Citron Press ~ Wisconsin
(Stephanie Copoulos-Selle)

Small Books of Pets
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2009. Edition of 75.

Three 2 x 3.25" one=sheet books. Laser printed on New Leaf, 25% rag paper, and Mi-Teintes paper. Housed in 2.25 x 3.75" tin box with hinged lid. Tipped on illustrated title label on exterior lid. Colophon tipped in.

A series of three books regarding pets: "Small Book of Birds, Bunnies, & More"; "Small Book of Cats;" and, "Small Book of Dogs." No words, just illustrations of hopping bunnies, dancing cats, and jumping dogs. Each book with flap feature showing hidden items like a bone.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle, colophon: "Pets become an important part of our families. This book is dedicated to Alice, Cammy, and Midnight."
$175

Bad Girls
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2008. Edition of 50.

8.5 x 4.5"; 24 pages. Three 3.5 x 2.5" 8-page accordion books. Printed on Arches paper, using letterpress for text and relief and photopolymer plates for images. Housed in black envelope-shaped box of screenprinted Rives and Hahnemühle Ingres paper. Colophon page printed on black Stonehenge paper.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "Guardians can protect us. Guardians can restrict our movements and desires. Early civilizations relied heavily on guardians to do the work that no mortal could do. The Sphinx, Sirens, and the Gorgon were mythic women who died doing their duty as guardians. They focused on their jobs and did not provoke the so called heroes who invaded their land. Not only did they lose their lives but are known through history as evil characters who tempted men and caused their downfall. Today society despises women who are man-eaters, sirens, and powerful women, who look at men and cause them to be so uncomfortable that they freeze in their tracks.

"The three volume set allows each woman to tell her story from a new point of view. The three books are housed in a purse-like box. When opened the purse becomes a Greek temple with the three women depicted on the pediment."
$375

Lola's Expedition
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Stephanie Copoulos-Selle, 1999 - 2002. Edition of 25.

5.5 x 4.5" closed; 5.5 x 9" open. Three volumes. Digital printing.

The full title of this three volume book is "Narrative of the Expedition of Lola, a Suburban Girl, to Major League Baseball, Little League, and Softball..."

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "The book ... was influenced by the three-volume narrative of Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan. In the introduction, written in 1856, he states '... [We] will seek and write only truths.' A reader is quickly aware that there is little absolute truth in Perry's books, since his research method was flawed by hearsay and his outsider's perspective. Nevertheless, this is also what makes his narrative charming — the way the truths are recounted: some objectively, some naively, all with their peculiar cultural bias....

"My book and Perry's are similar in content. Volume I is a travel log, explaining what happened in a chronological order. Volume II is a study of the implements used by the people who were studied. Volume III for Perry was a star guide used for navigation in that part of the world, but the baseball book looks at the stars of the game of base ball. ..."

Myrna Packard, Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, comments from "The Shape and Color of Research" exhibition at the University of Wisconsin: "Stephanie Copoulos-Selle used the three-volume collection of Commodore Matthew C. Perry's Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Sea and Japan (1856) in a variety of ways. In the sections that follow, I will describe … how the resource contributed to process/media. Pertinent to this category, however, is Copoulos-Selle's appropriation of images from Perry's book, as well as the book's page layout. A broad range of other books on Japanese prints, Japanese painted fans, works of Hiroshige, and pictures of Japanese life contributed additional material. For example, Copoulos-Selle created endpapers for her artist's book using Japanese decorative patterns reproduced from these resources. This paper was then over-printed with her own narrative. In this way the images create a sort of background for a three volume 'expedition' of 'Lola,' Copoulos-Selle's heroine, into the world of baseball. More than a background, they create a kind of visual tension as one tries to make connections, enjoying puns such as star charts from the China Sea and 'stars' from baseball cards, and pondering the wonder of the human spirit that is drawn to the unknown."
$350

Rabbit Cross Breeds
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Stephanie Copoulos-Selle / Citron Press, 2004-2005.
Edition of 70.

9 x 6". Printed letterpress with relief prints on Frankfurt paper and outdated copies of genetics textbooks. Cover printed on Canson Mi-teintes paper.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "Our ancestors desired to be stronger, smarter, and have better off-spring. Early humans envied animals. They had speed, night vision, and were great hunters. The Ancient Assyrians created powerful guardians, Lamassu, by combining a bull's body, bird's wings, and a king's head. The Ancient Egyptians created the great sphinx, by combining a lion's body, bird's wings, and the head of the pharaoh, Kafre. The Ancient Greeks created centaurs, by combining man and horse. The dark ages produced kings with names such as 'Richard the Lion-hearted.' During the early Twentieth Century the academic elite tried to improve the race through eugenics, which included sterilization and genocide. Today, science tells us that genetics is the solution. Human desire for control of individual destiny has come full circle from a primitive man's dream to a scientific reality."

Rabbit Cross Breeds illustrates possible consequences of genetic play.
$150

To Dance
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Stephanie Copoulos-Selle, 1999-2001. Edition of 25.

9 x 6"; 26 pages. Silkscreen and letterpress printed. 18 pages (9 x 6") of appropriated/altered book text plus 8 pages (6 x 3.5") letterpress printed on rice paper.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "Dance is a universal activity. Through the image of dance, this book, demonstrates a common denominator that unifies all peoples. This concept is reinforced by printing on altered geography book pages and with maps used in the binding."
$200

Lydia's New Rules of Order
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Stephanie Copoulos-Selle, 1998-1999. Edition of 100.

6 x 4.25; 100 pages. Altered book. Printed on an anniversary edition of
Robert's Rules of Order and rice paper.

Colophon: "On those long and boring summer days when I was a child, I found the hot and dusty attic a place of adventure, especially the shelves and boxes of my father's old books. One time I found a small blue, maybe red, book that I thought would make life more clear. Its title was about order, in fact rules to achieve that order. How convenient to find all about organization in a little book...."

Lydia's ideas of order are somewhat different than eponymous Robert's.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "The illustrations are from ancient Greek vases. The content stresses the individual, creativity, and above all being human."
$150