Octavo Redux 1:1

The eight issues of Octavo published in the 1980s and 90s, have acquired cult status. Copies sell for exorbitant prices (like here) and only rarely become available. If you want to find back issues, be prepared to pay big money. But it’s now possible to “own” all eight issues and to enjoy them at actual size. This book has been designed and edited by two of Octavo’s original designers and editors—Hamish Muir and Mark Holt. And, as with the journals themselves, the book uses high-end production techniques to faithfully reproduce the original publications. To quote the editors: “Octavo Redux is as close as you can get to the originals without holding them in your hands.”

The book also documents covers and spreads from the full-scale working prototypes made by 8vo during the design process for each issue of Octavo. Subscription cards and subscription card mock-ups are shown at full-scale. The notorious eighth issue of Octavo (the “interactive” CD-ROM) is also documented, including its packaging, as well as the content itself through a selection of actual-size screenshots (640×480 pixels). A stunning production—and with super-interesting articles, too.