temporary exhibition

Have you ever been in a bookstore and found yourself drawn to a particular cover, or experienced a mild shock when you open a book and look inside? Ever been surprised to remove a book's jacket only to find a binding underneath that reveals yet another facet of its charm? For you, and others like you, books are not merely "reading materials," but works of art in and of themselves, to be appreciated for their visual pleasures as well as for their literary merits.

Throughout the world and down through the generations, bookbinders and book designers with a passion for books have endeavored to create book covers that visually express the worlds contained within. However, with some 74,000 new works being published every year, publishers are resorting to ever more radical book designs in an effort to make their products stand out on the overcrowded shelves in bookstores today.

While we realize that the balance between a book's outer design and its contents is important, for this exhibition P&P Gallery has chosen books with covers that reach out and grab you, books with gimmicks that move or pop out at you, the kind of books that you find yourself reaching out for at the bookstore. Technical advances in printing and processing have made some of these elaborate designs possible, and we'll be revealing a few of the secrets behind their production.

Modern Book Design: 148 titles, each offering a unique experience. Peruse them at your leisure.