Open publication - Free publishing - More art

OC ♥ NY Art Book Fair is a month-long series of posts focused on the exhibitors of the New York Art Book Fair, presented by Printed Matter, Inc., Nov. 5-7th at MoMA PS1, and sponsored in part by Opening Ceremony. Here, BOMB's Paul Morris reminisces about the influential magazine's early days, overcoming the hurdles of D.I.Y. publishing, and the excitement of celebrating its upcoming 30th anniversary.

We've heard our share of jokes about the magazine's title over the years, and taken some flak for it too. What some folks don't know is that BOMB's name was inspired by an early 20th century journal called BLAST, which, like BOMB, was edited by practicing artists and writers. What's more is that for the original editors, the word "bomb" had another meaning: an inside joke that the magazine would bomb, crash-and-burn style, before too long.

In retrospect, this morbid humor and predestined sense of failure now seems like it was stitched into the fabric of the magazine's production itself. BOMB's early issues possessed a newspaper-like tactile quality combined with a paste-up, do-it-yourself layout style. They were oversized, delicate, and difficult to preserve - raw artifacts that captured the art and essence of a specific period in time. It was precisely this scrappy, ephemeral nature that inspired the magazine's recent redesign by our gifted team at Everything Studio.

As we gear up to celebrate our 30th anniversary, we've been thinking a lot about our history, how far we've come, and where we're headed. Nothing tells BOMB's story better than these vintage issues. We are very excited to share them with the public during the NY Art Book Fair next month. After flipping through their pages, you'll come away with a new appreciation for a magazine you thought you knew, not to mention a little newsprint on your fingertips.

- Paul Morris

Check out OC’s interview with BOMB co-founder and editor-in-chief Betsy Sussler here.

Order current and past issues of BOMB Magazine here.