Big Two-Hearted River

The Story 
Big Two-Hearted River is a straightforward tale about a man going on a fishing trip in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It speaks to anyone who knows the feeling, the need, to escape and experience the solitude and peace of nature. It takes me back to trips in Northern California, hiking into the mountains with hopes of cooking trout over a fire. Hemingway captures the details that take us there with him; the strain of the pack, the pull of fish, the comfort of camp. There are few places I would rather be. ~ Mark Sarigianis
 
The Artist
Eric Clark Jackson explores intersections of artistry, ecology, and handmade traditions within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  His work is meticulous and process-oriented, typically combining contemporary fiber arts and traditional methodologies into large scale explorations of iconography and place.  He partners regularly with arts organizations and conservation groups across the region including previous work with changemakers such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Alliance for the Chesapeake. Eric is the recipient of past grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, and numerous conservation organizations. Eric's work is in the permanent collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the Museum of Eastern Shore Culture, and Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, as well as in the collections of multiple past corporate sponsors.  He is on the faculty of St. Mary’s College of MD and the College of Southern Maryland.
 
In Eric's words:
"Go fish. Find fish. Catch fish. Lose fish. Catch fish. 
 
It's the same story, again and again and again. And it never gets old. In that truth, this story resonates.  
 
Three images stand out among all the descriptive elements of the story.  Trout of course.  Hemingway never explicitly states what kind of trout Adams was fishing for, but some research into the Upper Michigan rivers and timeline when the story took place would indicate possibly naturalized browns which became the inspiration for the cover illustration.  Then there's the "hoppers".  Grasshoppers find themselves mentioned as much in the story as the trout, and they represent our unhealthy obsession with "matching the hatch". Finally, there's the camp.  The description of Nick's camp near the stream is so simple, but so far removed from our modern understanding of camping.  The imagery will stay with me, and I'm looking forward to my next pork and beans camp spaghetti.  
 
Thank you to Mark for including me in this project.  Good conversations have led to good friendship, and while Nick Adams is still outfishing us, time is on our side."
 
The Book
Big Two-Hearted River was printed on dampened handmade paper from the University of Iowa. The typeface for the text is 10pt Monotype Hess Title, with Playbill for headlines. Eric Jackson produced an original series of resist-dyed batik textiles for each book in the edition. Each of the cover designs were individually dyed, then turned into bookcloth that became the hardbound case. Eric carved two linoleum blocks for the book and also designed a typographic ornament. The ornament was carved into a matrix in-house and cast in 36pt for use on the endsheets. Each book is housed in a slipcase covered with handmade paper from St. Armand.
 
Cast, printed & bound by the press in an edition of 20.