Columbine (2011) Mary Austin. 5 ¾ by 7 ¼ inches. 10 accordion pages. 6 watercolor illustrations.
The text is from Austin’s “Land of Little Rain” and describes the lovely columbine flower found in the high alpine regions of the Sierra Nevada. The book is hand written on Peter's handmade paper by Donna using her personal calligraphic face with rubricated opening initial letters. It has 6 original watercolor illustrations of different columbine flowers. Donna carries paints and paper with her when backpacking, and these paintings were all made on trips in the Sierra. There is also a hand drawn map of the Palisade area of the Sierra. The illustrations and map are held to the pages by a unique silhouette cutout method. The book has a full leather binding, blue calf covers and green goat spine, with a painting of a columbine in a coutout on the front cover. The book is housed in a clamshell box covered in blue book cloth with columbine imagery created by bas-relief built up on the cover. The clamshell box has marbled paper made by Peggy Skycraft. $850.