(Press Release reprinted with permission from the California State Library, June 15, 2017):
“For the Joy of Doing,”
A Selection of Fine Printing from the Collections of the California State Library
On display now at the State Library Branch at 900 N Street is an exhibit devoted to the history of fine printing and book arts in California. The exhibit, For the Joy of Doing, is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
California, perhaps because of its remoteness from large publishing and printing firms, has enjoyed a remarkable history in the fine and private press movement surpassing virtually every other state and region in the country. Beginning with Edward Bosqui in the 1860s, the State Library has amassed a large collection of fine printing. Represented in the exhibit are examples from fine pressman John Henry Nash as well as Edward and Robert Grabhorn from the early 20th century. According to Stanley Morison, prominent British typographer and printing historian, “Fine printing may be described as the product of a lively and seasoned intelligence working with carefully chosen ink, type and paper.”
This exhibit includes excellent examples from such fine printers as Ward Ritchie, Lewis and Dorothy Allen, William Everson, Adrian Wilson, Richard J. Hoffman, Vance Gerry, Andrew Hoyem, Peter Koch, and Robin Heyeck. In addition to the individual printers, fine presses featured in the exhibit include Grabhorn Press, Fine Arts Press, Plantin Press, and Weather Bird Press. For the Joy of Doing will be on display through the end of the year. The exhibit was curated by Gary Kurutz, Special Collections Librarian Emeritus and Daniel Flanagan with the invaluable assistance from Vince Beiderbecke.
For more information contact Deborah Lynch, Communications Officer at 916-651-6452 or deborah.lynch@library.ca.gov.
