In 2011 York University Libraries acquired "a broadly representative collection of approximately 700 artists' publications spanning the years 1960-2010 assembled with an eye to an eclectic range of engagement with ideas and form" from Granary Books. York University Libraries’ acquisition of the Granary Artists’ Books Collection means that many of these unique works made or conceived by artists – some of which are out of print or no longer widely available – will be made accessible to the York community. The collection includes key examples of the the multiple "zones of activity" within which artists explore and interact with the book described by Johanna Drucker in The Century of Artists' Books. Steve Clay, the founder of Granary Books in New York City, assembled a collection of writers, artists, and bookmakers who worked to explore and define the correlation between verbal and visual relationships in independent publishing. Some of the featured artists and authors include Michael Snow, Sol Lewitt, Johanna Drucker, Dieter Roth, Ida Applebroog, John Baldessari, Jen Bervin, Tom Phillips, and Timothy Ely. The artists’ books collection also includes a complete collection of Granary's publications produced from 1985 to the present. York University Libraries continue to work with Steve Clay to augment this collection.
The Gorgeous Nothings: Emily Dickinson's Envelope-Poems
Poet and visual artist Jen Bervin's interdisciplinary practice encompasses poetry, archival research, artist books, and large-scale art works... more
Timothy C. Ely is makes lavishly painted and drawn unique manuscript books, limited edition prints, and is the developer of 21st century professional bookbinding tools and equipment... more
A Humument: A Novel after W.H. Mallock
Tom Phillips is an artist whose work is fuelled by several persistent preoccupations, expressed through an even larger number of formats... more
In 1966 artist Tom Phillips set himself a task: to find a second-hand book for threepence and alter every page by painting, collage and cut-up techniques to create an entirely new version... more
In two volumes, Part 1 and Part 2 are each comprised of nine large screenprints.