#HTE

Fore-Edge Painting: The Art of Hiding Images on Page Edges

Since 1970, “book craftsman” Martin Frost has been practicing the forgotten art of fore-edge painting. This is a technique whereby a hardcover book is placed in a special vise/press, like so…

…enabling Frost to work the spread edges of the pages like a canvas.

Once returned to its normal disposition, the book then has the page edges gilded.

That hides the image from all except those who know they exist, who can then bend the pages to make the image appear.

Here are some examples of Frost’s work:

The technique was developed in the 1600s, and unsurprisingly few people practice it today. In addition to selling his work, Frost teaches fore-edge painting workshops in an effort to keep the art alive.

I was particularly interested in the press he uses, and dismayed to see that locking it down makes a damned terrible racket:

Surely we could design something easier on the ears, no?

http://www.core77.com/posts/77962/Fore-Edge-Painting-The-Art-of-Hiding-Images-on-Page-Edges