Whittington Press
Matrix 34: A Review for Printers & Bibliophiles
1 of 660 copies. This fine annual production from the Whittington Press is an important compilation of articles, illustrations, paper and typography samples, and book reviews that is eagerly awaited for each year. The Whittington Press was founded in 1971 by John and Rosalind Randle to print and publish books by letterpress. Since its beginnings, they have printed some 200 books, included the renowned Matrix, an annual review for printers and bibliophiles. The Press has received numerous awards for its printing and publishing, most recently in 2009 from the American Printing History Association.
Matrix developed out of an idea to issue a collection of papers on printing and typography. The essays appearing in the first volume were selected by John Randle, and being too short to be issued individually, were compiled into a single volume. The title 'Matrix' was selected both because it names the mould in which a type sort is cast, and because the Caslon swash M was a particular favourite of Randle’s. Contributors to 'Matrix' include Sebastian Carter, Roderick Cave, John Dreyfus, Christopher Sanford, Christopher Skelton, and nearly every other contemporary authority on printing. The papers and specimens included cover the gamut, as comprehensively as any single review could, of typography, the revival of wood engraving, and just about every other subject pertaining to private printing.
Offered for sale as is. Please see images before buying.
––––––––––––––
The 34th issue of Matrix: This edition of 660 copies is set in Cochin, Joanna, Scotch Roman, Caslon, Goudy Modern, Bell, Blado,Poliphilus and Perpetua types, & printed at Whittington on Matrix Laid, Zerkall and Bugra Butten mould-made, and Naturalis papers. The contents include: "Slugs for Poems" by Andrew Judd; "Printing Ornata" by John Grice; "A Masterclass in Printing" by Eva Svensson; "Pets & Letters" by Fergus Wessel; "An Unusual Apprenticeship" by James Stanley; "Tanya Schmoller, 1918-2016" by Nicolas Barker; "Marlborough Times, or a Cautionary Tale" by Patricia Low; "Samuel Tyszkiewicz & the Oficyna Florencka" by Tomasz Dawid Pichor; "Tolerating Englishmen" by Nick Gill; "Sheila Hönigsberg, 1925-2015" by Simon Brett; "The Engravings of Mark Arman" by James Freemantle; "Celebrating Aldus" by Enrico Tallone; "Designing & Making" by John Craig; "Garden Russell: the Broadway Adventure" by Ray Leigh; "Oxford Apprentice" by Richard Russell; "Christopher Whitfield's Diary" by Paul Whitfield; "Searching for Rudolf Koch" by Jerry Cinamon; "W.S. Cowell Ltd., the Press in the Butter Market, Ipswich" by Hugh Tempest-Radford; "The Manhattan Fine Press Book Fair" by John Randle; "Correspondence with Edward Bawden, 1972-1989" by Peyton Skipwith; "Looking Further Afield" by Michael Taylor; book reviews by Sebastian Carter, John Christopher, John Randle, and Patrick Randle; and "The Alcuin Press: a Diagram of People and Books" by Michael Daniell.