University Times

Winning designs in the Association of American University Presses' (AAUP) 1996 Book, Jacket and Journal Competition will be on display at the University Press office, 3347 Forbes Ave., April 7-17 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

This is the first time that the AAUP show, which recognizes meritorious achievements in the design, production and manufacture of books, jackets and journals by university presses, has ever been at Pitt.

The idea for bringing the show to Pitt came from the Press's production and design manager Ann Walston. Prior to coming to the University in 1995, Walston worked at Johns Hopkins University Press and the University of North Carolina Press, both places where the show made annual stops.

"Everywhere I've been we've had the book show," Walston said. "I like seeing the books very much, as well as the jackets. It's a really interesting thing to see." The show should be especially interesting to book lovers in the humanities, library science and design, according to Walston. Invitations have been sent to various departments at the University, as well as at Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

"Even if no one else comes, the people at the Press have really, really enjoyed seeing it," Walston added.

Among the winners in the current show are two University of Pittsburgh Press books, "Dangerous Men" by Geoffrey Becker and "The New World" by Suzanne Gardinier.

Another Pitt book has been selected by the AAUP for its next show. "Vaquita and Other Stories" by Edith Pearlman, the 1996 Drue Heinz Literature Award winner, was chosen in the typographic category.

"Dangerous Men," the 1995 Drue Heinz Literature Award winner, was recognized for its interior typographic design. It was created by free-lance designer Rich Hendel, who also works for the University of North Carolina Press. Production coordinator for the book was Pitt staffer Kathy McLaughlin.

"It's pretty exciting. It's the first time I've ever been involved with a book that won for design," McLaughlin said, and then added, "You know, it's my brother's face on the cover." Designer Hendel originally had wanted to play off the title "Dangerous Men" by using 1930s movie bad guy George Raft on the cover. That idea was dropped, though, because of the copyrights involved.

McLaughlin then volunteered to take a snapshot of her brother, Bob McLaughlin, for the cover. But the photo eventually used was not even that sophisticated. McLaughlin's brother simply stopped and had his picture taken at one of those photo booths that produce a strip of four photos for a couple of dollars.

"He's very excited about it," McLaughlin said with a laugh. "He was just at our local library last week and saw a woman looking at the book and began kind of inching closer to see if she would recognize that it was him on the cover." "The New World," the Press's other AAUP winner, was recognized for its jacket by Pitt staffer Frank Lehner, who works in Cathedral Publishing, a new venture by the University. The jacket features an aerial photograph of New York City through a sweeping steel gridwork on which the title and name of the author have been superimposed.

AAUP judges did not comment on "Dangerous Men" in the show catalog, but of "The New World" jacket one judge said: "Yeah. Love that vertigo," while another noted that "the cover is deceptively simple. It involves only one color without being dull or apologetic. It has motion and energy." Lehner said the idea for the design was a collaboration between himself, author Gardinier and editor Beth Detwiler, another Pitt staffer. The trio was discussing the design when Lehner thought of photographer Berenice Abbott and her shots of New York City.

"The New World," which is part of the Pitt Poetry Series, is set in New York City near Columbus Circle, an area depicted in the Abbott photograph that became the jacket.

Lehner said he feels very honored to have had his jacket selected as part of the AAUP show and explained his philosophy behind book jacket design: "As a designer, I feel it is my job to get people to stop and pick up the book. Then it is the writer's job to keep people reading. Though the design should certainly reflect the content of a book, I really see cover design as poster art." A total of 64 presses submitted 670 entries for the 1996 show. Of the 208 books entered in the typographic category, 31 were selected for the show. Jurors selected 24 books out of 96 submissions in the illustration category and 27 out of 358 submissions in the jacket category. Two journals were picked out of eight entered.

–Mike Sajna