The World in Love

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the proof of the next Idiots’Book has arrived from the printer. The book in quesiton is called The World in Love. It is, like so many of our titles, a nonlinear, episodic musing on a topic that interests us. In this case, that topic is love, or more to the point, the cycles of love, the ebb and the flow, the rise and the fall.

But when the package from the printer arrived, we were not focused on what the book was about. We were concerned only with how it looked.

This book is printed “three up,” which means that, for reasons of economy, we order one big book that is made up of three small books and then cut them apart. Here’s how it arrived from the printer.

We loved how the cover looks. The red was just as rich and lush as we had hoped it would be.

Next we looked at the insides, which looked great, too. Until we discovered the trim line that Robbi accidentally left in the file.

Ultimately, an easy fix. This is the reason we order proofs, after all.

My rage was quickly overshadowed by appreciation of the satiny finish, which felt so pleasing against my freshly shaved cheek.

We could admire the proof for only so long before it was time to take out the guillotine cutter. Those three little books had to be liberated.

One long vertical cut brought us closer to the prize.

But a critical cut remained.

Another mighty slice, and we were done. At 4.5″ x 3.66″, The World in Love is our smallest book to date. At 80 pages, it’s also one of our longest.

As is our custom when we finish the first copy of any book, Robbi noted the date and time and added her Hancock.  

Then I added mine.

Some day it will be fun to look back at our collection. This is volume 37. Somehow, they just keep adding up.

We removed the offending rule and ordered the rest of the shipment. We’ll get them in a week or so and, following some mighty reckoning with the guillotine cutter, will put them in envelopes and send them to you. Not quite in time for Valentine’s Day.

Which is probably for the best. We’re sometimes less than gentle with our subjects, and love is no exception.