The Arion Press, named after the legendary Greek poet who
was saved from the sea by a dolphin, remains small, employing a dozen people as
printers, bookbinders, editors, and in other publishing roles.
The creative spirit of Arion Press is Andrew
Hoyem, who founded the press in 1974. Considered one of the most accomplished
printers of today, Hoyem is also a published poet and exhibited artist who
occasionally includes his own writings and drawings in Arion books. The
concepts for all Arion publications originate with Hoyem, who chooses literary
texts, commissions new work from writers and artists he admires, and designs
the books, including their bindings and typography. In the Press's livre d'artiste series, he has worked
closely with distinguished artists, many of whom come to the Press in San
Francisco to work with him on projects.
Here, in an exclusive interview with “Cultural
Currents,” Hoyem shares a few of his reflections and insights on hand-crafted value.
Bay Crossings: Traditional mass market book
publishers have been under pressure from a variety of fronts of late, including
Amazon’s predatory discounting, and the advent of e-readers. How does Arion fit
into this milieu?
Andrew Hoyem: I believe Amazon and e-readers have no effect on our business. People
who want Arion Press books want physical books and appreciate our books as
works of art and craft. Looking at the larger picture, there is evidence that
fatigue with reading on the screen drives the renewal of inters in the
physical book.
BC: How does Arion determine which “lost texts”
deserve resurrection? And once saved, are they popular with your readers?
Hoyem: We have wide-ranging tastes and interests.
Rather than “lost texts”, we prefer to characterize such titles
as “rediscovered texts”. They counteract the impression that Arion Press
only publishes masterpieces of literature, what might be called “chestnuts.”
The first English detective story, “The Moonstone”; an important novel
from the 1950s, The Sundial; a
work of pulp fiction, South of
Heaven; the satire about quack medicine, Tono-Bungay; the French interior monologue, Journey Round My Room; these are some
examples. Our collectors seem to appreciate having the overlooked brought to
their attention.
BC: Your books obviously become family heirlooms,
and some appreciate in value in secondary markets. Can you describe the other
advantages of becoming a subscriber?
Hoyem: We downplay inheritance and escalating
value. Furthermore, the secondary market value for limited edition books
is very hard to predict. These are not investments. Subscribers take pleasure
in owning books made to the highest standards and reading them. The books are
sturdy, meant to be handled with clean hands, not used as coasters or hors
d’oeuvres trays. Subscribers can look forward to receiving about three books
each year, each of them different from the rest in terms of design, format,
artworks, and, in most cases, subject matter.
BC: Given the small scale of your operations, how
do you retain crafts people, and find new talent to keep this tradition going?
Hoyem: We are a dozen people. Many have been with us
for many years. Most have learned on the job. Our nonprofit Grabhorn Institute
supports an apprenticeship program to train new employees in typecasting,
typesetting, printing, and binding. This is not a school but a training program
for people who are to become permanent employees.
BC: Besides Gore Vidal’s Williwaw and Herman
Melville’s Moby Dick, what other titles regarding maritime life might Bay
Crossings readers enjoy?
Hoyem: So far, those are the only two. But, think of your
commuters on San Francisco Bay, cradling an Arion Press book and being taken
off to far-away shores, while the waters are parted by the prow and are
reunited at the stern.
BC: Can you describe your custom services, and give
us some examples of some of your most challenging and/or interesting projects?
Hoyem: Arion Press
undertakes commissioned projects for individuals, institutions, and companies.
These range from stationery and invitations to pamphlets and large illustrated
books. The only restriction is that we be charged with both the design and
production. In 2006 we printed for Little, Brown & Co. a new deluxe edition
of Ansel Adams’ Sierra Nevada: The
John Muir Trail, which was originally published in 1938. It is one of the
grandest books illustrated with photographs. The format is folio and all the
photographs were tipped in by hand. It sold out at $1,250 per copy.
BC: Finally, we’d like to hear your views on any
positive publishing trends that we have yet to fully recognize?
Hoyem: Younger people, tired of staring at screens,
are becoming book collectors in increasing numbers.
credit: ToniBird Photography.
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