THE NEWSLETTER OF THE FRIENDS OF THE THOMAS FISHER RARE BOOK LIBRARY ISSUE No.8, Novembe r 1991 ISSN 0840-5565
on art, religion, and social issues, o ften Toronto in 1933, had throughout the 1930s po l emlcs against some pet hate and been an enthusiastic purchaser of Gill's sometimes w riuen in impenetrable prose, work borh directly from the art ist and from number more than flfty-Iour Items, w hile his gallery agents. ·111e present o wners The Eric Gill Exhibition an additional 200 or so contributions to allowed us to se lect what we wanted to hooks and articles are listed in the second d isplay from a huge col lection f prints. all and edition of the bibliography by Evan Gill, the major books, and many ephemeral The Art ofSelection revised by Steven Corey and Julia Macken items. '111is was followed by :1 suggestion zie (Winchester: t, Paul's Bibli ographies, from SUS3 n Bellingham, Special COllectio ns Eric GlII was an extrnord inarily prolifi c 199 1). Libra rian at the University of Walerloo, to artist, II has been estimated th:u he made As one wou ld expect, there are major sec the Gill collection there ( which had over 1,000 engravings; he created a collections o f GiII's work In England and been ~ rmed by earll r librarians who numbe r of Impo rtant type faces, including the United States, but it was an exciting were Gill enthusiasts). \VIc we re allowed (0 Joanna, Perpe tua and Gill Sans , which expe rience to discover the rich holdings bo rrow several unique items of o rig inal have rnairuained their popularity as good, which exist in and around Toronto. The art, books from Gill 's o wn library, and modern typefaces and are now even Fisher li brary has a number of the major other lterns, which would provide anot her available on computer disk; his in l1 uence books ill ustrated by ill , and a fall' dimension to the exhlbiti n. Other as a bo k designer was considerable selection o f works by his co ntemporaries. collectors, both tnstuuttonal and personal, We also the many consider Tbe rour Gospels 0 93'1) 10 were aware o f exhibitions in also kindly provided examples of Gill's be one f the most beautifu l book s 10 the 1930s ;tt H;I(( HOUSe , the Art Gallery o f work for the exhibition, come from an English privnt ~ press. He Ontario and in Winnipeg, o f Some seventy Such an abundance of course brings its did many sculptures, from his flrsr, small Gill engravi ngs from J. Kcmp W:lldie's ow n problems, After :1careful study of the piece. "Est ill Thalassa" ( 910), 10 his last collection. When we were invited to view r naterinl available, we chose m:IOY items to major public commission, "T he Creation of that collection I however, its size and display, selecting those which wou ld Man" for the teague of Nations building in content were a revetau n, Kemp Waldie, reveal Gill 's life and his progress as an Geneva (1937-8). I-Iis boo ks and articles founder of the Golden Dog Press In artist, and demonstrate his immense talents, Of course, we wanted to inclu de everything, but an exhibition, like a good book design, must allow for empty space. TI1C organizers each had their favourite T_H....,.J 'Jt, ~ "JJ ' items, those which were felt to be indis A ..""..l ' If .n...... · .l1jw'.. pensable if a proper balance was 10 be "" ",..",.}!) /fI/II"" ,...,*",_", achieved , The space available seemed to • " " i"It,U, M. II·' I" i, dcllbcra t ~ .kill_Itilllllol'd
Art and Manufacture, 1929 (PrltJtllc collection) 2
¥fYfO P RINT ED in the office of the Lanstcn Monotype I 0 ~ Corpora.tion Ltmhed, 43 Feue r Lane, London, E.C·4. :1(.. ~. FO R ER IC G ILL, Pigeus, North Dean , High • Wycombe, Buclts. December '2 0, 19'28 ART & LOVE ~'f(JthM M BY ERIC GILL HfIl.I< mol &I#("t " t - - ~ W :: E ~ ? . 0 t o~
DOUGI .AS CLEY! ROO N IlRISTOL
( 13UC~
~ "TO IGHWTC OMBE I/. I M .
71Jl! '" le ~fJ(lge ofArt & Love, 192 7, sbowl llg the Ellgl'tlVed map oj Pigotts,Jrom The Furure of Sculpture, 1928. btl/Ids ofSt, Thomas, engraved by Gill, (Pnoate cottectton) (Priuate celtcctton)
As has been explai ned, there were October 1924, and in the "Author's Note" . Pamphl ets". This essay W;IS originally many delightful hems whic h wo uld have Gill writes that "in thus repu blishin g on his delivered in November 1928 ,IS n lectur e been included were II not for restrictions own responsi bility, he has been able to entitled "Art in relation to life" to the of spa ce. Readers might be interested 10 include certain remarks which, thoug h Pangbourne Arts & Crafts societv. It was learn that these included a large architec approved by sound doctrine, were rew ritten for this pamphlet and then tural drawing by Gill which W:IS o fTe red fonnerly excluded in deference to puritan revised again and given as a lecture
fo r disp lay, tOO late for inclusio n, from the prejudice by edi torial prudence.It Th e entitled "Art and industrial ism" to the . Prau Library of v lcrona College. Thi s book contains six full-page COpper Design and Industries Association in 1933. shows a propos ed renovation of the engravings. wh ich were printed separately; Gill rejected industrial methods of prod uc ground floo r of Asheham House ncar and six wood engraved in itial letters. tion and distribution as he also rejected Lewes, Sussex ( 910) , prob ably done ~ r The second Item is l1Je Future of modern worldly and irreli gious values. In Virginia and leonard Woolf. who lived Sculptu re. primed in December 1928 f r his "socialist years" he spent ;1 101 of tim e there from 1912 to 1919. One fascinating Gill in the Office o f the Lansron Monocype at meetin gs of societies, gtvtng many detail on the drawing arc the words Corporatio n in London . Thi s particular lectures even though he W'IS not ccrn fort "Opium den?" lnscribed in Gill's hand in copy, Inscribed on the front flyl eaf by Gill able as a publi speaker. He tended to one 5 01;111 room, to tanley Morison, includes the comment "po ntificate", and this pamph let contains Three omitted publications are illus in Gill's hand, thai of the forty or so copies some or his rather dogmatic views on art trated in this Issue of 111] Halcyo n, all primed. only ten had the map of Pigc tts - "Art is deliberate sk ill used for the good from the private collection in Toronto. The printed intaglio from a copper engraving. of something 10 be made - not for the first Is A ,1 and Love, printed by the Golden (his being one of them. Th is work was f irst good of the maker, nor for the good of the Cockerel Press in :1 limited edltlon of 260 give n 35 a lecture at the Victoria and buyer, but for the good of/IJeIblng Itself." copies and published by Douglas Albert Museum in London in December Th e exhibition, "Eric: Gill : His Life and Clevcrdon at Brtstol in 1927, when the 1927, and appeared in various other Art" will continue in the Fisher Library Gills were living at Capel-y-ffln in the published forms. It was included in an 1In1i1 30 january 1992, Black Mounta ins of South Wales. The exhibitio n of books lllustruting British and engraving on the une page of the hands o f foreign print ing, 1918-29, held :II the Alan l lornc St. Th mns became the auth or's device, to Briti sh Museum in April 1929. be used on many of his books. T his work The third is A J1 l1m/ Manufacture appeared nrst in the jOllrn:ll BlaclJ/rfars in CJ 929) , No.4 or the "l landworkers' 3
fo rced to capi tulate, pan o f the walls and leaves on vellum headed "Pluseurs the great tower having bee n breached. mcoucs mises flatltes & paiees plarl le By 14 19 the situation in France, w as as conunandemlenk et ordo nnlancel de nous Tours manuscript follows: the Armagnacs, led by the les Esleur sur Ie fait des fonifficadilons Dauphin w ho had proclai med himself deffense de la ville de Tours par Pierre France, in the first two decides of the regent of France, had co ntro l o f Tours and Briconnet receveur .," Th ese minor were negotiating w ith Scotland and Spain fiftee nth ce ntury, was a COUntry in turmoil. accou nts were for moneys paid out fo r the for help to secure the rest of Touraine and Oec:lll se the Ki ng, Charles Vl , suffered period from I November 14 19 to 12 to strengthen castles north of the Loire from intermi ttent bOUIS of madness, tw o October 1420. lncldenrall y they refer to factio ns, the Armagnacs and the River. The Burgundians, led by Duke subjects that elucidate the history o f the Burgundfuns, vied for power over him and Jo hn the Fearless, held Paris but not much period . else; and Hen ry V's seco nd exped ition thence over tilt: country. 111e resulting The Elus ( Esleur or Esleuz in the hostili ties left the W:IY clear for the agai nst France from 1417 to 1419 had manuscript) were the citizens responsible Invasions of Henry V of England. resulte d in his occupatio n of the w hole o f for the defence of the tow n , its upkeep Normand y. The Dauphin , estranged fr om his and the repair of its wa lls, For 1418 to pare nts and now allied with the Annag In september 1419 an attemp t was 1419 they were Mich au Charbonneau, mad e 10 unit e the Dauphin and Duke John nacs. held the ell! hy o f Touraine. In June Pierre Valuchet and j ehan Semme; for 1 18 it was annexed to the crow n, the w ith the aim o f driving Out the Engl ish. 1420 10 1421. Pierre Br i nnet, j ehan de Queen. lsabeau, having pers uaded the TIley met at Montere au o n the 10th but all Pen hler ,Guillaume Lesaincuer and King, in one of his periods of sanity, that ho pes we re dashed when the Duke w as Michau Charbonneau. his son had revolted against his authority. murdered as he arrived at the meenng Thai Scoutsh troops w ere actually sent The people of Tours, capital of Touraine. place and his troops attacked by the to jo in the Dauphi n's army is evidenced by Arma gnacs. The o utraged Burgund ians were adjured 10 resist the army o f the the seco nd item on leaf 2. Two large "po z allied themselves wi th lIen ry V, and the Dau phin and :1 sum was rnlsed (0 repair de vln" were sent to Pierre de Branvau the fon tf lcnions of the town, At the end of Treaty of Troves in 1820 made Henry "consellllelr de monslleurl le Regenr", of the July the Dauphin besieged Tours but master France and ex luded lodgi ng in "lostel de j ehan Gobin" acco m Daup hin from the successio n. enco untered such resistance that he was parryin g elglu prominent Itizens w ho forced to retire. He return ed in November This lo ng preamb le is 10 SCt In co ntext we nt to him lO ask that the large number and , after :1 fiv e week siege, the town w as a manuscrip t recently acq uired by the of Scouis h men-of-arms repon ed 10 be Fisher Library. 11 co nsists o f three large coming take an ther ro ute other tha n
"" -1"
...... ~ • ~~ lIo.. '_ .,- ,...\ l ...... \.. ,. /-",- "~.t •
" Oll IS manllscrrpf, Hlld 013'-" leaf 4
through the "pays de Tou rs". The "p oz" 7 s 6 d Iro m M:tce Herup peau fro m w hic h had been made in the wood of Saint cost 12 510151and the tw o men w ho carried to mak e rw c tubs for "IY:IlIc", a fin e M ~ lrttn (leaf 3, item 6), The "co ullars" may the w ine w ere given 20 dle nlcrsl, Each poz gratned material fm m the Parts area, for have been large pieces of wood used to seems [0 have co ntained twelve pints. nux fng mortar in the town workshop cover wind lasses. Several erurtcs refer to dam age sus (l eaf 2, item 9). Six Iron shovels cost 20 s One of the charms of a document like tained during the siege in 1418. In Pebru (leaf 2, item 7). Pierre Minot, bucket this is Ih ~ H it reco rds the names and ary 141 9, Michau Carre, jehan de Saint maker, received 16 s 8 d for 12 new OC:C lIpmtcns of peo ple who would not Denis and Rich art Pclsant. mason s. went hu kets in w hich the masons could soak otherwise be remembered. Thu s, apart seve ral ti mes w ith the Esleu z and o thers 10 mortar (l eaf 3, item 5), fro m those already mcnucncd , Symon visil the Tour Saint jehan and decide what The sum of 2 s 6 d W Editor's Note Gill Catalogue Wins Programmef or Major Auiard! This issue was ed ited by AI:m January - April 1992 Home and designed by Veronica The Library's ex hibition catalogue Fisher. Th e photographs were by Thursday 13 February 1992 has w o n Philip Ower, Please send co mments Brie Gill: Hts Life lind 11 11 PI' fessor Patricia Flem ing will speak o n tw o design aw ards in the typo and/ o r suggestions fo r the next issue the search for imp rints, the natur e of gr aphic excelle nce and electro nic 10 Alan Horn e, Director. Develop analy tical bibliograph y, the book trade competition spo nsored by the ment and Pubic Affairs, University of in early Canada and examples of early Natio nal Composition and Prepress Toronto Library , O ntario MSS IA5 Canadian prtnttng. (416-978-7644). Association (NCI' A), NCPA, a specia l indu stry group o f Printing Ind ustries Monday 27 April 1992 of America, Inc., is (he wo rld 's Anthon y R W (am lquarian bookseller lending associatio n in the cl ctronlc from London ,England) will speak on imaging fleld. The aw ards are l3est "A Week in the Life o f a London of Catego ry in the Book Category, Booksh op ". and BeSI of Category in the Cara logue Catego ry. 111C catalogue was designed by Veronic a Fisher, w ritten by Alan Horne. Richard L:H'Ido,' and Guy Upjohn, and printed by Fisher H'A'L'C'Y'Q'N Litho Arts. University of Toronto library Toronto, Ontario M5S IAS