Good afternoon! As some of you may already know from other sources, I've written and illustrated a new book, published by the good people at Knock Knock. I've been meaning to tell you about it for weeks, and somehow the days just keep getting away from me. But now we've had the official launch party at Skylight Books, and it's getting more and more embarrassing that I haven't tolfd you about any of it here on the site.
So, will I tell you all about the book right now? No. (It's another one of those days.) But I will post pictures, and I will quote Alissa Walker's excellent piece on the book over at GOOD Magazine.
Have you endured up to six months of involuntary abstinence while in a committed relationship? Bravely placed your toothbrush into the caddy of another? Designer Stefan G. Bucher thinks that you should get a medal for that. No, seriously, he has designed you a medal. Bucher's new book You Deserve a Medal: Honors on the Path to True Love (Knock Knock, $16) includes 40 medals that acknowledge the unique feats of strength required for modern relationships, from sending a poetic love letter via text message to inducting a successful (yet dignified) pet name.
Bucher, who recently entertained us with his Daily Monster project and his products for 826 LA's Time Travel Mart, uses his sharp pen and even sharper wit to transform even the most banal aspects of courtship into a worthy moment for commemoration. The book even includes a "love medals glossary" in which Bucher painstakingly explains the iconography behind the insignia, as well as criteria for earning the medals as decreed by fictional entities like the Council of Romantic Decorations. It's hilarious, sometimes heartbreakingly funny commentary on modern love.
And it's not just the book! There are three actual medals, too! Steven Heller wrote about those on The Daily Heller! Once again I quote:
Bucher has also produced some of the medals in their own ceremonial boxes. They can be worn proudly on formal wear, business attire, or pajamas, for those so depressed they cannot get out of bed.
Now, what was I saying? Oh yes! Photos! Here we go...
And, of course, my favorite part of any book, the headband:
And let's not forget the actual medals:
Lastly, how about me and the Knock Knock team being our most animated selves at the launch party?
You can see all the party pics at this link here. (And no, they won't all give you seizures. I just couldn't resist this one.)
Sorry it's taken me so long to put this up on the blog for you. I hope you'll check out the book and the medals -- at a quality gift store near you, at Skylight Books, at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart, or on Amazon -- and that you'll like what you'll see. For now, I hope you're having a great week, and that you're aware that 344 LOVES YOU
