Some books are made to convey information, to be homes for great literary achievement, while others are made to appeal to the senses, to be art works in book form. Early vs. Modern Handmade Papers by Timothy Barrett is in the latter category, a delight to touch and pleasant to view. From the binding, which is a special limp paper, non-adhesive structure, to the striking title page printed in three colors, and through the paper samples at the end, this book holds many sensual treasures. The text is a manifesto-like essay by Barrett which follows his thinking process as he contemplates the question: 'What is it about fifteenth and sixteenth century handmade papers that separates them so completely from today's handmade papers?' These are not the ravings of a proselyte; Barrett has been involved in various aspects of hand papermaking for many years. In 1984 he began a study of early European papers to determine how they were made and what specific materials, procedures, and tools were used and, most importantly, to find out if some of the older methods might be revived to produce new papers with similar qualities to those of the past. That research produced a large amount of raw data which is presented in a one-hundred page report published in Volume 13 of The Paper Conservator (1989). To its credit, this book does not attempt to duplicate or summarize the information presented in The Paper Conservator. In Early vs. Modern Handmade Papers Barrett takes the opportunity to explain his personal motivation for spending four years studying early European papermaking methods and to share what he gained from undertaking the study. The essence of Barrett's essay is that, aside from the qualities of the raw materials used, it was the number of times that paper passed through different hands and the amount of work that went into making them that gives the older papers their appeal. This book is a testimonial to the validity of that premise. Early vs. Modern Handmade Papers uses paper made by Barrett and his co-workers at the University of Iowa for the cover, text, and samples. All of this paper has been made from 100% dew-retted, raw flax fiber. The time-consuming processing techniques are described for each different type of paper. It only takes a glance at the book to see that this paper is unique and would never be mistaken for a commercial sheet of paper. In the colophon the printer, Barb Tetenbaum, of the Silver Buckle Press at the University of Wisconsin, states, "When...we agreed to print Tim's essay on Tim's paper, little did we know what we were getting ourselves into; the paper he made for us was unlike any we had encountered before! Two thousand forty-four impressions and some emergency phone calls later, we think we have a better understanding of this new animal." Whether this paper was hard to work with or just had a life of its own may not be known, but the printing quality is excellent. The illustrations by Richard Flavin (also a skilled papermaker, and a Japanese woodcut artist and book artist, known for his Ballad of Joe Kozo) nicely complement the qualities of the paper. The only thing that could have improved the book is if there had been more of it. The strength of this book is in its aesthetic qualities which bear witness to the author's convictions. Those who want raw data and historical information may look to the article in The Paper Conservator. But those who want a book that is a pleasure to the senses should look to a copy of Early vs. Modern Handmade Papers. Peter Thomas

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