2007 Book Show: A Long Overdue Review

Bookbuilders’ own Bill Ralph wrote the following review of January’s book show for the online publication ForeWord, which has kindly granted us reprint permission.

We are continually reminded that the publishing industry is in constant flux and that change is one of the only things that seem to be guaranteed. It’s fitting that the theme of the thirty-sixth Bookbuilders West Book Show acknowledges and demonstrates the continuous evolution of our business, of ourselves, and of the annual exhibition itself. Typically an evening event, the 2007 book show was changed to a luncheon preceded by several speakers, a keynote address, and followed by the awards presentations. Jim Gerber, Director of Content Partnerships for Google started off the morning with a brief history of the high profile company from nearby Silicon Valley and a discussion of Google’s content management strategies. Eileen Gittins, founder and president of Bay Area based company blurb, followed with a description of her ultra short run (think “one copy”) production, manufacturing and distribution solution for the small press and self publisher market. Keynote speaker Carol Kinsey Goman of Kinsey Consulting Services addressed an enthusiastic audience of 225 attendees on the topic of embracing change in our personal and professional lives.

Late last spring twelve highly respected representatives from the Western publishing community gathered at the San Francisco offices of McGraw-Hill to evaluate nearly two hundred books that had been submitted in the categories of Children’s Trade, Professional Trade, Reference and Scholarly, School Publishing, Special Trade, Trade: Image Driven, and Trade: Text Driven. In all, forty-five books, covers and jackets were selected to receive Awards of Excellence for superb design, materials choice and manufacturing quality.

Harcourt Trade Publishers of San Diego received awards in the Children’s Trade category for three delightfully illustrated contemporary books: Mammoths on the Move, Walk On! and for Ugly Fish, while brooding Thirteen O’Clock from San Francisco’s Chronicle Books also received an award.

Peachpit Press’s use of brilliant colors contrasted with generous white space and clean design captured all three book awards in the Professional Trade category, and a bold two/color jacket from Jossey-Bass for Teaching Defiance justifiably earned an award for covers and jackets.

University of Nevada Press, University of Washington Press and University of California Press were acknowledged for outstanding design and manufacturing in the Reference and Scholarly category for crisp single color designs and striking four color covers. Honest Horses was acknowledged from Nevada, On The Road Again and Speaking Havoc were submitted by Washington and Sight Unseen was California’s entry.

Winners in the highly competitive four color School Publishing category, which includes elementary and high school books as well as college textbooks, included awards to McGraw-Hill Companies for Art Across Time and Critical Thinking. Thomson Higher Education was acknowledged for Experiencing Art Around Us, Music in Western Civilization, Organic Chemistry, and for the cover of Metaphysics. Covers for Pearson Education’s A Brief Atlas of the Human Body, Feynman’s Tips on Physics, Microbiology, and University Chemistry each won awards of excellence for unique, startling designs from Jeff Puda and Yvo Riezebos. Completing the awards was the cover for College Chemistry from Key Curriculum Press.

Special Trade winners included two charming children’s books, complete with craft tools from Klutz, Paper Fashions and Paper Stained Glass. The University of California scored with a classic four color cookbook with scrumptious photos and University of Nevada Press and University of New Mexico received awards for handy field guides. Harper San Francisco’s The Alchemist-Gift Edition is this writer’s favorite with a combination of classic typography and free flowing watercolors.

Getty Publications owned the Trade, Image Driven category with luscious production values and interesting topics on Courbet and the Modern Landscape, Luxury Arts of the Renaissance, Seeing Rothko and The Getty Villa. University of California surprised everyone with single color gritty Coal Hollow and while the Asian Art Museum and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco received awards for extraordinary The Elegant Gathering and Transparent Reflections. Covers from Jossey-Bass and University of Washington Press rounded out the awards.

Trade, Text Driven awards of excellence were captured by Gibbs Smith for the charming 75 Exciting Vegetables, All Together Now and Futurehype from Berrett-Koehler, American Knees published by University of Washington Press, On Earth from University of California Press, Sanctuaries of the Heart from University of Arizona Press and to be of use from New World Library. Jossey-Bass’s jacket for Organic Church made a strong statement with only two colors and the challenge of a great deal of copy and graphics.

In an unusual move and in the spirit of change, the judges awarded a Best of Show award to a School Publishing entry, The Cosmic Voyage, published by Pearson Addison Wesley, since the book achieved the highest ratings in both the book and cover/jacket categories.

Books produced by the Western publishing community are characterized by diversity, experimentation, and the quest for graphic and typographical excellence and the 2007 Bookbuilders West Book Show once again lived up to expectations.