Published by History-Papers, Cheiro’s Language of the Hand, reimagines Cheiro’s nineteenth-century palmistry text; an instructional guide to palm reading as science rather than occult art. This dubious application of scientific ideas has the flair of parlor tricks, the language of science with the feel of magic. The hardcover book is hand sewn with a four-hole Japanese stab binding, with foil stamping on the front and back covers. The text pages are printed on a light gray paper in pink and blue. It is set in Gills Sans, a humanist sans-serif typeface, released near the end of Cheiro’s life, chosen for its suggestion of objectivity with still a touch of the human hand. Pages of celebrity handprints (Mark Twain, Sarah Bernhardt, William Gladstone, etc.) are Risograph printed on thermochromic paper; the pink and blue sheets turn white with the heat of human touch, leaving the reader’s handprint temporarily on the page – a kind of scientific magic.
Cheiro’s Language of the Hand (2022)
Edition of 50.
Hardcover, stab binding, 8 x 10x.75”, 194 p., digital and Risograph prints, thermochromic paper
Design by Josh Eller and Lex Thompson
Edition of 50.
Hardcover, stab binding, 8 x 10x.75”, 194 p., digital and Risograph prints, thermochromic paper
Design by Josh Eller and Lex Thompson
