The Cow Book

The cow book is a directory of breeders and their cattle. Thousands and thousands of cattle... their names, their birthdays, their parents. It took me awhile to realize the enormity of this book. The typesetting alone for gods sake! And such specialized information...

I got this book a couple months ago at the indoor flea market in Asheville for a dollar. The first time I saw it, I didn't buy it. The second time I saw it, I thought I was crazy for not having bought it. The leather cover is decorated simply with a gold stamped image of a melancholy cattle looking over its shoulder at you.

Its corners are worn, its spine is gone, revealing its aged linen cloth and paper.

The top and bottom have stripes, like pajamas.

The edges of the book are speckled gold.

What I truly love and admire about this book is the ridiculousness of its mission, and the care that went into it. It could easily have been printed on the cheapest of materials, like a phone book of sorts, but it's beautifully bound and has lasted over a hundred years. Sort of feels like...why...being a craftsperson! And making handmade books and journals!