editions or books about books and book collecting.
Most books will sell for $1, paperbacks for 25 cents, and there will some better books at higher prices.

The Music Room is located just off the main lobby of the historic Plant Hall, the former H. B. Plant Hotel, on the University of Tampa campus.

Donations of books for the sale are still being accepted. Phone 813-257-3099 for information on dropping off books, or for other questions.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

First Annual TBAS Letterpress Excellence Awards

New awards from the Tampa Book Arts Studio will recognize excellence and achievement in contemporary letterpress printing and design.

Letterpress publishers and book artists are invited to submit work published during the 2009 and 2010 calendar years, to the First Annual TBAS Letterpress Excellence Awards.

Private presses, independent publishers, and individual artists as well as trade and university presses are eligible to enter the competition. All entries must have been printed letterpress and completed during the designated calendar years.

Winners will be named in five general categories:

• hardback book
• paperback book
• artist’s book
• broadside
• ephemera.

Judges have the right to create special categories for entries that transcend conventions and merit special distinction.

There is no entry fee.

Judges for the competition are the Associates of the Tampa Book Arts Studio. Awards will be made on the basis of design, typography, materials, craftsmanship, creativity, and overall achievement. Content is considered only in relation to the manner in which the design and execution complement, enhance, and convey the spirit of the verbal or visual text to the reader.

Publishers of winning entries will receive a certificate of recognition. Their work will be featured in a letterpress exhibit opening at the University of Tampa and available for tour to libraries, book arts studios, and other venues for one year following the award. Profiles of winners will also be featured on the Tampa Book Arts Studio blog and in printed press releases.

Winners will be asked to provide additional technical information and returnable materials for preparation of the exhibit, including a separate display copy if available, samples of unbound pages, sketches of preliminary designs, copies of rejected trials or correspondence, photographs of the work during production or preparation, and representative supplementary letterpress work.

To enter the competition, a publisher, author, or artist should simply submit one copy of the book, along with the completed entry information. Any number of books may be entered. Books entered in the competition will not be returned and will become part of the Tampa Book Arts Studio Library Collections.

The deadline for submitting books is June 1, 2011.

Mail entries to:

TBAS Letterpress Awards
Tampa Book Arts Studio
The University of Tampa Press
401 West Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33606


TBAS LETTERPRESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The following information must accompany each entry, though it does not need to be provided on this form. Please type or print clearly.

Publisher:

Author of the Entry:

Category of the Entry:

Complete Title of the Entry:

Year of Publication:

Notable features of this submission:

Number of copies produced:

Retail price:

Brief Description of Press, Publisher, or Artist:

Contact Person:

Contact Information (including address, phone, and email):