Skiddaw Books

"Ladies and gentlemen, The Beetles"

“In the immortal words of James Baldwin, ‘Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.’ Love is a strawberry dressed in a chocolate tuxedo.”

Corn

Corn is a small hard seed.

Corn from Delft Is good for elves.

white corn, yellow, Indian

Is this kernel a kernel of corn?

The corn they sought Was sown by night.

The Corn Islands are two small islands, Little Corn Island and Great Corn Island, on an interoceanic canal route.

Any of several insects that bore in maize is a corn borer.

our diversity of lives

“At its best, literature is pure encounter: it resists consumption because it cannot be used up and it cannot expire. The bonds that are formed between readers and writers, between readers and characters, and between readers and ideas, are meaningful in a way that the bonds formed between consumers and products can never be. Literature demands curiosity, empathy, wonder, imagination, trust, the suspension of cynicism, and the eradication of prejudice; in return, it affords the reader curiosity, empathy, wonder, imagination, trust, the suspension of cynicism, and the eradication of prejudice.”

“At its best, literature is pure encounter: it resists consumption because it cannot be used up and it cannot expire. The bonds that are formed between readers and writers, between readers and characters, and between readers and ideas, are meaningful in a way that the bonds formed between consumers and products can never be. Literature demands curiosity, empathy, wonder, imagination, trust, the suspension of cynicism, and the eradication of prejudice; in return, it affords the reader curiosity, empathy, wonder, imagination, trust, the suspension of cynicism, and the eradication of prejudice.”

Vivid Red Ampersands

I printed these bright red ampersands for friends and family a while ago from woodblocks dating back over 100 years. I really liked the four different styles; a very musical character (which formed the basis for a family wedding invite that I helped create), a super fat face version, a smaller almost ’70s shape and a narrow western-style ampersand.

The blocks were found at the St. Bride typographic library in London, where I printed them using a Vandercook onto thick, textured, off-white stock.

Due to the woodblocks natural ageing and past use there are little marks and dings which I didn’t try to cover up—it just adds to the charm.

“Should you deploy ‘whoreson cullionly barber-monger’ at your next bar brawl, you’ll emerge victorious, guaranteed.”