Printing History News 26
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Printingprinting History history news 26 News 1 The Newsletter of the National Printing Heritage Trust, Printing Historical Society and Friends of St Bride Library Number 26 Spring 2010 EVENTS of type, paper and other printing sun- publisher) are available, meaning that dries; printers will also be selling second- those interesting in aquiring the book hand type and printing equipment. should be able to find a better price. Or Printing Historical Burford is easily accessible by car or one could, of course, always borrow it Society AGM bus from Oxford, and there is ample from a library (see the entry on lending parking at the school. For those who libraries, vol. 2, pp. 870–872), or The 2010 Annual General Meeting of do not know Burford, it is a charming consult it at the Bodleian (vol. 1, pp. the Printing Historical Society will be Cotswold town, with numerous places 539–540) . held on Tuesday 27 April 2010 at 5:30 to eat and shop (including antique p.m. at the St Bride Foundation, Lon- shops). Some readers may recall the don. Following the formal business, at 2008 Wayzgoose, held (to considerable 6:00 p.m., Dr John Hinks will speak acclaim) at the nearby market-town of on Printing: a revolutionary history. Witney. For more information, or to book a stall, please contact Louisa Hare, Old Park Cottage, Winderton St Bride events Road, Lower Brailes, Oxfordshire ox15 5jb. Tel: 01608 685924. E-mail: DIY Design [email protected]. The Ninth Annual St Bride Library Conference, DIY Design, will be held NEW BOOKS at the St Bride Library on 27 and 28 May 2010. Contributors will include OXFORD COMPANION Mette D. Ambeck, Martin Andrews, Paul Antonio, Hudson Bec, Petr van TO THE BOOK Detail of the ‘Rambaud’ phonetic type Blokland, Mark Frith, Linzie Hunter, The latest in Oxford University Press’s (1578) from Hendrik Vervliet’s new Helen Ingham, Michael Johnson, Ann series of Oxford companions is to the book (see below). Pillar, Teal Triggs and Wolfgang Wein- book, edited by Michael F. Suarez and gart. Full price £120.00, concessions Henry R. Woudhuysen. Published in £50.00, Friends £90.00 / £35.00. February, it consists of two volumes FRENCH RENAISSANCE Further details can be found on the bound in quarter red leather, and con- website at www.stbride.org. PRINTING TYPES tains a series of essays, followed by an encyclopaedia of publishing and print- Hendrik D.L. Vervliet’s French Renais- In June, the Friends will hold a design ing history, including much on type, sance printing types: a conspectus auction and November will see a major printing processes and machinery, paper (London: Bibliographical Society and letterpress event, a combined confer- and its manufacture, editorial practices, Printing Historical Society, and New ence and book fair. Further details will publishing, book-collecting, libraries, Castle: Oak Knoll Press, 2010) has be mounted on the Library website at book-illustration and binding. There just been posted out free to all P H S www.stbride.org. are numerous biographical entries for members; it is in lieu of two of the important figures in these areas, notably issues of the Journal that the Society for publishers, printers and artists. should have published since 2000. Oxford Guild of Printers’ The Companion contains around a Wayzgoose million words, compiled by some 400 contributors, including many names BOOK-MAKING AT The Oxford Guild of Printers will hold which will be familair to readers of DARTINGTON HALL its biannual ‘Wayzgoose’, a fair for PHN, such as Martin Andrews, Nicolas printers and collectors of fine printing, Barker, Sebastian Carter, Christopher Mary Bartlett’s Inky rags: letterpress at Burford School, Cheltenham Road, de Hamel, Mirjam Foot, Lotte Hellinga, printing & bookbinding on the Burford, Oxfordshire ox18 4pl, on John Hinks, John Lane, James Mosley, Dartington Hall Estate 1935–2010 Saturday 10 July 2010, 10:00 a.m. to Paul W. Nash, David Pearson and (Buckfastleigh: Itinerant Press, 2010), 6:00 p.m. Admission is free. Stalls will Peggy Smith. has just appeared. Its production was be held by fine and private press printers, Copies are available from the OU P aided by a PHS research grant. The specialist booksellers, societies (includ- at £175.00, although various deals and copy sent to the PHS will be placed in ing the Friends of St Bride) and suppliers special offers (including some from the the St Bride Library. 2 printing history news 26 The National Printing Newspaper Makers); Dr Derek Nuttall team of six enthusiastic Young Man- (retired Head of Printing, Chester aging Printers from Lancashire under Heritage Trust: twenty School of Art); Michael Passmore the leadership of Martin Kerry. A (retired Chairman of Passmore Inter- short video of the press in use after years old (part II) national); and Professor Michael Twy- being restored can be seen by entering Derek Nuttall man (Department of Typography and ‘Englesea Brook’ into an internet search- Graphic Communication at Reading engine. Another of the Trust’s earliest The first part of this account appeared University). achievements was the re-location and in PHN 25 in December 2009. In addition to the Trust’s Patron, restoration of a large Columbian press Bamber Gascoigne, Vice-Presidents for the Atkinson Art Gallery, Southport, The formal launch of the Printing Heri- nominated were William and Margaret in 1995. Regrettably, it has recently tage Trust was held at 11 Bedford Row, Sessions (of York) and Mrs Whittaker been made known that the Atkinson the office of the British Printing Federa- (Peter’ widow). From the start many wishes to dispose of this fine press. Over tion, on the evening of Monday 13 people had offered their services or the years many hand-presses have been April 1992. The event was well attended advice and to utilise them an Advisory restored into working order for various with some sixty people present. The Committee was established. The orig- museums, including help with the reno- main purposes of the launch were to inal members were: Dennis Arnold; vation of a rare eighteenth-century publicize the Trust, to outline its aims Sebastian Carter; Rev. Eric Chambers; wooden press for Chetham’s Library, and to encourage support, both mat- Roy Coxhead; Desmond Field; Alan Manchester. erially and financially, from the indus- Morris; Richard Russell; and Lawrence A further stimulus to get printers in try, organisations and individuals who Wallis. the north of England interested in the could become ‘Friends of the NPHT’ Although formed in the hope that a N P H T was a lecture by Lawrence for the modest fee of £10.00 per year – national museum of printing would Wallis entitled ‘A history of typograph- a sum that has never been increased. result, several other objectives were ical composition’, given at Manchester A great deal of preparation had pursued. One of these was to establish Metropolitan University in October taken place prior to the launch. Michael a close liaison with every museum in 1993. About the same time, the Trust Passmore and Lawrence Wallis used England and Wales that had any items became involved in a campaign to save their many contacts in the printing connected with printing and its related the Stephenson Blake Collection of world to draw up a list of people to trades. Valiant work on this was under- punches, matrices etc., when the old- invite. The evening started at 6:30 with taken by Desmond Field (of the John established typefoundry in Sheffield a short welcome from the Chairman, Jarrold Museum, Norwich), who began ceased production. Michael Passmore, who was followed to compile a database of museum hold- An unexpected outcome of the by Bamber Gascoigne, the Trust’s ings. This resulted in the Directory, pub- Trust’s Newsletter was the establishing Patron. After his speech, there were lished in 1997, with a revised edition in of links with similar bodies abroad, short talks by the members of a panel 2000. To extend the Trust’s work with including the U.S.A., Canada, Ireland, consisting of Michael Twyman, James museums, approaches were made to Australia, Germany and New Zealand. Mosley and Lawrence Wallis. David inform and involve the Museums’ As the remit of the Trust only applied Padbury of the BPIF then told the Association and the Science Museum. to England and Wales, informal links meeting about a ‘time capsule’ of A close relationship was formed with were also forged with the Scottish printed specimens that had been com- the Manchester Museum of Science and Printing Archive Trust and the Robert piled in 1953. The evening concluded Industry, which acquired Peter Whit- Smail Printing Museum. with Michael Passmore outlining the taker’s fine collection of line-casters. In July 1994, Friends of the NPHT, aims of the Trust and what needed to As the Trust’s funds began to grow, now numbering around 150, were in- be done in order to preserve for it became possible to offer not just ad- vited to visit the new Oxford University posterity the skills and technology that vice but also financial help to museums Press Museum and the Alembic Press. were rapidly disappearing. He showed seeking grants to obtain, restore or Following the success of this double a video, made by Oxford University display printing artefacts. To publicise visit, others were arranged including to Press, which recorded the hand-casting this, over 100 museums and libraries, the Science Museum’s storage ware- of metal types. and a few other institutions, were house, near Olympia, the British Library One of the first innovations after added to the Trust’s Newsletter mailing. and the Type Museum.