Absorbed by the beauty - Volume I & ii
Absorbed by the Beauty - Volume I & II
The Absorbed by the Beauty print collection is accompanied by a limited-edition book, created in collaboration with Katie Beard at Rooksmoor Press.
Together, we produced two volumes featuring a selection of historic tulip photographs — printed in both colour and black & white, and beautifully debossed onto thick, luxurious paper. Every page has been meticulously letterpress-printed to evoke the feel of an antique, handcrafted object.
This project is a meeting of shared passions — for rare blooms and for the craft of traditional bookmaking. It’s tactile, slow, and full of care. Katie uses a rare Monotype system to cast hot metal type, which is then hand-printed on vintage presses. As Katie herself describes:
“In an increasingly online world, my work is immersed in the physical: the tactile nature of lead type and paper, the smell of ink, and the sounds of the vintage printing equipment. The opportunity to work with Britt on this ambitious limited edition is a real pleasure. Meticulous attention to detail is given at each stage of the process.” Katie Beard, Rooksmoor Press
Katie and I first worked together back in 2019, when she was primarily a book designer. At the time, she was also apprenticing with Stanley Lane of Gloucester Typesetters in Stonehouse. Today, she’s the proud custodian of Rooksmoor Press — a rare, specialist workshop. In 2022, she was awarded the QEST Scholarship for typesetting, and in 2023 her own book Letters from Titanic won Best Limited Edition at the British Book Design & Production Awards — a remarkable achievement and testament to her dedication.
It was during a conversation two years ago that the idea for Absorbed by the Beauty began to form. I’d been photographing my historic tulips for several seasons, and we both felt the timing was right — our worlds could finally collide. The idea of combining these flowers with Katie’s traditional printmaking felt not only exciting but perfectly natural.
I’ve learned never to compromise on quality — attention to detail is everything, though perfection isn’t the aim. With this process, the imperfections matter too. Each book is truly unique. And somehow, the tulips — which date back to the 17th century — feel entirely at home in a book like this, as if they’ve returned to the kind of printed form they may once have appeared in.
The resulting books are a deeply personal project. The prints melt into the paper, echoing the richness and depth of the original photographs. Each image is debossed for a traditional plate finish and interleaved with 12gsm Bib Tenguio Japanese tissue, creating a tactile, quiet rhythm as each page is turned.
Each volume features ten images. One is in colour, the other in black & white, allowing the extraordinary feathered and flamed markings of these rare tulips to be appreciated in different ways. In colour, you see vibrancy and life; in black and white, you see the form and structure more clearly.
This is a limited edition of 200 books, each signed, numbered, and presented in a keepsake box.
Find out more about Rooksmoor Press.
