Contemporary Bibliophilia
Contemporary Bibliophilia
It was in Paris, while walking through the Marché aux Puces, that the publisher Juan José Izquierdo found a copy of ”The Burial of the Count of Orgaz”, illustrated by Pablo Picasso. And, in that way, he discovered the perfect link between two of his greatest passions: art and literature. There, a vocation was born: the desire to create well crafted, delicately illustrated books.
The journey of Liber Ediciones began in 1989, with the maximum desire to create gems for bibliophiles; true works of art for those with demanding taste who wanted to dispose of original and unique books. Since its beginnings, Liber Ediciones has aimed to join in with the old tradition of the illustrated book, emulating a facet of art with a long historical tradition and revitalizing the book as a field of experimentation. Just as the French editors from the beginning of the twentieth century included avant-garde art in their texts through Picasso, Braque, Rouault, and Cocteau, Liber aims to open up their works to contemporary illustrators so that, through traditional processes, their creativity can be materialized, enhancing the great classics of literature or accompanying previously unpublished texts.
The publishing process involves master craftsmen in the fields of stamping, engraving, papermaking, binding, and printing. The authors, translators, artists, and experts who work with the publishing company are carefully selected to ensure utmost quality. In order to make true high-quality treasures for bibliophiles, all the details are important: from the typeface and the layout right down to the book’s jacket.
Liber’s book editions are always limited and unrepeatable, and each copy comes with a notarized certificate to prove that point and act as a guarantee for future appreciation over time. Their collection includes titles such as “The Prince” by Machiavelli, “Memories” by Carvajal, “Faust,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Lysistrata,” “Botany” by Lamarck, “Cervantes, el soldado que nos enseñó a hablar,” “Las Musas,” and outstanding collections like the “Decameron,” considered the most illustrated edition of history with 114 prints and more than a thousand illustrations amongst the text, and the “Codex Calixtinus,” illustrated for the first time with over four hundred original miniatures, hand-colored in the workshop of master Michel Marty.
Liber Ediciones came to be with the unique vocation to vindicate the art of illustrating books by means of original work from present-day creators, accompanied by an exquisite production process. Their determination has led them to be the most awarded publishing house in Spain by the Ministry of Culture in the Bibliophilia category, and it has also led them to receive other awards and recognitions, helping to add value to this genre, that could be denominated as “Contemporary Bibliophilia.”
Liber Ediciones
Avenida Zaragoza 45, Pamplona.
Tel.: +34 948 177 488
