Publishers’ catalogs can be as interesting to read as the books they describe. Paper catalogs are a guilty pleasure, but even the electronic versions are cool. I admired Mr. Misdiagnosed & Admitted‘s Ohio University Press & Swallow Press catalogs long before I met him. Which, I suppose, means catalog copy can be a hen magnet. Be careful what you wish for and all that, but we women are the majority of book buyers after all.
The Ohio University Press & Swallow Press list for 2010 includes a title I can’t wait to buy—Sandy Plunkett‘s The World of a Wayward Comic Book Artist. Sorry, the The publisher’s catalog is not yet available, but grab a copy later this year on Scribd.
Documentary producer Sandra Sleight-Brennan‘s nonprofit Trillium Media studio put together a video of Plunkett describing his life and art. The video is a sample of what the book will be. About halfway through, you can catch a glimpse of the bound galley as Plunkett talks about being influenced by illustrators of the early decades of the twentieth century. In the background you can hear the music of singer-songwriter Bruce Dalzell.
It’s a bit of a surprise to those who’ve never visited that Athens County, Ohio, is a peaceful enclave of performing and visual artists. Somehow, the Appalachian foothills and culture have defended the place from the darker aspect of our urges toward celebrity, acquisitiveness, and a continually accelerated pace of daily life. I can only assume that’s why Sandy Plunkett and others like him have made their homes here. Maybe I should have protected the secret. I’m probably in for it now.
Tags: Ohio University Press, S. Plunkett, Sandra Sleight-Brennan, Sandy Plunkett, Swallow Press, The World of a Wayward Comic Book Artist, Trillium Media
