| Title | Vanity |
| Subtitle | I Wanted to be a Bicycle Racer |
| Artist / Creator | Rebecca Chamlee |
| Press Name | Pie in the Sky Press |
| Place of Publication | Simi Valley, CA |
| Publication Date | 1988 |
| Structure / Binding | Modified, asymetical accordian that has been pamphlet stitched to a cloth hinge and hung into a cloth-covered board case with printed endsheets. |
| Medium / Materials | Written, designed, letterpress printed and hand bound Fabriano Roma paper. Magnesium engravings printed using a pressure printing technique learned from Dikko Faust of Purgatory Pie Press. |
| Typography | Spartan, Futura and Baskerville monotype set by Harley Bell of Bell Type and Rule Co. and wood type from my collection. |
| Number of Pages | 12 unnumbered trapezoidal pages in which the top edge has been trimmed on an angle |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 4.75 x 10 inches |
| Edition Size | Edition of 25 |
| Signed & Numbered | Yes |
Vanity: I Wanted to be a Bicycle Racer by Rebecca Chamlee
$125.00
Vanity: I Wanted to be a Bicycle Racer chronicles my foray into the world of amatuer bicycling racing that reveals the depth of my competitive nature and the limitations of wanting to look good at all cost. It is the first (and to date, only) book in a series about the seven deadly sins.
Artist Bio
As a graphic design student at Otis/Parsons in the early eighties I was introduced to the letterpress and small edition books by my instructors and mentors Sheila de Bretteville, Susan King, Bruce Schnabel and Cynthia Marsh. A compelling interest and passion for books informs much of the work I have done as a professional designer. After graduation in 1985 I bought a Vandercook 4 and began producing limited-edition handbound letterpress books, broadsides and ephemera and Pie In The Sky Press was born. Printing and making small edition projects has always nourished my professional practice as a freelance graphic designer. Stories from my childhood and personal experience have been the subject matter for the majority of my work. Recently, I produced a book about my great grandfather told by my father in a Humanities term paper he wrote when he attended Claremont Men’s College in the ‘50s. My most recent project is a departure from my earlier work, a collection of original poetry by Paul Vangelisti entitled Azusa: a sequel in an edition of 30. I currently teach letterpress printing and book binding classes in the bfa program at Otis College of Art and Design.