H. M. Marvin Collection on Bruce Rogers

Bruce Rogers’ career as a typographer and designer of books spanned more than sixty years. The printed works he designed and the typefaces he created are among his legacies. So, also, is the vitalizing effect he had upon American and British printing in the early decades of the twentieth century. Contemporary accounts show the affection and respect which his colleagues felt for this humorous, strong-minded and skilled artist whom they always referred to as “BR.” Harvard and Cambridge honored him with degrees, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded him its gold medal in 1948.
In his book, Modern Fine Printing in America, A.E. Gallatin declares that “no printer has shown as great versatility and variety in his work as has Mr. Bruce Rogers . . . his volumes are as distinctive as those printed at the Kelmscott, Doves, and other English presses. What Mr. Rogers has done, however, is a far greater achievement than that accomplished by any of these presses — for one thing, and this is an important point, his books are meant to be read, and are not merely objects d’art.”

The Bruce Rogers Collection of the Smith Rare Book Room exists because of the generosity of a Davidson alumnus, Dr. Harold M. Marvin, class of 1914, an eminent heart specialist, faculty member of the Yale Medical School, and enthusiastic bibliophile. The collection of Bruce Rogers items includes most of the “great” books and a number of rare ephemera. Many are personally inscribed to Dr. Marvin by Mr. Rogers who was his longtime patient and friend.