Bonobo Press : Dan Haskett

Bonobo Press
because 'the unexamined life is not worth living' –Socrates

My final Masters project at Konstfack Art School in Stockholm resulted in the founding of Bonobo Press, a paperback publishing company that aims to republish old, forgotten books or "lost classics". The first title, 'Talks to Parents and Teachers' by Homer Lane, was initially published in 1928 and remains a progressive account of child upbringing and delinquency reform. Homer Lane was superintendent of a reformatory called The Little Commonwealth which resided in the English countryside and aimed at helping troubled children, mainly from large cities, to develop a social and moral conscience through patient guidance as against the more traditionally employed methods of strict discipline and obedience.

Bonobo Press officially launched from a small, cosy room in Stockholm where, for 10 days, I was able to discuss the book and its educational theories with guests as well as other fundamental questions regarding e-books and online distribution which is clearly something all publishers must consider today. I also produced a bookmark that was intended to serve as an introduction to Bonobo Press and its founding philosophy.

http://www.danhaskett.co.uk/files/gimgs/132_cover.jpg

The cover for the book is based on Lane's belief in their being two fundamental forms of happiness - creative and possessive. He represented this in an analogy where a dog, who chases a rabbit, achieves creative happiness through his striving and sense of hope, while the rabbit achieves possessive happiness once it escapes into a burrow. The typeface which was used throughout the book is Williams Caslon and is a recent digital revival of Caslon.

This is a short animation that I made with almost all sound effects being produced by my own mouth. I was looking to find a new and engaging way of displaying the book as a physical object with as much character and life as possible. I hope it gives the impression that, although the book's contents may be of a serious manner, there is certainly no reason for them to be treated solemnly. Within the main book there is also an illustrated book and I found this animation to be the best way of demonstrating how they fit together.

This smaller, illustrated book can be found within the main book and served as an opportunity for me to respond directly to the content of the book. The eventual aim is to give a voice to other artists while also offering readers a modern interpretation of the old book. Within this 16 page book called "The Last Silly Man" I have put together a collection of drawings alongside my own thoughts that developed while sitting alone in playgrounds and considering the benefits they could have for adults.

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