The Philosophy of Umbrellas

by
Robert Louis Stevenson

Above: The Limited Edition

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Click the image below to play a 2 minute video.

Below is the text of the Preface, which is printed on the umbrella's sleeve, a 3" diameter cylinder.
The umbrella handle extends from the sleeve for carrying.

PREFACE This publication came about when I received an e-mail from Susan Viguers, Director of the MFA Book Arts/Printmaking Program at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, inviting me to be a von Hess Visiting Artist at the Borowsky Center for Publication Arts. The purpose would be to create a work, with the master printer, Lori Spencer, on a Heidelberg KORS one-color offset press.      It seemed like the perfect opportunity to make an edition in honor of Judith Hoffberg, co-founder of ARLIS/NA and advocate of artists’ books. Judith is the Editor and Publisher of Umbrella, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year as the main resource for information about contemporary artists’ books, mail art and Fluxus.      The obvious form for this work would be an umbrella with a text, but what text? I asked Judith for a suggestion and she sent this essay by R. L. Stevenson (1850-1894). It was written while he was in college and first published in The Edinburgh University Magazine, which only existed for four monthly issues (January thru April, 1871).      The first printing in book form was posthumous, in the 1896 Edinburgh Edition of Juvenilia and Other Papers, Volume XXI of The Works [London: Charles Baxter & Sidney Colvin on behalf of Robert Louis Stevenson; Printed by T. and A. Constable for Longmans, Green & Co.: Cassell and Co., Seeley & Co., Chas. Scribner’s Sons and Sold by Chatto & Windus].      The text used for this edition is from a collection titled Memories & Portraits [Boston: Herbert B. Turner & Co., 1904].      The von Hess Visiting Artist Program in UArts’ Borowsky Center is funded through the generosity of the Richard C. von Hess Foundation. Richard Minsky April, 2008

As the von Hess Visiting Artist, Richard Minsky performed critiques and presented a lecture at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The lecture was part of the Inaugural Symposia:  Improvise/Commit: Conversations on the Creative Process.

About the Edition

An edition of 100 copies was printed on DuPont^TM Tyvek^?. The typography was designed by Minsky using InDesign with Palatino Linotype and OpenType Discretionary Ligatures.

The University of the Arts will umbrellify 50 copies numbered 1-50. They will be doing their own distribution.

Richard Minsky will produce 43 copies numbered I-XLIII, and a Deluxe Edition of 7 copies numbered A-G. You can order these below. 

Institutions using purchase orders or those who wish to pay by mail may use the form below. 

The Philosophy of Umbrellas Limited Edition:

$1,200.00

The Philosophy of Umbrellas Deluxe Edition:

$1,500.00

To pay by mail with a check or submit an institutional purchase order, please reserve your umbrella online or by phone with the order form below.  If you prefer to pay online, use the secure ordering system by clicking on "add to cart" above for the items you choose. Please read the Terms. 

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If you have any questions, or wish to order by phone, please call (516) 729-9227, or use the contact form.

When filling out this form please check your entries for accuracy, particularly your e-mail address. Additional contact information should be entered in the message box. 

Please note: Reservations will be held for ten days from your confirmation e-mail (Invoice) date pending receipt of payment from individuals. Approved institutions may use a purchase order with 30 days net.

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Title: The Philosophy of Umbrellas Please indicate your choice of edition and payment method. _____Limited at $1,200.00 _____Deluxe at $1,500.00 Name: Institution: Address: Telephone: E-mail: Shipping costs will be added to your invoice. Sales Tax must be collected on New York deliveries. New York State dealers and Exempt Organizations please provide properly completed resale or EO certificates. Preferred Payment Method (please check one): ___ check ___ wire transfer ___ institutional purchase order (30 days) Purchase order number _________ An invoice will be e-mailed to you on receipt of this form. [To use credit cards, please use the online ordering system above.] Do not enter credit card numbers here! Comments:

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Terms:

1. All items must be prepaid on new accounts. Institutions (libraries, accredited schools, museums) may use purchase orders subject to terms. Please inquire.
2. The form above or telephone may be used to reserve your order pending timely receipt of your remittance.
3. New York residents must include applicable sales tax. Dealers and Exempt Organizations must include properly completed resale or EO certificate.
4. Shipping and handling are charged at cost and will be added to orders not picked up in the gallery. 
5. You are welcome to visit the Gallery by appointment in Hudson, NY.

 

 

 

 

 

To continue the exhibition, click one of the sections or a button. 
Each section has several thumbnail images and descriptions of the works. You can click on any image for a page about that work, with larger pictures and details. 

• Section A Bindings 1968-79
• Section B Bindings 1979-85
• Section C Bindings 1986-88
• Section D Sculptural Bookworks from 1988
• Section E Bindings 1988-94
• Section F Painted Car, Watercolor studies, Bindings
• Section G The Bill of Rights, 1993-
• Section H Bindings on books by Erica Jong
• Minsky's Resume and Bibliography

  Contact Minsky