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stories: Melody Sumner Carnahan
design & illustration: Michael Sumner
BURNING BOOKS, 2000



Three Artist Books in a box. Each book is printed on found, previously printed paper.

THE CALL TO ORDER is printed on alternating pages from “Pokemon” and “Barbie” coloring books. The cover is acrylic on canvas with spiral wire binding.

AFTER LIFE is printed on actual pages from a star map atlas. The cover is made of etching felt, sewn as a Japanese binding.

DEAR MALE FRIEND is printed on actual pages from the Village Voice and is bound with silver rivets and a black neoprene rubber cover.

All the books in each edition are unique because the chance juxtapositions of the changing preprinted images and text with the “new” text and illustrations creates surprising connections.

The boxes that hold the three books are all constructed from FedEx shipping box cardboard. The full title of the boxed set is printed on a random page from a glossy magazine and glued to the front.