1dlphcoracl
The Holy Gospel, Officina Bodoni, Verona, 1962.
For collectors of modern private press books, Giovanni (Hans) Mardersteig and the Officina Bodoni (OB) need little introduction. The OB was founded by Mardersteig in 1922 and for over a half century he printed and published several of the most beautiful books of the 20th century using a hand-press. Several other European private press proprietors regarded Mardersteig as the finest pressman of his time. What is less well known is that he was a scholar, studying law from 1910 to 1915 and developing a keen interest and expertise in the history of printing and typography following Gutenberg's invention of the movable-type printing press and the publication of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible. He also designed several new typefaces for use at the OB including Dante, Griffo and Zeno types, all based on early types used in European printing.
The OB would go on to print and publish over 200 books and pamphlets but several of the most important and interesting were editions based upon early 16th and 17th century books with medieval wood engravings. Mardersteig would then commission one of the finest Italian wood-engravers, often Bruno Bramanti, to recarve the wooden blocks and use them to recreate these extraordinary illustrations for his new editions. Examples include: the Fables of Esope, The Holy Gospel According to Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, A Comedy of Terence called Andria, The Little Passion - with the Poems of the First Edition of 1511 Benedictus Chelidonius Musophilus, and the Nymphs of Fiesole.
Mardersteig's OB edition of The Holy Gospel recreates the original illustrations from a small Italian book 'Epistole et Evangelii et Lectioni Vulgari in Lingua Thoscana (Florence, 1495)' with wood engravings by Bartolomeo di Giovanni. Only two copies of this book exist, one (complete) in Rome and the other now in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. The 114 woodcut were recarved by Bruno Bramanti and his pupil Italo Zetti (following Bramanti's death) and then printed directly from the blocks using the hand press. The woodcut for the title page was made by Reynolds Stone. The Gospel was issued as an edition of 320 copies with 155 copies in English for sale in the U.K. and USA. The paper is hand made by Fratelli Magnani in Pescia, type is Mardersteig's Zeno type and binding is full crimson crushed morocco with circular gilt design and gilt titling on the front cover. Slipcase is grey cloth-covered with a version of a Greek key design printed in matching crimson. Photographs to follow.
Collector's Tip: The finest of the Officina Bodoni books as listed above typically retail for thousands of dollars. However, astute collectors can purchase books with the legendary Mardersteig quality at a fraction of these prices. George Macy, the founder and proprietor of the Limited Editions Club, recognized a good thing when he saw it and over the years he commissioned Mardersteig and his Officina Bodoni to design and print eighteen of the LEC titles. Mardersteig was congenitally incapable of doing anything less than exemplary work and these LEC editions have jaw-dropping quality at absurdly low prices. The LEC/Mardersteig titles to look for include: The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Ovid's Metamorphoses, The Sonnets of Petrarch, The Toilers of the Sea, The Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi, The Georgics of Virgil, I Promessi Sposi and the Trial and Death of Socrates.
For collectors of modern private press books, Giovanni (Hans) Mardersteig and the Officina Bodoni (OB) need little introduction. The OB was founded by Mardersteig in 1922 and for over a half century he printed and published several of the most beautiful books of the 20th century using a hand-press. Several other European private press proprietors regarded Mardersteig as the finest pressman of his time. What is less well known is that he was a scholar, studying law from 1910 to 1915 and developing a keen interest and expertise in the history of printing and typography following Gutenberg's invention of the movable-type printing press and the publication of the 42-line Gutenberg Bible. He also designed several new typefaces for use at the OB including Dante, Griffo and Zeno types, all based on early types used in European printing.
The OB would go on to print and publish over 200 books and pamphlets but several of the most important and interesting were editions based upon early 16th and 17th century books with medieval wood engravings. Mardersteig would then commission one of the finest Italian wood-engravers, often Bruno Bramanti, to recarve the wooden blocks and use them to recreate these extraordinary illustrations for his new editions. Examples include: the Fables of Esope, The Holy Gospel According to Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, A Comedy of Terence called Andria, The Little Passion - with the Poems of the First Edition of 1511 Benedictus Chelidonius Musophilus, and the Nymphs of Fiesole.
Mardersteig's OB edition of The Holy Gospel recreates the original illustrations from a small Italian book 'Epistole et Evangelii et Lectioni Vulgari in Lingua Thoscana (Florence, 1495)' with wood engravings by Bartolomeo di Giovanni. Only two copies of this book exist, one (complete) in Rome and the other now in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. The 114 woodcut were recarved by Bruno Bramanti and his pupil Italo Zetti (following Bramanti's death) and then printed directly from the blocks using the hand press. The woodcut for the title page was made by Reynolds Stone. The Gospel was issued as an edition of 320 copies with 155 copies in English for sale in the U.K. and USA. The paper is hand made by Fratelli Magnani in Pescia, type is Mardersteig's Zeno type and binding is full crimson crushed morocco with circular gilt design and gilt titling on the front cover. Slipcase is grey cloth-covered with a version of a Greek key design printed in matching crimson. Photographs to follow.
Collector's Tip: The finest of the Officina Bodoni books as listed above typically retail for thousands of dollars. However, astute collectors can purchase books with the legendary Mardersteig quality at a fraction of these prices. George Macy, the founder and proprietor of the Limited Editions Club, recognized a good thing when he saw it and over the years he commissioned Mardersteig and his Officina Bodoni to design and print eighteen of the LEC titles. Mardersteig was congenitally incapable of doing anything less than exemplary work and these LEC editions have jaw-dropping quality at absurdly low prices. The LEC/Mardersteig titles to look for include: The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Ovid's Metamorphoses, The Sonnets of Petrarch, The Toilers of the Sea, The Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi, The Georgics of Virgil, I Promessi Sposi and the Trial and Death of Socrates.
2ultrarightist
Magnificent.
4Glacierman
I can sum this marvelous book in one word: Mardersteig.
Love his stuff. Have several of the LECs he did.
Love his stuff. Have several of the LECs he did.
5kermaier
>1 dlphcoracl:
That’s a truly exceptional book - kudos.
What’s your opinion of more recent OB work? I have a 1999 edition of the Song of Songs in the original Hebrew (calligraphic typeface, presumably printed from polymer plates), which the colophon notes was printed on the hand press at Officina Bodoni. I think it’s really excellent, but obviously not done by Mardersteig.
That’s a truly exceptional book - kudos.
What’s your opinion of more recent OB work? I have a 1999 edition of the Song of Songs in the original Hebrew (calligraphic typeface, presumably printed from polymer plates), which the colophon notes was printed on the hand press at Officina Bodoni. I think it’s really excellent, but obviously not done by Mardersteig.
6dlphcoracl
>5 kermaier:
The book you are undoubtedly referring to is the Bet Alpha Editions of 'Solomon's Song of Songs' with Hebrew calligraphy by David Moss. From what I know, the Officina Bodoni ended with Hans Mardersteig's death in 1977. After his death, the Mardersteig's family interest in fine printing was carried on by his son Martino at his sister private press the Stamperia Valdonega, which Hans Mardersteig established for mechanical (not hand press) letterpress and fine non-letterpress printing, e.g., the 3-volume set of Dante's Divine Comedy with the Hollander translation.
The Stamperia Valdonega does not use the hand press aside from a few very rare occasions I am aware of:
1. The Dead by James Joyce (1982) for Duval & Hamilton publishers
2. Selected Lyrics by Hugh MacDiarmid (1977) for Duval & Hamilton.
3. WB Yeats - Eugenio Montale. An Italian translation of Yeats poetry for the Italian group of collectors Centro Amici del Libro ( 'Hundred Friends of the Book')
4. Della Fisionomia delluomo di Gio (Of the Physiognomy of Man) by Gianbattista Della Porta, also for 'Friends of the Book'.
All of these four books have the qualities and printing excellence I would associate with the Mardersteig work at the Officina Bodoni from 1922 through 1977. It is possible that your book is one I was unaware of in which Martino Mardersteig broke out his father's 19th century handpress and used it for the Bet Alpha publication.
The book you are undoubtedly referring to is the Bet Alpha Editions of 'Solomon's Song of Songs' with Hebrew calligraphy by David Moss. From what I know, the Officina Bodoni ended with Hans Mardersteig's death in 1977. After his death, the Mardersteig's family interest in fine printing was carried on by his son Martino at his sister private press the Stamperia Valdonega, which Hans Mardersteig established for mechanical (not hand press) letterpress and fine non-letterpress printing, e.g., the 3-volume set of Dante's Divine Comedy with the Hollander translation.
The Stamperia Valdonega does not use the hand press aside from a few very rare occasions I am aware of:
1. The Dead by James Joyce (1982) for Duval & Hamilton publishers
2. Selected Lyrics by Hugh MacDiarmid (1977) for Duval & Hamilton.
3. WB Yeats - Eugenio Montale. An Italian translation of Yeats poetry for the Italian group of collectors Centro Amici del Libro ( 'Hundred Friends of the Book')
4. Della Fisionomia delluomo di Gio (Of the Physiognomy of Man) by Gianbattista Della Porta, also for 'Friends of the Book'.
All of these four books have the qualities and printing excellence I would associate with the Mardersteig work at the Officina Bodoni from 1922 through 1977. It is possible that your book is one I was unaware of in which Martino Mardersteig broke out his father's 19th century handpress and used it for the Bet Alpha publication.
7kermaier
>6 dlphcoracl:
Yes, that’s the one.
The book is folio, with 22 pages of text, plus 6 full-page engravings with no text on the reverse. The colophon indicates an edition of 100 standard copies, 20 deluxe copies (I don’t know what distinguishes them — maybe a separate portfolio of the engravings?), 12 AP and 5 HC. So perhaps it was a small enough project that use of the hand press was feasible.
The entire execution seems to have been accomplished in Italy: text printed by OB; engravings printed by Ana Diciliotto; all on paper made to order by Magnani (custom watermarked with Bet Alpha’s device); and bound by Rogero Rigoldi.
Yes, that’s the one.
The book is folio, with 22 pages of text, plus 6 full-page engravings with no text on the reverse. The colophon indicates an edition of 100 standard copies, 20 deluxe copies (I don’t know what distinguishes them — maybe a separate portfolio of the engravings?), 12 AP and 5 HC. So perhaps it was a small enough project that use of the hand press was feasible.
The entire execution seems to have been accomplished in Italy: text printed by OB; engravings printed by Ana Diciliotto; all on paper made to order by Magnani (custom watermarked with Bet Alpha’s device); and bound by Rogero Rigoldi.
8kdweber
>1 dlphcoracl: Would you please list the 18 Officina Bodoni LEC titles. Are you counting Stamperia Valdonega titles in your total? I have 11 OB LECs and 7 SV LECs.
9dlphcoracl
>8 kdweber:
I AM counting the books printed at the Stamperia Valdonega in my 18 LECs because they were designed and executed under Giovanni Mardersteig's supervision. They were probably printed at the SV because of their length, i.e., number of pages, which would have made them unsuitable for the handpress.
I AM counting the books printed at the Stamperia Valdonega in my 18 LECs because they were designed and executed under Giovanni Mardersteig's supervision. They were probably printed at the SV because of their length, i.e., number of pages, which would have made them unsuitable for the handpress.
10NYCFaddict
I think that once the SV was established, some of the "OB" LECs were actually SV printed; with a limitation of 1500, they could not possibly have been handpressed. This has been discussed on a GMD thread.
11dlphcoracl
>10 NYCFaddict:
As noted above, the books done at the SV were certainly not done with the handpress. That said, nearly 2/3 of Giovanni (Hans) Mardersteig's books for the LEC WERE actually done at the OB and several of these books, although not done on the handpress, come remarkably close to Officina Bodoni quality. I am thinking specifically of The Georgics by Virgil.
As noted above, the books done at the SV were certainly not done with the handpress. That said, nearly 2/3 of Giovanni (Hans) Mardersteig's books for the LEC WERE actually done at the OB and several of these books, although not done on the handpress, come remarkably close to Officina Bodoni quality. I am thinking specifically of The Georgics by Virgil.
