Fine binder and CBAS co-founder Gabrielle Fox was recently honored by the Miniature Book Society with its Distinguished Book Award for her book Nunnehi, printed using polymer plates created by the author.
In bestowing the honor, the MBS commented, “The wood engravings are by Gabrielle Fox and are hand printed on tissue. Each copy of Nunnehi will be bound slightly differently. The regular edition will be covered in cloth and silk thread embroidery with a leather titled label sewn to the spine. In addition, six copies will be bound in deluxe designs with boxes. Sheets will be available until the edition is bound. Comments from the judges: The judges agreed that Gabriel Fox’s Nunnehi successfully combined thoughtful design, careful inking, relief printing, creative bookbinding, and charming illustrations to complete a wonderful book. The excitement of seeing tipped-in wood engravings and the use of both mono-type and polymer for letterpress printing were key.”
Wikipedia offers this about the Nunnehi, “a race of immortal people in Cherokee mythology.”
According to Cherokee folklore, the Nunnehi had many underground townhouses throughout the southern Appalachian Mountains, and they were particularly fond of high mountain peaks where no timber ever grew. Hunters would often hear the Nunnehi in the mountains, singing and dancing and beating drums, but when they would go toward the sound, it would shift about and suddenly seem to be coming from behind them or from some other direction, so that the person hearing the sound would never be able to find where it was coming from
For images of the book, see https://gabriellefox.com/mbs-winner-nunnehi and https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10vg6CFBOn7JNtXgXee2d155Slo6xSfPA. Scroll down to Nunnehi.
Congratulations, Gabrielle!
