Bird & Bull Press ~ Pennsylvania
(Henry Morris)

The Art of Intaglio
Produced on a Letterpress
With a Collection of Twelve Prints of 18th Century London Tradesmen's Cards
&
Schlocker & The Fishes
by Henry Morris
Newton, Pennsylvania: Bird & Bull Press, 2010. Edition of 115.

6.5 x 9.5 x 1.25"; 105 pages. Dos-à-dos binding. Composed of hot-metal types. Printed on Arches and Somerset papers. Includes twelve intaglio plates and two wood engravings. Quarter-bound in morocco with Japanese cloth sides and housed in a cloth slipcase.

Henry Morris, Prospectus: "Engravings and etchings (intaglios) are printed on special presses which exert the far greater pressure needed for this kind of printing. I had been told that intaglio could not be printed satisfactorily on a letterpress, which is generally true. But in 2009 I tried my hand, printing two intaglio plates successfully by letterpress, albeit not very large ones. In this new book I have printed by letterpress, twelve intaglio plates, some as large as 5" x 6 1/2".

"These images were made from Ambrose Heal's privately published 1925 London Tradesmen's Cards of the Eighteenth Century, which showed 101 collotype prints of old engraving advertising the wares, goods and services offered about 250 years ago. I have been attracted to these 'cards' - they are really papers of differing sizes - ever since I got Heal's book fifteen years ago. Thanks to my recent introduction to intaglio, I have returned twelve of these prints to their original 18th century state: you can run your finger over the print and feel the image.

"A Foreword and texts on the Origin of Intaglio, The Process, and background information on Heal and his book, precede the twelve engravings.

"On an entirely unrelated subject, a 16 page addition relates an unforgettable event in the early life of Henry Morris, entitled Schlocker and the Fishes, thus making this book my first dos-à-dos binding. This brief account is illustrated with two full-page wood engravings by Wesley Bates. "
$500

Artist's Book No. 2
By Henry Morris
Newton, Pennsylvania: Bird & Bull Press, 2010. Edition of 30.

7.5 x 3.875"; 15 leaves. Bound in red bookcloth. Title embossed in gilt on front cover.

Printed for the 2010 Oak Knoll Fest.

Text: "52 years is a long time for a private press, but if you love the work & can still do it, then I say, what the hell, go for it."
$45

Dr. Rosenbach and Mr. Lilly
Book Collecting in a Golden Age
By Joel Silver
Newton, Pennsylvania: Bird & Bull Press, 2010. Edition of 140

6.25 x 9.25"; 136 pages. Octavo. Composed in hot-metal Dante types by Michael and Winifred Bixler. Letterpress printed on Arches Mouldmade paper. Quarter-bound in African goatskin with leather spine label and imported cloth sides by the Campbell-Logan Bindery.

Henry Morris, prospectus: "There was a time when book collecting was big news. In the first half of the twentieth century, some of America's leading financiers, executives, and philanthropists played 'this book collecting game' (as A. Edward Newton called it), and competed with each other for the finest books and manuscripts in the world. Their booksellers were no less newsworthy, and one of the most astute, knowledgeable, and flamboyant of them all was Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach of Philadelphia. Dr. R., as the press liked to call him, helped to build some of America's greatest collections, and his own library, assembled from the treasures that he took home for himself rather than put into his stock, still draws visitors and researchers from around the world.

"[This book] is the story of one collector, Josiah Kirby Lilly, Jr., of Indianapolis, and the books and manuscripts that he bought from Dr. Rosenbach. The story is told through the many letters that they exchanged, and through the descriptions and illustrations of the books and manuscripts themselves. Though this book is the story of only one collector and bookseller, it is also a microcosm of a great age of book collecting, in which choices were made by booksellers and collectors alike that shaped the contents of some of the greatest research libraries of our own day."

Contents include sections on "The Thirties and the Quest for the Grolier Hundred," "The Forties and the Pursuit of Americana," and a bibliography of the "Books and manuscripts Purchased by J.K. Lilly, Jr. from The Rosenbach Co."

Joel Silver is Director of Special Collections, Associate Director, Librarian and Curator of Books of the Lilly Library at Indiana University.
$425

Emblemata
The Emblem Books of Andrea Alciato
A Leaf Book
By Alvan Bregman
Newton, Pennsylvania: Bird & Bull Press, 2007. Edition of 140.

6.5 x 9.5"; 146 pages. Octavo. Composed in hot-metal Dante types by Michael Bixler and printed on Frankfurt mould-made paper. Quarter-bound in morocco with Japanese cloth sides by Campbell-Logan Bindery. Each copy has an original leaf with a woodcut emblem illustration from the 1589 Alciato edition. Housed in blue cloth slipcase.

Henry Morris, prospectus: "During the late Renaissance, the most famous professor of law in all of Europe was Andrea Alciato (1492-1550) of Milan. He was also a leading humanist, someone who studied, explained, and emulated the great Greek and Roman writers of the classical era. Almost accidentally, he was responsible for creating a whole new genre of publication consisting of text and image, known as the emblem book. Alciato's emblems were built upon the Latin epigrams he liked to write as a learned pastime. It has been estimated that more than 2000 different emblem books were issued in the two centuries in which the genre was at its height. A large secondary literature has grown up to describe the history, form, and content of these emblem books. Surprisingly, however, there are few books in English devoted to Alciato or to his emblems. No separate overview of Alciato's life and writing is known. In addition to the history of the emblem books, the author provides much personal information that illuminates the personality of Alciato.

"Alvan Bregman has written an illustrated text on a subject usually directed to scholarly specialists, but he has done so in a way that is engaging and informative to the non-specialist reader. Mr. Bregman is Curator of Rare Books at the Library of the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign.

"Discovering Alciato and his emblem book has been an enjoyable learning experience for me, as I hope it will also be for many of my readers who may have little knowledge of the literary accomplishments of Alciato and his relationship with many famous humanist colleagues, or the important connection between the emblem book and early printing and publishing history.

"As I came to understand and enjoy the emblems I wanted to create some contemporary emblems and a selection of eight of these, illustrated by Wesley Bates' wood engravings, is included as an Appendix."
$450

The Private Typecasters
Preserving the Craft of Hot-Metal Type into the Twenty-first Century
By Richard L. Hopkins, General Editor
with woodcuts by Christopher Manson
Newton, Pennsylvania: Bird & Bull Press, 2008. Edition of 150.

8.75 x 13 x 1.75"; 101 pages. Printed on Zerkall book laid paper, Quarter bound in morocco with Japanese cloth sides. Housed in a cloth covered clamshell case.

Henry Morris, Prospectus: "The Private Press has been with us in one form or another for 200 years or more. The equipment for a small private press was inexpensive, required little space and almost anyone could learn to do basic printing in a short time. Private typecasting is entirely different. A single machine weighs almost a ton and a lot of practice and experience is required in order to decently produce the most basic work. This once-costly equipment came into the hands of printing enthusiasts when hot-metal typesetting was forced into decline by the computer. The members of this hot-metal fraternity comprise a network of small shops using the machines and matrices which once supported the hot-metal letterpress era. They are, in effect, a group of small working museums.

"Richard Hopkins and myself have gathered fifteen of these typecasters into the pages of this book. Here you'll see unknown type faces, ancient faces cast from 200 year old matrices, experimental faces, beautiful faces and a few not so beautiful. In addition to the alphabets each contributor has composed specimen pages showing his types in use.

"The types shown in this book encompass a period of about 100 years. This was during the heyday of mechanical typecasting and letterpress printing in America. Some of these types represent ideas of style and design long since passed out of favor. They may seem dated, perhaps quaint, or even ugly to contemporary eyes. But they are a vital part of the history of printing and we think it is important to take note of, and document their existence. The contributors to this book are respectful stewards of these rapidly disappearing artifacts of the golden years of American typecasting and the letterpress process."

Includes a two page dedication by Richard Hopkins to Paul Hayden Duensing (1929 - 2006); preface by Henry Morris; and introduction by Richard L. Hopkinsricus.

Typecasters included are Michael R. Anderson; Michael Bixler; Dan Carr & Julia Ferrari; Phillip Driscoll; Richard L. Hopkins; Dan S. Jones; Scott King; Raymond Stanley Nelson, Jr.; Chris Paul; Edward Rayher; Jim Rimmer; Schuyler (Sky) Shipley; Jim & Franziska Walczak; and Gregory Jackson Walters.
$800

So Long, Hot-Metal Men
The Comprehensive Bird & Bull Type Specimen Book
By Henricus De Nova Villa
Newton, Pennsylvania: Bird & Bull Press, 2007. Edition of 140.

9.5 x 12.5 x 1.25"; 119 leaves. Set and printed by hand, mostly in two
colors, on Frankfurt paper. Quarter-bound in morocco. Enclosed in a
cloth-covered slipcase.

Henry Morris, Prospectus: "Different from any type specimen book you've seen, the specimen settings here not only show the various types in use, but also tell a story in themselves. This book represents a full year of daily work and a pedestrian journey of 123 miles. An engaging and informative Foreword clears up much of the confusion regarding metal type as it was produced during the 20th century, and describes the various kinds of hot-metal types and how they were used. Also included is ornamental material from the last days of the great German type founders, which is rarely seen in the hands of American private presses, much of which was designed by Hermann Zapf and others of equal ability. I've seen many of the type specimen books of the 20th century and I believe I have come up with a novel way of doing this. I predict the idea will be copied, but this is the original and no serious collection should be without it."

Includes examples of Original Caslon; Post Roman Bold; Codex; Stempel Borders / Ornaments; Californian; Sapphire; Palatino Semibold; Carolus; Wood Type; Alt. Gothic, Franklin Gothic Cond.; Mortised Brass; Trump Mediaeval.; Fry's Ornamented; Union Pearl; Hadriano Stone Cut; Sachsenwald; Tuscan Ornate, Craw Clarendon, Standard Bold Condensed; Thorne Shaded; Fournier; Champleve; and, Century Expanded, Franklin Gothic, Boxhead Gothic.
$600

In Black and White
A wood engraver's odyssey
By Wesley W. Bates
Newton, Pennsylvania: Bird & Bull Press, 2005. Edition of 140.

7.375 x 10.75"; 86 pages. Composed in Dante types by Michael and Winifred Bixler. Printed on Zerkall mouldmade paper. Twenty-six one-color wood engravings and one foldout color engraving. Bound in Japanese cloth by the Campbell-Logan Bindery. Enclosed in a cloth covered slipcase.

Henry Morris, Prospectus: "This book records in words and illustrations Wesley Bates' journey from neophyte to master wood engraver. The stories he tells along the way and the engravings connected with them will be instructive and enjoyable to all those interested in the art of wood engraving. In addition to wood engraving, Bates' work as a professional illustrator includes the medium of scraperboards, which produces an image that can appear to be a wood engraving. The process, which is probably unknown to most wood engraving enthusiasts, is explained and a comparative example is included. Also included is a fold-out 4 color woodcut print which Bates made for a book I published in 2001."
$275

The Foresters
By Alexander Wilson
A poetic account of a walking journey to the Falls of Niagara in the Autumn of 1804
with wood engravings by Wesley W. Bates
Newtown, PA: Bird & Bull Press, 2000. Edition of 150.

6.25 x 9.75"; 112 pages. Printed in Dante types on Arches mouldmade paper. Wood-engravings by Wesley Bates. Quarter bound morocco in cloth-covered slipcase.

Prospectus: "Alexander Wilson, poet, weaver and reformer, was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1766, and died in Philadelphia in 1813. His reputation rests almost entirely upon his monumental American Ornithology, a nine-volume work illustrated with his own drawings, the completion of which he did not live to see. He came to America in 1704 and after a depressing period as an underpaid and unappreciated rural schoolmaster, taught himself to draw and then set out to make 'a collection of all our finest birds.' The terrible physical hardships suffered during many long journeys into the American wilderness were probably responsible for his death. He has been variously called 'The Father of American Ornithology' and 'The American Audubon.' His long poem The Foresters, described his first 'pedestrian journey' with two companions to the Falls of Niagara in 1804. It has been criticized as being too long for a poem, but I think it is really a book written in verse, and seen in that light, not of unreasonable length. Wilson's verse is as good as any being written in America at that time. Published serially in The Port Folio, the leading Philadelphia literary magazine, it was enormously popular. It was first published in book form, here in Newtown, in 1818, five years after Wilson's death.

"Beyond the somewhat flowery and stilted literary style of the period, lies a wonderfully descriptive account of the Arcadian splendor of the 18th-century America. The earlier poets Barlow and Freneau had celebrated America's patriots, but Wilson was the first to describe the spectacular sights of the American wilderness and the lives of some of the early settlers who dwelled in it. Wilson and his companions, one of whom was Duncan, his nephew, set out from Philadelphia on an October day in 1804. They crossed mountains, rivers, almost drowned in Lake Ontario and finally reached Niagara around mid-November. After a two-month trip which covered almost 1,300 miles, mostly on foot, Wilson returned to Philadelphia on December 7, 1804, exhausted and frozen, with seventy-five cents in his pocket. But he had seen some of the natural wonders of his chosen land and having also discovered a new variety of jay, he was a happy man.

"Alexander Wilson was the quintessential American. He came here seeking freedom and the opportunity to make his way in the world, based entirely upon his own merits and ambition, without the advantages of inherited wealth or privilege. He became an American citizen on June 9, 1804 and his love for his adopted country is evident throughout The Foresters."
$400

Bird & Bull Press Out of Print Title:
•Dard Hunter & Son

By Henry Morris
Newtown, Pennsylvania: Bird & Bull Press, 1989. Edition of 300.

6 X 9.25"; 86 pages. Printed on French mouldmade Arches text paper. Text composed in Van Dijck types by Othmar Peters. Includes die-cut board folder containing eleven original tokens struck especially for this book. In slipcase, original blue leather-backed over boards. Leather spine title label.

Contents: Introduction; British Tokens; British Tokens prior to the 18th century; A check-list of all known British Tokens; American Tokens; Appendix; The Participants; Bibliography.

Colophon: "The tokens were made under the supervision of Meyer Katz at the Unity Mint in Ambler, Pa., from dies engraved by Kenneth Douglas in Olive Branch, Miss. The composition of the tokens is 95% copper and 5% tin and zinc, the same as was the U.S. cent prior to 1982."

Henry Morris, Introduction: "The purpose of this essay is to acquaint the reader with some of the tradesmen's tokens issued from the 17th to the 19th centuries by British and American booksellers and bookmakers. Under this generally heading may be included printers, papermakers, publishers, bookbinders, circulating libraries and any other trade or activity which had a role in the making, selling or dissemination of books. A complete check-list of British book-trade tokens known to me, of all periods, will be found on page 46.

"Although we deal here specifically with the book-oriented trades, these tokens were issued in both countries by all manner of tradesmen, and by many towns and municipalities. The chief reason for the existence of token-coinage in England was the recurrent shortages of official small-denomination coins which were necessary for everyday transactions. The reasons for these shortages varied ... In 1648 tradesmen took matters into their own hands and began to produce their own widespread issues of better weight token-coinage. These tokens were given and accepted as change, and those of one merchant were usually honored by other merchants within the same locality. ... A copper penny was supposed to be made of a full pennyworth of copper. Gold and silver coins were of course the superior currencies, and neither was acceptable unless of standard weight and purity.

"In addition to serving as small change, tokens were used for advertising purposes and quite often to advance political or social goals.

"These old tokens cannot be satisfactorily described in words alone, so where possible, illustrations have been provided. It would have been nice to include specimens of original tokens, but this would have been expensive and impractical. Instead, all of the booksellers and bookmakers listed have struck a new token of their own, and specimen of each has been included. ...

"Unlike our predecessor we suffer from no lack of small change today, but it is enjoyable to revive an old custom like this and at the same time introduce book-collectors to a novel and interesting book-related collectible."
(SOLD)