I'm a huge fan of
Ross MacDonald's prop work, so you can imagine how I felt a few weeks ago when
he Tweeted he was working on a new book prop. Yesterday he not only revealed what the project was,
but posted an in-depth look at it's creation. The massive tome measures roughly 12" wide, 17" wide, and 5" thick and weighs in at close to 20 pounds.
"The interior is filled with collages of images and text from period books. Most of the text is German, taken from 15th century books. Many of the images are from the same period, for the sake of authenticity. But for the sake of what looks cool, there are images from other periods as well. The ones on this spread include 2 diagrams from Georg von Welling's 1735 Opus Mago-Cabbalisticum et Theosophicum, a number puzzle designed by Ben Franklin, a Celtic knot, a diagram of a microbe and a heraldic device. One other pages, there are bits of electronic schematics, some diagrams and handwriting from George Washington's school notebook, and diagrams of crystals and fungi from a 19th century dictionary."
It's a beautiful piece of work, and Mr. MacDonald's generosity in providing a look at it's creation is much appreciated. You can find more examples of his prop and illustration work at his
personal site or
his Drawger blog.
On a peripherally related note, one of the things I like about this prop is that it doesn't go overboard with the cover embossments and spiky bits. I love sculpted detail as much as anyone, but a prop tome covered in decorative resin or metal flourishes can never be put on a bookshelf without risking damage to the prop or the books around it. The space required to store the tome, along with a dedicated display stand or storage box, can quickly turn the most lovingly hand-crafted work into a white elephant.
