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Signed copy available upon request
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE PRINTERS' INTERNATIONAL SPECIMEN EXCHANGE.
Young, Matthew McLennan
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The Rise and Fall of the Printers' International Specimen Exchange is the first in-depth study of an institution whose goal was nothing less than a renaissance of fine printing at a time when quantity mattered far more than quality. The Printers' International Specimen Exchange was founded in 1880, first and foremost as a means to encourage British printers to improve their technical and artistic skills, which lagged far behind those of their American and European counterparts. It came to be a far more international and influential institution than its originators imagined, its 16 volumes including the work of more than 1,000 printing establishments (several times that number of contributors, including employees and apprentices) from 28 different nations.
The story of the Specimen Exchange involves the development of new machinery and processes, "Old Style" vs. "Artistic" printing, the histories of the two innovative printing houses that managed the Exchange, cooperation and conflict among outsize personalities, and the extraordinary efforts of a few talented and dedicated people. The history of the Specimen Exchange also involves a Victorian-style hostile takeover and a separate breach-of-contract court case.
The Specimen Exchange is a record of a remarkable period in letterpress and lithographic printing. As a subscription publication distributed primarily to contributors, only a few hundred copies of each volume were issued, and many of the specimens were produced expressly for the Exchange. Consequently, some of the examples reproduced in this book have not been seen before outside the original volumes, and the selection presented here should delight any printing historian or admirer of good graphic design. This book includes 81 full-page reproductions of some of the best examples, in a wide range of styles and from many countries.
Matthew McLennan Young is a practicing graphic designer and book collector, and the author of a previous study, Field & Tuer, the Leadenhall Press, (Oak Knoll Press and the British Library, 2010) that earned positive reviews in the TLS, the Book Collector and elsewhere. He has presented papers on the Printers' International Specimen Exchange, the Caxton Celebration of 1877, and the Leadenhall Press at various conferences. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Hopewell, New Jersey.
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Books of related interests - -
> Johnston, Alastair, ALPHABETS TO ORDER: LITERATURE OF 19TH-CENTURY TYPEFOUNDERS' SPECIMENS
> STEREOGRAPH OF INTERNATIONAL PRINTERS CONVENTION AT RICHMOND, JUNE 1872
> Hudson, Graham, THE DESIGN AND PRINTING OF EPHEMERA IN BRITAIN AND AMERICA, 1720-1920.
> Kerssemakers, Agnes M.L., SOCIAL LIBERATION: FROM THE FRENCH REVOLUTION TO THE MIDDLE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
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CATALOGUE DE LIVRES FRANÇAIS, ANGLAIS, ALLEMANDS, ESPAGNO...
by Bossange, Hector
A massive catalogue of 984 pages, the vast bulk of which (pp.1-802) is devoted to books as noted in the title. Some of this is very interesting, especially the section on the arts and architecture, which includes some rare and expensive books. The second part is of even more interest as it contains sections on maps, globes and spheres, astronomical instruments, and "machines typographiques" (with lithographic illustrations of the Stanhope Press, the Columbian Press, the Presse Française and the Machine à Glacier). This is followed by eight leaves of type specimens and "Les Articles pour la Reliure" which includes four folding plates of shiny glazed black paper printed in gold showing 'Fers a Doreur.' The two final plates are more fers a doreur and include two fully blocked spines, a fully blocked cover and other stamps, rolls and lines. These are in perfect condition and have great appeal as well as obvious documentary value for historians of 1840s binding. The letterpress lists also include skins for binding with prices. The final leaf of this section is Daguerreotypes, both full apparatus and plates. Contemporary bookplates of the Franklin Library of Boston and the later 19th century bookplate of the Lawrence Public Library. Rubbed, hinges rubbed but sound.
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