“The New Art of Making Books” by Ulisses Carrión in Kontexts magazine
Ulises Carrión (1941–1989) was a Mexican poet, artist, and cultural theorist who was pivotal in conceptual art and the artists’ books movement. His essay “The New Art of Making Books” (1975) radically redefined books as autonomous artistic spaces rather than mere containers for text. Carrión argued that “a book is a sequence of spaces” where meaning emerges not just from content but from the book’s entire physical structure, challenging conventional literary practices and influencing generations of artists to explore books as complete artistic works. The English translation of “The New Art of Making Books” first appeared in the magazine Kontexts, which was published by the University of Warwick.
This version featured text apparently produced with an IBM Selectric typewriter using Dual Gothic. Title and author name are added in two weights of Folio. Judging from the slightly unruly baseline and the damaged K in “Books”, it appears to be Letraset’s adaptation for dry transfer lettering. In this version, Folio’s alternate R with straight leg – which is used here – is the only available form.
