Founder of Papersmiths and Studio B, Sidonie picks her favourite printed matter from Studio B’s bookshelves for today’s Reading List recommendations…
Envelopes, Harriet Russell
My sister Briony gave me this charming book several years ago. Harriet Russell grew up in a house with a strange name that was often misspelled on correspondence. She noticed that no matter how poor the spelling or script was, the Royal Mail managed to get the letters to her - somehow. She began her own experiments and sent out letters to herself with the address written in a maze, in pictorial form and even riddles! I had a go myself and had success with many of Harriet’s experiments, with letters successfully making it as far as Sweden. The Swedish post people weren’t so impressed with my crossword address and the letter ended up at my recipient’s letterbox with ‘stupid’ scrawled on it! A book of pure fun.
Wrap Issue 1
In March 2011, the day before we opened our first shop, I attended a talk at YCN by Polly Glass and Chris Harrison from Wrap magazine. Wrap is a great reference when we’re looking for illustrators to commission for wall art installations. The insight into how Polly and Chris came to create the magazine was fascinating. They took us through the journey of the format of the mag, from beautifully illustrated wrapping paper held together with a belly band to the keepsake it is today, via multiple variations in between. I left with a goody bag of back issues and will treasure issue one for eternity.
Graphis No 121
I came across a stack of issues of Graphis magazine from the 60s and 70s at a fantastic bookshop in Bridport, where Studio B was founded. I like to look to history for research and Graphis provides!
The LASALLE College of Arts show book
A fascinating compendium of ideas and creations from the students of LASALLE College of Arts in Singapore. The students of LASALLE had fun with this. I was drawn to the print finishing – a die cut grey board cover with foil detailing, ribbed end pages and exposed binding. It’s a beauty! The creations inside the pages include work from design, fine arts, media and performance arts students.
Women in Clothes, Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits and Leanne Shapton
I’ve been in Berlin checking out the Gallery Weekend and soaking up some design inspiration. Mitte has its fair share of design bookshops and Do You Read Me? provides something different every time. I brought back Women in Clothes, a fascinating book which documents the style stories of authors Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, Leanne Shapton and 639 others. If you’re interested in style over fashion, and sometimes wish you could step inside the minds of those stylish people you pass on the street, then this book is for you, too!
- Sidonie
