Artist's book

*Twentysix Gasoline Stations*, 1963 by Ed Ruscha

Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that engage with and transform the form of a book. Some are mass-produced with multiple editions, some are published in small editions, while others are produced as one-of-a-kind objects.^[1]

There is not a singular definition of an artist's book, and formulating a definition is cumbersome and subject to debate.^[2] Importantly, the creation of artists' books incorporates a variety of formats and genres.^[3] They have a complex history, with a particular focus and growth in contemporary artist movements.^[4] They also have recently grown in popularity, especially in art institutions, and have become popular in art library reference workshops.^[4] The exact definition and usage of artists' books has become more fluid and porous alongside the growth in popularity of artists' books.^[5]

^ Greenfield, Jane (2002). ABC of bookbinding: a unique glossary with over 700 illustrations for collectors and librarians. New Castle (Del.) Nottingham (GB): Oak Knoll press The Plough press. ISBN 978-1-884718-41-0.
^ Pigza, Jessica. "Yale University Library Research Guides: Book Art Resources: The Term Artists' Books". guides.library.yale.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b White, Tony (2017), Dyki, Judy; Glassman, Paul (eds.), "Artists' books in the art and design library", The Handbook of Art and Design Librarianship, Facet, pp. 99–108, doi:10.29085/9781783302024.014, ISBN 978-1-78330-202-4, retrieved 2025-04-28
^ Lippard, Lucy (1985). "The Artist's Book Goes Public". Artists' Books: A Critical Anthology and Sourcebook. Visual Studies Workshop Press.

[1] Greenfield, Jane (2002). ABC of bookbinding: a unique glossary with over 700 illustrations for collectors and librarians. New Castle (Del.) Nottingham (GB): Oak Knoll press The Plough press. ISBN 978-1-884718-41-0.

[2] Pigza, Jessica. "Yale University Library Research Guides: Book Art Resources: The Term Artists' Books". guides.library.yale.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-30.

[:2-3] Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:1-4] White, Tony (2017), Dyki, Judy; Glassman, Paul (eds.), "Artists' books in the art and design library", The Handbook of Art and Design Librarianship, Facet, pp. 99–108, doi:10.29085/9781783302024.014, ISBN 978-1-78330-202-4, retrieved 2025-04-28

[:3-5] Lippard, Lucy (1985). "The Artist's Book Goes Public". Artists' Books: A Critical Anthology and Sourcebook. Visual Studies Workshop Press.

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