Bard Grad Center
:: Tradition and Innovation in Fine Printing : William Morris
This program is a complement to Birth of the Bestseller: The 19th-Century Book in Britain, France, and Beyond, a conference organized and hosted by the Bibliographical Society of America from 2 March – 31 March 2007.
This program has been organized in collaboration with the William Morris Society.
Venue :
Bard Graduate Center
38 West 86th Street
New York
Date and Time :
6:00–8:00 pm :: Monday 26 March 2007
Registration :
$20 general
$15 seniors, students, and members of the William Morris Society
The Program :
Book production was revolutionized in the 19th century by technological advances, but a countermovement emerged toward the end of the century to recover the techniques and styles of earlier printing. Today fine printing still displays these apparently conflicting impulses. In this forum, noted scholar William S. Peterson will explore 19th-century bookmaking techniques through the lens of the Kelmscott Press, a private press founded by William Morris (1834–1896) in 1891. He will consider how Morris, renowned as a craftsman who sought to recover medieval bookmaking methods, was also responsive to the artistic innovations of his time. Along with a close examination of Morris's own typefaces and wood engravings of the Kelmscott Press, Peterson will show that Morris made extensive, pioneering use of photography as an instrument of design. Joining the conversation will be acclaimed artist and bookmaker Barry Moser, whose masterful works continue to enrich the tradition of fine bookmaking. He will discuss how he draws inspiration from both historic and contemporary techniques.
The Participants :
Barry Moser (N.A., B.S., University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; D.F.A., Massachusetts College of Art) is an author, painter, printer, and printmaker who has designed more than 300 books, including an edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (winner of the National Book Award); Jump, Again! The Further Adventures of Brer Rabbit (named one of the 10 best illustrated children's books by the New York Times); Appalachia, the Voices of Sleeping Birds; and the Pennyroyal Caxton Bible. He is the proprietor of Pennyroyal Press.
William S. Peterson (B.A., Walla Walla College; M.A., University of Wisconsin; Ph.D., Northwestern University) is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Maryland. He is the author of many essays, reviews, articles, and books, including The Kelmscott Press: A History of William Morris's Typographical Adventure and John Betjeman: A Bibliography. The recipient of many prestigious grants and fellowships, he is editor of Printing History.
More Info :
Bard Graduate Center
38 West 86th Street
New York
T : 1-212-501-3011 /3013 / 3021
F : 1-212-501-3097