Fair play met Fina - voetbal spelregels in woord en beeld
128pp formaat 11x33 cm gebrocheerd kl. plaatjes
BEST PHOTO BOOKS…
Now that the excitement about the end of year ‘best photo books of 2008′ enumerations has died down in an ultimate culmination at photoeye, I can safely launch my own retrospective of books which excited or inspired us last year. Since our means are too limited to buy many books — let alone newly published ones — , our selection will differ in many aspects from the usual lists. Let’s start with this odd publication kindly loaned to us by a local colleague, who shares our love for books where the images are glued in by hand. “Fair play with Fina — soccer rules in word and image” is the rather unexciting title (especially unexciting if you are no soccer fan) of this strangely long and narrow (33 x 11cm) publication dating from the seventies.
the new hotel on the grounds of the sports centre where players can concentrate in peace and quiet on important games
Of course these odd dimensions are part of the charm of the book and remind you that remarkably non-standard sizes are definitely something to consider when designing your own publication and when you have the freedom and budget to chose something unusual. With 128 pages ‘fattened’ by the glued-in images it’s no unsubstantional floppy brochure, but a solid enough book that you can still easily hold in one hand and turn the pages with your other while standing at the side of a soccer field, trying to find the rule broached by the opponents of the team your kid plays in.
The ball must be made of leather. It is not allowed to play with a plastic ball or a ball that is covered in plastic. The diameter should be between 71 and 68 cm.
However, as they say, size doesn’t matter — and this is true insofar as it’s the images in the Fina book which make it such a joy — the very special quality of the images, that is. There is irresistible charm in the clumsiness and improvisation displayed in the crossing out of the right ball with two plain cardboard strips. Funny enough, it seems to be this white ball with which is played in all of the illustrations.
Better even than that are the situations acted out by the players to demonstrate faults. Note that a contemporary version would probably be made in the form of some kind of computer game, complete with virtual players in virtual movements and — I almost forgot — an interactive element. It looks like the 1970’s version must have been way more fun to make. Imagine, spending days on the field with the photographer and some team members, everything payed for by the oil company.
Another noteworthy aspect are of course the colors of the reproductions. Lots of oversatured greens, blues and oranges together with stark white and dark tones make for a coherent albeit not very realistic color scheme. Even though reproduction quality of photographs may have greatly improved over the last decades, this example shows what can achieved with conditions that are less than ideal. Limitations in your printing options should be exploited to the full, not lamented.
What we of course like best about the book is the fact that all 200 images are glued in by hand, in this case by the avid collector. Glued-in images are a way to reduce printing costs, or at least shift them elsewhere. Black & white (or single color) offset printing is still less expensive than having full color plates made. In the case of an artist publication one could consider having the images printed (cheaply?) at one place (or print them yourself in a dark room), while having the body work of the book made elsewhere. Could this be an option for those publishing through Blurb, but who are dissatisfied with the print quality?
For those interested in purchasing their own copy of this wondrous source of inspiration the good news is that “Fair play met Fina” (the official Dutch title) can be had for an equally fair price at several second hand sources. It’s not a collector’s item, so prices are in the 5–10 euro range, perhaps 15 for a complete album in good condition.
See for 10 minutes with Erik Kessels ...
See for more Special Books :
See for 10 minutes with Erik Kessels ...
See for more Special Books :
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