Blizzard book attempts
I've participated in a few obsolete slash nerdy pursuits before, the kind that, when introduced into casual conversation, almost always produces a "people still DO that?" reaction. Fountain pen afficionados and knitting societies, horribly embarrassing role playing games, along with the now-defunct Pencil of the Month group (the death of which I am frankly, bewildered), but none has seemed more insular than bookbinding. Aside from cocktail party conversation reactions (I mean cocktail parties metaphorically, because- do these things actually exist? I'd love to go to one, but have never been invited) it seems like basic, easily-accessible information is hard to come by.
This suspicion blossomed when I tried to find a link to some of Hedi Kyle's work to pass along to a friend of mine. I wasn't surprised that she didn't have a website of her own, as she's an older binder, and one obviously firmly rooted in non-digital arts. But I was surprised to see that finding even a wikipedia page on her is difficult, if not impossible (I could have sworn that I've seen a page on her before, but can't seem to find one, at this instant). Aside from being a book genius and innovator of humongous proportions, she's also chief conservator at The American Philosophical Society and adjunct professor at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. So where's the wikipedia page?! Is this a conscious decision, coming from a place of humility? Apathy? Insularity? Or do the people that care avoid electronic information, preferring instead the comforts of libraries?
I've just purchased a Festchrift about her, and can't wait to dig in, but in the meantime, is it totally presumptuous to begin writing a wiki page? Well, obviously, yes, but I hate the idea that a casual googler would be out of luck - lazy people should know about her too! Right? And, point being, it doesn't make sense that there isn't easily accessible information for the casual student, and I'm not sure why that is...
No comments:
Post a Comment