The Miracle of Paper
In fact, one of the most fascinating elements in a book is… paper. Real paper, handmade, not machine-made in sterile factory halls. Even if its texture or color pretends to be “artistic” and is pushed on unsuspecting customers as such. Fuck you if it’s on a supermarket shelf. Worse if it’s done by publishers of editions that are supposed to be “luxury.”
The creation of paper is a true art, which in Italy, until quite recently, Antonio Cavaliere cultivated a nearly 500-year-old tradition of papermaking in the town of Amalfi. It took him 24 hours to create a single sheet, using methods dating back to the Middle Ages, decorated with a filigree depicting the Maltese cross and its initials.
Anyway, judge for yourselves. Below are photos of Journey to the Turks and Egypt , which we printed some time ago on Queen Anne paper, prepared by John von Oosterom. This is a contemporary copy of the paper used during the reign of Queen Anne (1665-1714), daughter of the exiled James II.
