Description

The preparation and printing of the facsimile edition of Dragotin Kette’s Poems was entrusted by the Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica to Birografika Bori. The facsimile was created from the original edition, which is owned by the Municipality and is on display in Kette’s Memorial Room in Prem.

On behalf of Birografika Bori, the project was led by Helena Primc, a native of Ilirska Bistrica.
“The moment I first held the precious book in my hands was almost a sacred experience. The touch and the scent of an old book. I admired the paper, the pattern of the endpapers, the thoughtfully designed vignettes inside the book and on the covers… The illustrations in the original were additionally protected with silk paper…” Helena Primc described the beginning of an intriguing and responsible process of recreating the book, to which nothing was added except the colophon. “Creating a facsimile is always a pleasure. You need to know the history, research the materials, and carefully plan the digitisation of the content. The way a book is digitised makes a difference. Valuable books cannot simply be taken apart. These are unique challenges. At the company, we follow new developments and technologies that enable such demanding projects,” she explained.

The reprint of the book is a remarkable work that demonstrates the mastery and craftsmanship of the printing profession more than a century ago.