Fine Press time machine: 1975

Part 2: Vol. 1, Nos. 3 & 4

PART 1: Vol. 1, Numbers 1 & 2

Some years ago, I had the first three years of Fine Print: A Review for the Arts of the Book bound into full navy blue morocco by David Comstock of Seattle. I was just yesterday skimming through it and the announcements of new and forthcoming press books struck me as being very interesting, so I thought to share them with the group as there are many presses/books mentioned of which I'm willing to bet this list is largely ignorant as well as some well-known ones. So, without further ado, I bring you the selected listings from the first two issues of FP. If the interest is there, I'll post listings from subsequent issues.

Vol. 1., No. 1. January, 1975

Perishable Press, Mt. Horeb, WI. Hunkering in Wisconsin by Sheik Waah el Hamwatter.

The Allen Press. Flaubert, Gustave. The Temptation of Saint Anthony. Translated by Lafcadio Hern. (1974). 140 copies.

Mildred Bissinger, Kentfield, CA. de Celeyran, Mary Tapie. Our Cousin Lautree. Printed by hand from hand-set Caslon type on Colpohon Text paper. 250 copies of which 100 were withheld from sale. With 10 pages of drawings by Toulouse Lautrec.

David Holman, Austin, TX. Letters of Hard Times in Texas 1840-1890. Austin, TX: Roger Beacham, 1974. 205 copies set in Garamond, printed by hand-powered letterpress on handmade Wookey Hole paper.

Wesley Tanner, Arif Press.
 Hawkins, Bobbie Louise. Fifteen Poems. 426 copies, wraps. 1974.
 McClure, Joanna. Wolf Eyes. 1250 copies. Italian Old Style type, with Goudy Thirty and Centaur. Warren's Olde Style machine-made wove paper. for SF: Beartham Press.

Volume 1, No. 2. April 1975

Angelica Press (Marilyn & Dennis Grastorf). Irving, Washington. Christmas at Bracebridge Hall. First book from this press. 1974. 2000 copies on Curtis Tweedweave. Text set in 12 pt. Scotch Roman with Caslon O. F. italic display.

Harold Berliner. Dickens, Charles. A Full and Faithful Report of the Memorable Trial of Bardell against Pickwick.. 1974. 750 copies on Curtis Rag paper in Perpetua type. Yellow buckram (700 copies) and 50 bound in leather.
 Note: I have two books from Mr. Berliner. They are quite well done. My favorite is A Christmas Carol (reviewed here).

Harry Duncan/Abbatoir Editions. Damon, S. Foster. Selected Poems. 470 copies printed on Wookey Hole paper in Cloister Old Style roman, Joanna italic and Romulus Open types. Grey paper wrappers. 1974.
NOTE: Two other titles are mentioned as well: The House that Jack Built; or, A Portrait of the Artist as a Sad Sensualist by John Logan and bacchae sonnets by Armand Schwerner.

Other presses mentioned are Andrew Hoyem, Janus Press (Claire Van Vliet), Plantin Press (Saul & Lilian Marks), Kim Merker (Stonewall Press), and Ward Ritchie.

More to follow if you folk so desire. Let me know.

I’d be very interested in selections from subsequent issues. I’m especially interested also in any information anyone can provide about Hunkering in Wisconsin by Sheik Waah el Hamwatter from the Perishable Press. I couldn’t find anything about either the title or the author.

>2 jbrnewman: The author is likely not a real person, but rather an invented persona used by Walter Hamady, the proprietor, to have a little fun. He was known to play around a bit.

If one of our members has access to the Perishable bibliography, perhaps he/she may enlighten us further, as the note referring to this book gave no details beyond what I have written above.

Definitely interested in reading more choice selections. And I was just recently thinking about "presses with no names", as there are a couple folks I buy private press stuff from who don't have a press name. Good to see a number of the same in your listing, might be more prevalent than I first suspected.

>2 jbrnewman: The author was indeed Walter Hamady, the printer/proprietor of Perishable Press, who went by a few different aliases. "Hunkering in Wisconsin" is the second in the series of eight Gabberjabbs. The first one, "Interminable Gabberjabbs," was authored by "Volatire the Haemadeh," was published in 1973. Somewhat confusingly, the eighth and final Gabberjabb is titled "Hunkering." He also signed several of his Gabberjabbs (and other adjacent, Dadaist works) as PS 3558.A42, which he purported was his Library of Congress number.

>1 Glacierman: Very cool list! I have that book of letters compiled by David Holman. It is very well done.

>5 DenimDan: >3 Glacierman: Thank you both! Fascinating, I expected something like that but would never have been able to sort it out on my own. I really appreciate it.