Ari Marcopoulos

Conrad McRae Youth League Tournament

Book coverConrad McRae Youth League Tournament
Book coverConrad McRae Youth League Tournament
Book coverConrad McRae Youth League Tournament
Book coverConrad McRae Youth League Tournament

The quality of this book is evident in everything: from the photography to the binding, from the editing to the printing by Drukkerij Tienkamp, who with this and a number of other books last year unfortunately made its swansong. This is a bold publication, with a fantastic rhythm reflected in the book block, which has the look of a layer cake.

The pictorial cover free from typography (produced in four versions) immediately drops us – thanks to Ari Marcopoulos’ photography – into the basketball court on Dean Street in Brooklyn. Subtle choices from this top-notch material – such as the nice addition of a small number of colour photos alongside the predominant black-and-white photography – are evidence of the designer’s adroit touch. The photography is up close and personal. The whole exudes New York and offers an intense insight into a community, so vivid it is almost possible to smell the streets, squares and even the players themselves.

The cold-glued binding and thin, textured cover ensure that in spite of its 816 pages this book sits lightly and comfortably in the hand, while retaining its rugged looks. This photo book, the design of which is not overly in-your-face, has rightly received a great deal of attention and has mostly assuredly earned its place among The Best Dutch Book Designs.

Edition: 2020
Release date: September 2020
Language: English
Final editor: Nina Woodson. Authors: Andrea Lissoni, Damani McNeil, Ari Marcopoulos
Picture editor: Ari Marcopoulos, Roger Willems
Photographer: Ari Marcopoulos
Publisher: Roma Publications, Amsterdam
Available through: Bookshop
Designer: Roger Willems (Amsterdam)
Lithographer: Henk Tienkamp, Groningen
Printer: Tienkamp, Groningen
Binder: Stronkhorst, Groningen
Dimensions: 164 x 219 x 31
Amount of pages: 816
Number of copies: 200 (4 x 300)
Price: € 45
ISBN: 9789492811752
Font and foundry: Trade Gothic (Linotype)
Binding style: Unsewn softcover; cold-glued
Paper interior: 60gsm Opakal, Igepa
Cover material: 250gsm Brossulin XT Bianco E|R05 Tela, Fedrigoni
Other technical features: Four different covers, printed in black and varnished; interior partly in CMYK, partly in black. Printing: waterless offset with highly pigmented inks
Awards: Silver medal Best Book Design from all over the World 2021