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Judging books by their covers
The Book Design Show comes to the University of Illinois Press
10:30 pm Sep 27 - by Emily Cleary – buzz Writer
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Illinois Press book showcase, showcasing over 50 books and 35 book jackets. Photo by Brad Thorp
- See Slideshow (9 images)
The 2009 Book Design Show will run until Friday, Oct. 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The show is held at the University of Illinois Press (UIP) building at 1325 S. Oak St. in Champaign.
The Association of American University Press (AAUP) organizes the Book Design Show, with over 50 books and many covers. This tour of books travels from one university press, or other interested institutions, to the next, spending two weeks on display at each school.
The Book Design Show serves a dual purpose. According to the brochure, each year, a panel of selected judges evaluate about 300 books and 300 jackets, and choose those that show “meritorious achievement in the design, production and manufacture of books, jackets, covers and journals by the members of the university press community.” Cope Cumpston, art director for University of Illinois Press, says it’s a “big honor.”
The collection is also a learning experience for the various university presses of the AAUP. “It provides an evaluation of our work and serves as a focus of discussion and a source of ideas for intelligent, creative, and resourceful bookmaking,” according to the brochure.
The chosen winners are usually non-fiction books in a wide range of subjects, and very few, if any, fiction books. The display is spread over two large tables, similar in appearance to displays at bookstores or in libraries.
A rather invisible company on campus, says Cumpston, the UIP usually engages in the “non-profit scholarly publishing” of books that “go straight to libraries.” The UIP is a member of the AAUP and usually has a book or cover among the winners, with the exception of this year’s collection.
Cumpston encourages all students, but especially those interested in publishing, to come out to the show, as it would be a beneficial learning experience.
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