PETER & DONNA THOMAS
260 Fifteenth Avenue Santa Cruz CA 95062 (831) 475-1455

An excerpt from John Steinbeck's Cannery Row. John Steinbeck. Printed by Peter & Donna Thomas, Santa Cruz: (2003). The book is circular, 2 7/8 diameter. The tin can container is 3 1/4 by 2 inches. 16 accordion pages. 100 copies. $95

The text is the opening paragraph of Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. It was letterpress printed on Peter's handmade paper, using handset 14 point Centaur type. The book is illustrated with eight watercolor paintings of Cannery Row. These were painted by Donna Thomas at Cannery Row and have been reproduced in color directly on the handmade paper. A paper label is pasted on the front cover. The paper is white on one side and decorated in a net-like pulp pattern on the back (a reference to the fishing nets that were the demise of Cannery Row.)

The book is round, and bound as an accordion between two galvanized iron covers (recalling the mention of iron canneries in the text). The metal has been treated so it will not rust or effect the archival qualities of the paper. A paper label is pasted on the front cover. The book has been canned inside a 3 1/4 by 2 inch, 7 3/4 oz. tin can, by Dave's Albacore of Santa Cruz, using antique equipment salvaged from Cannery Row. To see the book, the can must be opened with a can opener. The label on the outside warns to be careful not to cut yourself when opening, (reflecting the litigious times we live in.) The packing inside the can is Peter's shredded handmade paper.