It’s the time of year when organizations start asking for donations, and here’s one that should pique the interest of bibliophiles: the nonprofit KIND Estonian studio is looking for boosters for its letterpress edition of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The little Prince.
Formerly known as the Estonian Museum of Printing and Paper, TYPA is a private museum and studio primarily focused on preserving historic printing and papermaking techniques, and regularly hosts workshops such as making paper craftsmanship, linocuts and creating notebooks using his 150-year-old typography. . Now TYPA is appealing for donations to fund its ambitious limited edition The little Prince.
The characters in the book will be cast line by line using a Linotype type casting machine, and the illustrations will be engraved on metal plates using the 19th century technique known as photozincography. Ultimately, TYPA plans to release three variants of the book, each available at escalating prices to backers; a Letterpress Edition ($111), individually numbered and cloth-bound, while the Collector’s Edition ($223) will feature marbled flyleaves and binding mark; and the Exclusive Gift Edition ($334) will include an additional title page with the option to include a dedication that will be entirely hand-composed. And finally, for $556, donors are invited to the TYPA headquarters in Estonia where they will help create their own copy of The little prince. All books are expected to ship in February 2020.
The fundraising campaign has, to date, raised nearly $3,000 of its goal of approximately $34,000, and its campaign has 23 days left. Learn all about it here.