typography/layout — indesign ; illustrator; risograph
The Apocrypha of Pope Joan is a book comprised of texts touching upon the 9th century legend of a woman who, disguised as a man, became pope, only to be revealed and executed when she gave birth during a papal procession.
The texts span centuries and genres, ranging from 13th-century chronicle to recent reddit thread, from scholarly work to erotica.
Set in the famed Doves Type — “bequeathed” by bookbinder T.J. Cobden-Sanderson to the River Thames in 1917, resuscitated a century later by Robert Green and a team of divers — the design pays homage to the Doves Press and Bindery and to the Arts and Crafts movement of which they were paragons.
The print version of The Apocrypha of Pope Joan is a 4.5x6.5” saddle stitched booklet that combines Risograph and Laserjet printing — like its content, a mix of high and low brow.
