Tulika Books (Delhi) bags printed book award at Publishing Next

Project Cinema City has been edited by Madhusree Dutta, Kaushik Bhaumik and Rohan Shivkumar, and is designed by Sherna Dastur. The publisher is Tulika Books (Delhi) (in association with Majlis and Goethe Institut).

The publication deploys three different kinds of paper, of different bulk and grammages, and both coated and non-coated. Section-sewing was ruled out and the only option was a perfect bound book. PUR perfect binding was used for enhanced strength, long life and a ‘lay-flat’ look.

The hard-bound book uses Khatima craft paper for its cover. The book was quarter bound with Khatima craft paper pasted on mill board, and the title was screen printed on the minimalist front cover with a raised matt UV effect to give a hand-crafted look.

Indu Chandrasekhar of Tulika Books, Delhi, who won the Publisher of the Year award, said, "It feels especially good because this was the only book submitted by us and the only category under which we made a submission to the Publishing Next awards."

The making of the book, according to Chandrasekhar, entailed the following: "While the bulk of our publishing list consists of academic books in the humanities and social sciences, we have, over the years, developed a niche list of “art” books – books on modern Indian art as well on modern Indian artists – which is a not-yet-fully-developed genre in Indian publishing, barring a few exceptions."

Chandrasekhar said, "We believe that the art books we have published (as well as forthcoming) set themselves apart from the run-of-the-mill “coffee table books.” The content and structure of these books have text and image complementing and interweaving to form parallel narratives, rather than the one merely “illustrating” the other." They also involve different formats, innovative design concepts and printing technologies, which are decided according to the content requirement of each book."

And, she added, "There is a search, from one book to the next, to experiment with something new and exciting – whether it be in editorial structuring, design concept, or keeping abreast with new printing and binding materials and technologies."

"Once the design and layout of Project Cinema City was complete, the print production of the book at Lustra was planned such that standard densities would be maintained throughout. Special care was taken during the colour correction and processing of files to ensure image fidelity. No proofing was done and the book was printed without the press being given any external reference."

The contributors to The Project Cinema City include filmmakers, visual artists, designers, architects, photographers, historians and other social scientists.

SPECIFICATIONS
Title: Project Cinema City
Foreword: Arjun Appadurai
Edited by: Madhusree Dutta, Kaushik Bhaumik, Rohan Shivkumar
Design: Sherna Dastur
Publisher: Tulika Books, New Delhi, in association with Majlis and Goethe-Institut
Year of publication: December 2013
Size: 11 x 9.25 inches
Pages: 560 
ISBN: 978-93-82381-22-8
Price: Rs 3500