Finding Your Type Online Newsletter BY DEFINITION, the readers of this newsletter are interested in the history of printing. You’ve read Number about methods and techniques and may have set Summer a few lines of type. You may even teach a course or two related to history of printing and dip into library collections to show students the product of the hand press or hot-metal period. But let’s take this one step further. How many of you col- Digital Monticello lect old printing equipment? Granted, few of us ON FEBRUARY three printing and type orga- can collect all the diff erent Linotype machines or nizations—APHA, ( e Type Directors Club and iron handpresses (though I do know of a couple SOTA (( e Society of Typographic Afi cionados)– people who are trying to do this), but there are banded together to sponsor a talk at the Grolier smaller items that can fi t into small houses and Club by Charles Creesy and Matthew Carter apartments without irritating spouses or partners on the design of the new digital version of too much. ( ink of printing plates, composing Monticello. sticks, type, binder’s tools, type molds, matrices, ( e evening was led off by Creesy, current di- cases, table-top presses, mimeographs, and other rector of publishing technologies for the Princeton items that weigh less than pounds and fi t University Press, who began by explaining the on a table top. Many of us can explain to others connection between ( omas Jeff erson and James about how something was printed, but showing Ronaldson of the Binny Ronaldson type- them the actual equipment is much more useful. foundry in Philadelphia. With the aid of an over- Imagine trying to explain the process of making head projector he displayed and read from let- an electrotype printing plate, and then think how ters between the two men discussing not only much easier it would be if you have one on hand. type but also sheep-raising. It is the link be- ( e trick is fi nding the stuff . tween Jeff erson and Ronaldson that provided Over the past fi ve years, I’ve spent anywhere the pretext for P. J. Conkwright’s decision in the from one to four weeks each year volunteering late s to commission a new typeface from for Rare Book School (RBS) in Charlottesville, Mergenthaler Linotype for use in the Princeton VA, where Terry Belanger has amassed an amaz- University Press edition of e Papers of omas ing collection of printing equipment to show stu- Jeff erson. Linotype’s C. H. Griffi th developed dents. When I fi rst worked for him, we discussed Monticello based on a type cut by Archibald items missing from the collection. I also was eager Binny and later released by ATF as Oxford. Creesy to put together a collection of my own to show also showed some of the correspondence between students. In the BI (before Internet) age, it was Conkwright and Griffi th over details of the type a slow process to locate used lithograph stones, design. For instance, to solve the inherent duplex- engraved wood blocks, wood type, etc. You spent ing problem of all Linotype faces, they cut an al- years letting people know what you wanted, ternate italic as well as special kerned f characters poked around old print shops, and slowly built and long descenders. up a network of contacts. Just as with used and Matthew Carter then took over the story to antiquarian books, the Internet has provided a explain why Princeton University Press had de- powerful additional tool for those who wish to cided to commission him to design a new, digital collect printing equipment. In the past fi ve years, version of Monticello. ( e hot metal Linotype I’ve managed to fi nd for RBS engraved copper version of Monticello had been replaced nearly and steel plates, woodblocks, binder’s stamps, continued on page continued on page
APHA Newsletter · Summer · www.printinghistory.org · Contributing Members · Monticello continued from page Martin Antonetti Kay Michael Kramer thirty years ago at the Press by a fi lm version Whitney S. Bagnall Beth Kubly that Mergenthaler Linotype made in . ( e Georgia B. Barnhill Rick Kusick latter solved the duplexing problem of the original Jeff rey A. Barr Jennifer B. Lee design, but it was replaced in the s by an in- Jeff rey L. Baskin Jethro K. Lieberman adequate digital version. ( rough these iterations Sigmund A. Batruk Michael W. Lora the original metal design had increasingly lost its Mark J. Batty Lucy Marks character, and so, with the target date for comple- Terry Belanger Gordon Marshall tion of the Jeff erson Papers project looming, the John Bidwell Jeff rey Martin Press decided to once again commission a version ( omas T. Bishop Eric May of Monticello. Hayward R. Blake Jane R. Moore Instead of returning to the original Archibald Garrett Boge Irving Oaklander Binny typeface that had inspired Conkwright and Barbara A. Brannon Michael A. Peich Griffi th (or to the metal Monticello), Carter chose Arthur Merrill Brown, III Stephen Pekich to base his design on the photo version. He William T. Buice, III J. Fernando Peña did so for two basic reasons: to maintain consis- Terrence P. Chouinard Mary T. Peterson tency with the existing volumes of the Jeff erson John Y. Cole Petrarch Press Papers, and because Linotype Library (the suc- Philip N. Cronenwett Charles A. Rheault, Jr. cessor to Mergenthaler Linotype) is releasing a Erin Davis Herbert Robinson trade version of the new font. However, Carter Michael P. Denker Paul W. Romaine attempted to recapture the idiosyncratic charac- Matthew Doherty David S. Rose ter of the original Binny type that had been lost James R. Donnelley Michael Russem in the compromises forced on Monticello by the Elinor Eisemann Mark Samuels Lasner Linotype matrix requirements. Most notably he Donald Farren Richard H. Schimmelpfeng revived the unpredictable serifs of Binny’s design William Gast Mary C. Schlosser as well as its weight. He also added unique char- Milton McC. Gatch Nina Schneider acters necessary for recreating the correspondence Paul Gehl Alice Schreyer of Jeff erson’s day and, for the trade, new charac- Joseph Gilbert Paul Shaw ters such as the Euro symbol. E. M. Ginger Sherwin Beach Press ( e Grolier Club was fi lled for the dual pre- David Goodrich Jane Rodgers Siegel sentations of Creesy and Carter, and the audi- James Grieshaber Carolyn L. Smith ence was not disappointed. In addition, we also re- Carol P. Grossman Elaine B. Smyth ceived two keepsakes, a poster from the Princeton George W. Hamilton Deirdre C. Stam University Press showing the new Monticello type John B. Hench Stumptown Printers and a pamphlet of two letters between Jeff erson Martyn Hitchcock David Swinford and Ronaldson, printed by APHA member Earl Dennis L. Holsapple J. Curtiss Taylor Kallemeyn. Albert A. Howard Irene Tichenor Paul Shaw Bradley Hutchinson Suzanne Micheau Tinnian Matthew Carter’s work is being celebrated in an David Turrell Martin W. Hutner exhibit, “Typographically Speaking: e Art of Darrell Hyder Muriel Underwood Matthew Carter,” traveling next to the University of Jeff rey H. Kaimowitz David L. Vander Meulen Pennsylvania, Washington University in St Louis, Richard Kegler Tiff any Wardle and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg. Jerry Kelly David Whitesell J. F. Killie Helena Wright
APHA Newsletter · Summer · More Results from the We deliberately have events in many places, al- APHA Member Survey though we are legally bound to conduct our annual business meeting in New York City, where APHA is (see part one of this article in Newsletter ) incorporated as a non-profi t organization. We deliber- APHA has international members from the following ately have events in many places – Lieberman lectures countries: Austria (), Canada (; including individ- in Los Angeles, Washington, Philadelphia, Iowa City, uals), England (), France (), Germany (), Greece Boston, Berkeley, Galveston, Bloomington and Oak- (), Japan (), and the Netherlands (). We have one land; conferences in Rochester, St. Louis, Chicago, each from Australia, Colombia, Israel, Italy, New Zea- Austin, Charlottesville, Providence, Princeton, Wash- land, Nigeria (a new member), Norway, Poland, and ington, and other cities. Local chapters should have Scotland. events in your area (see further below). If you’d like ( e APHA board has read all the comments from to see a conference or lecture near you, contact Mark the survey, which I will also post on the website. ( ese Samuels Lasner, VP for Programs at
* I feel like Printing History is one of the best and most What is APHA doing to recruit new members, espe- useful journals available. It is scholarly yet still accessible. cially new members under the age of ? I particularly appreciate the focus on typography and the Aside from discounted student membership rates, mechanics of printing history, as opposed to more nebu- we have also contacted teachers, principally teachers lous topics like “print culture” or the academic apparatus of graphic design and librarianship. (Indeed, many that supports “book history.” teachers have taken the initiative themselves: thank you!) Related groups receive mailings from our chap- * Seems like you are doing a fi ne job. Of course, over the ter presidents and national offi cers. I personally have years, the organization has grown to be increasingly schol- talked to classes in book arts and printing, and I know arly, which is refl ected nicely in the publications, but I of other eff orts by educators in book arts, graphic also enjoyed the APHA newsletter in the Stephen Saxe era design and library schools. However, one person can’t as well. However, there are letterpress publications, ama- travel to each event, center, or school in the country teur press groups and the Ephemera Society to service the to evangelize. ( e question, of course, really is not be other, more ‘informal’ interest, so keep on keeping on. what APHA can or should do for us; it’s what each of us individually should do. Why not invite younger per- I want to answer some of the questions posed sons to events, talk up the events, and introduce your- in the survey comments: self to strangers at meetings? Ask not what APHA can do for you; ask what you can do for your APHA! If you Why don’t you rotate venues for lectures/meetings/ conferences? continued on next page
APHA Newsletter · Summer · Survey continued from previous page have some ideas or want help in promoting APHA, of the history of printing. However, generosity has its please get in touch with me via e-mail or phone. costs and we can’t aff ord those costs now. As our Trea- surer reported last issue, APHA is ‘just barely’ solvent. I’m already an APHA member, why do I need to pay APHA continues to be thankful to our charter mem- additional dues to a “Regional Chapter”? bers and award winners. Your APHA national dues pay for Printing History (slightly more than half of your dues), the Newsletter, Why not have a Membership card providing a dis- mailings for events and renewals, and part-time sala- count at antiquarian bookdealers in the USA? ries. Some costs for the Lieberman Lecture are paid I mentioned this idea to a book dealer friend and, from an endowment that has lost pace to infl ation. because she likes APHA and me, she smiled very Optional chapter dues go almost entirely towards broadly and shook her head ‘no.’ sponsoring local events by paying for a speaker, re- freshments, space, postage, etc. How about helping to get underwriting support for a project for capturing interviews of the generation of Why are there no chapters in Philadelphia/Midwest/ printers we’re losing? Okay, . Southwest/etc.? (( e dollar signs are a direct quotation.) A Good question. Philadelphia and Southeast died very fi ne idea! Our Oral History Project director, some years ago due to lack of interest. If you are inter- Alice Beckwith can be reached at
APHA Newsletter · Summer · In Memoriam K A passed away last month Grolier Club, starting with John Keats’s Letters from after a long battle with cancer. Ken was born in New a Walking Tour (), up to New York Revisited, York City in . He attended the Groton School, published just last year. ( e latter is a beautiful Harvard, and Oxford University. After graduation display of Gaylord Schanilec’s exquisitely rendered he worked for a year at the Institute for Advanced multi-colored engravings, with a text, a fascinating Study in Princeton before joining Newsweek, where history of the city, by Ken himself. Ken also served he was employed for more than three decades in our organization with distinction, as a loyal member a variety of positions, includ ing managing editor for decades, an APHA board member for several and editor of Newsweek International; he was named years, and as an active participant in many APHA editor at large in January . activities. Ken was keynote speaker at our con- His colleagues at Newsweek give more insight ference on Modern Fine Printing (the text of his into Ken’s service with their internal memorandum talk was published in Printing History no. ). Just after his death: “…the titles only begin to tell the as Ken ushered in a new era of fi nely printed edi- story of his importance to the magazine. He was tions for ( e Grolier Club, he also gave his full sup- one of the true founding fathers of the modern port and counsel to APHA’s special publications, Newsweek, and he took on every challenge – from being one of the most prominent sponsors among guiding the magazine through diffi cult editorial our board of the fi rst, the Ty p e Mi s c e l l a n y . transitions in the s, to writing innumerable late- I was privileged to be involved with Ken on many breaking cover stories, to off ering wise counsel to of these projects, and I will truly miss his upbeat top editors and junior staff ers alike – with style and attitude and wise, equal-handed advice. I would so distinction.” look forward to small meetings at his nd Street His gregarious, extroverted personality will be apartment to discuss these matters: not only could remembered fondly by all who knew Ken, both we count on Ken to settle outstanding issues with at Newsweek and outside, where Ken was a well- his great acumen and ability to get things moving known participant at many printing-related events, on the right track; but we often also could get a including book fairs, the annual Oak Knoll Fest peek at some of the books in his exceptional library, (where a few years ago he participated in a panel a fi ne meal, and if we were lucky the company of his discussion on collecting rare books), Grolier Club charming wife, Lee. openings, and our APHA conferences. At the Grolier Ken is survived by his wife, Lee Auchincloss, and Club, Ken served on the council and resuscitated two children. He will be missed on a personal level the Modern Fine Printing Committee. As head by all who knew him, and I doubt if anyone can fi ll of that committee Ken succeeded (where many his place as a gentle “mover-and-shaker” in the fi eld of his notable predecessors had failed) in insti- of fi ne printing and rare books. gating a series of fi ne editions published by ( e Jerry Kelly
Save the Date! “New Work in Printing History” - October e Grolier Club, New York Join us in New York for scholarly papers and panels about the latest work in printing history.
APHA Newsletter · Summer · Finding Your Type continued from page lithograph stones, wood type, and many other odds on them. One dealer used to have electrotype plates of and ends, mostly thanks to online sources. a McGuff y’s reader listed. To fi nd books in incomplete ( ere are many opportunities to fi nd equipment states of manufacture, try searching variations on ‘un- by fooling around online. (I’ll discuss eBay, a big bound’, ‘uncut’, and ‘unfolded’ and you might fi nd a book topic in itself, in another Newsletter article.) ( e in sheets or sewn but not trimmed. Here is an opportu- fi rst thing I suggest is to subscribe to listservs. nity to fi nd a publication in its original sheets so you can You can’t beat the Letpress listserv (see briarpress.org> is an important source for clas- sifi ed ads. ( e free classifi eds include a ‘for sale’, ‘wanted’, and ‘notices’ section, all of them quite THE VEATCHS active. In the ‘for sale’ section diff erent advertise- ments were posted including type, Vandercook and ARTS OF THE Heidelberg presses, as well as the occasional com- plete print shop. One person off ered a Chandler . BOOK and Price platen press for free, but you had to ar- range to have it hauled away. If you’re looking for . an unusual piece, posting a free want ad is worth a try. ( e notices section is full of announcements PO Box of lectures, workshops, fl ea markets, and other re- Northampton . Massachusetts lated events. (In the offl ine world, e Printer has similar off erings.) Phone -- ( ere are other places to check online. One Fax -- source that few people think of is used and anti- quarian book databases, where dealers sometimes . . . list non-book materials related to printing. Type in [email protected] ‘printing plate’ as a key-word search and see what www.veatchs.com pops up in Bookfi nder, Abebooks, or AddAll. I’ve seen lithograph stones with cigar label images still . . . APHA Newsletter · Summer · · Profi les · Susan M. Allen is chief librarian of the Research in Washington, DC, a relatively new and growing Library at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, library of military history. ( e art of war is more California. In the s while a reference librarian at ( e wide-ranging and interesting than one expects and Claremont Colleges, she was introduced to letterpress Julia extends an invitation to any APHA member printing and read Isaiah ( omas and Joseph Ames on to visit. Personally, her tastes run to collecting lei- her lunch hours. She purchased a Vandercook fl atbed sure sailing narratives and cookery books. Since press in and established the Oldtown Press. Her oc- she has had a lot of fun as a lab instructor at casional broadsides and ephemera bear this imprint. Her Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, an interest in printing extends to its history. In the s she institution she is devoted to. Having done her time wrote a dissertation on Colonial American printers and in a number of professional library organizations, the impact the Stamp Act of had on them. She has Julia now hopes to participate more in APHA. spoken often and published on other history of the book Nina Schneider, APHA’s new Advertising topics, rare book theft and library security, and under- Manager, discovered printing as an undergraduate graduate use of rare books and manuscripts. Susan cur- at Mills College. After graduation she worked part- rently serves on the Board of Directors of the Research time as the cataloger for Califi a Books in San Libraries Group (RLG), the IFLA Rare Books and Francisco. In she moved to New York and Manuscripts Committee, and ( e Bibliographical Society became the Program Director at the Center for of America Council. Book Arts, allowing her to see the wide range of Julia Blakely is Collection Development and fi ne press and artists’ books being produced at the Conservation Librarian at the Society of the Cincinnati time – sometimes right under her nose. Five years later, she was on the move again to get her M.L.S. degree at UCLA. ( e timing was perfect as classes Mark Batty Publisher in bibliography, private presses, and book history were being off ered. Now she’s back in the Big Apple presents three books in regular and special editions and cataloging monographs for the Berg Collection Type & Typography: Highlights from Matrix, the review for of English and American Literature at New York printers and bibliohiles – Just Out Public Library. Regular edition, $65; Special edition of 70 copies with four examples of Whittington Press-related ephemera in Suzanne Micheau Tinnian has served the a half leather binding & slipcase, signed by John Randle, University of Iowa Center for the Book since , $225; Deluxe edition of 12 copies with 22 ephemeral items, bound in half leather with marbled paper boards when she began her study of fi ne printing produc- & slipcase, $500 tion under KK Merker in the College of Liberal Arts. What began as a part-time position maintain- The Well-Made Book: Essays and Lectures by Daniel Berkeley Updike, by William S. Peterson ing the mailing list and tipping in , samples Regular edition, $55; Special edition of 40 copies in a of Oakdale PC walnut cover paper into , special binding with slipcase with eleven items pertaining copies of Counter no. developed into a career of to updike’s printing, signed by William Peterson, $220 (very limited stock remaining of the special) administrative support and poster design for the department’s academic program. In her spare time Gudrun Zapf von Hesse: Bindings, Handwritten Books, she designs and prints stationery and small books Typefaces, Examples of Lettering and Drawing for local nuptials and authors – and sometimes Regular edition, $75; Special edition of 80 signed copies in a special binding with six letterpress broadsides nuptial authors – under the imprints Crevecoeur designed by Gudrun Zapf, $215 (limited stock remaining and Crybaby Press. Her love of jigsaw puzzles of the special) has been nurtured by quarterly production of the For more information, or to purchase these books, please APHA Newsletter. call us at 201-453-1775 or visit our website at www.MarkBattyPublisher.com APHA Newsletter · Summer · · New Members · · APHA Calendar · Alawiye Mojeed Abiodun Andrew J. Laird APHA A C Lagos State, Nigeria Berkeley, CA - October Jared Ash Karen Mason P are well underway for the conference, “New Brooklyn, NY New York, NY Work in Printing History,” to be held in New York City at the Grolier Club. David Pankow, Curator of Stuart V. Bradley, Jr. Raymond Nichols the Melbert B. Cary, Jr. Graphic Arts Collection at Alexandria, VA Newark, DE Rochester Institute of Technology and the estimable Candace Broughton Kayanna Pace editor of Printing History, will be the keynote speaker Catharangus, NY Atlanta, GA at PM on the Friday evening. Candy Gunther Brown Vicki R. Pollock ( e conference committee is working on a St. Louis, MO Laramie, WY selection from the large number of interesting pro- Charles Creesy Kyle Schlesinger posals from the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Princeton, NJ Buffalo, NY Zealand, as well as the United States, from a diverse group of potential speakers, including printers, de- Kira Homo Anthony Tedeschi signers, academics, independent researchers, and li- Bloomington, IN Butler, NJ brarians. Caitlin Hunter Tony White More details will follow in the next Newsletter, and Bloomington, IN Bloomington, IN a fl yer will be mailed to all APHA members during the summer. T L L ( e APHA Newsletter ( e lecture is tentatively scheduled to be held www.printinghistory.org at Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA on ( ursday, VICE-PRESIDENT FOR PUBLICATIONS October , the day preceding the Boston Jerry Kelly ADVERTISING MANAGER Nina Schneider Copyright © by the American Printing History Association. All rights reserved. APHA Newsletter · Summer ·