WHAT IS AN ARTIST'S BOOK?

From Baseline by Ken Garland.

What is an artist's book? At its most, I suppose, a book conceived and compiled by an artist with the minimum of intervention by other hands; but within that definition there is a vast spectrum of variations. At one end of it are those creations, supervised by an indulgent publisher, in which an artist who knows little about bookmaking and printing is encouraged to produce works which can be converted into a book by ingenious technicians. There may be a single theme to the book or it may be a collation from the artist's canon. At the other end is a book in which every element is devised, executed and printed by the artist, and one which is devoted elusively to a subject of his/ her own choice.