Calendar book 2008

Even thought it might sound too late to talk about calendar books in the end of January, only today I was finally be able to take some pictures and post about our annual collaborative work.
Silvana Amato and I have been collaborating on the self promotional calendar since 1998. And probably this is the way that our Edizioni Almenodue started, without having an official name until much later.
Every year we work together with a different artist that contributes to the calendar and receive a number of printed and bound copies of the piece, in trade of their work. He can be an illustrator, as many time it happens, but we have also collaborated for the same project with type designers, papermakers, bookbinders and calligraphers, many times without personally meeting them. As for our limited edition books, this project, also based on a book structure, takes endless numbers of emails, postal packages of materials from Boston to Rome, and back, and an incredible amount of energy and time. Though, it's a way of collaborating with new artists every year and create something each time unique. An adventure all worth it to take!
We designed the calendar book 2008 with illustrator Susy Pilgrim Waters, whom I have only met for the first time, a year ago, with this project in mind. We decided to reproduce 12 large and beautiful paintings she made on thick, wood board. I have also used some of the images on the top banner of this blog. A pleasure is to see the paintings in person, located in a restaurant called Pomodoro, in Brookline, MA. And a real treasure is the friendship that developed by working together.
In case some are interested in the calendar for the remaining 11 months of 2008,
I have posted on Etsy a few copies for sale. Printed on Fedrigoni paper, is hand-bound with a ring of white embroidered ribbon, with red numbers 8!

New letterpress and bookbinding workshop

We are offering a new workshop in collaboration with Albertine Press, in Somerville, Massachusetts, held on Saturday, February 16th from 10:00 to 4:00 and Sunday 17th from 12:00 to 4:00.
The first day will focus on designing, typesetting and printing your own page for a limited edition book. The bookbinding section, will focus on learning a sewing technique called pamphlet stitch, by making one soft cover blank book and an hard-cover that will collect all the printed pages from each member of the class, printed the previous day. An interesting feature of the hard-cover book is the way the text block is sewn into the book cloth and then to the cover, by leaving the spine exposed.
In addition, in the end of the class, a wide variety of artist books and several book structures will be shown for further discussion and inspiration.
For any further information or any question, please contact Angela or Shelley. Thank you!

Back home

I have just returned from Italy a week ago and it is taking longer then I thought to get back to my usual emailing/blogging routine.
I don't have any pictures of Rome, except the ones I took with my family, but I would like to share some photos of the Edizioni Almenodue studio, where half of the designing and planning happens of our limited edition books and calendars, we design every year. My partner Silvana Amato, shares her studio with Barbara Garofalo of A.B., a fashion designer, that uses only beautiful linen and natural fiber in her work. The studio is remarkable combination of paper and fabric, laying around everywhere and displayed on the wall as an inspiration board, they called their studio Carta~Stoffa, that translated into Paperfabric. They have seasonal studio sales to present A.B. new clothing collection, but the studio is also open by appointment anytime during the year. All our books and paper products by Edizioni Almenodue are available for viewing and for sale, along with the clothing collection.


Located close to Ponte Milvio in a beautiful residential area of Rome, not too far from the Vatican if using public transportation, it is not touristy and a truly enjoyable neighborhood . The local farmers market is also lovely and it takes place everyday. Unfortunately neither Silvana or A.B. had a website to link to at the moment, but you can have some idea of the space with the following pictures or you can just visit the studio on your next trip to Rome!

Cartastoffa, Via dei Duchi di Castro, 3, Scala H, Rome. Tel. 06. 33219429.