Close up of Hand and Eye’s FAG proofing press – currently being used to print ” The Case of Death and Honey” by Neil Gaiman.
For more information and to pre-order now visit our website www.arete-editions.com

Deep into printing. Galleys of the metal type set by Effra Press on a Monotype machine for Neil Gaiman’s ‘Case of Death and Honey’ and ‘The Adventure of the Creeping Man’ by Arthur Conan Doyle. Currently being printed by Hand and Eye, available for pre-order at www.arete-editions.com

Hand and Eye’s FAG proof press has been worked hard recently printing the Artist’s Edition of ‘The Case of Death and Honey’ by Neil Gaiman.

Today Phil from Hand and Eye is exhibiting at the Art Worker’s Guild during London Craft Week

This is the ‘The Case of Death and Honey’ by Neil Gaiman and ‘The Adventures of the Creeping man’ currently being published by Arete Editions and bound by Richard Tong from Ludlow Bookbinders, printed by Hand and Eye.

Here’s a little insight into how we create an ‘Artist’ book. Initially when I put a book together, I try and give the artist a breakdown of each possible page’s text, even knowing that it will change, Gary made that into a sketch book where he breaks down images that we can talk about in terms of rhythm and pacing, also, most importantly, as a reading experience. Each page turn, the reader, who has just read the previous page, subconsciously takes in the new image before reading and then relates that image to what they are reading. This creates our sense of how the illustrations can enhance the reading experience.

Here’s an example of a simple idea that changed the mood of the illustration. We wanted Mycroft’s description of Empire to have a sense of:
‘ ‘‘You know, if I were to live, the British Empire might last another thousand years, bringing peace and improvement to the world.’’
In the past, especially when I was a boy, whenever I heard Mycroft make a grandiose pronouncement like that I would say something to bait him. But not now, not on his death-bed. And also I was certain that he was not speaking of the Empire as it was, a flawed and fallible construct of flawed and fallible people, but of a British Empire that existed only in his head, a glorious force for civilisation and universal prosperity.’

Gary’s first image that captured the symbolism of Mycroft’s dream of Empire had a sense of realism about it, I wanted it to be a lot more symbolic, showing, not only Mycroft’s optimistic view but the end of Empire and the wars that Sherlock later observes: ‘we watched those poor heroic boys sent to the trenches of Flanders to die, all these things confirmed me in my opinions. I was not doing the right thing. I was doing the only thing.’ And the small change of design captured that perfectly I feel.

Hand and Eye has already started printing these beauties, the Artist’s Edition of ‘The Case of Death and Honey’ by Neil Gaiman, which will be published by Arete Editions. We have sold out of the The Artist’s Edition & Numbered Edition.

We’ve commissioned our own hand-made paper from Gangolf Ulbricht for it, every sheet having an Areté watermark. Each book is unique as it has the original artwork of one of Gary Gianni’s illustrations bound into the cover. Gary doesn’t often part with his art so we’re really pleased he has for this edition.
Bradel bound, the book sits in a solander box made of goatskin, also bradel bound to show off the design by Gary and Richard Tong. The box will also contain a portfolio of prints of a selection of the Death and Honey illustrations, a slim, hardcover introduction by Neil Gaiman, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story ‘The Adventure of the Creeping Man’, the inspiration for Death and Honey.

Red ink. Hand and Eye has started printing ‘The Case of Death and Honey’ by Neil Gaiman and ‘The Adventure of the Creeping Man’ by Arthur Conan Doyle which inspired Neil. Editions are being printed on their FAG proof press and their Heidelberg cylinder press. Currently available for pre-order at www.arete-editions.com