Books
la carte
Books a la carte
Contents
5 Prologue
6 Books a la carte
7 A personalised book for every client
9 Books, authors, illustrations, designs,
types, words, formats and colours!
To everyone that loves books
Oriol Carol Editor Josep Maria Vallbona Art Director
Prologue You are holding a very special book for us, because it is the result of our hard, loving and painstaking work over the last few months. It is a book we have made specially for you, to present publishing project: Llibres a Mida. A company to offer a unique and different service, namely the publication of Books a la carte. We thought that the best way of sharing this proposal was to gift you with what we do best, a Personalised Book. In this book you will find information about who we are and what we can offer, plus a selection of thoughts about the world of books and publishing that we particularly like, and would like to share with you. Barcelona, April 2009
5
Llibres a Mida Llibres a Mida is a company based in Barcelona started up by a group of specialists with a great deal of experience in publishing in order to offer Personalised Books. Unique books that we make on commission by our clients: companies, institutions, administrations, organisations, museums, associations and NGOs, painters, sculptors, photographers, illustrators, collections and anybody that wants to publish a book. Books that we publish for very special reasons: to commemorate an institutional anniversary, to showcase an exhibition, as a present for Saint George’s Day or for Christmas, to celebrate the opening of a new shop, recover an old tradition, remember and celebrate family events, present a new publishing project‌ Books that we personalise because every client and every edition is unique.
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A Personalised Book for each client We offer you a professional and high-quality service because we are publishing experts and we love books. We propose exclusive books to celebrate and share special and unique occasions. We have many ideas for you all! We make a Personalised Book for you. We listen, advise and take care of your book down to the very last detail, as our aim is to make it unforgettable. We coordinate the whole publishing process: from the definition of the book through to the selection of authors, photographe and illustrators, graphic design, dummying, proofreading and translation, editing, printing, binding and final production and distribution all over the world. We work in close collaboration with you because each book is a unique and thrilling adventure.
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Books, authors, illustrations, designs, types, words, formats and colours! We are presenting a selection of thoughts on books and publishing. They are fragments of thoughts from erudite scholars, writers, designers and poets present and past, which illustrate and take us deeper into the world of books and publishing. A world full of wisdom, science and art. A diverse, plural and open world. A world that smells of Remington, linotype and proofreading. A world where papyrus manuscripts and dictionaries, facsimile editions and e-books, books for bibliophiles and best-sellers, special editions and Personalised Books all coexist... Good reading!
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“Liber, from which the Catalan word llibre [book] comes, originally meant, according to Saint Isidore, the inner part of the bark of the tree, used for writing on in the olden days� Pere Bohigas Scholar
E 10
“The raw materials of modern life are not iron, oil, coal or rubber: it is paper� Giovanni Papini Writer
D 11
“I have made an army of twenty-six tinlead soldiers that could conquer the world� Johannes Gutenberg Inventor of movable type printing
I 12
“[…] printing allows us to render that which is fleeting eternal, and thus disseminate what would otherwise be an isolated event” Alex Brown Graphic Designer and Art Director
C 13
“A book is an individual object which design has given an identity of its own� Martin Solomon Graphic Designer
I 14
“In the whole repertoire of graphic design, no element is more significant than typography� Milton Glaser Illustrator and graphic designer
O 15
“[…] the impact of a graphic image, in view of the use and abuse now made of words, has moved definitively into modern life” Joan Brossa Poet
N 16
“A well-composed photograph should look like a letter of the Latin alphabet� Robert Doisneau Photographer
S 17
“Everything that is in the sky is on earth, everything that is on earth is in man, and everything that is in man is written in books� Plato
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Philosopher
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“The most spiritual society is not dressed by tailors, but rather by book-binders� Jean-Paul Richter Poet
M 19
“The book is the great memory of the centuries […]. If books disappeared, then so too would history, and mankind itself, probably” Jorge Luis Borges Writer
I 20
“A beautiful book is a victory won on all the battlefields of human thought” Honoré de Balzac Writer
D 21
“Do you still think that making a book is a minor feat?� Miguel de Cervantes Writer
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HELVETICA NEUE
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BAUER BODONI
OFFICINA SANS
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SNELL ROUNDHAND
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TYPEFACES
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A FUTURA
Pro duc t i o n : L l i b re s a Mid a, S .L. P a u C l a r i s , 9 7 4 t 1 a – 0 8 0 0 9 B arcelon a Te l . 9 3 3 0 4 3 8 6 4 – F ax 9 3 3 0 1 6 9 0 4 l l i b re s a m i d a@ llib resam id a.com w w w. l l i b re sam id a.com Te x ts : I m m a Q u i n t a n a A r t Di re c t i o n : D i re c t i o n an d Grap h ic Design : Josep M aria Vallbona Pho to g r a p h s : X a v i e r P airot © 200 9 o f t h i s e d i t i o n : Llib res a M id a, S .L. Tha nk s : L a i e L i b re r í a Caf é