Books by Hand: Gerard Brender à Brandis, Wood Engraver and Bookwright
Many strands of my research and writing experience came together in the creation of this professional biography of my brother Gerard, the well-known Canadian wood engraver and creator of limited-edition handmade books. In 2008-9 I had written a long article about him titled Artist at Work: Gerard Brender à Brandis, Wood Engraver and Bookwright. However, that was not the “last word,” because Gerard was still hard at work creating more engravings and handmade books. By 2020 it was time for an update. As with Artist at Work, I was in a good position to write about Gerard’s work because, besides being his sister, I have collaborated with him on more than a dozen projects. This has given me a close insight into his thinking and his working practices.
I have no difficulty with combining the two roles of family member and biographer. I’ve done it several times. While researching and writing, it’s natural for me to look for patterns and find structures and ways of expression, all of which are objective processes. As I worked, I drew on my insights into Gerard’s work and into our shared experiences. Some examples of this can be found in what I wrote on this website about our collaboration on The Grand River, and its predecessor, A Pebble’s Journey.
By examining one artist’s unique career, Books by Hand also reflects on creativity in general. Creativity intrigues me because, although the results are all around us, the process is elusive. I reflected not only on Gerard’s art itself but also on the creativity that he showed in inventing the kind of life that would foster his art.
Books by Hand, besides being of interest to those who know and admire Gerard’s work, is also a resource for librarians, archivists, and serious collectors because it contains a chronological list of all the books and articles that contain Gerard’s work, both the handmade books and the commercially published ones, and all those works are mentioned in the text.
For more information about Gerard’s work, please see his website: www.gerardbrenderabrandis.ca.
An interview that explores the writing of Books by Hand can be found here.
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Books by Hand is available from me using the contact form on this website. I handle orders from Canada and the U.S.A., and I accept cheques and e-transfer. The book can also be ordered from Fanfare Books, 92 Ontario St., Stratford, ON, Canada, telephone 519.273.1010, fanfare@cyg.net. Fanfare Books accepts e-transfer and credit cards and takes orders from beyond Canada and the U.S.A. The retail price is CAN$19.95 per copy. For details about my payment and shipping arrangements, please contact me.