Sharp Handmade Books

In this top-side view of the closed Depth Perception: Mapmaking Legacies at Mammoth Cave, parts of the cave-interior photographs, cave-map names, and cut-out/pop-up forms are evident. The book can be read and viewed from many angles, which are intended to hint at Mammoth Cave's labyrinthine passageways and their multiple levels. Even in this closed form, portions of the cave-interior photographs are viewable, along with text inside the folded, sewn accordions. When the covers are opened partially, more of the cave-interior photographs are visible, as are portions of the maps created by the explorer-mapmakers being celebrated. Details about these people, Stephen Bishop and Max Kaemper, can be read by folding down both ends of the book and then opening the covers of small interior books. These explorer-mapmakers used only simple lanterns as they ventured into unfamiliar reaches of what is now known to be the world's longest cave. My admiration for these people and my fascination with this place grow day by day. (Other views of the book appear on this website's News page.)