The design and printing

The layout of Gutenberg’s Bible set the standard for book design in the West. I’m flipping that on its head. Literally.

All production decisions have been made with an eye toward minimizing the environmental impact of the project.

The series will be printed in Massachusetts using an Indigo digital offset press. This state-of-the-art technology eliminates most of the chemicals used in the print production process, reduces carbon output, and minimizes water waste.

And it will be printed on an uncoated SFI-certified paper. This means that an independent non-profit organization has confirmed that the paper used for the project has come from responsibly-managed forest lands in North America.

Each volume will be saddle-bound (i.e. staples) and will measure 5.6" wide by 8.5" high.

The page layout is based on the Golden Canon, a design technique that’s been around longer than printing itself. The story goes like this: if you relate the proportions of your text to the proportions of your page in a specific ratio (2:3), you get a harmonious composition.

It’s a paragon of rational order and serene balance – and I’ve decided to turn the format upside down in order to tell these stories of disorder and the breakdown of reason.

The opening type treatments are inspired by design from the antebellum-era, which was when Poe published his stories. And the narratives will include footnotes that help clarify Poe’s asides and references.