15 Kyoto Gardens, by Gunnar Kaldewey

Poestenkill, NY: Kaldewey Press, 1998. Kaldewey, Gunnar. Quarto. 28pp., frenchfold. One of forty copies, signed by the author/artist/printer, Gunnar Kaldewey. This book is inspired by the notion of "nature as art," and was created after Kaldewey spent three months living in a traditional Japanese wooden house in Kyoto, studying the art of the Japanese garden as the seasons changed from winter to summer. The first text page poetically states: "Books are like gardens that one can carry/around; gardens are like books that one can/experience, promenade through or get lost..." Kaldewey has captured the finest details of nature in his prints of lime and silver, with borders in black. Text printed in orange on transparent, smaller octavo-sized sheets, which appear intermittently throughout the illustrations. Bound in green Kozo paper-over-boards, with two little stones from the Japanese game of Go mounted to the cover and surrounded by gold foil and a clear plastic frame. Housed in a paper chemise and matching slipcase. Small stain to bottom edge of slipcase, else very fine. (von Lucius, pp. 98-101).