Inkswine Press/Interrobang Books: I’m Nobody! Who are you? (Emily does Facebook)

Dirk Hagner

Author: Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson had wonderful insight into the human condition. Her brilliant observation in this 1883 poem, “I am Nobody”, done with a few words is timeless – she could have written it in response to today’s social media. The book aims to reflect her succinct yet playful poetry with a design to match. It employs ghoulish Facebook and TikTok cyanotype printed emoji “moons”, for a visually striking and thought-provoking contemporary interpretation. Emojis have a long 950-year visual commentary history: back in medieval times communications workers then, scribes, often used pointed fingers (manicules) to mark an important passage of text. The inside front cover of this book uses one from a manuscript of the early 14th century, while the inside back cover shows a manicule used in letterpress printing from the early nineteen hundreds. Emily does Facebook – welcome to the merry-go-round!

Exquisitely crafted artist book interpretation of Emily Dickinson’s poem “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” Single-page folded pocket book on 180 gm rag paper, two-color letterpress set in Franklin Gothic and Palatino types, with eight original cyanotype cards, debossed text, and covers wrapped in Indian hand-made paper. The book measures closed 9.5 x 4 x 1.25 Inches (24 x 10 x 4 cm), and when fully opened 9.5 x 48 x 0.5 Inches (24 x 123 x 1.5 cm). Edition of 16, signed and numbered.