I am honored that I was one of the recipients of this little (under five inches square) artist's book. Made by Sarah Evans of the 'zine Magnetic North and written by Caleb Latreille of French Archaeology, it's a short peek into a fairy tale with a happy ending.

The edition is so much fun that it's hard to pinpoint just a few things to say about it. It's 32 hand-sewn pages with primarily Xeroxed art, old manual typewriter typesets and a straightforward, 'zine-like production. But Sarah didn't stop with just that format. She tipped in enclosures, like a piece of photo-sensitive paper behind the front cover that changed colors while I watched -- from pink-mauve to dark blue to black -- as the light soaked in and reacted. A transparency is on the third page; tiny notes are tucked in behind illustrations; hand carved stamps and old photo-art from the '20s to the '60s and even pieces of a dollar bill are used for visual interest.

It's an amazing creation, really. Totally original, totally low-tech with high impact.

The story itself is simplistic and not that well-written. But the concept is one that's on par with fairy tales, and it doesn't diminish the overall effect. In fact, because of its low-tech nature, it's right at home, and I can't really see how they could have changed it to make it more appropriate. If this was a slickly-produced glossy publication, I'd be much more harsh. With this book, it's perfect.

I can't recommend it enough. This is the kind of stuff I'd play with all day if I could. I'm not sure how many of these are left -- I believe it was an original run of just 24, but there may be reprintings. To get your own, send three bucks or trade to Sarah Evans, P.O. Box 137, Whitman House, Acadia U., Wolfville, NS BOP121, Canada. You won't be sorry you did.

[ by Elizabeth Badurina ]