Journeys of the Imagination
Authors and artists explore the terrain of the imagination when conceiving the content and design of books. For some, the book is an end in itself, a revelation of the mind's voyages or a work of art in its own right; for others, it is a tool for bringing goods, services, and ideas to the public. For cultural historians, the journey of the imagination represented by the book is a vital sign of the artistic mind.
To attract and engage the reader's attention, artists and designers translate their ideas into two- and three-dimensional formats, often solving challenging design problems in the process. Scrolls, for instance, free artists from a defined page to present events sequentially. Perspective techniques show the relative distance and position of objects. Pop-up books create worlds in three dimensions.
Accompanying these achievements in creativity are a number of printing and illustration techniques that require a high level of craftsmanship. Stencil printing (pochoir), chromolithography, photography, woodcuts, and engravings are among the media employed to effectively display art in books.