A selection of accordion fold artist’s books from Gould Library Special Collections
Books and other printed materials that are fragile, rare, valuable, of unusual format, or otherwise in need of special care and protection are housed in Special Collections. These materials include examples from a wide range of periods, styles of printing, binding, and illustration.
Gould Library’s artist’s book collection is a treasure trove of examples of different book forms. In this exhibit, we highlight a small sample of the artist’s books employing a technique called “accordion fold.” This is one of the most common forms artist’s books take, in part because it is less challenging to execute than other sculptural book forms or the traditional codex. This form lends itself to linear storytelling, but can also be modified in endless ways. The selection of books on view here employ this common folding technique to create books that are quite different in nature.
Learn how to make your own folded books from Madeline Garcia ’18!