Cultural Images
John Gordon
Ancient Printers' Customs Also My First Year at the Printing Trade
Dedicated to the Union Printers Home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Limited to 150 Printed Copies
SOLD
Item Details
Vinalhaven, Maine, John Gordon at the Gordon Press, 1938, paper wraps made from wallpaper
VG+
[PRINTING] [PRIVATE PRESS] [LIMITED EDITION] [MAINE] John Gordon. Ancient Printers’ Customs / also / My First Year at the Printing Trade (Vinalhaven, Maine: The Gordon Press, 1938). One of 150 copies printed. The bottom of the title page reads, “The Gordon Press is the smallest Publishing House and printing office in America. 8 x 12 feet in size, a 7 x 13 Kelsey hand press, a 10 x 15 Gordon press, two cabinets modern type, also antique type. Also stove, bed and cooking utensils, etc.” The verso of the title page reads, “This little effort is respectfully and gratefully dedicated to the Union Printers Home / Colorado Springs, Colorado”.
Paper wraps made from wall paper; string tied; [16] pp; illustrated with woodcuts whittled out by the author/printer. Measures 7.75 x 5.5 inches. Three short tears with folds along the edge of the back cover; o/w in VG+ condition. [M/M]
From the Explanatory page written by the author, we learn that John Gordon spent “three years of perfect comfort and received the most kindly care and genuine human kindness I ever experienced from all in that wonderful humanitarian institution”, the Union Printers Home. The piece on Ancient Printers’ Customs was copied from its appearance in an 1832 issue of The Casket. The other major piece was written by Gordon as he recalled the happiest year of his life. In addition, the Gordon printed in this publication a poem titled The Union Printers Home which was written by W. H. Mowder whom he met there. Also included is a poem The Printer’s Towel and two more pages written by the author/printer about himself and his Gordon Press. One of Gordon’s woodcuts features a printer’s devil, another a printer working a large printing press.
This small press limited edition booklet is very scarce. No copies were found in the on-line marketplace, in fact, only one other John Gordon publication is listed, that by James Cummins. And, we could find none reported by institutions to OCLC.
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