Episode 127: Cigarette Machines

Art-o-Mat sells art through used cigarette machines. Artists may submit their work to Art-o-Mat but it must meet certain requirements, like size. This is a great idea for not only recycling used cigarette machines but for also distributing art to people walking down the street. Go to: Art-O-Mat.

In that spirit, I am working on cigarette package-sized books. The book must fit inside a box the size of a cigarette pack and that has given me a whole new set of skills: measuring extremely accurately, folding, printing, and sewing small stuff. Eight pages are printed on one sheet of paper and then folded. The first book is nine signatures. The signatures are then sewn together. The second book is seven signatures. How many books will it eventually contain? I have no idea. Thrilling, isn't it? Picture two has a couple of cover ideas.

The book is called Giapan: A Quixotic Love Story. It is about a gypsy nun (La Gitana) and a wanderer (Giapan) who find themselves working for King Phillip of Spain shortly before the Spanish Armada sets out on its fateful voyage. The nun and the wanderer cross paths with a famous Spanish novelist who works briefly as a tax collector for King Phillip; until he is arrested for embezzlement.