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A title from The Old School Press The Daniel Press in Frome The Daniel family
and their press in Frome, by David Chambers and Martyn Ould | ||
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About the book Falconer Madan, one-time Bodley's Librarian, wrote the definitive bibliography of the Daniel Press, and had it printed on Daniel's own Albion and published in 1921, and one might reckon that little more was to be said on the topic. Not true! The books that Daniel printed and published from Worcester College in Oxford are relatively well known and by and large still to be had. Reproductions of pages from those fifty or so titles are also frequently seen. But in his bibliography, Madan also covers the less known output of Charles Henry Olive Daniel and his family from their home in Frome, Somerset. This domestic press dates from Henry's early years. But it was picked up by two of his brothers, Eustace and William, while he was away at school and later studying in London and then Oxford. After Henry had left home and established himself, and his press, at Worcester College, Oxford, the brothers and their father continued printing small items, in particular for the church at which Daniel's father was vicar (a post that Eustace was later to take over). Some were clearly juvenile and rather amateur works, including nine items that Madan refers to as 'books' and also hundreds of other items that are classed under the heading of 'Frome minor pieces' (of which some are but 'minima'). Much of it was ephemeral material for use in running the church. In contrast to the Oxford books, these are as good as unknown and almost never seen. This title, we hope, redresses the balance and provides insights not only into the early work of a formative private press but also the role of an amateur press in its social setting. Henry's father was vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Frome and their home was the Georgian vicarage next door, a fine house that is now a private residence. Daniel and his brothers and father printed a large number of items for the church's daily affairs as well as items for more general consumption including bookplates for over fifty family members and friends. David Chambers and I tracked down, examined, and catalogued seven substantial collections of the Frome output amounting to over 1,000 pieces, and, taken together, they provided many insights into 'The Daniel Press in Frome'. Moreover, we found more than a hundred items not catalogued by Madan and these we have of course meticulously listed. Madan himself also recorded more information about the items in his own albums than he published in his bibliography and we have taken the opportunity to print the missing material in our book. The contents are as follows:
About the edition There are 72pp of text printed letterpress in 12pt Caslon on a pale blue laid paper by T. Edmonds and 48pp of photographs and scans of some of these rarest of items from the Daniel Press. We gathered the latter from five collections including the Bodleian Library and Worcester College, Oxford. There are also two tip-in reproductions of Daniel items, one by Henry and the other by his brother Eustace - they have been printed on a Ruthven parlour press of the same design as that used by the Daniel family themselves. You can watch a short video of the tip-ins being printed on the Ruthven here. The edition is of 175 copies. The binding is quarter-cloth with a blue Hahnemühle Bugra Bütten paper on the boards to a size and style that matches Falconer Madan's bibliography of the Daniel Press and our related title Printing at the Daniel Press. £125. Ten sets of sheets reserved for binders at £50 each. | ||
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What others have said about the book |
'a beautifully printed volume' |
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