Hello. I have returned from the beach/country/mountains/parents' basement and am working on my back to school outfits—a little late though as school starts today. Here are a few links to get us back in the mood...

The NYT Freakanomics blog had its readers submit questions for Playboy's editorial director Chris Napolitano. And he answered them all. This is the longest Q&A I've seen in some time. I can't actually finish reading it until I make some more coffee.

Search & Destroy notes the redesign of Another Magazine. Our take on the subject coming soon.

My friend Melissa's book, based on her blog about being a NYC yellow cab driver, just came out. Go buy it. And read this feature on her in, ew, USA Today.

Swedish fashion mag Modette folds but lives on via their website.

Happy Labor Day and stuff! Now, let's get back to work.

The Rodder's Journal
Published quarterly
SF, CA
$12/single issue, $40/year

Man, this magazine is a dream. I don't know what I can say beyond showing you the above photographs from the current issue... Each issue is thick with huge gorgeous photos of hot rods and custom cars both new and old. Their articles are a good balance of history, enthusiasm and information. If you're into working on cars, you'll be psyched but if you're not just bask in the wonderful images of these big tough cars. Buy Rodder's Journal from their site or any newsstand.

Arthur magazine is finally back! Buy online (Dear European friends, it is worth checking out), or get it free at coffeehouses and record stores. In Manhattan try St. Marks Books; in Brooklyn try Spoonbill & Sugartown.

Flickr Finds: Typography

Art Condoms! [via Jockohomo]

Tonight at Printed Matter is the launch and signing for Paul P.’s new book, Nonchaloir, from 5 to 7 pm. Paul is known for his lovely drawings of lithe men, which you might have seen in a few Christian Dior ads last year. Printed Matter is located at 195 Tenth Avenue at 22nd. (view some of his work here)

August was a laaaaaazy month here at Print Fetish... we've also been on a tight budget, so the magazine/comic/book buying has been kept to a minimum (This problem would be solved if more people sent us free stuff!). We DO have some half written reviews lying around, so we'll try to get them out next week.

We are still looking for a European correspondent to review non-english mags and books, so we can present a more balanced picture of the print world–and have more posting of course. If you are interested, contact us.

Further Linkotacracy

This weekend is The 2nd Annual Brooklyn Book Festival, Sunday the 16th at the Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza. Check out readings and discussions from a variety of authors all day and peruse the books of nearly a 100 booksellers and publishers, big and small. It's outdoors on a cool day and all events are FREE. I like free.

Back in ye olden days of my San Francisco life, I was totally in awe of these older punks who ran around town making zines, playing shows, riding bikes, drawing on stuff, and generally having a fantastic time. A bunch of them lived down near Toxic Gulf (a ratty old pier/park on the bay at the end of 24th Street where I spent much of my formative years) in a house with the address 666 Illinois. I thought that was rad. I cut school in the afternoons to have adventures of my own and sometimes I'd ride by bike down there to sit in the Muni graveyard. I always wondered what they were up to as I biked by. Greta Snider, editor of Mudflap and maker of films, was one of my favorites. She now teaches in the film program at SF State and her films have screened at places like the MOMA and Sundance. I recently got my scanner back from Mr. Mcginnis and spent the morning looking at Greta's back issues. The stories about drunk biking, Capp St. hoes, outdoor sex, and gardening/train hopping/swimming/bike trick how-tos are enthusiastic, helpful and hilarious but my favorites are the maps and diagrams. See a few examples after the jump...

Thankfully there is a company like Umbra who make well designed products that we can actually afford to buy, rather than just dream of. Check out their new Iluzine Magazine Rack–only $31.50! Magazines seem to float off of the wall when draped over this white powder-coated metal rack. I'd maybe buy enough of these to run the entire length of a wall at chest level.

Available at Unica Home

I recently discovered Encyclopedia Pictura when I saw a video of theirs on a Wholpin DVD zine. I spent some time this morning looking at the super nice stuff on their lovely website. Go look around.

Hug the Gray
By Mat O'Brien
Published by Seems Books
6.5" x 9", 36 pages
4 color offset printing, matte stock
1000 copies
$16.00

The collision of words and image, the incongruity of language and perception, was first explored in the work of early 20th century cartoonist George Herriman, and later observed (or stolen, depending on your point of view) by the dadaists and surrealists. "Pop" art and street art have been informing and inspiring artists in the business of fine art since the industrial revolution–but it wasn't until David Wojnarowicz, and others in the New York downtown scene of the early 80's, when all became reconciled. Wojnarowicz was a complete creature of the 20th century–for him all arguments of high and low were irrelevant; TV, movies and magazine pages were emotional totems. It wasn't an intellectual conclusion, just a matter of fact. Wojnarowicz paintings, drawings and sculptures were as purely expressionistic as they were literal.

The New Ugly? This is an interesting subject that really forces me to consider and vocalize my personal philosophies of art and design. I am a fan of the messy, raw and passionate–I like design that eschews the crisp, studied and CLEAN work of the educated and professional. I love scissors, photocopies and typewriters. People who don't WAIT for approval–just create, produce and distribute are my heroes. Why do people need to be validated by some boring rich white person in an office in New York (or London, Berlin etc.)? Fuck 'em.

I also believe it is the artists (and I do include designers in that category) duty to make the world a more beautiful place–this is not in conflict with my love of DIY. Design with passion and point of view is beautiful. Professionals often become so encumbered by the rules of THE CORRECT way to do things, they become a little dead inside. That is NOT to say I am for "thinking outside the box," or breaking the rules MAN! Beware anyone who asks you to think outside the box, or asks you to be cutting edge–they are idiots. No, what I am interested in is giving in to heart and hand, giving in to the nature of your abilities, as much as you struggle for technical perfection. The manicured, symmetrical garden is beautiful, but so is the wild countryside.

New York Ghost, the hilarious, anonymously-penned PDF newsletter "you print out at work," is celebrating its first birthday today. Way to go, mysterious stranger! The Ghost, which mails out once a week, may contain one or more of the following: a poem, photograph, play, letter, interview, old diary entry. I've been receiving this odd little gem for a couple months now and I love it. Somtimes I get overwhelmed by the shear number of gossip sites and snarky news blogs and lolcats in the internet universe and am pleased that someone feels compelled to regularly send a nice smart pdf to break the monotony.

Printed Matter has a show up right now of the printed works of artist Aleksandra Mir. She made a series of publications called Living and Loving which are these in-depth biographies of people on the periphery of the art world (a CCA security guard, a daughter of art collectors, etc). Each one is a long interview with the subject broken up by pages of photographs from the subject's life. These, as well as some of her other publications, are available for download and sized at a nice 11x17 on her website. In the spirit of the New York Ghost, go ahead and print them out at work.

Portuguese magazine Cru-A has a new issue out and available for download on their site. As usual, it contains some good photography and articles I cannot read.

Who What Where When Why (I think I love you)
By Lex McQuilkin
Published by Candy Bandit
4.25" x 5.5", 44 pages
Black and white photocopy
$3

When I lived in San Francisco, my friends and I used to read the Missed Connections ads in our weekly papers religiously. We'd have coffee and pour over the classifieds looking for the weirdest, creepiest, saddest, and most hilarious ads placed. We'd read the best out loud. Once in a while we found an ad about someone we knew. I don't know if this is a west coast pastime or just a hobby of the under/unemployed but I pretty much forgot about Missed Connections when I moved to New York. Looking at this zine I remember why I loved them so. Oakland-based artist Lex McQuilkin compiled a selection of favorites and illustrated them. Each page has an ad written out in McQuilkin's handwriting and an ink drawing. Most of the drawings work really well with their ads. They have heart, and I feel myself getting a connection of my own to the anonymous shy office workers, BART cruisers, interstate flirters, and lonely housewives looking for their connection in the weekly. The first print run of Who, What is sold out, but McQuilkin plans on reprinting this month and putting out a second issue. Contact her via Candy Bandit if you're interested.

I just had to write about Umbra again because their new line is recently out–and this piece is really incredible, especially considering it's price. Satina Turner designed the solid wood Magtable, that can also double as a bench, which holds up to 14 magazines. At $158.00 it costs less than a boring coffee table! I want it, but I have no room! This could easily have been presented by a high-end company at a much greater price.

Available at Umbra for $158.00

Cr blog presents some of artist/designer Scott King's (ex-Art Director of I-D and one time Creative Director of the now defunct Sleaznation) images for his project How I'd Sink American Vogue. Hilarious. I like that guy.

Flickr Finds: Vintage Editorial and Advertising Illustrations

My new neighbor Julia Wertz is a HI-larious cartoonist with a new book coming out in a few weeks (which we will be reviewing). While you wait, check out her blog which has regularly updated comics.

Printed Matter's annual New York Art Book Fair kicks off tonight at 548 West 22nd St. with a benefit preview from 6-9. The main fair starts tomorrow at 11am and ends Sunday at 5pm and it's free! Over 120 publishers from all over will be there to show and sell contemporary art books, art catalogues, artists' books, art periodicals, and ’zines. Cool events this year include J+L Books' DVD release party, a discussion and book signing with the Evil Twins, Ian Svenonius reading from his bizarro manifesto/book The Psychic Soviet at the ANP launch party, and more! Full list of events here. Mr. Mcginnis and I will be in attendance. Expect book fair coverage from us early next week. Woo.