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Artists' Books: A Feast for the Senses
Vamp & Tramp Booksellers Bill and Vicky Stewart put as many miles on their minivan each year touring the country to share their love of artists’ books as the average person racks up in his daily work commute.
Birmingham, Alabama is where Bill and Vicky call home, yet they spend nearly 11 months on the road each year, driving coast to coast to visit Special Collections libraries and show their assortment of artists’ books. “We average about 40,000 to 45,000 miles each year on the minivan,” Bill said.
During their west coast tour, Bill and Vicky brought their traveling “road show” to Rivera Library on the morning of March 2, 2017. Their display featured dozens of artists’ books ranging from colorful pop-ups that showed traditional cultural costumes, to miniature books carved out of wood, to accordion-fold books that depicted stylized creation myths from myriad cultures, and more.
Their passion for artists’ books is the result of “pure dumb luck,” as Bill stated. He first encountered artists’ books while he was selling first editions of literature and mystery fiction at a book fair. “I stumbled across one of these books and thought, ‘Wow! How much more exciting is this?’” he said.
Bill bought his first artists’ book that day and immediately shared it with his wife and business partner, Vicky. “That was nearly 20 years ago,” he explained. “We started small and grew more and more.”
Vamp & Tramp Booksellers began as a brick and mortar bookshop in Birmingham and gradually evolved into the traveling business model that it is today. “When it came time to make a decision about whether to keep the shop open, we decided to get rid of all the first editions,” Bill stated. “The best way to sell artists’ books is to travel around the country and let people see, touch, smell, and sometimes even taste the books.”
Bill and Vicky closed the doors to their physical bookshop in 2003 and started living on the road in 2004.
It was several years ago during one of their cross-country tours that Bill and Vicky first met Cherry Williams, UCR Library’s Director of Distinctive Collections. Like Bill and Vicky had, Cherry fell in love with artists’ books right away.
“People need to have a hands-on experience with artists’ books,” Cherry said. “It’s very different to be able to touch them than it is to see the books inside an exhibit case. It engages all the senses. I think the artistry is really amazing, how they envision and create.”
Bill agrees. “There are things that resist the digital world,” he explained. “We find when we give presentations to students, the physical part of the book becomes part of the esthetic experience – how it opens, how it feels. Artists’ books are sort of the antidote to the digital world.”
Attendees of the Vamp & Tramp event voted on which book that UCR Library would acquire, and the book selected was “Circle or Zero” by Mari Eckstein Gower. “It’s a limited edition of 15, which means there are only 14 others in the world,” Cherry explained.
“Circle or Zero” (pictured above) will soon be available for request in Special Collections on the fourth floor of Rivera Library. Many other artists’ books are currently available, until this one has been cataloged, and we encourage you to come explore our collection.
About
The UCR Library serves as an information commons and intellectual center for the campus and is the nexus for research and study at UCR.
OverDrive expands: read leisure and academic magazines
UCR Library patrons can access leisure and academic magazines on OverDrive!
A year ago, the UCR Library acquired access to the OverDrive platform for UCR students, faculty, and staff. OverDrive offers UCR Library patrons access to popular books and audiobooks using their tablet, computer, smartphone, or the Libby app.
Our OverDrive collection has grown since 2021 to include titles from our Allen Leisure Reading collection, the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy, children’s books, popular science books, and now magazines.
The OverDrive magazine collection is quite large at almost 4,000 titles. Patrons can borrow a variety of magazines ranging from news publications such as The Economist and The New Yorker, science and technology periodicals including New Scientist and Wired, arts magazines such as ARTNews and Rolling Stone, and general interest titles like Variety and Newsweek.
For more information on accessing OverDrive, please review this guide or head straight to ucr.overdrive.com and check out all that OverDrive has to offer.
Have a book or magazine you want on OverDrive that isn’t available? Make a purchase suggestion by emailing Carla Arbagey.
An Evening with Laila Lalami
On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, we welcomed Laila Lalami, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist and Distinguished Professor in UCR's Department of Creative Writing, to the Tomás Rivera Library Special Collections Reading Room for an evening centered on her latest novel, The Dream Hotel.
Jay Kay and Doris Klein Librarian for Science Fiction and Fantasy Dr. Phoenix Alexander led the conversation. Here are a few photos from the night.
Notable New Resources
Information for K-12 Class Visits to the UCR Library
Elementary Class Visits (K-5)
Elementary class visits to the UCR Library may be arranged. Library staff will work with you to arrange a visit that aligns with your goals.
Due to space limitations, field trips are limited to groups of 65. For more information, or to arrange a visit, please contact Teaching & Learning Services.
Middle and High School Class Visits (6-12)
Newly Processed Collections - Summer 2021
Special Collections & University Archives employees are constantly working to process recently acquired collections and make those materials ready for use by students, faculty, and researchers.
Each quarter, we will provide a list of the UCR Library's newly processed archival and primary source collections. Check out this list to see if there are any items that fit your research area, or share with a friend!
Below you'll find brief descriptions and links to the finding aids or collection guides for each new collection. To use any of these materials, simply click the "Request Items" button at the top to submit a request, and log in with our Special Collections Request System. For more on conducting research in Special Collections, see this page.
For questions, email specialcollections@ucr.edu.
Newly Processed Collections - Summer 2021
Philip Flint papers (WRCA 248)
This collection consists of research materials for Flint's dissertation, printed materials; statistics, tables, and graphs; as well as a small amount of correspondence and personal material. Related subjects include nitrogen nutrient levels, arctic tundra, and the International Tundra Biome.
Joan Simpson Collection on Philip K. Dick (MS 081)
The collection consists mainly of letters, poems, and story drafts written by science fiction author Philip K. Dick to Joan Simpson, who he was in a relationship with for most of 1977. Letters in the collection focus mostly on Dick's relationship with Simpson, including their breakup in November of 1977, as well as reflections about his life and experiences. Also included in the collection are some correspondence from Dick to reviewers and publishers about his works and others, and personal correspondence and invitations sent to Simpson.
Anne R. Dick Collection on Philip K. Dick (MS 083)
The collection contains correspondence and related materials from author Philip K. Dick compiled by his third wife and biographer Anne R. Dick. Items in the collection are from the period after their divorce, and consist mostly of personal correspondence, along with some items related to Anne's biography of Philip K. Dick.
Underground Printers Changed History
January 2017 saw the release of Duplicator Underground: The Independent Publishing Industry in Communist Poland, 1976-89 (Slavica Publishers), edited by UCR Deputy University Librarian Ann Frenkel, retired UCR Librarian Gwido Zlatkes, and Polish historian Paweł Sowiński.
The book is the first comprehensive scholarly discussion in English of Polish independent publishing in the 1970s and 1980s. Underground publishing reached a semi-industrial scale and represented a significant social movement which ultimately contributed to the end of Communism in Poland. The book sheds light onto the phenomenon of the Polish so-called “second circulation,” including discussions of various aspects of underground printing, distribution, and circulation of independent publications. The book includes scholarly essays as well as primary source documents.
Deputy University Librarian Frenkel and Zlatkes, a librarian with graduate degrees in philology and Jewish history, have been working together for almost 20 years as translators and editors. This volume represents their collaboration with Professor Sowinski who is a specialist in underground publishing in East-Central Europe, dissident movements, mass-leisure, and festivals.
While working in both Special Collections and in Metadata Services in the UCR Library, Zlatkes noticed that many of the fanzines in the Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy had been printed in the same way that most underground publications were made when he lived in Poland and was involved as a journalist and editor with the Polish dissident movement during the late 1970s and 1980s.
Zlatkes stated in the book’s introduction that while scholarly writings to date frequently recognize the role of independent publishing in the Polish anticommunist dissident movement, very little exists that focuses on the technical aspect of printing and production. Duplicator Underground is intended to fill that void.
The genesis for this book came in 2011, when Zlatkes was awarded the American Printing History Association Mark Samuels Lasner Fellowship in Printing History, and embarked on a six-week scouting trip to Poland. Further research was supported by grants from the Librarians Association of the University of California. Then in 2013-2014, when Zlatkes was selected as a Fulbright Research Scholar, he spent nine months studying underground printing in Poland at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences. This research cemented the collaboration between the three editors, particularly with Paweł Sowiński who helped form the active network of authors who contributed their scholarly output for the book.
In addition to scholarly articles, “Duplicator Underground” includes contemporary narratives and testimonies from publishers, editors, printers, distributors, and even police officials. The book shares stories about how anonymous activists and near-obsolete technologies changed history amidst a climate of government censorship where printing anything without state permission – even obituaries and wedding invitations – was deemed a punishable offense.
Frenkel said, “This anthology is valuable not only for researchers, but also for use in teaching. What better way to introduce students to the topic than reading firsthand about the methods employed by underground printers to evade a police 'tail,' or a detailed description of homespun printing techniques that use underwear elastic and laundry detergent?”
Duplicator Underground is available at the UCR Library, as well as for purchase from Amazon.
2016 AACA Board Meeting
The African American Collections Advisory Board held its second Annual Meeting at Raymond L. Orbach Science Library on Saturday, October 22, 2016
University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble and Associate University Librarian for Collections & Scholarly Communication Alison Scott welcomed AACA Board members and special guests at the start of the meeting.
The full-day program included panels and discussions on topics related to best practices in collecting and preserving the history of the African American experience and methods of documenting issues ranging from local to international impact, including:
- Community-Based Approaches to Documenting People of Color, led by Catherine Gudis, Director of the Public History Program at UC Riverside, University & Political Papers Archivist Bergis Jules, and Rose Mayes, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County
- Activism & Public Policy, led by Nemata Blyden, Associate Professor of History and International Affairs at George Washington University, Meredith Evans, Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Alison Scott, and Alexander Wilson, Jr., Vice President of External Affairs for Black Student Union and African Student Programs Representative on UCR Diversity Council.
- Afro-Futurism / Post-Colonial Endeavors, led by JJ Jacobson, Jay Kay and Doris Klein Librarian for Science Fiction, and Cherry Williams, Director of Distinctive Collections
“Hosting a national-level conversation like this helps to make sure that these voices are present and heard in our research, teaching and learning,” explained Alison Scott, Associate University Librarian for Collections & Scholarly Communication. “This is how the library’s communities can help us ensure that we’re building the kinds of collections and programs that meet our community’s needs. It involves looking back to make sure we document history, understanding emerging needs, and being part of the community.”
The program concluded with closing thoughts and feedback from Bergis Jules, Steven Mandeville-Gamble, Alison Scott, and Cherry Williams.
Board members in attendance were Abdul Alkalimat, Hardy Brown, Tamar Evangelista-Dougherty, Ruth M. Jackson, Yolanda T. Moses, Kenneth E. Simons, Ralph W. Smith, and Patricia Smith-Hunt, in addition to the panelists named above.
Special guests included MJ Abraham from Riverside’s Center for Social Justice & Civil Liberties, Director of Development for Campus-wide Initiatives Samantha Lang, and Milagros Peña, Dean of UC Riverside’s College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS).