Willem Mook Boekomslagen-Bookcovers

BOOKCOVERS

Book covers I have made for several Friesian writers and editors. A book is a spatial thing. You can grip it, to see, to smell and to feel it before you even read any sentence or title. This first familiarisation with a book must awake the hungry desire to catch and to keep your book for reading.
In fact as a designer of a book you belongs to that select few that may read the first results of long-term writing process. So reading is the issue.

Most covers I designed for Friesian authors and publishers. Frysk is small European language spoken in the Dutch province Fryslân. A couple of years ago it has been recognized as one of the two official Dutch languages. This great language has been producing literature by stubborn Friesian poets, authors and publishers for already several decades. A harsh job if you consider that a lot of native speakers cann't read their language because of a traditional lack of an exclusive Friesian writing press. In my opinion a necessary basic condition to preserve this living language in combination with other media.

Some how the Friesian politicians are more conveniant with financing soap series instead of an independant Frisian writing press. As an artist I tried to contribute my tiny part for the language I've learnt to speak, read and modestly write by means of being an illustrator for the only Frisian Press that had ever excisted: Frysk en Frij. I still miss the spirit of that independant Frisian magazine.