The Needle Makes a Fine Point for Printing

The Needle is an odd name for a periodical on the printing arts, but the publishers evidently had a really good point to make, as their subtitle suggests. This monthly print journal began as an advertising medium for Young & McCallister, one of the largest print and advertising firms in Los Angeles in the early 20th century. The Needle's first issue was published 100 years ago, in April, 1914 and continued its run for another 12 years. This nearly complete set of 15 bound leather volumes of The Needle once belonged to the editor and publisher, Bruce McCallister and just sold at auction. The journal was heavily illustrated and included typographic examples, pochoir and stencil colored plates, and tipped-in samples of their fine press work. 

Bruce McCallister (1881-1945) was a letterpress tramp printer who came out to California from South Dakota to find work. He arrived in San Francisco in 1906 on the day of the Great San Francisco Earthquake, and soon after made his way to Los Angeles where he found work at Senegram Printers. In 1912, he formed a partnership with letterpress printer, Frederick Young who emigrated to the states from England. Their timing dovetailed nicely with the Los Angeles real estate boom and by 1919, they dominated the advertising field with many colorfully printed promotional materials. McCallister was a fine pressman, salesman and innovator. He launched an in-house bindery and a separate screen printing department to meet the demands for colorful sign and poster printing. 

Image via sign industry

In 1927 McCallister hired a young typographer and book designer, Grant Dahlstrom and pursued the printing of fine press books. Their first book together, The History of Warner's Ranch and Its Environs was chosen as one of AIGAs 50 best-designed books of 1927. A second AIGA award was received for the design and printing of California Hills and Other Wood Engravings by Paul Landacre in 1931.

Image via Bonhams

Although Young & McCallister achieved great success in the printing field, they did not survive the Depression. In later years, Bruce McCallister continued to find success in the printing of books for The Huntington Library, Los Angeles bookman Jake Zeitlin, and his friend, Grant Dahlstrom who went on to acquire The Castle Press in Pasadena. Through his associations and mentoring of young printers such as Dahlstrom and Ward Ritchie, he set the stage for Los Angeles to become the West Coast center of fine press printing and publishing for a good part of the 20th century.

One Stop Print Shop

After nearly 40 years of printing, my dear friend Jules Remedios Faye of Stern & Faye Printers, has decided to considerably downsize her letterpress studio and would like to pass the baton (or the composing stick in this case) on to Myrna Knode, her spirited and hardworking apprentice. In order to purchase and move this legacy collection of type and printing equipment for her Expedition Press, Knode has recently begun a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds. With just over 3 weeks to go she is closing in on her goal, but requesting additional help to secure this one-stop print shop opportunity. I predict that Knode and her Expedition Press will be going places someday soon.

A Return Engagement for Mr. Kite

So the young John Lennon was a fan of early Victorian circus and theater posters. He also found inspiration in an original 1843 poster staged by 19th century showman Pablo Fanque and his Circus Royale, featuring the renowned acrobat William Kite (aka, Mr. Kite). As the story goes...Lennon bought the original poster from an antique dealer, and hung it in his living room. While writing music for the Sgt. Pepper album one day, he and McCartney found inspiration for the song lyrics of Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite literally staring them in the face. McCartney performed this song on The Colbert Report a few months back.  
      In honor of the Beatles 50th anniversary last year, London designer and long-time Beatles fan, Peter Dean called upon wood engraving artist Andy English and letterpress printer Graham Bignell of New North Press in Shoreditch, London to help him recreate the original 1843 poster which now belongs to Sean Lennon. With a little help from his friends, they printed an edition of 1,967 posters for the year of the song's release on the Sgt. Pepper album. Unframed prints can be purchased here. John Lennon would have been 73 years-old today. 

Image source: Live Auctioneers 

The Vandercook Press Now on Screen

What a nice surprise to see cameos in this trailer of my two good friends, Bonnie Thompson Norman of The Windowpane Press in Seattle and Jessica Spring of the Springtide Press in Tacoma. They are joined by 98 other respected Vandercook printers, who are featured in this newly released video in tribute to the centennial of the Vandercook proof press (1909-2009.) The trailer follows last year's release of The Vandercook100 book published by Heather Mitchell of Just Vandy. It showcases the work of 100 selected printers recognized for their fine press work and their devotion to the venerated Vandercook. This popular proof press has probably introduced more people to fine printing than the potato.

::Music by Matt Nathanson, Some Mad Hope, "All We Are" (Vanguard Records)

The White Book

First the White Album, and now Irma Boom brings us the white book, Chanel No. 5. "You don't see it, but it's there." Ok, this trumps a scratch-n-sniff anyday. 

The Mid-Century Russian Book

Books in Russia were typeset and printed much the way many books were made elsewhere in the mid-century. Kak Pechatali Vashu Knigu (translated: How Your Book Was Printed) is a 1951 children's book, by Samuil Marshak (1887 - 1964) who was a writer, translator, satirist and children's poet. This lovely book about the printing trade is remarkable for many reasons, and makes me wish to see more. I am fortunate as it is just down the street from me. It is from the University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division in the Children's Historical Literature Collection. The illustrator is listed as A. Ermolaev, but I could find little record of this artist other than a Nikolai Andrianovich Ermolaev who did this work. 
     The pressmen and women are all wearing hats as they examine the latest sheets off the mighty large press, and the light-filled pressroom with the shiny shiny floor makes for a wonderful workplace in the big city. What child wouldn't want to take up this trade? It took many skilled working hands to make books of this kind in the 1950s, and they will continue to impress and inspire many of us for generations because of the libraries who share them. This makes me very happy.  

Under the Big Top

Yes, it's a tent dealer sale today under the Big Top, but I'm just window-shopping as the prices are just as BIG. These two 4 foot tall, handcarved wood blocks of a circus scene c. 1930s-40s caught my eye here. They are unusually nice and rarely do you find such beautiful wood print blocks as these for sale unless they go up for auction. They really belong in a printing museum rather than on someone's wall. The primary and secondary plates intended for a two-color letterpress poster are originally from the Neal Walters Poster Company in Bentonville, Arkansas. Predictably, the wonderful circus scene of animals, arial artists and circus clowns surrounding the nice type layout is unsigned, but both blocks appear to be in nice condition. "150 Circus Artists and Performers From All Parts of The World. Double Giant Menagerie From Five Continents. 5000 Seats 500,000 Invested." The only thing more frightening than the clowns is the price of $5500 for the matching set. Window-shopping is always free here. View the flipped images of these two enormous woodcut blocks at bottom of post.  

Day One: The Printing Farm

It's good to be back home again after a refreshing week-long visit to attend the Codex International Book Fair and Conference in the Bay Area, and I'm happy to share some of my adventures over the course of this coming week. There was far more to do than I could accommodate, but the week's itinerary met all my expectations and more. And it was a much needed break of sunshine and fun after a very dreary start of my New Year.
     My wonderful traveling companions from Seattle were Bonnie Thompson Norman, famed bookbinder, teacher and letterpress printer; and Jenny Wilkson, printer, teacher and newly appointed editor of the one-and-only letterpress wiki, the Letterpress Commons. The weekend began with a nice stay at good friends Patrick & Maxine Reagh's beautiful home and letterpress farm in Sebastopol, CA. Their well-appointed entryway includes a typo-magnetic wall of surplus wood type from Patrick's large collection acquired many years ago from a former typehouse in Los Angeles.   

Jenny Wilkson working the magnetic type board.

The Grill Room by Eric Ravilious from a series of 24 prints he made for the book, High Street. This was a gift to Patrick from his dear friend Vance Gerry of Los Angeles.

A kiln-fired public notice embedded in Pat & Max's new shower stall, directed to all the unwashed masses who huddle there. Read the full post on their Ravages of Slime parody here. It is a total hoot! 

When asked why the enormously large wood type letters were hung at the front door of the red barn which is Patrick's letterpress shop, Patrick wryly added that "they are for dyslexic, near-sighted, colorblind printers", and posted in plain view in order to keep the California OSHA authorities happy.

A print-out of the beautiful fraktur font Uhlen Rundgotisch, designed by Berthold Wolpe. Pat has the matrices to this and a number of other unusual fonts, and intends to soon cast them on his monotype and have available for purchase.  

Patrick explaining the intricacies of type matrices to anyone who will listen.

P@'s @ symbols for sale in all sizes. 

Patrick, man of steel, and also known as the inventor of the PatMag™, displays a magnetic base for polymer plates. He's shown here lifting the monster PatMag™ base and chase for his big Heidlberg press.  

Patrick Reagh on keyboards.

A circus tiger once belonging to Patrick's father William Reagh when he was a child. Tomorrow in this space: off to the Book Fair and Codex Conference... 

Building Letters

From Ombu Architecture via Open Culture. Reminds me vaguely of a wonderful architectural alphabet designed by my former student, Shinya Iwaki back in 2009 for an experimental typography class. Except his alphabet was based upon actual buildings which resemble the actual letters from A to Z. Worth a revisit!

      

Shin researched and illustrated each building based upon the original architectural designs, and drew them all to scale. He arranged them in alphabetical order and created a poster with credits for each building. He also letterpress printed his Cityscape alphabet in an edition of 100 as a set of 26 individual cards. Wishing now he would release a second edition...

 

Steer Clear for A Great New Year

Just last week I came upon this new calendar printed by Norman McKnight of the Philoxenia Press in Berkeley, CA. Not only was the design and printing very beguiling, but the lovely 19th century vignettes with the handsome lettering on each page particularly appealed to me. I contacted McKnight to inquire if I might purchase the calendar, and he replied in kind by sending me one of his last remaining copies. The 7.5 x 9 inch calendar is handsomely printed on beautiful Rives Heavyweight paper, and sewn with a pamphlet stitch. McKnight printed it on his foolscap folio Albion hand press and writes an engaging account of the process on his Ephimeros tumblr. He explains the interior text is set in 24 point Rhapsodie for the days of the week and 24 point Bologna for the numerals. The copper blocks seen below are 19th C originals, and in very good shape I might add. During this era, many "monthly vignettes" of this nature were commonly used in almanacs and generally had a theme to them. I can't help finding delight in the theme of these illustrations which reveal a different calamity and mishap for each new month—as life is fraught with curve balls! However it can't be all so harsh—not when you have the winter months to anticipate some wonderful frozen letters and a Fall display of handsome rustic-lettered months. With much gratitude to Norman, for this nice calendar! And I wish all of you a very productive and rewarding new year!