Funkcje litery w książkach artystycznych. Analiza wybranych dzieł

The article deals with the subject of how letters function within works referred to as artists’ books. Cited book studies definitions demonstrate that in the case of traditional publications, letters of the alphabet are used primarily to convey verbal communication. The analysis of pieces by selected Polish creators (Joanna Adamczewska, Roman Bromboszcz, Sławomir Brzoska, Robert Szczerbowski, Rafał Werszler, Tomasz Wilmański) proves that in artists’ books, letters fulfil different functions, operating in a way based on rules typical for graphic elements rather than for parts of the writing and language. At the same time, due to such use, they distort the traditional perception of books as text carriers and incline to perceive them as autonomous works of art.