Acolytes of Gutenberg

Every year end I stew in my own vexation as we’re bombarded by various cultural gatekeepers’ lists of the top/best/sexiest/favorite/hottest/most important books of the year. The meaninglessness of this enterprise occasionally hits critical mass when some media genius becomes enamored with the—for lack of a better word, let’s say idea—of polling people who should know better for the name of a book that will be designated the best of the past 25 years. Yikes!

Anyway, it was in that spirit and additionally my fondness and regard for the efforts of small publishers that I approached a number of these worthies with a question that might illuminate something about the them or the way they look at the book world. Favorite color was out—so I asked, what book would they have liked to publish in the last calendar year? Not a trick question. Or even tough.

So here they are.

Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics:

The Art of Harvey Kurtzman

Footnotes in Gaza

The Book of Genesisis

The Toon Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics

Fred Ramey, Unbridled:

2666NogFlatsQuake

Eric Obenauf, Two Dollar Radio:

On the Lower FrequenciesThe Mayor’s Tongue

Erika Goldman, Bellevue Literary Press:

Tinkers

Judith Gurewich, Other Press

Trois Femmes PuissantesThe Patience Stone

Dan Wickett, Dzanc Books

I Am Not Sidney Poitier

Martin Riker, Dalkey Archive

Friendship and Literature