Fine Press News

Moving to New Site

2006-06-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

I've fixed a few things up and will be moving over to http://finepress.wordpress.com. Please change your links, bookmarks, or RSS feeds to reflect this change. I will no longer be posting to this blog, but will leave it up.

The WordPress site, some have commented, is not as good-looking as this blog, but WordPress is more stable and has far more features for the blogmaster than Blogger does.

Book Arts Fair in Ottawa

2006-06-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

A BOOK ARTS FAIR!
17 June 2006, 10.30 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.
Free to the Public
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington St., Room A Ottawa, Ontario

Come b(u)y and see

On Saturday, June 17, 2006, the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild will present a Book Arts Fair at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St., Room A, Ottawa, Ontario. The fair is open to the public and admission is free.

This unique event will present a wide variety of work, including unique artist books, letter-pressed broadsides and publications, livres d'artiste, binding supplies - both for exhibit and for sale. Exhibitors include Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild members, such as book artists Lise Melhorn-Boe, North Bay, Ontario; Jacques Fournier, Montreal, Quebec; Norma Frolander , Pembroke Ontario; Peter Sramek, Toronto, Ontario; bookbinders Terry Rutherford, Port Moody, British Columbia; Janet Jancar, Ottawa, Ontario; papermaker Audrey Hollinger, Waterloo Ontario; paper marbler Lucie Lapierre, Chateauguay, Quebec; fine printers: Grace Notes Press, Burlington, Ontario; the Ottawa Press Gang: Rick Coxford, Holly Dean and Larry Thompson, Susan Globensky, April Flanders, Roberta Huebener, Britt Quinlan and Grant Wilkins. As well, Firefly author and artist George A. Walker will be at the Fair, showing new work and signing his book The Woodcut Artist's Handbook.

Library and Archives Canada will exhibit a sampling of its collection of fine press books and livres d'artiste during the CBBAG Book Arts Fair. This exhibition, located in the lobby of Library and Archives Canada, will include a selection of recent acquisitions by book artists and fine presses from across the country. In addition, the exhibition will feature CBBAG's newest collective work, A Book Arts Mosaic. The Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild is a not-for-profit, charitable, volunteer-run organization which organizes exhibitions, workshops, a bindery and open studio, public lectures, a quarterly newsletter, a biennial suppliers list, an audio-visual lending library, and many other activities. Visit the CBBAG website at www.cbbag.ca for further details or email the Guild at cbbag@cbbag.ca.

For more information contact: Randall Ware, Public Programs Officer, Library and Archives Canada; Telephone: (613) 992-0057.

Trying Out a New Site

2006-06-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking of moving this whole blog over to http://finepress.wordpress.com. Please take a look and let me know what you think.

Bibliographica 3 Remainders

2006-05-31T12:20:00.000-07:00

We've been unpacking more boxes and finding odd bits of things (cat toys, a can of WD-40, tennis balls, some Bulmer type); we also found a box within a box that contained a number of printed copies of Bibliographica 3 (Cedar Creek Press, a review of a Fox Run Press production, and a long essay on Ricky Jay and Patrick Reagh). These were sent out with something that Kira had printed during her stay with Graham & Kathy of Incline Press. So, if there's anyone out there who would like a copy with ephemera inserted, please e-mail me. There are about 15-20, so first come, first served until they run out. I'd like to trade them for printed ephemera (or maybe interesting stamps/paper money), if possible.

Summer Classes

2006-05-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

This summer, there are many good opportunities for printers or people who want to be printers to learn new skills or brush up on old ones. I'll focus here on two in New York.

First up is the Wells Book Arts Summer Institute, located in Western New York, which features two sessions in July:

Session 1: July 9 to 15
Peter Bain, "Stems and Beziers: An Introduction to Typeface Design"
Shanna Leino, "Late Coptic Bookbinding"
Katherine McCanless Ruffin, "Hand-set Type: The Sublime Process
of Letterpress Printing"

Session 2: July 16 to July 22
Cheryl Jacobsen, "Obedient Servant/Expressive Voice: Exploring the
Spectrum of Calligraphic Art"
Margot Ecke, "The Girdle Book"
Robin Price, "Chance Operations and Fine Printing: 17 things
you need to know as a poet"

Classes are filling up, so make sure to get yourself registered quickly.

For those in the New York City area (or who are looking for an excuse to go there), Intima Press offers a slew of classes:

COLLAGE WORKSHOP, Sat/Sun, June 3 & 4
INTRO TO ARTIST’S BOOK EDITIONS, Sat/Sun, June 10 & 11
INTRODUCTION TO LETTERPRESS, Thursday, June 29, 5:30-9:00PM
THE PRINTED POEM: BROADSIDE EDITION, F/S/S June 23,24,25
INTERMED/ADV ARTIST’S BOOK, Mon eves, June 12, 19, 26, July 10
MINIATURE BOOK EDITION, Fri eve/Sat/Sun, July 7, 8, 9
BLOCK PRINTING LINOCUT, Sat, August 5

To register (or for additional information), go to www.StudioOnTheSq.com or call 917-412-4134.

If you do register for any of these classes, tell them that you heard about it on Fine Press News as this will surely confuse them.

Type Museum Call for Help

2006-05-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Type Museum on the Brink of Closure: Your Help is Urgently Needed!

The trustees of the Type Museum have taken the decision this week to CLOSE and disperse the museum due to lack of funding.

These unique collections spanning the evolution of type design and manufacture will be split up and the majority put into storage -- unlikely to see the light of day again.

We need your help urgently if we are save the Type Museum as a working resource for the future. Apologies if you have received any cross-postings.

A meeting is scheduled to launch a Type Museum Society campaign to ensure a working future for the collections.

18:30 on Wednesday 24th May at the Type Museum, 100 Hackford Road SW9 0QU

All welcome. We need every kind of active support if we are to succeed.

If you are able to come along, or have any other time, ideas (or money!) to offer please email us at typemuseumsociety@gmail.com.

Thank you in anticipation

Tim Martin

for the Type Museum Society
typemuseumsociety@gmail.com

Receive Fine Press News Updates via E-mail

2006-05-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

I've set it up so that anyone who wishes to receive updates to this blog via e-mail may do so. There is a little icon just below the Site Feed link; click on it and you will be taken to a page where you can enter your e-mail address and subscribe to the service.

Apologies to Dean Bornstein

2006-05-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Dean had let me know about a month ago that he was speaking at Dartmouth C0llege on May 4th (today!) and I completely forgot to post it. Sorry, Dean! :(

For completists, here's the info:

The Friends of the Dartmouth Library cordially invite you to attend the Fifteenth Stephen Harvard Lecture:

"Intelligent Design: The Perpetua Press"
by Dean Bornstein
Book Designer, Letterpress Printer, and Illustrator

Thursday, May 4, at 5:00 in the afternoon
Treasure Room, Baker-Berry Library

Reception to follow.

Bibliographica 5

2006-05-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

It's finally done and a few months late. This 5th issue features Dean Bornstein and his Perpetua Press as well as a review of a recent work by Regula Russelle.

The link: http://dlist.sir.arizona.edu/1114/

I've also e-mailed this to most everyone on our subscriber list - if you'd like to receive an email when the next issue comes out, contact me at aeoluspress [at] yahoo [dot] com.

For those of you reading who are not on the mailing list, I will briefly note that we're changing to a twice-a-year publication schedule because the editorial board is too overloaded with stuff at the moment. If you would like to get involved in the production of Bibliographica (and maybe return to the quarterly heydays of last year), let me know; if you would like to write something for a future issue of Bibliographica (a review, an essay, or would like to introduce yourself and your press to our readers), please contact me. I, for one, would be very grateful.

Thanks!

New from Heavenly Monkey

2006-04-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

The latest news from Heavenly Monkey:

Heavenly Monkey Editions has just issued The Tale of Three Black Boxes, a book and companion suite of prints by Shinsuke Minegishi. The project merges and juxtaposes Minegishi’s interests in fine printmaking and fine bookmaking, presenting a series of new wood engravings in two strikingly different contexts and formats.

The core of the project consists of six wood engravings (each about 3 inches sq) that tell a sequential narrative about the adventures of three black boxes ("the smallest number a traditional family can be"). This story is told, with spare text, in a single signature book. The text is hand set in Gill Sans and printed on Arches paper with the HM handpress. The engravings were printed by the artist on gampi made in Japan by Shiho Nao, and mounted to the text sheets, which were then sewn into a single signature book with an embossed and debossed wrap.

A companion volume holds a suite of six prints that delve more deeply into the specific imagery of each engraving. The prints are multicolor woodcuts that incorporate an engraving, through windows and openings cut into the printed sheet. These prints - along with a title sheet, one-page essay by the artist, and colophon - are held loose in a black portfolio. Both cases are held in a matching slipcase with printed spine label. All cases are made by the artist.

The edition is limited to 25 sets, of which five are reserved for distribution exclusively in Japan. The book and portfolio (both 8.5 x 7 inches) in each set feature descriptive colophons, numbered and signed by Minegishi (the book in English, the portfolio in Japanese). The Tale of Three Black Boxes is Minegishi’s most ambitious publishing project to date, hence the small edition; at the time of publication, just five copies remain available from the publisher.

This is HM's second publication for 2006. It was preceded by a checklist of the 17 titles published from 1998 - 2005, and the first ever attempt at recording the studio's ephemera and Christmas books. Two hundred copies of this 8-page pamphlet, printed from polymer plates and sewn in a printed wrap featuring our new press device, were issued in February.

Inferno Press: Egg Sandwiches & Stanley Morison

2006-04-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Paul Razzell of Inferno Press sent along this notice of his first publication, Stanley Morison’s Egg-Sandwich Exegesis:

What do Stanley Morison, the Fell types, egg sandwiches and literary hoaxes have in common? You’ll find out in Stanley Morison’s Egg-Sandwich Exegesis, a parody of the twentieth century’s greatest typographic historian. As you can guess from this description, the book was published for a very . . . select audience. In a fit of optimism, we printed 100 copies. For anyone who enjoys a good literary hoax and a bit of fun at a great writer’s expense, this book is sure to delight.

Stanley Morison’s Egg-Sandwich Exegesis is set digitally in Fell types—about which Morison spent forty years researching and writing—and was printed letterpress on Mohawk paper and bound in soft covers. With an original illustration by Brent Dutton. Nine pages. 5 by 8 inches. The price is CDN$30 which includes shipping anywhere in the world.

Books may be ordered directly from the Press by email or by calling 604 731 6365. We accept payment from bank-account funded PayPal accounts, international money orders or (in Canada) personal cheques.

Our address is

INFERNO PRESS
1857 West 4th Avenue, No. 227
Vancouver, B.C., V6J 1M4
Canada

Please see our blog for more information.

A Paper Snowstorm

2006-03-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

Now published (I'm pretty sure) is the latest from Incline Press - A Paper Snowstorm: Toni Savage & the Leicester Broadsheets.

Ever since the early 1960s, the private presses of Leicester and the surrounding country have attracted particular attention for their remarkable booklet and broadsheet publications. At the centre of the exploits was Toni Savage -- one-time opera singer and now folk-club enthusiast and printer extraordinary -- an active inspiration to many potential printer-publishers in the waning days of commercial letterpress. A Paper Snowstorm is his story, as told by several of his contemporaries: Alan Brignull, Duine Campbell, Rigby Graham & Cynthia Savage, with examples of printed work as the main illustrations. The book includes a listing of broadsheets issued with Leicestershire imprints to the end of 2004, compiled by Derek Deadman. The book is illustrated throughout with more than thirty-five facsimiles tipped onto the pages, woodcuts, engravings, line drawings and photographs of the printers at work. In a folder within the book's slipcase are ten original Leicester Broadsheets: five Phoenix Broadsheets from the press of Toni Savage and at least one each from Alan Brignull, Derek Deadman, Hans van Eijk, Rigby Graham and Cynthia Savage. The book has been printed in an edition of 200. 14 x 10 inches the book, with the accompanying folder comes in a slipcase. Printed from metal type using a Victoria Platen Press, the text is set in Bembo on Magnani mould-made paper and bound in the workshop of Stephen Conway. The price is £168 ($300) including post and packing.

Direct queries (or orders) to books.inclinepress@virgin.net or Incline Press, 36 Bow Street, Oldham OL1 1SJ, England.

Call for Submissions: Parenthesis

2006-03-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

In my Inbox today:

Call for Submissions: Parenthesis

One of the best things about Parenthesis: The Journal of the Fine Press Book Association is the active involvement of members of the fine press community as reviewers and correspondents. If you have an idea for an article or review that would be of interest to Parenthesis readers, please contact Paul Razzell at inferno_press@mac.com. The Editorial Board would be happy to look over your proposals. We are always in need of books to review, so if you are a printer or a publisher, please consider submitting a copy of your book for review. Priority is given to fine press books over trade titles. Please contact Paul before sending the book, as it is often cheaper to send it directly to the reviewer. We also run articles dealing with presses, collecting, illustration, historical subjects and typography, though we welcome any suggestion you may have.

Please see our website at http://www.the-old-school.demon.co.uk/fpba/fpbamain.htm.

Claire Van Vliet Exhibition & Talk at Grolier Club

2006-03-13T14:38:00.000-08:00

The current exhibition at the Grolier Club is Claire Van Vliet & the Janus Press: Celebrating Fifty Years (February 21- April 29, 2006). Accompanying the exhibition is a catalog and a talk that is open to the public:

As part of its mission to promote the art and history of the book, this season the Grolier Club is opening some of its lectures to the book-loving public.

The latest lecture in this program takes place on Thursday March 23, at 6 pm, when artist and book maker Claire Van Vliet will speak about handmade papers and the Janus Press, in connection with the Grolier Club exhibition Claire Van Vliet & The Janus Press: Celebrating Fifty Years.

Public visitors are encouraged to RSVP the Grolier Club so they have an idea of how many will attend. Business attire is suggested.

Schanilec Wins Hertzog Award

2006-02-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

Carl Hertzog Award Winner and Runners-up

Mr. Gaylord Schanilec of Stockholm, Wisconsin, will be presented with the tenth Carl Hertzog Award for Excellence in Book Design and Mr. J. P. Bryan, Chairman and CEO of Torch Energy Advisors Inc. in Houston, will deliver the twelfth Carl Hertzog lecture at ceremonies on Saturday, February 4, 2006, at the University of Texas at El Paso. The national competition and lecture are part of Carl Hertzog Day sponsored by the Friends of the University Library.

In addition to a cash award of $1,000, Mr. Schanilec received a specially struck bronze medallion, and a framed certificate for his design of the book Mayflies of the Driftless Region, written by Clarke Garry and printed by Midnight Paper Sales, 2005. This year’s judges selected Mayflies of the Driftless Region from other entries, which represented a diverse range of style, creativity and production techniques. The judges commended Mayflies of the Driftless Region for its complexity of material and its consistency of presentation, and said that it was surprisingly beautiful for a scientific book. The judges also noted that Mr. Shanilec also produced an elegant binding that was very appropriate for the subject.

A team of three judges reviewed the 79 books submitted for this year's competition. The books represented 47 designers (or teams including authors, editors, and others) and 32 publishers. The judges this year were: Enid Mark, Ninth Carl Hertzog Book Design Award Winner, Book Artist, and proprietor of The ELM Press; Tom Moore, Retired Cartoonist of “Archie Comics” fame, freelancer, and teacher of Computerized Graphic Art, and Robert A. Seal, Hertzog Competition Founder, past Hertzog judge, and Dean of Libraries at Loyola University Chicago.

This year the judges selected three honorable mentions, in no particular order:

1. The China I Knew by Rose Covarrubias.
Designer: Terry Horrigan. Printed by: Protean Press, 2005.
2. The Old in Their Knowing by Robert Bringhurst.
Designer: Peter Koch. Printed by: Editions Koch, 2005.
3. Naming by Philip Levine.
Designer: Chad Oness. Printed by: Sutton Hoo Press, 2004.

Upcoming Goudy Lecture at Scripps College

2006-01-26T19:25:00.000-08:00

Frederic W. Goudy Lecture
Janus Press: Fifty Years
Claire Van Vliet
February 11, 2006 at 7:30 p.m.
Humanities Auditorium, Scripps College
Claremont, California

This slide talk with Claire Van Vliet will be an overview of the fifty years with an emphasis on how bookmaking has evolved at the Press.

Claire Van Vliet began the Janus Press in San Diego just after receiving her MFA in 1954 from Claremont Graduate School where she studied with the art faculty of Scripps College. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1989–1994 and has received Honorary Doctorates of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia in 1993 and San Diego State University in 2002. Van Vliet was elected to the National Academy, New York, in 1995 for her work as a printmaker, the emphasis of her studies at Scripps. The Frederic W. Goudy Lecture is free and open to the public.

Frederic W. Goudy Workshop
More Woven and Interlocking Structures
Claire Van Vliet
February 11–12, 2006
9:30–4:30 p.m.
$180 + $30 materials fee
Sponsored by the Scripps College Press

Leave your adhesive home. Woven and interlocking quilt pages will be made into a book, plus several non-adhesive pop-ups will be components in woven strip bindings that have been developed for the most recent Janus books—Rise and the Gospel of Mary. All will fit in a slipcase and will be made with pre-cut materials.

TWO EXHIBITIONS:

Zones of Activity
OPENING RECEPTION: 4:30 p.m. on February 11, 2006

An exhibit of 45 artist books from Denison Library’s Special Collections was curated by the Core III class at Scripps College taught by Prof. Maryatt. It will open January 23 and continue until March 19, 2006. The exhibit was inspired by readings from Johanna Drucker, Betty Bright and Renée and Judd Hubert’s books. A student-produced catalog and a DVD of the exhibit are available.
Library hours: M–Th 9-midnight, F 9–5, Sa 12–7, Su 12–midnight

Journeys with Janus: The Books of Claire Van Vliet’s Janus Press
OPENING RECEPTION: 5:00 p.m. on February 11, 2006

This remarkable exhibit of Claire Van Vliet’s work over fifty years will open at the Clark Humanities Museum on January 17 and continue until March 10, 2006. Museum hours are M–F 9–12, 1–5

For further information, please contact Prof. Kitty Maryatt, Director of the Scripps College Press, at (909) 607-3866 or KMaryatt@ScrippsCollege.edu

Back Issues of Bibliographica Now Online

2006-01-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

All of the first four issues of Bibliographica are now available online:

1 (Winter 2005)
2 (Spring 2005)
3 (Summer 2005)
4 (Fall 2005)

The editors would like to thank Anita Coleman for helping with our transition to a digital format.

Bibliographica 4

2006-01-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

It went out a week or so ago, but I've been holding off blogging about Issue 4. This year's issues will all be published electronically (which will help us get issues out in a more timely fashion), but we're also archiving past issues online at DLIST, a repository for library & information science materials. So Issue 4 is now also available online at http://dlist.sir.arizona.edu/1036/. This issue features a piece by Sarah Vickers about the social aspect of the private press world, reviews of books by Caveworks Press and Press on Scroll Road, and fine press news.

News from Old School Press

2006-01-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

I had forgotten to post about some Old School Press news back in November or December: the three unpublished Harry Carter essays that accompanied the deluxe version of Harry Carter, Typographer were released separately as Three Pieces:

During their researches on Harry Carter's life and work, the authors of Harry Carter, Typographer came across about 150pp of typescript material that he had drafted towards a second volume of his history of Oxford University Press. Unfortunately, that volume was never to see the light of day, but we have taken the opportunity to publish two of the essays in that typescript. The first, 'Bradley’s Observations', describes (in Carter’s words) ‘the worst dereliction of duty in the history of the Press’ and is fascinatingly tied up with the £20,000 prize offered under the Longitude Act of 1714 for an accurate way of determining longitude. The second, 'Thomas Bensley as a Partner', is a tale of fraud and deception at the Press. In August 1932, Carter sent an essay on the influence of John Baskerville on type design to Jan van Krimpen for inclusion in the first issue of a proposed successor to The Fleuron, but that also never came to fruition. Carter's essay on this most influential of English type designers - whose tercentenary is in 2006 - makes the third item in this volume of his work.

Old School Press is also sending out an announcement of a new publication - Fell's Flowers. The announcement is being sent out to gauge interest in a project that is very much in its early stages. Some excerpts from the prospectus:

The Old School Press is in the process of cataloguing the remaining Fell type at Oxford and at St Bride Printing Library; the majority of the type that survived the smelter at the closure of the Printing House in 1989 was for setting text, but there are in fact around a hundred founts of flowers still in packets. We are delighted to have been given permission by OUP to prepare a small edition showing the remaining flowers. [...]
The text will be hand-set in 12/15pt Van Dijck and [...] case-bound in quarter cloth [...]. We anticipate a small edition, with three-quarters going to subscribers, each of whom will receive an ad personam copy. To subscribe please write, in the first instance, to flowers@theoldschoolpress.com or to The Old School Press, The Old School, The Green, Hinton Charterhouse, Bath BA2 7TJ, U.K., letting us know that you intend taking a copy when it is published. When production starts in earnest and we have a date for publication, we shall announce the final price and contact you to confirm that you still wish to take a copy and to request payment if you do. The price is expected (but not promised) to be around £120 (US$230) plus shipping at cost.

Eric Gill's "On the Flying Scotsman"

2006-01-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Perpetua Press recently discovered a small cache of unbound sheets for its first book "On the Flying Scotsman" by Eric Gill. The numbered edition from 1993 is sold out, but there is now a lettered edition available for $50. I have a copy of the 1993 edition and it's a lovely book; this re-issued edition is well worth adding to your collection.

Logan Elm Press "Apology for Printers"

2005-12-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

From the BookArts-L listserv:

The Ohio State University Libraries Logan Elm Press announces a limited edition of the "Apology for Printers" to be published on the occasion of The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary 1706-2006. Benjamin Franklin's short essay on the importance of a free marketplace of ideas first appeared in his Pennsylvania Gazette on June 10, 1731. ¶ This Logan Elm Press edition, with an introduction by Peter Givler, Executive Director of the Association of American University Presses, is accompanied by a multicolor reduction woodcut portrait of Franklin by Sidney Chafetz, OSU Professor Emeritus of Art. ¶ Peter Givler writes and lectures on the world of scholarly publishing and the stresses and opportunities created by the new communications technologies. ¶ Sidney Chafetz has produced an internationally acclaimed body of work as a printmaker that includes numerous portraits of authors and cultural icons. His multicolor reduction woodcut portrait of Franklin for this edition was printed by cutting away portions of the woodblock's surface after each color was printed, repeating this process of cutting and printing until almost none of the woodblock's surface remained.¶The text was composed in Langston Caslon 337, the close? version to Franklin's types, and printed on a Vandercook Proofing Press on Rives Heavyweight mouldmade paper off photopolymer plates. ¶ Limited to 150 numbered and signed copies, the edition will be handsewn into a non-adhesive self-wrapped structure of Hahnemühle Bugra and Zerkall papers over boards, and will be available in January 2006, priced at $250.00 per copy. ¶ Included with each copy is a separate Broadside of Franklin looking over a freshly printed sheet. ¶ Copies can be ordered before January 31, 2006 at the pre-publication price of $125.00, which includes Ohio sales tax & insured shipping. ¶To reserve your copy(s) now at the pre-publication price, please send a check, or a purchase order, made out to OSU Libraries Logan Elm Press, Attn: Robert Tauber, 1858 Neil Avenue Mall, Room 011, Columbus, OH 43210-1286.¶ For further information, please contact: tauber.1@osu.edu or phone: (614) 688-3973.

Christmas Booklets from The Printery

2005-12-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

The Printery has a slew of holiday booklets that would make great gifts for friends or family (or for yourself). The latest addition to their list of Christmas booklets is O. Henry's Gift of the Magi:

A true Christmas classic about a young, poor, and foolish (or were they?) couple who sacrificed for each other their greatest treasures. This 24-page booklet has been handset in Bulmer types, with a sprinkling of Parsons and Friar for ‘seasoning.’ It is printed in four colors on Arches Rives, a French mould-made sheet, and sewn into marbled paper wrappers. The title page ornament is hand colored. The original illustrations are by Steve Edwards. $27.50

Sea Monsters

2005-12-04T19:20:00.000-08:00

Cotton Socks Press recently released its latest book Sea Monsters. A description from the website:

Printed in an edition of only 20, this handmade letterpress book includes 4 etchings on copper printed chine cole onto BFK Rives printmaking paper. Text is printed in 10pt Italian Old Style with 20 pt Augustea for display. The book is handbound into dragon skin paper covers using paper handmade by Reg Lissel. $225.00

There are images of one of the etchings and of the book itself.

P.S. - Can someone tell me what "printed chine cole" means?

"The Room of Crosses"

2005-12-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

New to me is Convivio Bookworks, a fine press run out of Florida. Their latest offering is The Room of Crosses, described as "a Florida folktale of sorts." It comes in a regular and deluxe edition, with the primary difference that the deluxe is bound in leather, the regular in cloth. Take a look at the webpage for the book to see photos and get the full details.

Two Books from Incline Press

2005-11-12T18:07:00.000-08:00

Recently issued from Incline Press:
Images of History by Terry Wyke is a history of Manchester Metropolitan University as told through a series of lovely illustrations.

To be published (maybe already released):
A Christmas Carol illustrated by Chris Burke. From the prospectus:

Among his colour work Chris Burke has created over fifty murals for Ottaker's bookshops, from Banbury to Woking, and many a cover for The Sunday Times Books section, as well as many advertising commissions and book jackets. His black and white works include the series of portraits, Birthdays of the Rich and Famous, and a particularly striking poster for the Welsh National Opera production of Carmen. A portfolio of his work can be seen at www.chrisburke.org.uk.

Surpisingly this is his first illustrated book, and we are pleased to have four full colour plates and four more in black and white. The book is printed from metal type and hand bound with a cloth spine and decorated paper sides over boards.

Eight copies containing one each of the original illustrations have already been spoken for. The rest of the edition of two hundred copies, each numbered, contains an original sketch made while planning the illustrations, signed by Chris Burke.

Copies will be posted in the first week of December, and the price of $130 includes postage. There are no loose items in this book, but should you require a slip-case to match the book, they can be ordered for delivery with the book, price $30 each.

For more information or to order a copy, contact Graham Moss and Kathy Whalen, Incline Press, 36 Bow Street, Oldham OL1 1SJ England, http://www.inclinepress.com, books.inclinepress@virgin.net.

The Lone Oak Press & Henry David Thoreau

2005-11-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

Abigail Rorer's Lone Oak Press recently published Of Woodland Pools, Spring-Holes & Ditches a collection of entries from Thoreau's Journal from the months of March, April, and May "to give a sense of the awakening spring and teeming life in the pools and woods at this time of year." Here are the details from the prospectus:

Accompanying the text are 28 engravings, some with hand-coloring, by Abigail Rorer and printed by the artist. She lives not far from Thoreau's Concord, Massachusetts home and the engravings are based on the landscape and pools that Thoreau explored and the similar landscape that surrounds the artist's home. Bradley P. Dean, renowned Thoreau scholar, has written a compelling introduction to the book. The book consists of 92 pages in a 10 x 8 inch landscape format. Michael Russem of Kat Ran Press designed the book and printed the text on Zerkall Book. Barbara Blumenthal bound the book with marbled papers by Iris Nevins. The type is Baskerville, cast by Michael & Winifred Bixler. There are 70 copies, bound in morocco leather with marbled paper sides in a clamshell case, with 14 accompanied by an extra suite of prints and one of the blocks as a boxed set. The regular edition is $1600 per copy, while the deluxe edition is $3000.

Further information can be obtained from

THE LONE OAK PRESS
Abigail Rorer
16 Oliver Street
Petersham, Mass. 01366
978-724-6672
loneoakpr49@earthlink.net

New from Rampant Lions Press

2005-11-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

Just now in my Inbox, news from Sebastian Carter:

in the beginning

The Rampant Lions Press announces a new book of cut paper images, following the model of Wilfred Owen: Five poems, which has sold out. Colin Franklin, writing in The Private Library, called it 'an extraordinary artistic success'.

The new book is in the beginning, the creation story from the first two chapters of the book of Genesis. There will be eight cahiers, each with a day of creation, plus a coda: the text is hand-set in 24pt Hunt Roman and printed on the last of the J Green mould-made paper from the Rampant Lions stock. The images are being designed and hand-cut by Sebastian Carter in sheets of different-coloured Canson Mi-Teintes paper, with extra colours added by silk-screen and stencil. The format is 38 x 29 cm. The cahiers will be gathered in a printed card chemise and enclosed in a clam-shell box.

The letterpress is printed and the illustrations planned. The book will be published in mid-2006. There will be 25 copies plus three hors commerce. The subscription price is £850, valid until 31 March 2006; after that it will be £1000.

A prospectus is available: please email your terrestrial address to: sebastianc@waitrose.com

Gerald Lange Opinion Page

2005-11-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

Another quick note: Gerald Lange has created a page of articles and opinion pieces about printing - BielerPressII. With just a brief glance, I saw much of interest. I lament a bit the excessive verticality of the page (using blog software to post long texts can do that), but I applaud heartily Gerald's work to make his writings more widely available. There is much discussion in the academic world about open access and institutional repositories - maybe we could set up a place online for printing/fine press folks to post articles/opinion pieces/essays that could be read by a wider audience (this would be especially nice for those of us who live in places that lack a decent library of fine press/printing materials).

Bibliographica 4 Delayed

2005-11-10T06:19:00.000-08:00

Fine Press News has been fairly silent even though there are things to be posted - this should be rectified this weekend (I've been very busy with work-related things and unfortunately "real life" trumps blogging sometimes). Also, I want to let folks know that Bibliographica 4 will likely not be ready for mailing until the first or second week of December.

"Poisonous Plants" from Sherwin Beach Press

2005-10-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

Upcoming from Sherwin Beach Press is Poisonous Plants at Table:

incorporating selections from Poisonous Plants In Field and Garden by the Reverend Professor G. Henslow, with Poisonous Plants at Table (selected menus and recommendations) by Dr. E. Coffin; and featuring Prudence: The Cautionary Tale of a Picky Eater, written and illustrated by Audrey Niffenegger

Designed by Trisha Hammer, this tongue-in-cheek field guide features four seasonal party menus accompanied by the illustrated story of Prudence. The Japanese silk covered case drops away to expose the sewing and non-adhesive binding. A back pocket houses the text block while a front pocket houses a plant collection sleeve containing pressed Colchicum blossoms.

Set in Monotype Gill Sans and Joanna by Michael and Winifred Bixler. Letterpress printed in two colors by Martha Chiplis on Mohawk Superfine and Twinrocker handmade, with the illustrations giclée printed on specially coated handmade paper developed by Twinrocker Handmade Paper.

Now accepting reservations at a pre-publication price of $975 with a $200 deposit. After March 1, 2006, the price will become $1200. Delivery dates are not guaranteed, but we hope to start shipping the first of the copies around April Fools Day, 2006.

Warwick Press's "Gypsy Bookbinder"

2005-10-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

In December of 2000 the University of Massachusetts Amherst marked the acquisition of its three millionth volume, chosen to be James Baldwin's Gypsy & Other Poems. The volume was published in 1989 by Leonard Baskin's Gehenna Press in Northampton, Massachusetts. One of the speakers at the celebratory event was bookbinder and book conservator Daniel Gehnrich, hand binder of the Baldwin edition.

I sat in the audience and listened as Daniel told the tale of his first meeting with Leonard Baskin, and as he spoke of the growing friendship between he and his wife Babette, and the Baskins, I knew I wanted to publish the text of the talk. Good things take time to produce and life often gets in the way of the best made plans. But this funny and joyful account of the Gehnrichs, their long journey to western Massachusetts and the bindings of the Gypsy edition, is well worth waiting for.

Daniel Gehnrich completed a three-year apprenticeship in bookbinding and conservation in Berlin before returning to the States in 1985 to work for David Bourbeau (The Thistle Bindery), Gray Parrot, and The Morgan Library. He later established his own business in New Haven, moved on to Worcester, and now lives and works in Paxton, Massachusetts, hence the aptly titled, Gypsy Bookbinder. Daniel excels in the restoration and repair of books and paper items. He is highly sought after for his unique skills and creative expertise.

Eighty copies were designed, letterpress printed and hand bound by Carol J. Blinn using a snazzy Thai red/black paper for the soft cover binding. Each book has a tipped-in original paste paper sample made by Daniel, a digitally reproduced photo of Daniel with Arno Werner and a photo of the Baldwin book. The typeface is Joanna and the paper is Biblio. The twenty-five page book measures five by seven and one-half inches high. Daniel has bound several hors commerce copies in full leather. Signed.

$100.00 (Ten percent of the purchase price of this volume will be donated to the Red Cross for hurricane relief.)

See some images from the book or obtain further information at the Warwick Press website:
http://www.warwickpress.com/inner/gypsy.htm

New Publication of a Wendell Berry Poem

2005-10-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

Press on Scroll Road recently published The Farm, a poem by Wendell Berry accompanied by wood engravings by Wesley Bates:

The text of The Farm was printed from handset Cloister Lightface type on Twinrocker paper in an iron handpress. The lovely wood engravings were editioned in the same press on paper from Ruscombe Mill. All has been bound up very nicely by Priscilla Spitler. 10.875 x 6.75 inches, 34 pages, in an edition of 50 copies. $190.00 postpaid.

Contact/orders: Press on Scroll Road, 2210 Scroll Road SW, Carrollton, OH 44615

New Lovecraft Limited Edition

2005-09-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

News of the latest from Heavenly Monkey, courtesy of an e-mail from Rollin Milroy:

Heavenly Monkey's new edition of H.P. Lovecraft's novella The Shadow Over Innsmouth will be launched at the upcoming Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair (October 8-9). The book, issued in two states, was developed from HM's digitally-printed edition of ten copies issued in 2002. The 60,000-word story was set in Centaur and Arrighi, and printed in from polymer plates by David Clifford at Black Stone Press. The book features the Hieronymus Bosch-inspired wood engravings created by Shinsuke Minegishi for the 2002 project (frontis shown below).

Lovecraft was primarily an author of short stories published in pulp magazines during the 1920s and '30s. Innsmouth is one of just a few novellas he wrote, and the only book published during his lifetime. It was a poorly produced hardcover of about 400 copies, of which fewer than half were sold. Except for the handful of austere (yet beautiful) chapbooks published by Roy Squires, Lovecraft's stories have remained the realm of small, genre publishers and cheap paperbacks since his death in 1937. Recent years have, however, seen a growing critical re-evaluation of his work, including a new collection of stories issued as part of the Library of America series earlier this year.

The two issues of the book (small octavo, 150 pp) take their names from Lovecraft's description of Innsmouth's inhabitants' odd countenance.

The Batrachian issue (125 copies with the imprint Heavenly Monkey Editions) was printed on Mohawk Superfine, with the engravings reproduced from polymer as chapter openings. These copies are hand-sewn and cased in gilt-stamped cloth. C$200

The Ichthyic issue (25 copies with the imprint Heavenly Monkey) was printed on Nideggen and features proofs of the six engravings printed at HM on gampi and sewn in as overlays to the chapter openings. These copies have been signed by the artist, and are hand-bound at the studio in a printed wrap inside a translucent limp case made from Reg Lissel's vellum paper. By advance arrangement with subscribers, five of these copies had the proofs hand-colored by the artist. Issued at C$600, this issue is fully subscribed (copies can be had from our regular dealers).

Further details can be seen at http://www.heavenlymonkey.com/upcoming.htm. Copies of both issues, including two colored copies, will be on display in Seattle at the booths of Wessel & Lieberman and Vamp & Tramp. This is the third book issued by HM in 2005. It follows a monograph by Charles van Sandwyk on several bookplates he created for a private collector in the 1990s (The Mouse & The Lizard, edition of 12 copies), and a newly discovered letter from T.E. Lawrence to a correspondent in British Columbia (An Invitation to British Columbia, edition of 50 copies), both of which were out of print upon publication.

Pennant and His Welsh Landscapes

2005-09-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

New from Gwasg Gregyog:

Pennant and His Welsh Landscapes

THOMAS PENNANT was revered by contemporaries, notably receiving the accolade of that great arbiter of literary work, Samuel Johnson. He draws us inexorable into his absorbing narrative. He was sensitive to scenic impact, noting that near Leeswood 'Cambria here lays aside her majestic air and condescends to assue a gentler form'. The contents of houses are sharply observed: Pen Bedw held Sir Kenelm Digby's 'curious illuminated books';and Powys Castle's gallery was 'filled with bad paintings'. Castles and fortifications are to the fore. He contemplates on the ruins of the fort at Deganwy, and has 'melancholy reflections' at Conway Castle like some latter-day Gibbon. The classical scholar in Pennant frequently comes out: he finds the tradition of the Graves of the Men of Ardudwy 'nearly parallel with the Rape of the Sabines'. The Tour in Wales is a lively museum of this man's verve, knowledge, wit and language.

Readings from Thomas Pennant's The Tour in Wales (1776-1784), selected and edited by Gwyn Walters. Illustrated with colour woodcuts by Rigby Graham, the selection retains, in an elegant prose, that rich mixture of history, typography and comment which gave the original work pioneer status and instant acclaim.

A PROLIFIC and versatile painter, printmaker and illustrator, Rigby Graham has illustrated hundreds of books for both private and commercial presses. In his illustrations for Pennant and his Welsh Landscapes he has attempted to reflect the contemporary view rather than reproduce that of Pennant, and has compressed time, so that past and present often co-exist within a single image. Graham has attempted to inject vitality into the volume by using vibrant colours for each of the 16 full page and 4 double page illustrations, and in so doing has created dynamic and visually stimulating volume for Gwasg Gregynog.

Set in Monotype Baskerville and printed on Velin Arches pure cotton mould-made paper. The edition is limited to 165 copies, of which 150 will be hand-bound in quarter leather, titles in gold on the spine and both boards, and presented (together with an editioned set of prints) in a drop-back box. Both bindings have been designed by Rigby Graham. Also available unbound. 168 pages, 240 x 350mm.

Special binding-16 copies in a full-leather binding containing an additional set of prints and presented in a cloth-covered drop-back box.(1 copy remaining).

Quarter leather £550. Unbound sheets £300. The illustrations will be available as signed copies-please enquire for details.

Peggy Angus Exhibition at St. Bride's

2005-09-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

Peggy Angus: Inspirations & Influences
An exhibition at the St Bride Institute
Bride Lane, Fleet Street, London
16 November — 15 December 2005

Opening with a private view and illustrated lecture by Carolyn Trant
author of Art for Life
in aid of the Friends of the St Bride Library,
on 15 November 2005 at 6.30 p.m.
Entry £5 (concs. £3).
Further details will be available from the St Bride Library web site.

As well as prints and artwork by Peggy Angus, this exhibition will include the work of 5 craft workers directly inspired by Peggy:

Katherine Morris Hand-blocked wallpaper
Di Hall Tiles worth walking on
Carolyn Trant Artist's books from Parvenu Press
Philippa Threlfall Black Dog of Wells decorative terracotta tiles
Barry Viney The teacher taught

Alcuin Society Wayzgoose

2005-09-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Alcuin Society announces it's annual Alcuin Wayzgoose 2005: A Letterpress Book Fair to be held Saturday, October 22 from 10am-4pm at the Vancouver Public Library (the one in British Columbia, Canada). Featured presses include Barbarian Press, Pie Tree Press, Heavenly Monkey, and others (do at least go to the Wayzgoose page and check out the web pages for the presses to be present - there's a lot of interesting printing going on). For further information contact Eric L. Swanick at 604.291.4626 or wayzgoose@alcuinsociety.com.

News from Incline Press

2005-09-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

The monumental Art for Life: The Story of Peggy Angus was finished a month or so ago, but I had forgotten to post it here:

Art for Life is a big book, 240 pages and 15 x 10 inches. It is letterpress printed on a Victoria Platten Press in Monotype Scotch Roman and Italic ('cause we thought Peggy would approve) on a bespoke Magnani paper. The book has been hand bound in the workshop of designer binder Stephen Conway, using quality bookcloth and a patterned paper made from one of Peggy's designs. As those who knew her will appreciate, Peggy's output is much too large to be contained between the covers of a simple book. The pages are filled with photos, reproductions and prints. The book needs to be specially housed. In consultation with Stephen Conway, a slip case has been devised to hold the book and a specially-designed portfolio. This will contain four facsimile sketchbooks and a CD of Peggy taken from the tapes Carolyn made while working on the book with her. On the CD are a few of her stories of life in the 1940s, opening and, of course, Peggy singing Raggle Taggle Gypsy O.

The book is priced at £300 or $600 including all mailing and packing charges.

Also upcoming is A Paper Snowstorm: Toni Savage & the Leicester Broadsheets, a biography of this important figure in the English folk music scene of the 1960s which will contain a whole slew of broadsheets: facsimiles, originals, and new ones printed by Joe Quercus at the Aardvark Press, Alan Brignall at the Hedgehog Press and Cynthia Savage's Fenice Press.

Due for publication November 1st 2005: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, with colour illustrations by Chris Burke.

Twinned Towers

2005-08-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Twinned Towers: a poem about the WTC attacks by Canadian poet John Pass is the latest offering from Anik See and her Fox Run Press:

Set in Deepdene, with Italian Old Style and Empire titling, and ornaments cast by Scott King. Printed on a fate's chance of papers, using a Chicago post-style binding. 24 pages, 7 3/4 in x 4 1/2 in. Edition of 94. Regular: $75; Deluxe: $125.

For further information (such as whether or not the price is in US or Canadian dollars), contact Anik See at foxrunpress@yahoo.ca; for information on ordering a copy or subscribing to Fox Run Press, visit the Fox Run Press order page.

New from Fleece Press

2005-08-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

An e-mail from Oak Knoll has alerted me to the publication of a new book from Fleece Press; I've added info from the Fleece Press website below:

Due for publication in July 2005 is the highly important new biography of Edward Bawden by Malcolm Yorke, the first since Douglas Percy Bliss’ Pendomer Press book in 1979. The Inward Laugh, Edward Bawden and his circle has been printed by J.W.Northend Fine Print in Sheffield, and runs to 292 pages, very heavily illustrated in colour on almost every page. There are 750 copies (650 for sale), of which 100 copies are accompanied by loose 1930s copper engravings of four pottery transfer designs, housed in a slipcase (fully subscribed), and the rest are bound in quarter cloth and a Bawden patterned paper. Standard copies will be £262 on publication, and it is expected the book will shortly be out of print. A separate prospectus is available on application.

If you wish to contact the proprietor of Fleece Press directly to inquire or purchase, you may write Simon Lawrence, The Fleece Press, 95 Denby Lane, Upper Denby, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD8 8TZ, U.K.; or e-mail Mr. Lawrence at simon.lawrence@ghcomonline.net.

New Booklet from The Printery

2005-08-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

Newly added to the list of offerings from The Printery is A True Depiction of all Manner of the Book Arts, 1568:

Reproductions of 1568 woodcuts accurately depicting the draughtsman, wood-cutter, papermaker, printer, and bookbinder with each accompanied by period verse. Printed on La Garde, a French handmade sheet from the 1930s and sewn into marbled paper wrappers. 16 pp. $14.50

For more information or to order a copy, send an e-mail to proprietor@theprinterybooks.com.

Letterpress Course Offered by Gerald Lange

2005-08-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

A great opportunity for those in the Los Angeles area: Gerald Lange will be teaching "Finer Points in Letterpress Typography" at Art Center College of Design through Art Center at Night. The course will be held at Archetype Press in Pasadena from September 13 to December 13. More information can be obtained from the Bieler Press website. It looks like registration began last week, so you'd better hurry!

Bibliographica 3

2005-08-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

The Summer issue of Bibliographica is finished and will be sent out to subscribers shortly. This issue features John Henry of Cedar Creek Press describing his work and how he became a printer; Gaylord Schanilec reviewing the latest book from Anik See's Fox Run Press; and our California Printing Columnist looks at the relationship between Ricky Jay and his favorite printer Patrick Reagh. Part of the delay in getting out this issue involves one of our editors' foray into printing under the auspices of Graham Moss and Kathy Whalen at the Incline Press: some of the fruits of their labor will be mailed out with this issue.

The next issue - our fourth and final one for 2005 - will likely be devoted to the happenings at Oak Knoll Fest XII.

Subscriptions to Bibliographica are currently free - just drop me a line to say that you're interested.

The Woodcut Artist's Handbook

2005-07-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

George A. Walker has a new book out: The Woodcut Artist's Handbook: Techniques and Tools for Relief Printmaking (Firefly Books). The Handbook is for both beginners and more experienced folks, with the added benefit of presenting an array of contemporary woodcuts and wood engravings, so even armchair artists can enjoy. The book launch will be on Wednesday, September 14 at David Mirvish Books in Toronto. If you would like to attend the book launch, e-mail George Walker at george.walker@sympatico.ca.

[thanks to Asa Peavy for the tip]

"Two Tracts" by The Printery

2005-07-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

I've only recently learned of the existence of Kay Michael Kramer's press The Printery and I'm quite impressed with what I've seen so far. In 2004, The Printery published Benjamin Franklin's Two Tracts:

As America's envoy, Franklin set up a small printing office at Passy that grew into a full-blown diplomatic press. He printed Information to Those Who Would Remove to America and Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America in both French and English. These engaging and thought provoking essays were printed together in London in 1784 as Two Tracts. Subsequent editions soon appeared in Dublin, France, Italy, and Germany.

The London edition of Two Tracts was set in Caslon types as is this new edition. Stephenson-Blake promoted this Caslon as being "cast entirely from matrices produced from punches engraved in the eighteenth century by William Caslon."

From Gutenberg's time until the end of the eighteenth century, printers followed the manuscript convention of employing a long 's' initially and medially in a word and using the short 's' terminally. This new edition of Two Tracts is taken diredtly from the 1784 London edition. The same Caslon types are handsest. The long 's' with all its legatures, the capping scheme, the catch-words, and the signature indicators are all retained allowing the modern reader the opportunity to enjoy these widely circulated Tracts in their original eighteenth-century attire.

Octavo, 64pp. One hundred numbered copies have been printed in three colors. The first ten copies are quarter-bound in leather and slipcased at $240.00, the next twenty copies are quarter-bound in leather at $190.00, and seventy copies are quarter-bound in cloth at $150.00.

For further information (and to see some images of Two Tracts), visit The Printery online at www.theprinterybooks.com; to order a copy or to otherwise contact the press, you can send an e-mail to proprietor@theprinterybooks.com.

Mayflies of the Driftless Region

2005-06-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

Midnight Paper Sales announces the publication of Mayflies of the Driftless Region, an artistic study of mayflies accompanied by descriptions by Prof. Clarke Garry, entomologist at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The edition is limited to 400 copies: 50 specials bound in full calf "contained in a custom enclosure incorporating a selection of hand-tied flies" and also including a portfolio of extra prints and a set of progressive proofs of one image, with the images printed on Gampi Torinoko; the 300 limiteds will be quarter bound in goat with slipcase; 50 copies will remain in sheets for custom binding. For pre-publication orders received before December 1, 2005, the specials will be $960 and the limited $400 and $320 for the sheets; following the December publication date, prices will become $1250, $500, and $400, respectively. To order or to make other inquiries, contact Gaylord Schanilec at Midnight Paper Sales, Stockholm, WI, 54769-5513, e-mail:gschan@hbci.com.

What David Esslemont is up to

2005-06-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

There's some rather nice illustrations up on the Solmentes Press website. David Esslemont has apparently been working with watercolors while artist in residence at the Wordsworth Trust. There's a wonderful panorama of Grasmere to greet you on the Solmentes home page and there are also illustrations from his current work on an edition of Wordsworth's Prelude.

Oak Knoll Fest XII

2005-06-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars (as if you haven't already): Oak Knoll Fest XII will be held October 1-2. This year's theme is leaf books, influenced by the big leaf book exhibition at The Caxton Club of Chicago:

The theme of Oak Knoll Fest Twelve is “The Private Press and Leaf Books, a Noble Tradition?” Joel Silver, Curator of Books at the Lilly Library and recent contributor to the Caxton Club’s Disbound and Dispersed, the Leaf Book Considered will speak on Saturday morning at 10am giving us a history of the leaf book with a glimpse as to why the private press world was chosen to do them. The panel discussion on Sunday at 10am will consider not only the practical but also the ethical side of the leaf book. Joel Silver will moderate the panel which will be composed of Jerry Kelly of Kelly-Winterton Press, John Randle of the Whittington Press, Michael Thompson, President of the Caxton Club and an attorney with a special interest in the ethical side of leaf books; other participants will be named later.

Now that Oak Knoll has posted the first rumblings of Oak Knoll Fest, my favorite time of year has arrived. I'll constantly go back to the site to see which printers/presses have signed up, gleefully counting down the days until October - this probably sounds pathetic, but Oak Knoll Fest is so much fun! If you've never been, you really must go. Where else can you look at so many fine press books and talk to so many printers? Well, there is the Oxford Fine Press Book Fair, but for those of us on this side of the Atlantic, Oak Knoll is it.

"The Changing Book" at the University of Iowa

2005-06-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Changing Book: Transitions in Design, Production & Conservation is a conference/fair being held at the University of Iowa from July 22-25, 2005. The focus is on book structures/binding, but there's lots of other interesting things to do as well. The event coincides with an exhibition honoring the bookbinder Bill Anthony (at the University of Iowa Museum of Art).

Ampersand Club 75th Anniversary Book

2005-05-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

To mark their 75th anniversary, the Ampersand Club of Minneapolis and Saint Paul is publishing On Book Collecting by Arne Kjelsberg, "a home-bound collector and lover of books" [Kjelsberg is the pseudonym of Elmer Andersen, former Governor of Minnesota, book collector and benefactor of the University of Minnesota libraries]. The book was printed by Gaylord Schanilec and includes a bookplate he designed for Gov. Andersen that hadn't been printed until now. The special edition, quarter-leather binding w/ slipcase and an extra insert, is available for $295 pre-publication; the limited edition, full cloth binding, is priced at $150 pre-publication; there will also be a trade edition for $19.95.

For further information, the Ampersand Club can be reached at:

The Ampersand Club
212 Second Street North
Minneapolis, MN 55401
612-332-1313

Bibliographica 2 (Finally!)

2005-05-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

After many delays due to intransigent computers, misplaced texts, and poorly performing printers, the Spring issue of Bibliographica is finally done. This issue features Julie Russell-Steuart introducing her own Caveworks Press, a brief note about Kat Ran Press, and an essay about a number of fine press books seen in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Paradise, thy name is Minneapolis!).

For our subscribers, you should be receiving a copy shortly. If you are not receiving Bibliographica but would like to, send an e-mail to aeoluspress [at] yahoo [dot] com. Subscriptions are currently free.

New from Midnight Paper Sales

2005-05-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

The latest book from the hands of Gaylord Schanilec is Turkish Pears in August: Twenty Ramages by Robert Bly. The colophon reads: "150 copies printed by Gaylord Schanilec on Zerkal paper in the spring of 2005. The cover paper was made for the edition by Bridget O'Malley. The Italian Old Style type and Monument titling were cast by Scott King & came to this volume in pure & vestal modesty." Copies are $140 each and available from the printer (gschan@hbci.com).

Opportunity to Tour Rampant Lions Press Workshop

2005-05-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

The Rampant Lions Press will open its workshop as part of the Cambridge Open Studios scheme, on the weekends of 9/10 and 23/4 July 2005, between 11 and 6. The Press is at Swan House, by the church in Over, ten miles north of Cambridge. Look for the yellow Open Studios flag. Full details on the Open Studios website www.camopenstudios.co.uk.

Old School Press's Busy Spring

2005-04-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

Only two months ago, Old School Press was announcing publication of the beautiful Bricks of Venice. Now we have another new title to enjoy - Harry Carter, Typographer. Here are the details:

The book will combine a 60pp biographical sketch with a comprehensive 200-item bibliography of Carter's published work compiled by John Lane. 240 copies will be printed letterpress, uniformly with Stanley Morison & 'John Fell'. Each copy of the book will contain around a dozen photographs of Carter through his lifetime, a sample of the pattern paper he designed for Curwen, a self-portrait when aged 13, a triple wood-engraving portrait of him by George Buday, and a printed sample of his 'Emerald' Bible type. 128pp. There will be two bindings:
BINDING A – Fifty de luxe copies will be quarter-bound in green leather with a Cockerell-style marbled paper by Ann Muir on the boards. Each copy will also contain an additional volume of hitherto unpublished writings by Carter, including sections he drafted for the putative second volume of his history of Oxford University Press. The additional volume will be printed in Romulus, as the main volume, but here on a Van Gelder hand-made paper. The two volumes will be presented in a slipcase. £160 (Euro270, US$300). ISBN 1 899933 19 0.
BINDING B – 170 standard copies will be case-bound in green cloth, with a dust-jacket of green Hahnemühle Bugra Bütten carrying a line-drawing portrait of Carter by John Watts; £80 (Euro135, US$160). Twenty copies will be reserved in sheets for binders; £40 (Euro70, US$85). ISBN 1 899933 11 5.

The book will be published on 26 April 2005 and will be launched at a talk entitled 'Harry Carter - Man of Type' to be given to the Friends of St Bride by co-author Martyn Thomas, at St Bride Library, London. Details can be found at the Library's website.

Perhaps one of our readers will be able to attend the book launch and can report back with all the highlights.

UPDATE - Additional lecture:
9 May 2005 - 7.30pm
Oxford University Press, Walton Street, Oxford

A lecture by Martyn Thomas on Harry Carter, one time Archivist to Oxford University Press, arising from his work as co-author of the recently published biography and bibliography 'Harry Carter, Typographer'.

The event is organised by the Oxford Guild of Printers and admission is only possible if your name is known to the organisers. Please contact Martyn Ould (mao@theoldschoolpress.com) to book a place. A small admission fee is charged if you are not a Guild member.

[info from HoBo events]

Private Press Books (the annual bibliography)

2005-04-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

I was under the impression that Private Press Books, the annual bibliography published by the Private Libraries Association, was defunct. Paul Nash was kind enough to show me the error of my ways, letting me know that Private Press Books 1999, 2000, and 2001 were published in 2004. For those who are interested, copies can be purchased from the Private Libraries Assoc. (it's much cheaper if you're a member - and if you are interested in fine printing and collecting, you should consider becoming a member).

If you are a fine printer/producer of private press books, please consider submitting information about your publications (past and current) so that others around the world can know of your existence. If you send information to Fine Press News (aeoluspress [at] yahoo [dot] com) about current publications, the editors of Private Press Books will in turn, I hope, include the information in the appropriate bibliography. You may also want to contact the editors directly, in which case I submit the following information dutifully copied from p. 5 of Private Press Books 2001:

In this checklist the entries for presses in the British Isles, Europe, Africa and Australasia have been prepared by Paul W. Nash, 8 Fairfield Drive, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 5LB [England], who also compiled the list of books and articles relating to private printing, with help from the other editors. Entries for presses in Canada were prepared by Margaret Lock, 231 Johnson Street, Kingston, Ontario K7L 1Y2, Canada; and those for the United States by Asa Peavy, P.O. Box 422185, San Francisco, California 94142-2185, U.S.A. Any information on books and presses which we have missed will be very gratefully received, as will data on entries missing from the 'Literature of Private Printing' section.

Kanter Lecture on California Fine Printing

2005-04-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

The Eighth Annual Stephen A. Kanter Lecture on California Fine Printing will be given by Gerald Lange at William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles on May 14 at 2:00 pm. Mr. Lange will speak on letterpress printing in the 21st century. For further information, contact the Clark Library; RSVP via phone: 323-735-7605.

New from Gwasg Gregynog

2005-04-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

THE LOST CHILDREN-BYRON ROGERS

THEY WERE IMPRISONED FOR LIFE IN CHILDHOOD. They had done nothing, committed no crime, it was just that they had to be put away forever, not because of who, but of what they were. Death alone brought release—and a fading into the footnotes of history—to the Royal Children of Wales, the last heirs to a dynasty stretching back to the Roman Empire and shattered in the thirteenth century by the English Conquest.

In The Lost Children Byron Rogers has attempted to give back their lives to these small pieces of political debris, whose only offence was that they had been born. In the process he has, in Gwenllian, the only child of the last native Prince of Wales, created a national icon. There is now a Gwenllian Society which by public subscription has raised a memorial to her; poems have been written, songs addressed to her, and she was even the subject of a profile in, of all things, the Daily Mirror. Suddenly, after 700 years, one of the lost children is a human being in her own right.

Illustrated with pen and ink drawings by Anna Ravenscroft.

Gwasg Gregynog has produced a limited edition of 300 numbered copies set in 13pt Monotype Perpetua and printed letterpress on Somerset pure cotton mould-made paper. Each copy is individually bound by hand in full red cloth, with printed cover and spine, and is presented in a complementary slipcase.

£95. March 2005

Additional information can be obtained by contacting Gwasg Gregynog.

BookFest: A Book Arts Exposition

2005-03-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

The 2005 BookFest in New York City is coming up on April 8 & 9, with workshops offered from April 10-17. Among the numerous book arts luminaries attending will be Gaylord Schanilec (who is offering a wood engraving master class on April 10) and Peter & Donna Thomas (Peter will be busy with two miniature book workshops).

Latest News from Incline Press

2005-03-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

Wandering over to the Incline Press website, I noticed two bits of news. The first is a status report on Art for Life: The Story of Peggy Angus:

Graham has been printing and tipping-in illustrations on the thirteenth section of the book. We have 145 pages printed, and about 50 pages still to print. So far he has printed more than one dozen original linocuts and added about 150 illustrations. The portfolios are complete and Carolyn has finished the index, a necessity, we thought, since Peggy had such wide-ranging friendships and was involved with so many groups and issues.

the second item being the announcement of the next book off the press, A Paper Snowstorm: Toni Savage & the Leicester Broadsheets:

Derek Deadman and Rigby Graham have collaborated on the text for this long-overdue biography of Toni Savage and the Leicester Broadsheets. An integral part of the folk music revival of the 1960's, Toni Savage and his Leicester folk club inspired a concurrent revival in the art of the broadsheet. Including facsimiles of broadsheets printed by Savage, as well as new ones printed by Joe Quercus at the Aardvark Press, Alan Brignall at the Hedgehog Press and Cynthia Savage's Fenice Press.

Additional information can be had from their website or via email (books.inclinepress@virgin.net).

Old School Press Publishes "Bricks of Venice"

2005-02-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

The Bricks of Venice by Peter Harris, which was mentioned here during its production phase, has been published. The release party was on February 16 at the opening reception for an exhibition of Peter Harris's original watercolours at The Arts Club, London. As noted on The Old School Press website, the price of the book is currently £220 (E330, US$390), with shipping charged at cost; a prospectus is available upon request. Contact The Old School Press via their online form for more information.

Reviews of Fine Printing in The New Bookbinder

2005-02-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

[The following is excerpted from a listserv message by Paul W. Nash. Designer Bookbinders can be found online at http://www.designerbookbinders.org.uk]

Designer Bookbinders is initiating a section of reviews of new and recent letterpress publications in its magazine The New Bookbinder. The society wants to support small presses and to let its members know what is currently available, partly with an eye to their obtaining suitable volumes for fine binding. For this last reason, it is a particularly good idea to send the society review copies of books which are available in unbound form (although they are interested in all fine books). Designer Bookbinders promise to return all review copies once they have been examined (they don’t say as much, but I imagine it would be considered a kindness to include return postage). The society is interested in reviewing books from presses around the world, regardless of language, format, extent, illustration, etc. The only criterion, as I understand it, is that they be finely-printed and/or hand-crafted books which would appeal to craftsmen and women.

The New Bookbinder is an annual publication, and for inclusion in the next issue books would need to be received by the end of February (so there is not much time, although this deadline may have a little flexibility in it).

If you would like to pursue this option, you can send books to, or make enquiries of: The New Bookbinder, Designer Bookbinders, 6 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, UK. E-mail: TNB@designerbookbinders.org.uk. The editor of the magazine is Nesta Davies.

There is also an option to take out advertisements in the magazine, and the editor is trying to keep the cost of this down, in order to encourage small press involvement. At present a 50 x 90 mm advertisement costs £25.00. Larger adverts can be arranged.

New Poetry from Pointed Press

2005-02-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

A Pisan Canto by Sam Hamill is the latest book from Pointed Press:

One hundred and fifty copies will be designed, printed and bound at Pointed Press in Philadelphia. The typeface is Minion and the images are printed from woodblocks designed for this book by Tricia Treacy. The text paper is a custom mold-made calendared vellum and the cover paper is handmade by Saint Armand in Montreal, Quebec. The first ten are cased in a handmade portfolio. All copies are numbered and signed by the poet. 42 pages.

For advance orders, the cost is $175; for orders after the February 2005 publication date, $200. The deluxe edition is $350. Shipping and handling is an additional $8 per book.

To order, contact Tricia Treacy at
Pointed Press
915 Spring Garden St.
Studio #107
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Phone: 215-235-0393
E-mail: tricia@pointedpress.com

Upcoming Arion Press Event

2005-02-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

February 24, 2005, 6 p.m.: Stephen Shore, photographer and chair of the photography program at Bard College, will remark on his photography and recent project with Arion Press, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, for which Shore contributed thirty-three photographs of sites in and around New York relevant to the novel. Refreshments served from 5 p.m.

Events take place in the Arion Press gallery (1802 Hays Street, The Presidio, San Francisco). Seating is limited, please call to reserve: (415) 561-2548.

New from Press on Scroll Road

2005-02-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

In my mailbox this week was a prospectus for a new book from Press on Scroll Road:

Some Rules of the Game: Essays on Garden Design by Sir Francis Bacon, Henry Mitchell and Roger Swain

SOME RULES OF THE GAME includes the essays "Of Gardens" by Sir Francis Bacon, "Up and Down the Garden Path - Or, Designs for Gardening" by Henry Mitchell, and the first printing of "A Light Touch" by Roger Swain. It was printed from handset Cloister Lightface type in two colors on a most beautiful dampened Twinrocker handmade paper on an iron handpress. Abigail Rorer provided a small engraving and Priscilla Spitler carefully bound the edition in cloth-covered boards. 11 x 8 inches, 48 pages, in an edition of 54 copies. Designed, composed, and printed by Bob Baris. $240.00.

Please send orders, adding $5.00 postage, to:

Press on Scroll Road
2210 Scroll Road
Carrollton, Ohio 44615

Frederic W. Goudy Lecture & Workshop, Scripps College

2005-02-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

Saturday, March 26 at 7:30 PM
"Tom Killion's Woodcut Prints of the California Landscape: Adapting Japanese Techniques to Letterpress Printing"
Humanities Auditorium, Scripps College Campus
Claremont (Southern California)
(909) 607-3866
Tom will show slides of his recent work and printmaking techniques, focusing on his High Sierra series and multi-block coastal landscapes. Free and open to the public.

March 26-27, 2005
Printmaking Workshop: "Making Japanese-Style Woodcuts on the Letterpress"

Scripps College Press
Claremont (Southern California)
(909) 607-3866

This two-day workshop will provide a hands-on introduction to Killion's methods of blending Japanese-style woodcut printmaking techniques and letterpress printing using oil-based inks. On the first day, Tom will introduce students to Japanese carving tools and their use, and students will spend the day carving a wood or linoleum "key" block. At the end of the day, the key block image will be transferred to a second "color" block, which students can begin to carve as well. The second day will be devoted to printing a two-color image from students' blocks, using the key block registration technique on Vandercook proof presses. Blocks, tools, inks and Japanese papers will be provided. Students are encouraged to bring a 5x7 design for a relatively simple two-color image.

9:30-4:30 each day. Limited to 12 students. $175.00 includes most materials.
Call (909) 607-3866 for information or send check directly to: Scripps College Press, 1030 Columbia Avenue, Claremont CA 91711 to insure a place.

Caveworks Press Book Launch

2005-01-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

Book Launch/Performance

Come enjoy Eulenspiegel Puppet Troupe’s dramatic adaptation of “Crazy Eddy on the Judgment Day.” A unique entertainment with music and additional readings by the author, Mary Swander. Other puppet productions the same night.

2005: March 5, 8PM and March 6, 2PM
Tickets: $12
Puppets and Pastries, Dessert Theatre for Adults
Owl Glass Puppetry Center
319 N. Calhoun Street,
West Liberty, Iowa
www.puppetspuppets.com

Old School Press: The Bricks of Venice

2005-01-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

The Old School Press has a new book coming out in February 2005. The Bricks of Venice, written and illustrated by Peter Harris, is a contemporary and historical account of Venetian architecture.

The 96pp of text have been printed in 14/16pt Bembo on a large page of Magnani mould-made paper. These pages have then been bound into a volume with a hand-blocked paper on the boards - the paper has been prepared especially for the edition by Alberto Valese in Venice, using a pattern taken from the facade of Ca' d'Oro, one of the finest Gothic palaces on the Grand Canal, and just along from the building in which Peter Harris and his wife lived. Each illustration has been printed on a separate sheet of 225gsm Somerset paper made of 100% cotton , making it easier to follow the illustrations when they are called for in the text and also to frame and display them individually. To print the images I have used an Epson 2100 printer using pigment-based inks thereby assuring good longevity of the images. The seventy-two sheets of images are separated by chapter with sheets of brown Fabriano Ingres on which captions are printed to accompany the images. These sheets are collected in a solander box which is covered in another paper from Alberto Valese - a repeated tile pattern in grey. The solander box and bound volume are presented in a slip case in a soft yellow cloth with a spine label. The binding has been carried out by The Fine Bindery.

Further information can be obtained from the Old School Press website.

Caveworks Press: Crazy Eddy on the Judgment Day

2005-01-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

Crazy Eddy on the Judgment Day by Mary Swander is the newest publication by Caveworks Press:

Swander writes the roiling river; her language moves with elemental force, unstoppable. Upturned, near familiar phrases momentarily surface like a favorite article of clothing and are submerged again, often with comic results. Humorous stories within stories emerge, like "Samson of Wisconsin," dwarf Crazy Eddy's giant nemesis, and how he defeated him. Swander's rural midwest roots cling tight to her stories and capture their idiosyncratic characters with a close relative's unflinching eye.

Hand set in Garamond and Engraver's Shaded type and printed on Mohawk Superfine. Bound in Fraser covers with Thai Mango endpapers. Binding assisted by Margaret Whiting and Julie McLaughlin. Printed in an edition of 125, and illustrated with linoleum cuts by Julie Russell-Steuart in one of the coldest summers on record.

To learn more about this book or Caveworks Press, visit www.caveworkspress.com.

New from Kat Ran Press

2005-01-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

Kat Ran Press has recently released Sleep, a short story by Haruki Murakami (one of my favorite authors) accompanied by four color etchings by John Gibson:

In the fall of 2004, the entire staff of Kat Ran Press was particularly pleased to announce the publication of its newest book, Sleep, a short story by Haruki Murakami with multi-color etchings by John Gibson. Translated from the Japanese by Jay Rubin, Takashima Professor of Japanese Humanities at Harvard University and author of Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words, “Sleep” was originally published in the New Yorker and recently adapted for the stage by Complicite, the London-based theater group, and the Setagaya Public Theater of Japan.
Considered by many to be Japan’s most popular and influential author, Murakami tells the story of a woman who ignores conventional wisdom by embracing more than two weeks of sleeplessness (with the aid of Anna Karenina). Composed in Dante types by Michael and Winifred Bixler of Skaneateles, New York, the fifty-six pages of Sleep have been printed at Kat Ran Press on handmade Twinrocker papers. The four etchings by John Gibson, whose paintings may be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Museum at the Rhode Island School of Design (among others), have been printed by Peter Pettengill and his exemplary staff at Wingate Studio in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. The entire edition has been carefully bound in full leather and boxed by Claudia Cohen at her Seattle, Washington, bindery. Forty-five numbered copies, signed by the author, translator and artist, are available for $1500. An additional fifteen lettered copies are intended for the individuals who participated in the making of the book and are not available at any price. Inquiries welcome.

Wordsworth Trust Artists-in-Residence

2005-01-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

This year, David Esslemont is one of three Wordsworth Trust artists-in-residence. On Saturday, January 22nd, Esslemont will be giving a presentation (with Iain Bain) on printing as part of the Wordsworth Trust's Weekend Arts & Book Festival.

Forthcoming from Gwasg Gregynog

2005-01-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

PENNANT AND HIS WELSH LANDSCAPES is a new title from Gwasg Gregynog that will be available later this year:

Readings from Thomas Pennant's The Tour in Wales (1776-1784), selected and edited by Gwyn Walters. Illustrated with colour woodcuts by Rigby Graham, the selection retains, in an elegant prose, that rich mixture of history, typography and comment which gave the original work pioneer status and instant acclaim. 200 copies for sale in a quarter-leather binding. 16 copies for sale in a full-leather binding containing an additional set of prints and presented in a cloth-covered drop-back box. Details to be finalized. Fall 2005

Go to Gwasg Gregynog News to view some sample prints from the book.

Solmentes Press: Folly and Wickedness of War

2005-01-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

David Esslemont published a new book in the Fall of 2004:

On the Folly and Wickedness of War
Two eighteenth-century essays

Printed in an edition of 100. The typeface is Adobe OpenType Bembo, the paper is acid-free mould made 145g Zerkall 7625. Bound by David Esslemont in full paste-grained paper boards.

16 pp, 250 x 163 mm (10 x 6.5 inches)

Sixty copies for sale: £50 ($95) plus postage

Further details are available from his website: http://members.aol.com/esslemont/home.html

Incline Press: "Art for Life"

2005-01-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

ART for LIFE: The story of Peggy Angus
by Carolyn Trant
with a forward by Tanya Harrod

Art for Life will be letterpress printed in monotype Scotch Roman and Italic ('cause we thought Peggy would approve) on a bespoke Magnani paper. The book is large, 15 x 10 inches, and hand bound in the workshop of designer binder Stephen Conway, using bookcloth and a patterned paper made from one of Peggy's designs. As those who knew her will appreciate, Peggy's output is much too large to be contained between the covers of a simple book. The pages are filled with photos, reproductions and prints. The book needs to be specially housed. In consultation with Stephen Conway, a slip case has been devised to hold the book and a specially-designed portfolio. This will contain four facsimile sketchbooks and a CD of Peggy taken from the tapes Carolyn made while working on the book with her. On the CD are a few of her stories of life in the 1940s, opening and closing with a song.

The price for the book has been finalized at £288 or $520 (at the present rate of exchange) plus postage at cost. We are offering a discount to subscribers who are willing to pay a little in advance, and such subscribers' names will be printed in the book in alphabetical order. There will be a ten percent discount off the final price in exchange for the subscription. A pre-publication payment of £100 or $200 will reserve your copy. Email us if you have any queries, or print out our order form and post it to us at 36 Bow Street Oldham OL1 1SJ. Full details will also be found in our printed prospectus.