Funny ha ha
Subtitle: a visit with some of Shakespeare's comedies ; Funny peculiar, a struggle with some of Shakespeare's comedies
By: by Emily Martin
Contributors: MacGregor, Katie, papermaker; Naughty Dog Press; Boxcar Press
Publisher: [Naughty Dog Press]
Published: 2016
Place of publication: Iowa City]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 28
Subjects: Portraits; Art; Comedies; Artists' books; Specimens; Toy and movable books; Split-page books; Letterpress printing; Dolls in art; Humorous plays
Other titles: Funny peculiar, a struggle with some of Shakespeare's comedies; Funny ha ha, funny peculiar
Notes: Two titles bound back-to-back.

Signed and numbered by the author.

Printed in an edition of 25 with several artist's proofs. Housed in a clamshell box covered in Japanese linen cloth.--Colophon.

"This book(s) is the result of my extended study of Shakespeare's comedies. I find the comedies individually to be enjoyable but there is a sameness to many of the plots that allows me to mix them up in my head. So much mistaken identity, gender confusion and various other contrivances while romping their way to a fifth act wedding or two. Even more problematic are the decidedly unfunny themes that are common in many of these same comedies such as hypocrisy, sexual harassment, intolerance, sexism, misogyny, and anti-Semitism. I struggled for a long time to integrate all these ideas. I finally realized that what I needed to do was to address each aspect separately, thus a dos-a-dos book. Each side has its own focus and treatment. The characters are the same in both books. They are printed using the P22 Blox which are a set of modular shapes that can be interchanged to change the body's posture and gestures. The P22 Blox allows the presentation of the characters as interchangeable as well. Funny Peculiar is a drum leaf book and presents selected lines from five plays delivered by characters on a stage set. Funny Ha Ha is a slice book allowing the viewer to mix and match the costumes and gender of the characters in a variety of postures."--Emilymartin.com.

Funny Peculiar is letterpress printed on an SP15 Vandercook proof press using hand set type and P22 Blox combined with rubbings, ink washes, and collagraphs to make the images. Printed on Domestic Etch paper with gray Pescia end sheets. Funny Ha Ha is printed on an SP15 Vandercook proof press using hand set type combined with relief printing using P22 Blox, collagraphs, and polymer plates from Boxcar Press to make the images. Printed on white Pescia paper with gray Pescia end sheets. Bound in a modified dos-à-dos binding to hold the sewn text block slice book on one side and the drum leaf text block on the other side. The hard covers are covered with Arrestox book cloth and three vivid colored cotton papers color matched and custom made by Katie MacGregor.--Colophon.

Rare Book copy: No. 17.