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Carlos Macia. Atlas Novus Coelestis Geograficae Harmonia Macrocosmica sive tabvlae Planispherum Nuovamentis ilustrata per Carolvs Macia Pittore cum Gracia et privilegio fecit in LA Bisbalgirona. MCdL 92.

Manuscript.


Arthur and Mata Jaffe. Boca Raton, Florida.

Arthur Jaffe, originally from Pittsburgh and now a year-round resident of Boca Raton, has acquired an important library of books. His collection, begun over thirty-five years ago, started with an interest in black and white prints. One of Jaffe's earliest book purchases was the Cranach Press' Hamlet. Today the collection focuses on the collecting of contemporary artist's books. With the assistance of his wife, Mata, Arthur Jaffe has acquired a collection rich in colorful, graphic imagery. He is particularly interested in collecting the works of Leonard Baskin, American artist and book-illustrator, as well as one of a kind, unique or unusual works.

Ronald King and Roy Fisher. Anansi Company. a collection of thirteen hand-made wire and card rod-puppets animated in colour and verse by Ronald King and Roy Fisher. [London:] Circle Press, 1992.

This colorful and playful work is derived from material compiled by Walter Jekyll for the book Jamaican Song and Story, published in 1907 for the English Folklore Society. The story of Anansi the Spiderman and his friends is a popular one in the Caribbean. Based on an African God, Anansi became a character known for his ruses, deceits, and evasions.

King and Fisher have designed a book with a unique construction. Thirteen of the sections are French-folded and pocketed inside to hold puppets and carry the letterpress poems, which are set in Monotype Walbaum. The puppets, which are made from hand-bent brass wire and card, can be removed easily from the book. The outsides of the sections are covered with quotes in Caribbean patois and lines of music set down by Jekyll in his book and accompanied by a colorful procession of figures and designs invented by the artist. This edition is limited to one hundred and twenty numbered copies signed by both the artist and poet. This is copy number 14.

Carlos Macià. Atlas Novus Coelestis Geograficæ Harmonia Macrocosmica sive tabvlae Planispherum Nuovamentis ilustrata per Carolvs Macià Pittore cum Gracia et privilegio fecjt in LA Bisbalgirona. MCdL 92. Manuscript in pen and ink, gold leaf, and watercolor on paper with plastic inserts.

The works of Carlos Macià, who was born in Cuba, raised in Miami, and now lives in Spain, reflect his varied past. As a boy his artistic talent was recognized and encouraged by his family. As a youth in Miami he became fascinated with books about the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. He graduated from Miami Springs Senior High School in 1970 and won a scholarship to study art at San Fernando Academy in Madrid. He dropped out of school to study art and philosophy with the Franciscans in an eleventh century monastery in Navarre, northern Spain, earned a college degree in Miami and did missionary work in the Dominican Republic. In 1980, only two years before ordination, Macià renounced his calling and returned to Miami to become an artist.

Macià's books are highly decorative, one-of-a-kind pieces. He uses classical mythology, medieval and renaissance imagery, and Catholic iconography, filling his work with illegible script, rich colors and gold leaf. The books contain allusions to religion, astrology, and alchemy yet he incorporates such modern artifacts as clear plastic overlays to add another dimension to the page. Macià's books are meant to be savored one page at a time.