Back in April I was bitten by an urge to create a tiny book in a typewriter ribbon tin. I just couldn’t stop there because I loved the feel of these vintage containers, and they are small and manageable and somewhat mysterious to me. They have a history too, where they were made, who they belonged to.

Tin Typed Books, “Webster” includes an original story called “Word Boy” written by Shari Bombeck.

Collecting an assortment of tins lead me to think that I could create containers with stories inside the box that originally contained the ribbon, which was needed to make the text that not so long ago was the modern way to write.

I showed them to my friend, artist and writer Shari Bombeck, who was inspired to write a story for one of them. I then “illustrated” the story with vintage movie stills. This tin’s cover was called The Webster, so Shari’s story, “Word Boy”, has a connection to the familiar lexicon:

Noah, such a simple boy wonders how he will ever get to the castle and win the heart of princess Sophia. Now his plan seems stupid. Yeah sure, go home and try to memorize a page of the dictionary.

It is finished with collaged text right out of Webster’s to create the front and back covers of this accordion book.

Tin Typed Books, “Panama”

There are five so far, some of which were based on the illustration and paintings you have seen in earlier posts. Tin Typed Books title “Panama” features previous paintings on photos reproduced along with bits of memorabilia from that Central American country.

Each container is 2.5 x 2.5 x 0.625 inches, the actual books measure 2.25 x 2.25. They are all for sale on ETSY. With additional photos on flickr.

Tin Typed Books, “The Bronx”, features reproductions of original watercolor sketches with historical reference to the Revolutionary War

Tin Typed Books, “Mayor No Match For Girl Typist” you’ve seen this one before

Tin Typed Books, “Typewriter”, features 21 vintage typewriter illustrations