The publication of selections of artists’ works as “limited edition” is a very common practice in a large number of countries. Furthermore, for many centuries, in the countries where special attention has been given to art, quality printing by using lithography has been widely spread. Unfortunately, with a very few exceptions, this is not the case in Iran. In comparison with the regular publication of books, one of the main reasons for the “limited edition” not being commonplace is its exceptionally high cost of production, as well as the time- and labor consuming nature of it.
In our opinion, hand printed lithography is a necessity for the art community, as well as the artists. It is needless to mention that commercial preparation of books cannot be as successful in representing the quality, and especially the desired color configurations, as a non-commercial production. This, of course, is natural; for each set is produced to meet a certain clientele. That is to say, for obvious reasons, “limited edition” volumes would instigate no interest within the commercial arena, and vice versa.
The pleasing welcoming of the idea by the presented artists motivated us to make an effort to start this line of work in Iran for the first time, regardless of the obstacles. In this collection we have included a number of the forerunners of today’s Iranian art world.
In the production of this collection we have focused on quality and innovation, so it would be of the best possible quality—although under the current limited possibilities—and it is our hope that it may be compatible with the products of the same nature throughout the world.
The number of the volumes in the present collection is limited—normally between fifty to one-hundred volumes. Each volume has its own number within the one-hundred, required signatures, and a signed and dated birth certificate. The next feature is the quality of paper, process of printing, binding, and packaging, all of which have received special care and attention, so they would meet our uncompromising intention. However, the most important specification of this collection, which is particular only to this series, is that in each of the one-hundred volumes, one original work of the artist has been included in the binding. Therefore, not only are you adding an invaluable book to your library, but you are also adding a work of art to your art collection.
We hope that this collection would bring you a pleasant experience. We would like to acknowledge the gracious support of the artists who have made it possible for us to undertake such a cultural task, never denying us the possibilities that they could offer. We hope that we have been—and will be—able to present a product worthy of their name and fame.
Maziyar Mossavar-Rahmani