Finding Aid to the Grabhorn Letterpress Printing Ephemera Collection Finding Aid by: Samantha Cairo-Toby Finding Aid date: November 2018 Book Arts & Special Collections San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin Street San Francisco 94102 (415)557-4560 [email protected] Summary Information: Repository: Book Arts & Special Collections Creator: Grabhorn, Robert Title: Finding Aid for the Grabhorn Letterpress Printing Ephemera Colletion Finding Aid Filing Title: Grabhorn Letterpress Printing Ephemera Collection ID: BASC 1 Date [inclusive]: 950 CE-2018 (bulk 1890-2018) Physical Description: 230.4 linear feet (300 boxes) Physical Location: Collection is stored on site. Language of Material: Collection materials are primarily in English, but includes French, German, Dutch, Italian, Latin, Welsh, Russian, Greek, Spanish, and Chinese. Abstract: The collection contains ephemeral materials printed with metal or wood type using a letterpress. Ephemeral materials include: prospectuses, notices, fliers, postcards, broadsides, bookmarks, chapbooks, pamphlets and small books/accordion fold books. The collection dates range from 950 CE (China) to present, with the bulk of the collection ranging from 1890 CE to present. Additions to the Collection are ongoing. The earliest printed materials in the collection come from China and Europe, but the bulk of the collection is from California and the United States of America printed in the 20th century. Preferred Citation: [Identification of item/Title of folder], Grabhorn Letterpress Printing Ephemera Collection (BASC 1), Book Arts & Special Collections, San Francisco Public Library. Custodial History: Ephemera has been part of Book Arts & Special Collections since 1925 when William Randolph Young, a library trustee, was instrumental in establishing the Max Kuhl Collection of rare books and manuscripts, after the destruction of the Library’s collection in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Through generous donations and purchases, ephemeral matter was filed into the collection until November 17, 1965 when The Grabhorn Collection on the History of Printing & the Development of the Book was officially presented to the San Francisco Public Library. The Collection contained not only books but single leaves of ephemera printed before the 20th Century, some of which were by significant printers of the 15th and 16th Centuries. City Librarian, William Holman, hailed the acquisition of printer Robert Grabhorn’s personal library as the single most important collection ever to come to the library at one time. Library Commissioner Edward Callanan reported being happy this great collection will be available for public use in a public library, particularly because the printing industry historically has been so important to the development of the City. The ephemera collection is now known as The Grabhorn Letterpress Printing Ephemera Collection. From an early age Robert Grabhorn began collecting the works of printers, with an emphasis on French and Italian printers, type specimens, and books on the subject of hot metal printing, and realized that his collection should remain in San Francisco as a teaching collection. Since its acquisition by the Library, the collection has grown to become one of the most important of its kind. It includes examples of almost every major printer, typographer, and bookmaker since Gutenberg’s time, with the allied fields of bookbinding and papermaking represented as well. Scope and Contents: The collection consists of letterpress ephemera representing over 1,770 printers and presses from all over the world, but predominately from the San Francisco Bay area collected by the San Francisco Public Library. The collection ranges in date from 950 CE to the present, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1890-present. Represented in the collection is a variety of printers, including several printers from incunabula period (pre-1500 in Europe), and items printed in Asia, Europe, and North America. The bulk of the collection contains a large selection of printers and presses from the United States, especially California of the 20th and 21st centuries. The range of materials include single leaf specimens, prospectuses, postcards, stationary, business cards, job printing and thin/accordion fold books from Europe and the Americas, with a few examples of Oriental printing. Some of the printers and presses represented include: The Song Dynasty, The Yuan Dynasty, Johann Gutenberg, Johann Fust & Peter Schoeffer, Anton Sorg, Erhard Radolt, Anton Koberger, Johann Zainer, Gunther Zainer, Aldus Manutius the Elder, Aldus Manutius the Younger, Nicolas Jenson, Henri Estienne II, Robert Estienne, William Blake, 18th century Broadside Ballads and Chapbooks, Joachin Ibara, Agustin B. Zamorano and José de la Rosa, Benjamin Franklin, Isaiah Thomas, Thomas Bewick, John Henry Nash, Bruce Rogers, Robin Price, and Peter Koch. Some of the presses included are: The Aldine Press, The Plantin Press, The Kelmscott Press, The Ashendene Press, The Vale Press, The Doves Press, The Eragny Press, The Daniel Press, The Golden Cockerel Press, The Grabhorn Press, The Grace Hopper Press, The Merrymount Press, The Greenwood Press, The Peregrine Press, The White Rabbit Press, The Press in Tuscany Alley, The Gehenna Press, The Perishable Press, The Yolla Bolly Press, The Arion Press, The Ninja Press, The Moving Parts Press, The Ward Ritchie Press, and The Turkey Press. Arrangement: Collection is arranged alphabetically by press or printer’s last name. Additions to the Collection are ongoing. Conditions Governing Use: Copyright has not been assigned to the San Francisco Public Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the department of Book Arts & Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items. Access: Collection is open for research and is available for use during Book Arts & Special Collections hours. Processing Information: During processing, the entire collection was re-foldered and re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes. Some metal staples remain. Related Materials: Robert Grabhorn Collection on the History of Printing and the Development of the Book. Controlled Access Headings: Letterpress printing -- Specimens Printing -- History -- Specimens Printing -- Specimens Printing -- Early works to 1800 -- Specimens Printing -- History -- 19th Century --Specimens Printing -- History -- 20th Century -- Specimens Printing -- California -- San Francisco -- Specimens Printed Ephemera -- Specimens Printers Fine books -- Specimens Finding Aid for the Grabhorn Letterpress Printing Ephemera Collection Key: Color Key: Dates: Material Size Code Material Size Description Pre-1400s Before 1400 P 8.5" x 11" letter size folders 1400s 1400 -1499 PL 8.5" x 14" legal size folders 1500s 1500 -1599 FB 16" x 20" broadside folders 1600s 1600 -1699 FFB 20" x 24" poster folders 1700s 1700 -1799 MC 24" x 36" poster folders 1800s 1800 -1899 MC-Oversize 30" x 42" poster folders 1900s 1900 -1999 MC-Framed Framed Specimens of various sizes 2000s 2000 - Present SB Shoe Box (12"x 5.5" x 4.5") Press Name Place of Publication Number Date Range Printer's Name Notes & Size of Folders 01.12.97 Press San Francisco, CA. 1 P 1997 Mary Laird, Karen Parry, Pat Wilson, *P needs cataloging Sarah Crumb, Pamela Berkman, Carrie Crawford, Alexander Tudor 10 Ray Press 1 P n.d. Carla Tenret 100 Proof Press 1 P 1969 1890 Bryant Street San Francisco, CA. 1 PL 2015 1 PL in APHA 3-Houses-for-Sale Press Murray Hill, NY. 1 P 1953 1 P in New York Chappel Keepsakes A.B.C. Press 1 P 1969 1 P in Goudy Chappel Calendars A.C.T. Private Press 2 P 1962 Alan C. Teeple 1 P in New York Chappel Keepsakes Abattoir Editions Omaha, NE. 3 P 1976 - 1990 Richard Brown, Harry Duncan, Mark *P needs cataloging University of Nebraska Watson, Donald Knoepfler, Bonnie O' Connell Academica Dieterichiana Gottingen, Germany 1 MC 1854 Guil. Fr. Kaestner 1 MC in Printing Specimens folder 1800-1899 drawer 53 Accordion Productions Minneapolis, MN. 1 P 2004 Cori Sherlock Acorn Press Berkeley, CA. 1 P 1934 Wilder Bentley (A.K.A. Wilder Bentley the Elder) Acorn Press Forrest Park, IL. 1 P 1961 - 1962 *P needs cataloging Adagio Press Harper Woods, MI. 7 P; 1 PL; 1957 - 1993 Leonard F. Bahr *P needs cataloging 1 FB Adams, Ansel & Virginia San Francisco, CA. 1 P 1948 - 1985 Virginia and Ansel Adams, Lawton R. Kennedy, Adrian Wilson After this manner therefore 1 MC- ca. 1 MC in framed specimens drawer 49 pray ye… framed 1900 - 1990 Aid & Comfort: The Artists San Francisco, CA. 2 PL 1987 Patricia Curtain, Cheryl Miller & Will *P needs cataloging Portfolio Powers, Arion Press, Carol Denison (Calliopea Press), Kathleen Walkup (Matrix Press), Steve Crumley, Rik Olson (Wooden Rabbit Press), Felicia Rice (Moving Parts Press), David Lance Goines (St. Heironymous Press), Christopher Stinehour, Don Gray (Twowindows Press), Jonathan Clark (Artichoke Press), Heyeck Press, Leigh McLellan & Tracy Davis, Linnea Lundquist (Oceanides Press), Julie Holcomb, Wolfgang Lederer & Harold Berliner, Adrian Wilson with Zahid Sardar and Deanna LaBonge (The Press in Tuscany Alley, Peter Rutledge Koch, Poltroon Press, Shelly Hoyt, Anchor & Acorn Press, and Wesley B. Tanner (Arif Press). Aladdin Press Albany, NY. 3 P 1968 Rhoda C. Curley 1 P in New York Chappel Keepsakes; 1 P in Goudy Society Keepsakes Albany Free Press Albany, CA. 4 P; 1 PL; 1990 - 2018 Michael Mazur, Lubor Mazor 4 P, 1 PL, and 1 FB in Moxen Chappel 1 FB Albertus Magnus Press Oakland, CA. 1 FB 1970 William Everson (See also: Equinox Press and Kingfisher Press) Albin, Imprimerie de L. San Francisco, CA. 1 P 1858 L. Albin *P needs cataloging Albion Press, Sign of the Santa Barbara, CA.; 2 FFB 1956-1976 Mark Lansburgh 1FFB in William James Association Colorado Springs, CO. Albondocani Press Cambridge, MA. 1 P 1968 William Ferguson Alcuin Society Vancouver, BC., 1 P 1965 - 1976 Canada Alden Press Oxford, England, U.K. 1 P 1981 Alden, Albert: The Life 1 FFB ca. 1830 1 FFB in Printing Specimens 1800-1899 and Age of Man.