Gerald Bivens

Interviewer: How would you describe a quality book? What are the characteristics?

Steidl: It must have an individual format that fits the photographs. Most of the publishers have a standard format. It’s much cheaper to buy the paper for five books, to print and bind them in a standard format. You get much lower manufacturing costs than with individual formats. Secondly: individuality is key. A paper chosen individually, print colours that match the photo and the paper, the binding. All that makes the book unique. I don’t describe my books as industry products. They are “multiples.” To explain it to your listeners: A “multiple” is an idea that is developed by an artist but that is carried out by a technical person.¹