Tara Books and the making of a book by hand From her studio Minus 9 Design, Rathna Ramanathan has worked with Tara Books on projects over the last sixteen years. Here, she reflects on her experiences of collaborating with Tara Books in the context of sustainable modes of design and production, and alternative models of [...]
Reflecting on our blossoming relationship with Korea “For me, Tara Books is a publisher which has a strong identity. And this identity lies on the border between not only what is local and what is universal, but also what is traditional and what is contemporary. Their approach to the book is something between the view [...]
Tara’s outgoing resident designer Jonathan Yamakami reflects upon the creative journey he embarked upon when working on ‘I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail’. A 17th century English ‘trick’ poem, Tara’s version is illustrated by artist Ramsingh Urveti from India’s Gond tribe. 25 people like this post. Like Unlike
In the aftermath of Delhi University’s decision to ban A K Ramanujan’s essay discussing disparate versions of The Ramayana, Tara publisher V.Geetha reflects upon the many lives of the text, and in particular our recently published retelling of the great epic from the female point of view, Sita’s Ramayana. 5 people like this post. Like [...]
Ganesh Jogi, musician and artist from Rajasthan-Gujarat, is no more. We met him and his wife Teju Behan in February 2010, and invited them to sing and draw for us. 8 people like this post. Like Unlike
A Workshop Exploring Indian Floor Patterns All over India, there are enduring traditions of women decorating the threshold of their homes with decorative patterns. Known by different names in various communities, they are called kolam in Tamil Nadu. Women create them every day with rice paste or powder, and by nightfall, they are usually gone. [...]
A Tale Replete with Fate, Destiny and the Human Condition Recently, one of the most difficult projects we’ve ever done came together in a deeply satisfying way. I See The Promised Land is a graphic novel on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. The art is by Manu Chitrakar, a scroll painter from the [...]
Talking to Marion Bataille There is nothing we enjoy more than playing with the form of the book, and meeting the French artist Marion Bataille was a revelation. Marion performs an incredible feat – she pushes the borders of bookmaking beyond text and illustration. Her pop-up books – originally published in France by Albin Michel [...]
Folk and Tribal Art in Children’s Literature “It may seem, at first glance, that the majority is the dominant force in every society, but those who dramatically change their world, now and throughout history, always belong to the minority.” With this motto, the International Board on Books for Young People – IBBY – organised their [...]
Founded and run by our Production Manager C. Arumugam – Mr A, as he is affectionately known – our handmade printing workshop is a unique undertaking. This is where each and every one of our handmade titles is screen-printed and hand bound. After producing 180,000 books (that’s around eleven million pulls in the silkscreen printing process!) the workshop has now left its original thatched home for a larger, safer and brighter purpose-built space. The unit is run on fair trade practices, and the printers live and work together as a commune.