Last week I flew up to Massachusetts to be on press with Little Worlds. Flying in economy the flight was mercifully short and seated me next to a pianist who was in town for his brother’s memorial service. I picked up my Hertz rent-s-car at the Albany airport and headed out east to the Berkshires. Fifteen miles into the drive, the power steering froze at 45 mph amidst light traffic.I muscled the car into the parking lot for the East Greenbush bowling center where I was stranded for four hours. Back on the road six hours later, the trip took a major turn for the better.
First stop was with Mariah and Tyler in New Lebanon, New York. Mariah is one of our daughter’s oldest and closest friends who is now our friend also. They live in the woods and both work for environmental non-profits. It was a great visit - slow, quiet, the perfect counter to Hertz.
Mariah and Tyer Fogg, New Lebanon, NY, 04/30/24
The motel fence, Pttsfield, Ma, 04/30/24.
I left early the next morning for the printer in Dalton, Massachusetts, and checked into a low-rent motel on the edge of town surrounded by a sketchy fence from another era.
I was disconcerted when I first saw The Studley Press. Old, worn, nondescript building that I missed when I first drove by. But looks are often deceiving and inside I found a clean, organized place that reeked of efficiency and homeyness. The smell of ink, the mounds of paper, the shelves of high end art books and catalogs they had printed, the arrival of Suzanne’s grandchildren one afternoon. I had found my spot.
The Studley Press, Dalton, Massachusetts, 04/30/2024
The Studley Press is located in the Berkshires, in Dalton, Massachusetts. It’s an old company, coming on 90 years old, and has been owned and operated by Suzanne Salinetti for the last thirty years. Studley specializes in high quality art and photography books, catalogs and posters for individual artists, museums, organizations, and galleries from across the country.
Suzanne Salinetti, President, The Studley Press, 05/01/24
Suzanne has a small staff, most of whom have worked with her for at least seven years, some as long as thirty. She’s a hands-on boss who knows every inch of the operation and participates in most of them. She’s especially involved with the imagery of Little Worlds, reviewing every image, making adjustments with Scott Artioli, the pressman. Scott has been working with Suzanne for thirty years. Both his father and grandfather were pressmen so Scott brings a genetic understanding to the work, as well as, years of experience with a variety of presses and an amazing eye for detail, color, and tone. An absolute pleasure to work with, despite him being a NY Yankees fan.
Pressman Scott Artioli, The Studley Press
Scott and Suzanne reviewing proofs of Little Worlds.
Selecting a printer is a major choice when publishing a book. In the modern world of printing, most printers want to work digitally with little input from the artist or photographer. Most do not want guide prints, preferring to work entirely from scans, and they certainly do not want the artist “on press.” Studley encouraged both. I felt welcomed and included as we made minute changes to individual images as they went to press. Thank you, Suzanne, you and your staff made this vital part of the publishing process comfortable, easy, and far less stressful than it could have been.
Jerrod feeding paper into the press for Little Worlds.
Joe bringing Little Worlds off the press.
Jerry binding a blank dummy of Little Worlds so I can feel the weight and size of the book.
A brief overnight with my coursin Pam, her husband Dan, and their three grown children before I headed home the next day. Pam’s dad and my father were brothers, close in age, who stayed in touch throughout most of their lives, even though there were great distances between them. A meal in downtown Northampton. Back at their house for ice cream, we laughed at the obituary of our shared great-grandmother and mention of her toothless face. As we looked into each other’s face, Pam and I were both struck by how much we resembled our fathers.
My cousin, Pam Dissinger, and her husband, Dan, who was a pressman during his working days, Northampton, MA.
Outside of Dalton, Massachusetts, 05/03/24
Time for a short drive through the stunning Berkshire landscape at the very beginnings of spring up here. The small hill towns, the fresh smells, the total lack of trash on the roads. I stop to make a picture.
You can still participate in the pre-sale of Little Worlds at the following link.
https://www.robamberg.com/blog/2023/8/12/little-worlds-the-book