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Tragic Book Number Five
Contributors: Matthew Rudy, Joseph Dostal, C.K.Wilde, Mark Hayward, April Manning, Kurt Allerslev Reynertson, Kent Winkler, Calvin Custen, Marshall Weber, Mark Wagner, John Born, Phuong Ngyuen, D.W. Lundahl, Nick Miller, Haig Demarjan, S.S.Schooler, Nugent J. Vitallo, S. L. Hoche, David Heagle Last, Kai Johnson, Nelz Pederson, Jim Demotropolis, Jeff Guilliland, Eric Jensen, George Cramer, Margaret Weisbrod
Year: 1994
Edition: 25
Pages: 50
Size: 11" X 17"
By far the most ambitious publishing endeavor at the time for all involved, TB#5 is a giant format of 11" by 34" when open. The size brought new problems and solutions, new materials and processes employed. The covers are photo etched and patinaed roofing copper riveted to Luon boards with sail canvas and black leather straps making the spine. Margaret Weisbrod photo etched the 25 copper covers with a Polaroid image by David W. Lundahl; then Mark Hayward mixed up a patina which he hand painted then set with a tourch; then Haig Damarjan scratched and Die stamped each cover by hand with the publisher for the title, numbering, and design element. Each of the single sided Xeroxed 11" by 17" pages were spray mounted onto Meeker paper by the publisher and Kurt Allerslev Reynertson with full masks and ventilator blasting away. The pages were then all hand rubber stamped with the page numbers by Mark Wagner.
The books were then bound coptically by Mark Wagner and the publisher. Don, a friend at the local Kinkos would "bump" the counter in the machines (both color and Black and white!) and let the printers nerd out and play; running the paper through multiple times, running printed colored sheets through the black and white machines, Xerox printing on sandpaper, on plastic, on wood, etc. The result of all this freedom was that the printing of such a large edition to be given away was possible. Don- never knew his last name- made TB #5 and a lot of other peoples books happen with his punk attitude and support of the Zine' scene. When Don received his copy of TB #5 he was flabbergasted: he had no idea we had made so many copies! He quickly hid the book and thanked the publisher; smilingly he said he was glad with what we did. The overall design of TB#5 is "better" than the previous: more spacious, fully aware of the entire spread and cross gutter juxtaposition. The orientation is still swinging all over the place, the typography awful and not unified by font or format; still the texts included are good, and sometimes great like Marshall Weber's "Swallowing Eye". The publisherŐs Polaroid portraits of the contributors are included as a full spread. TB#5 is the first book where the press made a rubber stamp expressly for the edition: The image on the stamp is a 1940's car with a sign on the back that says "Pleasure", speeding away from the reader. Also the first book in the series including an audiotape featuring poetry and rad electronica produced by David Heagle Last and Kai Johnson.
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