Nocturnes, authored and illustrated by Robert Buchert, is the distillation of a series of poems, not initially written down or word-processed as per the norm, but directly transferred from imagination to hand-set metal printing type. It is a unique exploration of the creative process, and a stimulating consideration of how that process is altered by the uncustomary limits of an original technique. In the introduction the writer discusses his singular method of composition and some of the observations he made as his practice bore fruit. From the resulting poems, he collected a number to print and titled the set Nocturnes, reflecting the steady motif of night.

Nocturnes' non-objective, multicolor illustrations are interpretations of original pastel drawings, rendered by intricate stenciling. The rich opaque watercolors evoke the nocturnal themes explored in the poems. The results are not so much illustrations of specific poems as they are companion meditations expressed through another medium.

The text paper will be of particular interest in a collection of fine books. It is a blue sheet made specifically for this edition. It is watermarked with constellations which subtly correspond with the text: the introduction is printed on a sheet watermarked with the constellation Cancer, the zodiacal sign of the author; the first poem, "Aurora," about a father teaching his children, is found on a sheet watermarked with the North Star and Ursa Major, and so on throughout the book. Also, the constellations represented are all prominent in the sky during the times of year indicated by the poems printed upon them. This books is as dazzling as stars.

Letterpress. Edition of 60. 36 pages.
Standard, 55 copies. Hardbound. $200.00 plus tax and shipping.
In sheets, 5 copies. $160.00 plus tax and shipping.
Prospectus available upon request.