Letters from Titanic

Pre-orders are now being taken for a fine press edition compiling moving letters from passengers and crew on board RMS Titanic.
This selection of letters tells the lamentable story in the unique and powerful way only true first-hand accounts can.
Included are biographies of each writer, and an introduction by George Behe, past vice president of the Titanic Historical Society.
The edition is typeset using the Monotype system and cast in metal type and will be letterpress-printed and fine-bound.
For more information please contact Ian Pearson ipearson@thehistorypress.co.uk

Thank you, hoping to sign on for this one!

Excellent!

Posted in Upcoming, I probably should have posted here first. Anyway, here's the update again.

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Received further information on the upcoming Letters from Titanic. This is from the prospectus and his reply:

This limited edition collates a selection of the most moving and poignant letters
and postcards to be sent from RMS Titanic, prior to her untimely sinking
in the early hours of 15 April 1912. Carefully curated by George Behe, this
selection of letters tells the lamentable story in the unique and powerful way
only true first-hand accounts can. Included are biographies of each writer, and
an introduction by George Behe.

Set and cast in ‘Monotype’ Imprint with Gill Sans Light and Caslon display.
The Imprint typeface was designed in 1912, the year of Titanic’s fateful voyage.
In the same spirit of pioneering technology, it was the first type to be designed
specifically for machine composition and was to prove that new technology
could be just as good as the traditional hand-composed type.

This edition will be letterpress-printed on 150gsm Bockingford mould-made
paper and hand bound at the craft bindery of Blissetts, Royal Warrant Holders
in London. Each copy will contain a piece of letterpress printed ephemera,
reproduced from original material.

Only 250 numbered copies of this edition will be printed,
priced at £300 per copy, publishing Autumn 2022

For pre-orders and enquiries please contact Ian Pearson:
ipearson@thehistorypress.co.uk

Typeset and cast by Gloucester Typesetting Services, designed by
Rooksmoor Press and letterpress-printed at the Stonehouse Fine Press

Copies can be reserved with an initial deposit of £75. The book is a numbered edition, and numbers will be allocated as we receive deposits.

By writing to him in advance you should be able to place a deposit a week before it is opened to the public for subscribing, thus ensuring your copy ahead of time. He can also send you a prospectus PDF and color sample PDF.

One of my favorite Thornwillow books is "A Survivor's Tale". It's a little book, part of their Libretto series that predated the Dispatch series and has some other neat gems like a short story by Peter Matthiessen and a reminiscence about Martin Luther King by Harry Belafonte — both signed in the higher editions...

"A Survivor's Tale" was written by Titanic survivor Jack Thayer and was published by Thornwillow to mark the 100th anniversary of the disaster in 2012. Thayer describes his personal experience, how he swam to floating debris and saved others from drowning. Years later after his mother, who also survived the disaster, died and his son was killed in WWII, he committed suicide. His account is beautifully written and one of the most moving things you will read. Also, the intro by former Paris Review editor Lorin Stein who found the text on his grandparent's shelf because they were friends of Thayer's is beautiful. It's available in paper wrappers and half leather... and would be a great companion to the edition described above. Other than the handful of privately printed copies that Thayer distributed to friends in 1940, I believe Thornwillow's is the only edition of this text.

https://thornwillow.com/libretti-survivors

>5 FvS: Spurred by this forthcoming book I did pick up A Survivor's Tale from Thornwillow in my recent order. It is quite a lovely little book and promises to make an engaging evening read.

>6 Shadekeep: It's really an amazing story.

>5 FvS: I’ve corresponded with TW to pick up A Survivor’s Tale as well. Sounds just the kind of a story I would love to read. Thank you for making this come to my attention.

If you previously signed up for notification, pre-orders are now open for this book. The price is £300. I do not seem to be able to change my shipping country to the US during checkout, so I have written to the publisher for clarification. If you're in the UK you should have no issues in that regard.

They've updated the link to allow international orders now. My order went through fine this time.

Received Letters from Titanic, it's a handsome volume by Rooksmoor Press and The History Press. Below are photos of the box, cover, facsimile menu, and letterpress interior.

  

>8 ironjaw: Did you end up getting a copy? It is one of my favorite in their series of little books. I guess it's technically not part of the Thornwillow Dispatch, but from an earlier collection of little books, but it is a gem. I really like their Dispatch series and as >6 Shadekeep: Shadekeep suggests these monthly boxes make for engaging evening reads. The collection grows every month (https://thornwillow.com/thornwillow-dispatch) and shockingly well priced.