AFFORDABLE ARTWORKS
One of my most treasured books of recent years is all pictures and no words. The Woodblock Paintings of Cressida Campbell was a labour of love by the artist and her husband and editor, the late Peter Crayford, who slept beside the printing press in Singapore to ensure the reproduction quality of the 300 artworks on Japanese paper. After three editions and 7500 copies the 2008 book is out of print and Campbell says a copy sold recently on eBay for $1000. But now there's another way to own the work of the in-demand Sydney artist. Working with a local printer she has produced a limited edition of 1000 boxed sets of cards showing details or "small visual poems" from her paintings. "The cards are a natural progression of the details from the book, the topics of the boxes of cards follow the chapters of the book," she says. Each set of 12 cards has a theme of still life, interiors, veranda, kitchen, harbour or the bush; they make a beautiful present (to yourself or others). Sets and individual cards are on sale at good bookshops, gallery shops, gift shops and CressidaCampbell.com.
QUICK AND DIRTY PUBLISHING
In February the State Library of NSW will open an exhibition called Pulp Fiction: Quick and Dirty Publishing from the '40s and '50s. The curator is Peter Doyle, who also produced the fascinating exhibitions and books City of Shadows and Crooks Like Us, which collected Sydney crime-scene photographs and mugshots. Pulp Fiction will include vintage cover art, crime story illustrations, gags and original comic book panels from the Sydney publishing house Frank Johnson Publications. Doyle and the library are keen to hear from writers, artists and readers who remember Frank Johnson's work; some readers, including housewives, also became writers. Contact media@sl.nsw.gov.au.
PRIME MINISTER'S READING
We know Tony Abbott has read The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, The Bride Stripped Bare by Nikki Gemmell and the Bible, but he would do well to read the Grattan Institute's suggestions on the Prime Minister's Summer Reading List: Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics by Michael Ignatieff, Anzac's Long Shadow by James Brown, A Rightful Place, the Quarterly Essay by Noel Pearson, The Wife Drought by Annabel Crabb, The Inequality Puzzle by Lawrence H. Summers, and The Golden Age by Joan London. London's beautiful novel set in a 1950s children's polio hospital, the only fiction on the list, was the most popular choice of writers surveyed by Spectrum on the best books of 2014 last week, along with Only the Animals by Ceridwen Dovey.
FESTIVAL MOVES
The Sydney Writers' Festival has appointed Jo Dyer as its new executive director. As a film producer and former executive producer of the Sydney Theatre Company, general manager of Bangarra Dance Theatre and the Australian Festival for Young People, she brings management and artistic skills as did her predecessor, Ben Strout. Festival chair Deena Shiff said, "The festival is on a phenomenal growth trajectory and Jo will work closely with our artistic director, Jemma Birrell, increasing our reach through additional partnerships." The 2015 festival will be held on May 18-24. Meanwhile, see swf.org.au for festival events in February with US author and musician John Darnielle and Julia Donaldson, children's author of The Gruffalo.
CORRECTION
The review of Last Woman Hanged by Caroline Overington (December 13-14) wrongly referred to Justice Victor Windeyer instead of Judge William Charles Windeyer. The mistake was introduced in the sub-editing process.
