Spice Market: An Alphabetical Melange of Spices (2004)

Spice Market: An Alphabetical Melange of Spices (2004)
Sibyl Rubottom & Jim Machacek
Accordion fold book in drawstring bag with tag. 4.5 x 5″, 24 panels. Edition of 40, of which this is #34. panels. Acquired from Vamp & Tramp, 15 August 2021.
Photos: Books On Books Collection.

The number of abecedaries from Sibyl Rubottom and Jim Machacek abounds. It is hard to choose among them. For this collection, Spice Market just nudges ahead of The Cosmic Sidereal Galactic Abecedarium of the Universe (& Other Tangential Star Ephemera)(2001), The Alphabet of Time (2002), O is for Opera (2006) and The ABC of Yiddish (2007).

The BFK tan pages, some of which had 14 runs through the press, were hand tinted with color and infused with curry, cinnamon, and paprika. Its fonts include Bernhard Modern & Tango and Albertus.

The double-sided accordion incorporates flaps that allude to gathering and selling.

The technique of collage and the variation of the botanical images are perfect for the theme of melange.

Likewise, the colors shifting across the panels.

The effect of the tinting is just as striking — perhaps more so — on the reverse panels.

Below, as displayed in the Bodleian exhibition “Sensational Books”, June-November 2022.

Further Reading and Viewing

“Abecedaries I (in progress)“. Books On Books Collection. 31 March 2020.

Athenaeum Music and Arts. 25 May 2021. “What Athenaeum Artists Create in Quarantine“. Video.

Gast, Michael. “The Kincade Chronicles: An Exhibit by Jim Machacek“. Video.

Rubottom, Sibyl. 31 December 2020. “Athenaeum Art Center – Print Studio“. Video.