A word about the quality of the North American Thebaid book, which we plan to publish in 2018:

One of the earliest and most important decisions I made when forming the North American Thebaid Project was to learn about the printing of fine photographic books, so that I could ensure an excellent finished product.

That search led me to a world-class printer with over thirty years in the trade, Four Colour Print Group, and its pre-press subsidiary, FCI Digital.

I should mention that Four Colour Print Group and George Dick came personally recommended by journalist Genevieve Lacer, who has done two fine art coffee table books with them, which I have personally inspected and found to be of the highest quality. (They were also the lowest of three book printing quotes I received!)

When I met with George Dick, President & CEO of Four Colour in February 2016, I took with me examples of award-winning coffee table books by photographers I admire and follow, as well as my own 2014 retrospective photography book, Pursuing the Light, and George and I analyzed and critiqued them.

One edition, a little over twenty years old now, by one of America’s finest landscape photographers, showed definite signs of the pages yellowing around the edges, and to George Dick’s trained eye, it was clear the paper choice was the cause, perhaps because this was still at the dawn of printing from recycled materials, and the paper had acid and/or lignin content, which causes it to lose its pure white lustre as it ages.

With that warning example, and many stand-out features of some premium volumes used as benchmarks, we outlined the specifications required to create a finished book of the highest quality and image reproduction, with archival longevity, and identified the following:*

Hardcover Edition: Hardbound, 11″x13″, cloth-cover, Smyth-sewn binding, with deluxe, French-fold, scuff-resistant dust jacket; heavyweight matte, acid-free/lig-free fine-art paper, 157gsm/120#.

—Available as a perk for Thebaid Supporters starting at $50, $100 for signed copy. Multiple copy discounts available.

Deluxe Limited Edition:  Bonded Leather cover with gold-foil stamped title, Smyth-sewn binding with ribbon marker, in handsome, cloth-bound slipcase; heavyweight matte, acid-free/lig-free fine-art paper, 157gsm/120#.

—Available as a perk for Thebaid Supporters starting at $275, signed and numbered. Multiple copy discounts available.

For you financial supporters of the Thebaid Project, you may be as surprised as I was to discover that in spite of the superior quality of materials, processes, and hands-on tech support and pre-press guidance offered by Four-Colour Print Group and FCI Digital, their quote came in significantly lower than the two other print quotes I had already received from some high-profile book printing companies.

Ultimately, by committing up-front to the finest book printing, image reproduction, archival materials, and state-of-the-art publishing, pre-press and proofing technologies, we have attained a clear vision of our goal and methods, and have great confidence in our ability to create a worthy volume which we hope will be a lasting gift to Orthodox Christians and the Church for many years to come.

We hope this further inspires you to contribute to our crowdfunding campaign and help the Thebaid Project get off to a strong start.

Thank you for your support and prayers!

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* Of course, specifications are subject to change, due to technology, product availability, and other factors. But the point of this article is to affirm that the Thebaid Project has an outstanding partner in Four Colour Print Group and George Dick, who have decades of experience in crafting museum quality fine-art books with true archival characteristics, and we have the utmost confidence in their ability to deliver a stunning coffee table book at the conclusion of the Thebaid Pilgrimage.