28 Characters, 4 Men, 10 Women, 5 Boys and 8 Girls.

Flynn, Danny

Funazaki, Eri (illus.)

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(N.p.: 2008). Small quarto. 32ff. One of five copies, signed by the artists. An artistic collaboration between noted bookbinder, typographer, and illustrator Eri Funazaki and Danny Flynn, a fellow typographer who also wrote the text. Each letter was printed using different wood and metal types, many of which were altered by the artists or specially created for the project. In this unusual alphabet book, tiny line drawings of people are scattered throughout the text, interacting with the large, colorful letters. Accenting designs are occasionally hand-tooled in gold and blind. Playing on the dual meaning of "characters," Flynn and Funazaki created personalities for all twenty-six letters of the alphabet and two punctuation marks: a female ampersand and a full stop "of undetermined gender." The characters are described in short, witty, often rhyming "living eulogies" that reveal their quirks and neuroses. In a playful, unconventional binding of navy blue, tan, and orange Harmatan goatskin that resembles a giant door hinge, with covers that rotate around a tube. The covers have inlays shaped to resemble the tops of screws. One hole is left open in the center of the front cover, revealing the gold tooling on the first page. Together with a bronze figure of Funazaki's "little man" character, which has appeared in several of her artists' books, done in the style of the figures in the text. The "little man" is seated and holds the missing screw from the binding across his lap. The figure is intended to be set on the edge of the book as an integral part of the binding design. Extremely fine. (Item ID: 23588)