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Tara books Handmade books Tribal & Folk art Design Legend Front list All ages Adults Visual arts Graphic novels Visual arts
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Founded back in 1994 by a group of writers and designers committed to feminist and egalitarian principles, were now a worker-owned cooperative based in Chennai, India. Our books are largely visual, spanning a range of genres: from childrens literature and picture books for all ages, to titles for adults featuring popular culture, photography and art. We are interested in the physical form of the book, the quirky pleasures of reading, and with genuinely changing the perspective from which stories are told. Collaborating with unusual talent from unlikely places often bringing them into the form of the book for the first time we ensure that our books reflect the richness and breadth of India in a very particular way. They are not generic, but very located, yet universally accessible. Universality to us is not a global sameness, but a genuine connection with difference. This year marks an exciting new chapter in our history, with the opening of our new Book Building in Chennai. A space that is at once a bookshop, a workshop space, a gallery and an office, we hope it will further our conversations around the book as a special cultural object.
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Pop culture Childrens Picture books Fiction & Non-Fiction Stationery Awards & contacts Index
If you dont know this Indian publisher, we warn you now: you might become seriously addicted to them. Anorak Magazine
Handmade books In 1996, we created our first handmade book, and began refining a process of bookmaking that is still going strong. Our print workshop here in Chennai now employs 17 artisans who are expert printers, binders and bookmakers. The workshop runs on fair trade practices, with the workers living together as a community. We use handmade paper and non-toxic inks, and misprints are recycled into Flukebooks, our one-off notebooks. The statistics are astonishing: over the years, our handmade book unit has created over 200,000 books, which require 12.5 million impressions, or individual pulls in the silkscreen printing process for each colour. As far as we know, were the only publishing house in the world that produces handmade books in these numbers. In effect, what we do is make artists books in enough numbers so that they become affordable for the average book buyer. Its our way of nurturing the physical form of the book in an age that is busy writing its obituary. Taras ongoing dialogue with the incredibly rich and varied forms of indigenous tribal and folk art in India goes back over a decade. Were privileged that in India, unlike in many parts of the world, these artists are our active contemporaries, ready to engage with us. Our books are not about such traditions in the conventional sense wed like to enable our artists to be authors, active creative voices in the space that a contemporary book provides. Many of them come from very remote and marginalized communities, but as is evident from the books themselves, their talent, intelligence and imagination is astonishing. The art traditions that we have worked with include Patua, Gond, Warli, Mata Ni Pachedi, Mithila, Kalamkari and Patachitra.
Books Featuring Traditional Art The Churki-Burki Book of Rhyme Gond, Madhya Pradesh Do! Warli, Maharashtra Flight of the Mermaid Gond, Madhya Pradesh Following my Paint Brush Mithila, Bihar The Great Race Mata Ni Pachedi, Gujarat I Like Cats Various, all India I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail Gond, Madhya Pradesh Mangoes & Bananas Kalamkari, Andhra Pradesh Monkey Photo Patua, West Bengal The Night Life of Trees Gond, Madhya Pradesh Old Animals Forest Band Gond, Madhya Pradesh
The Book Craft Team: Sakthivel, Mariappan, Neelagandan, Ramesh, Arivelazhagan, Manikandan, Rajesh, Venugopal, Bhoja Raja, Maniganden, Prabhu bottom from left: Chinnrasu, Boopalan, Shanmugam, Arumugam, Balaji, Veerasamy, Narasimman
The Sacred Banana Leaf Patachitra, Orissa Sitas Ramayana Patua, West Bengal Waterlife Mithila, Bihar
design Experimenting with the physical form of the book is a Tara trademark. The narrative, the art, the artisanship and the object are all part of this process. In pushing the boundaries of the book form, were fascinated by its resilience. Were ready to experiment with cutting-edge design, but insist that it communicates. Design for us is not an embellishment, but an integral part of how a book works, the final voice in the dialogue between text, image and production.
front list
Clockwise from top: I saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tale, Matchbook and Pictures from Italy
Catalogue legend
Bookcraft: Partially handmade Fully Handmade Award winner RA IA Reading age Interest age From Matchbook, pg 8
Matchbook
Shahid Datawala
Sold in every road-side booth, matchboxes are part of daily life in India. Curious, hilarious and visually stunning, matchbox labels come in a staggering variety of designs. Inspired variations on successful labels are an accepted part of the matchbox world, deliciously turning the whole notion of branding upside down. Matchbook showcases over 500 quirky members of this extended family, from the personal collection of Mumbai-based designer Shahid Datawala. This new edition comes with a thought-provoking essay which locates matchboxes within the web of Indian commerce and popular culture, and addresses the complex relationship between labour, art and commerce.
Graphic Design/Material Culture PB; 196 pp; Colour 120 x 160 mm 9789380340197 11.99
Fascinating bright, simple images that together give something of the flavour of India itself. The Sunday Telegraph
The red and black illustrations are striking, and the brisk story compelling. Kirkus Reviews A lovely way to enhance childrens sensibilities to the rich and diverse folk arts of India. Young India Books
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All ages
Tara Books has charmed its way into the hearts of young and old Wallpaper* Magazine
Sitas Ramayana
Samhita Arni; Moyna Chitrakar NY Times Bestseller A USSBY Outstanding International Book Honour List, South Asia Book Award
Sitas Ramayana shifts the point of view of The Ramayana the saga of a heroic war to bring a womans perspective to this timeless Indian epic. Narrated by the heroine Sita, it is a powerful meditation on the fate of women, as they become pawns in the wars between men and kingdoms. But Sita is not just a patient victim of events she endures her fate with fortitude, until the moment she decides to challenge it. The book unites two women from very different backgrounds: young urban writer Samhita Arni, who lives in Bangalore, collaborates with Patua scroll artist Moyna Chitrakar from the village of Nirbhaypur in West Bengal.
Folk Art/Animals/Gift HC; 48 pp; Colour 177 x 177 mm Inner pages offset-printed, cover screen-printed 9788190675611 12.99
I Like Cats
Anushka Ravishankar; Various artists
From cats with scowls and cats with jowls to greedy cats and bad cats... I Like Cats emerges from the brushstrokes of the best-known tribal and folk artists of India. The cover is silk-screen printed by hand, while the inner pages feature a gallery of irresistible feline characters painted in a variety of distinctive art traditions. Each book comes with a frameable, silk-screened print. FORTHCOMING REPRINT OF fully HANDMADE EDITION
Graphic Novel/Art HC; 152 pp; Colour 165 x 235 mm 9789380340036 11.99
Arnis retelling is a moving and important one. Publishers Weekly Gorgeous, vibrant illustrations An accomplishment. Booklist, starred review
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Taras illustrated edition is a brilliantly inventive dance of text and image, translated faithfully by Sirish Rao, and with typographic illustrations by Rathna Ramanathan.
Unlike any book youve ever held in your hands and in your heart, and outcharms even the most impressive die-cut books of the past decade. Maria Popova, Brainpickings.org Delightfully illustrated... New York Times
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Folk Art/Gift HC; 28 pp; Colour 350 x 210 mm Screen-printed 9789380340135 28.00
Art/Folklore; HC; 40 pp; Colour; 230 x 330 mm 8th edition; Screen-printed Numbered edition 9788186211922 28.00
WaterLife
Rambharos Jha
Waterlife features Mithila art, a vibrant and delicate form of folk painting from Bihar in eastern India. Art is inseparable from the lives of the people of Mithila and traditionally the walls and courtyards of the houses were painted during festival times. In the late 1970s this art travelled from the walls to paper. In this visually stunning book, artist Rambharos Jha creates an unusual artists journal, adapting the motifs of the Mithila style to express his own vision. He frames his art with a playful text that evokes both childhood memory and folk legend. Waterlife is silk-screen printed by hand on handmade paper.
ADULTS
A courageous and original player on a world stage adding to the variety of publishing voices Inis Magazine
Fingerprint
Andrea Anastasio; V. Geetha
Fingerprint is a visual fable celebrating resistance to state surveillance and control. Actual fingerprints, letterpressed onto the pages of the book, create progressively complex patterns, transporting the fingerprint from the world of forensics and law into the freeing world of art and imagination. Playful yet provoking, this is both an art piece and a political communiqu. A poignant afterword by writer, social historian and activist, V. Geetha adds to the visual tale, inciting deeper thought.
Art & Design/Cinema HC; 104 pp; Colour 230 x 280 mm 9788186211274 19.99
Art/Politics HC; 100 pp; Colour 140 x 190 mm; Screen-printed 9788190675628 14.99
The legends are complemented by the work of contemporary French artist Ianna Andradis, who was inspired by the collection of the Muse du quai Branly in Paris.
You cant help but continually run your fingers over the screen-printed ink held on the textured paper as you read these sensuous and sacred tales. The Living Principles Design Blog
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Rich pickings to extend provision of art, design and cultural resources in both primary and secondary libraries The School Librarian
Childrens
CHILDREN PICTURE BOOKS Mango, banana, melon . . . Bitter gourd, tomato, banana flower . . . Lotus, jasmine, marigold . . . India is home to a rich variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Some are local to the region, while others travelled thousands of miles and have since found a home here. This series of board books introduces both rare and common Indian fruits, vegetables, and flowers to the very young reader. Each book comes with a list of words in English, with space to add words in other languages. Ideal for both home and classroom, this series takes children on a rich visual journey.
Flowers of India
Helmut Wolf
Board Book; Ages 1+ 24 pp; Colour 125 x 125 mm 9788190754675 4.99
Monkey Photo
Gita Wolf; Swarna Chitrakar
Monkey lives in a jungle that tourists love to visit. But hes getting tired of them taking pictures of him all the time so he decides to help himself to a camera and swing around the jungle, surprising friends and foes... Illustrated by Swarna Chitrakar in the brilliant Patua folk style from Bengal, with a rhyming text by Gita Wolf, Monkey Photo captures jungle life at its hilarious best.
Fruits of India
Jill Hartley
Board Book; Ages 1+ 24 pp; Colour 125 x 125 mm 9788190754682 4.99
Complemented by a lively, rhyming text this is a fun book to spark the imagination. Booktrust
Picture Book IA: 3+, RA: 4+ HC; 32 pp; Colour 175 x 280 mm 9788190754620 10.99
Vegetables of India
Jill Hartley
Board Book; Ages 1+ 24 pp; Colour 125 x 125 mm 9788190754699 4.99
Children will love the beautiful photographs. Midwest Book Review This unusual and stylish little volume is great for learning first words sumptuous photography Parenting Magazine:
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Do!
Ramesh Hengadi; Rasika Hengadi; Shantaram Dhadpe; Kusum Dhadpe with Gita Wolf Winner of the BolognaRagazzi Award, 2010
Do! is a set of action pictures, rendered in the Warli style of tribal art. It introduces basic verbs to the young reader through a series of pictograms, which are silk-screen printed onto recycled kraft paper. The book can be used as a picture book, to learn about verbs, to discover new stories on each page, to talk about village life or to learn how to draw in the Warli style. Warli art is done by people belonging to a tribal community that lives in Maharashtra, in western India, and is traditionally seasonally painted onto walls, floor & other public spaces.
A unique and assiduously crafted book. Publishers Weekly A heady mixture of gorgeous art, open ended storytelling, an adventurous exploration of an aspect of Indian culture, made solid in the form of a stunning handmade book. Playing by the Book Blog
Picture Book/Art; 3+ HC; 32 pp; Single-colour 210 x 280 mm Screen-printed 9788190754613 10.99
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Stands out both for its artwork and the engaging text. White Ravens Catalogue
Picture Book/Folktale IA: 4+; RA: 6+ HC; 32 pp; Colour 210 x 280 mm 9788186211069 10.99
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Following my paintbrush
Dulari Devi; Gita Wolf Honour List, South Asia Book Award
Following My Paint Brush is the story of Dulari Devi, a domestic helper who went on to become an artist in the Mithila style of folk painting from Bihar, eastern India. Dulari is from a community of fisher-folk, and she discovered painting while working in an artists house. She learned by doing, and the story of her momentous journey is simultaneously inspiring and understandable to the young reader. In this - Dularis first book Gita Wolf has recorded the story that was relayed to her orally, while Dulari has told her autobiography visually through her art.
Picture Book/Folktale IA: 4+; RA: 6+ HC; 40 pp; Colour 210 x 280 mm 9788186211458 10.99
A nice off-the-beaten-track read for a growing child, exposing her at once to some folk art and a story of hope. Parenting Magazine
Picture Book IA: 3+, RA: 6+ HC; 24 pp; Colour 280 x 210 mm 9789380340067 9.99
Durga Bai has not only drawn the most wonderful and creative illustrations in the book, but also added further to the plethora of cultural features in this Indian tale A lovely read. School Librarian
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Excuses Excuses
Anushka Ravishankar; Gabrielle Manglou
Meet Neel, who has the most noble of intentions, all of which have a funny habit of going wrong Excuses Excuses is a week in the life of a spirited boy as he tries to grapple with whats expected of him by the grown-ups he encounters. A characteristically absurd tale from Anushka Ravishankar, Indias best-loved childrens poet, and Gabrielle Maglou, a zany photo collage artist from Runion Island.
A real period piece but also terrific fun and eye-catchingly unique. The School Librarian
Sure to delight young readers as they follow Neel on his madcap adventures Booktrust
Picture Book/Classics IA: 6+; RA: 8+ HC; 48 pp; Colour 170 x 210 mm 9788186211748 10.99 Picture Book IA: 6+; RA: 8+ HC; 48 pp; Colour 210 x 280 mm 9789380340128 10.99
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Trash!
One of the most imaginative and beautifully designed manuals I have ever used. Inis Magazine
Activity/Arts & Crafts Ages: 8+ HC; 132pp; Colour 165 x 240 mm 9788186211243 12.99
Fiction/Social Education Ages: 8+ PB; 112 pp: Colour 184 x 241 mm 9788186211694 7.99
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stationery
stationery
FlukeBooks
Random by Design
A notebook that is as unique on the outside as whatever you choose to scribble inside. Covered with a fusion of eclectic prints and colours, stitched and bound by hand, each Flukebook is completely original. Flukebook covers are created from the off-prints of our Book Craft Workshop, where each one of our hand silkscreen printed books are born. So aside from being objects of great beauty, theyre recycled too. Each cover is stamped Edition 1 of 1 and its true youll never find a Flukebook exactly like another theyre impossible to reproduce!
Stationery/Gifts HC; Hand-stitched Cover silk-screen printed 192 pp; 90 x 140 mm 9788186211663 (lined flukebook) 9788190754637 (unlined sketchbook)
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index
Contact Details
Tara Books Head Office Tara Books Book Building Plot No. 9 CGE Colony Off Kuppam Beach Road Thiruvanmiyur Chennai 600 041 India
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Monkey Photo Night Life of Trees, The Old Animals Forest Band Pictures from Italy Sacred Banana Leaf, The Sitas Ramayana Slant Book SSSS: Snake Art & Allegory Trash! Vegetables of India Waterlife
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Churki-Burki Book of Rhyme, The 32 Do! Excuses Excuses Fingerprint Flight of the Mermaid Flowers of India Flukebooks Fruits of India Following my Paint Brush Great Race, The In the Land of Punctuation I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail I like cats Mangoes & Bananas Matchbook 28 35 22 15 26 38 26 33 10 16 17 15 30 8
Sitas Ramayana Notable Book, American Library Association (ALA), 2012 Phone no: +91 44 42601033 Email: mail@tarabooks.com Sitas Ramayana Special Mention in the United States Board on Books for Young Peoples (USBBY) UK Distribution annual list of Outstanding International Books, 2012 Bounce Sales & Marketing Sitas Ramayana Honour Book, South Asia Book Bounce Sales and Marketing Ltd., Award for Childrens and Young Adult Literature, 14 Greville Street, 2012 London EC1N 8SB Waterlife Mention, BolognaRagazzi Award, New Tel: 0207 138 3650 Horizons, Bologna, 2012 Fax: 0207 138 3658 Sacred Banana Leaf Selected for the 21st edition Email: sales@bouncemarketing.co.uk of the French Le Prix des Incorruptibles, 2009 Do! Winner, BolognaRagazzi Award, New Horizons, 2010 The Night Life of Trees Winner, BolognaRagazzi Award, New Horizons, 2008 Orders to: Grantham Book Services, 14 Trent Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 7XQ Tel: 01476 541080 UK Publicity Maegan Chadwick-Dobson Email: maegan@tarabooks.com
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