Acquisitions

Acquisitions The Lambert album to his art, the education and the University’s already strong Susan Millard discipline acquired in passing holdings of special press books. ‘The approaching retirement of through the various grades of his Mr Lambert from the stage has profession in the mother country, The Press begotten a wish on the part of many a diligent study of the best The Gregynog Press is the most to possess some graphic and models and the inheritance of significant and well-known private permanent memorial of an actor who those stage traditions which press in Wales. Gregynog itself is a has delighted them so often.’1 embody the accumulated country mansion in Montgomeryshire, Special Collections in the Baillieu experience, invention and acquired by two sisters, Gwendoline Library recently acquired The Lambert proficiency of generations of and Margaret Davies, in 1919. They album. This important item is one of great actors, have combined to lived there for many years with their the earliest ever photographic books render Mr Lambert a finished former governess and companion, produced in Melbourne, containing artist. Miss Blaker, whose brother Hugh, actual mounted photographs. It is artist and poet, stimulated the sisters’ believed to be one of only three copies Joseph Charles Lambert was born in interest in the arts. issued, according to James Smith, a England in about 1818 and came to Originally the sisters had thought theatre critic who is assumed to be Australia in the mid-1850s. His last to make Gregynog a centre for the the author of the introduction to the performance in Melbourne was in promotion of a variety of crafts. Such album.2 James Smith’s own copy is February 1868. He then returned to a venture needed a manager and held in the Mitchell Library in England where he died in 1875. Robert Maynard, an artist and a Sydney,3 and the third is in the State friend of Hugh Blaker, was employed. Library of Victoria. The album Susan Millard is Deputy Curator of Special In preparation for this new challenge, Collections in the Baillieu Library, University of contains 17 albumen silver Melbourne. Maynard travelled to London to photographs, 16 of them depicting study contemporary arts and crafts, the actor J.C. Lambert in two poses, but ended up spending most of his each as characters in his best-known Gregynog Press time at the Central School of Arts comedic roles in the Melbourne Pam Pryde and Crafts learning how to print and theatre, which included Sir Peter In 2009 the University acquired for how to design and execute wood Teazle in School for scandal, Justice Baillieu Library Special Collections a engravings. Shallow in Henry IV, part 2, and Sir complete set of the books published In mid-1922 Maynard took up John Falstaff in Henry IV, part 1. It by the Gregynog Press between 1922 residence at Gregynog, where fine was photographed at the establishment and 1940, all except two in special printing and bookmaking quickly of Batchelder & Co. in Collins Street bindings (the finely hand-crafted and became the focus of the East. The introduction states: decorated leather bindings created for establishment, shaping the beginnings a small portion of each edition). This of a private press. Shortly after, Forty years of steadfast devotion is a major acquisition and builds on bookbinder John Mason joined the 42 University of Melbourne Collections, Issue 6, June 2010 Opposite: J.C. Lambert in the role of Lord Ogleby in Clandestine marriage, from Batchelder & Co., The Lambert album: Comprising sixteen character portraits of Mr J.C. Lambert, Melbourne: Batchelder & Co., 1866. Special Collections, Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne. Below: The fables of Esope, translated out of Frensshe in to Englysshe by William Caxton; with engravings on wood by Agnes Miller Parker, Newtown, Montgomeryshire, [Wales]: Gregynog Press, 1931 [actually published 1932]. The University’s copy is no. 3, bound in original pale brown Levant morocco, with tooling and gilt ornamentation. Special Collections, Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne. small team. The studio comprised a which he cast Garamond, Poliphilus was attracting wide acclaim and converted stable at the back of the and Blado, amongst other fonts, and flourished during the second half of house, which housed a folio Albion over time, this use of different the 1920s. The plays of Euripides—a hand press, related printing typefaces became one of the two-volume translation by Professor equipment and several fonts of distinctive features of the Press. As Gilbert Murray—marked the end of Kennerley type. The Press began by the work at the Press expanded, this period, when Robert Maynard printing small jobs, in time building another local boy, Idris Jones, was and Horace Bray moved to London the experience and expertise necessary taken on and trained as a compositor in 1930 to establish the Raven Press. to face the challenge of printing its to free John Mason’s time so he could In the meantime, bookbinder George first book, a selection of poems by concentrate on the binding side of the Fisher had taken over John Mason’s George Herbert, published in 1923. production. Idris was soon joined in role at the Press, remaining there for For this new challenge, a Victoria the composing room by his younger the next 20 years, and working on platen (jobbing) press was acquired, brother Idwal, and shortly thereafter beyond the life of the Press. J. Ewart and John Mason set the type while R.O. Jones and Herbert Hodgson Bowen was employed as the bindery’s Robert Maynard engraved the wood also joined the Press as compositors. apprentice. The bindery also block illustrations. Once the printing John Mason left the Press in 1926, employed a number of local girls, was completed, the two-man team set during the production of the press’s including Idris and Idwal Jones’ sister, about binding the volumes, 257 fourth work, Detholiad o ganiadau by Gwen Edwards. copies in grey marbled paper with a T. Gwynn Jones. The Press, now In 1931, management of the Press cloth spine, and 43 copies in a special under a Maynard-Bray partnership, was taken over by William McCance, binding of crimson Levant morocco. A second book of poetry followed, then a book in Welsh. To cope with this new challenge, local Welshman John Jones was apprenticed and trained up as a compositor; and not long after Robert Maynard invited another colleague to join the team— artist Horace Bray, who assisted Robert with the wood block illustrations. Around this time, Robert Maynard decided to investigate fonts other than Kennerley; after looking at what was available he decided to invest in a monotype caster, from University of Melbourne Collections, Issue 6, June 2010 43 Agnes Miller Parker, illustration from The fables of Esope. Special Collections, Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne. with Blair Hughes-Stanton as such as Alfred Fairbank, R.J. at the family home until now. Apart designer, together with their wives Beedham, Reynolds Stone and from the first two books, they are all Agnes Parker and Gertrude Hermes, Berthold Wolpe. Hand-coloured numbered ‘3’, which is the next copy both of whom were engravers, and illustrations were completed by the after the sisters’ own copies, and one later book illustrators in their own girls working in the bindery. of the books—the 3rd book off the right. This next period in the Press’s The Davies sisters were extremely Press, Caneuon Ceiriog detholiad—is in existence lasted three years, and wealthy, and no expense was spared a unique binding by George Fisher heralded an improvement in the on time spent or quality of materials done especially for Mrs Davies, with quality of the illustrations, and in the used to make a book as perfect as her name on the upper cover. The skill of the pressmen, in particular possible. By 1940, 42 books only two volumes not in special Herbert Hodgson, who was capable comprising some 12,000 copies had bindings are The revelation of St John of bringing out the finest lines of been published. All but nine of the the Divine and The poems of Henry Hughes-Stanton’s engravings. During books were illustrated; seven books Vaughan, which form part of the those three years Blair Hughes- were printed in Welsh, one work is larger ordinary edition. Stanton cut between 200 and 300 bilingual and eleven others, although Such an opportunity to acquire a wood blocks; also during this period printed in English, were by Welsh set is unlikely to come up again, as the book considered the gem of the authors or had Welsh connections. this was the last set still in family Gregynog Press was created, The The outbreak of war in 1939 hands. A total of 15 full sets of the fables of Esope, containing delicate signalled the end of the Press as the special bindings is possible, but five wood engravings of wild animals from men joined the armed forces, with sets are held in institutions in the UK, illustrations made by Agnes Parker. only George Fisher remaining to four are known to be in private hands, McCance and Hughes-Stanton complete outstanding bindings, a task and apart from this set, all other left the Press in 1933, and in 1934 an which kept him at Gregynog until known sets are thought to have been American, Lloyd Haberley, took over 1945.4 dispersed. The purchase also as manager and employed a large new The set of books purchased by the complements the Library’s existing typeface for his production of Eros University has an excellent holdings of 14 Gregynog Press titles and Psyche.

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