The Smith Rare Book Room has in its collections some beautifully printed, limited editions published at private presses in the early decades of the twentieth century. In addition to literary works of art from such presses as Ballantyne, Montague, Centaur, and Kelmscott, the Smith Rare Book Room boasts one of the finest existing collections of books printed at the Golden Cockerel Press in London, England.The Golden Cockerel Press was established in the autumn of 1920. Its first printing was the 1921 first edition of A.E. Coppard’s Adam and Eve and Pinch Me which proved to be an instant success. According to Humbert Wolfe in his introduction to A Bibliography of the Golden Cockerel Press (1936), “lovers of the fine arts owe a permanent debt of gratitude to the private printing presses, among which the Golden Cockerel takes a very high place indeed.”
The vast majority of books in the Golden Cockerel Press Collection of the Smith Rare Book Room were printed on handmade paper and illustrated with wood engravings by Eric Gill and other artists. Of particular note is a copy of the Four Gospels, printed in 1931 from type designed by Eric Gill, a British sculptor, engraver, typographic designer, and writer.
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.