COLOPHON: "This set of books was screen-printed in 2015 at Spudnik Press in Chicago. The edition was made possible by generous funding from:
The Caxton Club of Chicago
And The Albert P. Weisman Award
Although this edition is dedicated to those who worked most intimately to ensure its success, namely:
Kristin and Kurt Batsel
And
Lauren Berg
Its author also owes debts of gratitude to the following readers, advisors, editors, champions of the arts, meddlers, skeptics, printers, bookbinders, chauffeurs, and general rabble:
Sherry Antonini, Ruby Figueroa, Alex Gilbert
Julia Goodman, Angee Lennard, Woody Leslie
Jenny Magnus, Drue McCurdy, Miriam Schaer
And the Center for Book, Paper, and Print at Columbia College Chicago"
"The set consists of four stories whose physical and narrative structure nest within one another like Russian nesting dolls. The books can be read separately, but when taken together, reveal a legacy of greed and colonialism across generations. Every time a new characters name is spoken, a new book begins that follows that characters life story. The first books protagonist is a wealthy shut-in who becomes obsessed with an exotic deity; the three enclosed books reveal this retired businessmans colonialist past and the history of the deitys native land. With every book, the narrative as a whole moves backwards chronologically in time. The visual style echoes that of 19th-century children's mass-market hardcover adventure books, whose bright and captivating illustrations belied the troubling imperialist messages conveyed within"--Artist's statement at the Vamp & Tramp Booksellers' website, viewed on June 22, 2016.
"Magnets embedded in the spine of each book hold them in place for display or easy reading as a set"--Artist's website, viewed on March 17, 2016.
Four nested books: Maneater: 24 x 17 cm, 14 unnumbered pages; Corbett gets too close: 21 x 15 cm, 10 unnumbered pages; The Capture of Pasha: 18 x 13 cm, 6 unnumbered pages; Ra-Kan: 14 x 11 cm, 1 unnumbered folded leaf. Color screen printed. Housed in a 26 x 18 x 6 cm cloth-covered clamshell box with tiger illustration on front. Screen printed colophon in envelope pasted onto front inside box lid.