Book Arts Tuesday-From the Good Mountain

Thanks to a comment on a Making Books facebook post by Margaret Venema, I learned about this wonderful book. Here's how it starts:

In the city of Mainz in Germany around the year 1450, there appeared a mysterious thing. It was made of rag and bones, soot and seeds. It wore a dark brown coat and was filled with gold. It took lead and tin, strong oak, and a mountain to make it.

What was it?

It was written and illustrated by James Rumford, who also makes handmade books at Manoa Press in Honolulu. His website is excellent. You'll find information about the process of making From the Good Mountain as well as his other books, Tips for Authors and Illustrators, and book guides for parents, teachers, and children. I look forward to spending time with some of his other books especially The Cloudmakers about papermaking.

Here's what he wrote about his interests and his work on the Author page:

I have always had a fascination with calligraphy, not just calligraphy using Latin letters but the calligraphies of China and Persia.

I have loved traveling and seeing new and different places. I have lived in Africa and Afghanistan, Arabia and America. I now live in Hawai‘i.

The books I write and illustrate have all grown out of these passions.

They are built around one simple idea: the world is as big as you want to make it.