Thomas Jefferson's Paris Walks

Bound by Jeff Clements

Thomas Jefferson's Paris Walks
by Diana Ketcham
Photographs by Michael Kenna
Published by The Arion Press, San Francisco, 2012
Copy no. 270 of 400 copies

Description - Edges hand trimmed; sewn without supports on grey irish linen thread; endleaves of Fabriano 'Roma' handmade paper; folded, sewn in boards are covered in 'Pentland' terra cotta red goatskin, spine is Indian sea-water snakeskin; onlays of blue and white goatskin; grey and black linear tooling; signed JEFF CLEMENTS 2013 on lower endleaf.

Design Statement - Black and white images depict Thomas Jefferson's walks in Paris from 1784-1789. They include buildings and street scenes photographed with an unusual subdued effect and are without figures. Maps indicate the routes taken and the descriptive text layout is formal on strong white paper. The design makes use of the Seine, the French Tricolour, the formal neo-classical architecture of the period and there is a stillness reflected in the crepuscular photography; cobbled streets are echoed in the spine. Extended triangles are included in the composition, providing points of departure and return, a man going on a journey. The terra cotta leather provides the character that implies that unique network of Parisian streets.

Jeff can be contacted at clementskeus@yahoo.com

Photos: Paul David Ellis