The Opossum: A Specimen Book.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:: Shandy Press,, 2015.. Edition of 25. 6 x 8"; 62 pages. Letterpress printed, using polymer plates, on a Vandercook Proofing Press. Typeface is Hoefler. Text paper is Schiller. Paper for prints is Zerkall. Tip-ins. Bound in unbleached abaca handmade by Nicole Donnelly. Signed and numbered by the artist. Susan Viguers: "'The Opossum' is a specimen book in various ways. Most obviously, it is about a particular animal, the Virginia opossum. Conceived in the tradition of the type specimen book, it is a compendium of voices/observations about the opossum. The preface to the book consists of a statement by John D. Godman in 1831: 'Perhaps nothing can more clearly demonstrate the impatience of the human mind, and the reluctance with which men yield to the hard necessity of carefully observing the operations of nature, than the history of this animal.' The primary text, my own story of encounters with the opossum, is surrounded by passages from commentators from the 17th century to the present. I am interested in the fantastical as much as the actual. "The book is also an exploration into the history of illustrations of the opossum, as well as a collection of printmaking (and art making) processes in service of illustrating the opossum. Original prints representing various media by nine artists are tipped in as are reproductions of various images, primarily engravings from 18th and 19th century books. Credits, media, and discussion relating to the prints are included with thumbnails toward the end of the book. "Finally, it is a sampling of historical features of the book: the 18th and 19th century exuberant title page, the use of the golden section for page design, the tradition of commentary text surrounding a primary text, and the limp-vellum type binding.