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#2 (38) 2006 Book Design. Part IEditor’s Letter
Fifteen years ago it seemed that everything that went around related to collapse and destruction of ideals. Including ideals of book design; old school,
thoroughly created by generations of book designers, was disappearing at unromantic speed of disappearing civilization. In one moment (from the point of
view of eternity) there were no outstanding national new book stories, no albums; even milestone names such as Anikst, Troyanker, Konoplev and many other
worthy ones as if dissolved in chaos, sunk by tsunami, by waves of pulp fiction if you want.
Bookstores have ñhanged their specialization; readers — connoisseurs — collectioners at once found themselves not being the ones. It seemed, and I think
not only to me, that that was the end. I mean the real end and there will be nothing more. At the previous place will arouse something new, particularly
pragmatic, but not ours. This will be not our tree of book design, and it seemed to be absolutely obvious. But as a matter a fact at previous place grew
and even blossomed the tree of new or “old well forgotten” book design. And now looking around with pleasure alike the one of Michurin, famous
selectionist, sometimes in bookstores, at exhibitions and at book shelves on a visit I can admit with satisfaction that our tree of book design has grown.
And it's not ailing, but as gardeners say with branching root system. And that's the beginning, the most interesting awaits us ahead.
Peter Bankov
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