Book Arts & Private Press Collection

color blocks of grey, aqua, deep blue, and black with letters across all four spelling the word alienation

Image credit: Maureen Cummins, AlieNation/SepaRation, 2019

Swarthmore College is home to a vibrant and continually growing collection of over 6,000 fine press and artists' books representing all aspects of the physical book including bookbinding, typography, letterpress and offset printing, hand papermaking, illustration, and book design.

Collection Highlights

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Nature, Climate, and Environment

This collection consists of the many works in the Libraries’ continually growing Books Arts & Private Press Collection with themes related to nature, climate, and the environment.

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Book Objects

Book objects are sculptural books that use found objects or are created to look like everyday objects. Varying in size and encompassing wildly diverse structures, these innovative works ask the viewer to engage with them in unanticipated and interactive ways.

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Photography Artists' Books

This collection features a selection of photography artists’ books that are part of the Book Arts & Private Press Collection. Varying in content, size, and structure, these works are connected through their innovative and creative use of photography.

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