Gerhard Steidl - Fascinating New Yorker article

Always wondered how Steidl could afford to make such nice books that couldn't possibly sell. Now I know. Thanks!
 
Fascinating article, well worth the time to read. Thanks for pointing it out.

QUOTE:
[The endpaper was made from cotton, and would cost thirty cents per book, as opposed to the seven cents it would cost if he used offset paper. “Using the cheaper one saves significant money for the shareholders,” he said. “But I am the only shareholder.”] UNQUOTE
 
Thanks for the link. There is an interview in the Lewis Baltz retrospective published last month (by Steidl, incidentally) in which he says of Steidl that he "is not just a printer or a publisher but a patron. He's interested in projects. And the scale of his ambition is almost like Tintoretto - he wants to cover every wall in the house. He's therefore patron to every possible kind of photography book, including quite a few he thought he really didn't want. And his ambition is not only to print these but to print them beautifully. Beyond that, he just hopes to make enough money to keep going."
 
I found the reference to imitating photogravure interesting. Why not just print using photogravure, I wonder? I have a few older books done this way and the prints are rather better than most of what modern techniques can produce (at least for B&W).
 
tunalegs said:
I found the reference to imitating photogravure interesting. Why not just print using photogravure, I wonder? I have a few older books done this way and the prints are rather better than most of what modern techniques can produce (at least for B&W).
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I agree that older books printed using photogravure look great, and I really wish some were still printed this way, but from what I gather the ability to print books in photogravure has more or less been lost unfortunately.
 
daveisbest said:
I agree that older books printed using photogravure look great, and I really wish some were still printed this way, but from what I gather the ability to print books in photogravure has more or less been lost unfortunately.
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I think it may be due to environmental issues with the process that etches the copper plate that is used for reproduction.
 
lawrence said:
I think it may be due to environmental issues with the process that etches the copper plate that is used for reproduction.
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There are still lots of printmakers who make photogravure prints, just not in books. I have to assume the issue is either cost related, or perhaps some sort of incompatibility with offset printing.
 
There's also a great documentary film called "How to Make a Book with Steidl". It can be found on Amazon Prime, and there are short clips from the film on YouTube.
 
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