By Robert Isenberg
Valencia, California: Stamped Books, 2011
Pages: accordion book
Dimensions: 7.75 in across the cover
Cover: soft
Binding: hand stitched and hand folded
Process: offset and digital with sewn binding, hand stamping and hand numbering
Color: black
Edition Size: 150 numbered copies
ISBN: none

Recently members of Temporary Services had the pleasure of working with a great group of artists while in California for a workshop and through this workshop we connected with Gina Caciolo who just started up Stamped Books (http://stampedbooks.wordpress.com/). Here's a little run down of their background and mission:

"Stamped Books is a small press that started out of a class titled Tiny Press Practices: Literary Citizenship, taught by Jen Hofer at California Institute of the Arts, Spring Semester, 2011. The creator is Gina Caciolo.
The press’s principle is simple: create handmade chapbooks that utilize stamps to create a personal touch for each individual issue. The chapbooks all contain accessible creative content so that all types of readers can enjoy them."

The first book from Stamped Books is How to Ride a Bike in Pittsburgh - a big floppy accordion book with a long text by Robert Isenberg that flows over both sides of the folded sheet. The writing moves back and forth between journal writing and poetry about the experience of riding a bike around Pittsburgh. Anyone who has visited Pittsburgh will enjoy references to beloved places like Primanti's and Schenley Park but this is a book for anyone who appreciates experimental book-making, hand crafted publications, and discovering a city on two wheels.